|
My parents were both liberated from camps in 1945 and married
shortly after in Germany. I was born there in 1947, but came
to Toronto with my parents at the age of two. My sister was
born here.
We did not belong to a shul and we did not have a very religious
home. I think my father questioned his religion after the
war, yet he and my mother always maintained strong Jewish
values. They were very committed to providing me with a Jewish
education and sent me to the Eitz Chaim school and to the
Peretz Shul, which they were both very involved in.
My parents spoke Yiddish and were part of a very close-knit,
nurturing Yiddish community. No one really had anything, yet
everyone shared what he had. My parents borrowed $100 from
about 40 different people to buy their first home. Everyone
in the community helped out.
My wife, Geri, came from one of the founding families of
Temple Sinai. We joined the Temple and our two daughters both
studied there on weekends and had their Bat Mitzvahs there.
Jewish values were a very important part of raising our kids
and my parents helped shape that part of their lives as well.
Charitable giving was always very important to Geri and me,
and we always responded to the many requests we received each
year. After a while, we thought it would be nice to have a
fund that would always allow us to give. We just felt that
it was the right thing to do.
We started the Paul and Geri Levin Charitable Foundation
in the late 1970s. As it grew, we asked UJA Federation to
take over its administration. We haven’t provided any
special instructions – we just want UJA Federation to
use the funds wherever there are needs in the community. Structures
have to survive, organizations have to survive, Israel has
to survive – if we don’t provide for that, who will?
Our kids are now 28 and 25. They know that we give and how
important it is to us. Geri and I were both influenced by
a community of people. Hopefully we can pass that down to
our children and to their children.
|
