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I was born and raised in South Africa in a fairly assimilated
Jewish family who originated in Wales. My Jewishness was of
a Zionist secular type although we were nominally Reform.
My only awareness of Canada was through the Stephen Leacock
books I read as a child and the knowledge that we had these
mysterious relatives who had trekked to the frozen north of
Toronto from Wales while we suffered in the African sun!
When I arrived in Toronto for the first time in 1976, I had
the privilege of meeting my mother’s old aunts who held
court in their charming house in Swansea (how appropriate)
overlooking High Park.
They were self-made business women who were widowed at an
early age and childless but who competed with men on equal
terms. The last two died at 97 and 101 respectively. I missed
the glory days of their salon but had a taste of it.
The one constant I carried with me on my odyssey was my Jewish
identity, which heretofore had been mainly negative and based
on a knee-jerk reaction to antisemitism.
To my delight I discovered in Toronto a vibrant and growing
Jewish community with a rich and varied cultural and philanthropic
life. From the Jewish Film Festival and The Jewish Book Fair
to Ashkenaz, and the various aid organizations and community
projects to the rich tapestry of "Olim Chadashim"
from all parts of the world.
The support I have received both in business and socially
in my nearly thirty years here have been a revelation. This
half of my life, which has been spent in and around Jewish
Toronto, has been a " machaya". Indeed, I have discovered
here that the one constant in my life has been my Jewish identity
and that is why I am honoured to be able to share my good
fortune with the community and identify my entire family with
this laudable philanthropic endeavour.
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