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I was brought up with the idea of Tzedakah. I lived in Poland
until I was 10 years old, and until then my grandfather played
a very important role in my life. He was the one who taught
me about charity, and stressed the importance of a Jewish
education. After regular school ended at noon, we went to
cheder until 8:00 at night.
After my mother passed away, I came to Canada to live with
my father. I saw that in a very quiet way he gave what he
could. I believe that this is the way to contribute.
I attended theTalmud Torah after public school. When I was
16, I quit school to go to work and help out, but it was very
important to me to continue my education, so I enrolled in
night school at Central Commerce.
When I went into business, I became involved with UJA and
then Israel Bonds. I remember the parlour meetings Jean and
I had in our home. Over the years, I’ve also held senior
positions in synagogues here in Toronto. About 15 years ago,
Ben Snider approached me to make an endowment gift through
UJA. I also bought a room at C.H.A.T. and worked on their
capital campaign, soliciting others to do the same.
Now, I am not as actively involved, but of course I still
contribute. I am passing on the torch. I think it’s important
that younger people participate and work for the Jewish community
because we have to take care of each other.
Now more than ever, with the current wave of antisemitism
that we see everywhere, we have to stay strong. The needs
of our community are great, and when you explain to people
in the proper way how important it is to support Jewish causes,
they respond.
Jean and I are very pleased that our two sons live with the
Jewish values that we showed them in our home. They know how
important the mitzvah of tzedakah is, and in turn have passed
that on to our two grandchildren. Carrying on the tradition
means a great deal to both of us.
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