|
I grew up in Germany in a modern orthodox family. The Jewish
education, which I received in my childhood in Religious Day
Schools, has guided me through the journey of my life. I was
fortunate to escape from the European inferno before the outbreak
of war and, although I did not experience the horrendous cruelties
of the extermination camps, the fact that I am of the Holocaust
generation, has had a tremendous and over-riding effect on
my goals and aspirations and is the motivation for my intense
involvement in Jewish life in Canada, Israel and world-wide.
In the early war years, I reached the shores of Canada among
a group of several thousand young German Jewish internees
and, after spending two years behind barbed wire, gained Canadian
residence to study Electrical Engineering at Queens University
in Kingston. This was followed by building up a national electrical
and mechanical contracting group engaged in industrial and
commercial construction from coast to coast.
In 1987 I sold State Contractors to devote myself full time
to the Jewish community and its various educational and social
activities. It is a career that is full of challenge, sometimes
frustrations, but one that I do not regret. Today I am on
the boards of schools and yeshivot in Toronto, Shaare Zedek
Hospital, Jerusalem College of Technology, Bar Ilan University
in Israel, Yeshiva University in New York, to name but a few.
It is a very diversified and exhilarating experience.Toronto
is one of the most vibrant and generous Jewish communities
in the world. I am proud to share my passion for Israel, for
Jewish life and for community with so many wonderful people
with whom I have worked over the years.
To safeguard and promote Jewish continuity, the funding of
Jewish education is first and foremost on my list of obligations.
Our youth must be taught the ethics of our Torah and our incredible
history throughout the ages in order to identify as Jews and
carry on our precious traditions.
It is through strong and committed family life that our traditions
and values are passed on to the next generations. In this
regard I have been abundantly blessed with a beautiful family
– my wife Edith, my children Lenny (Toronto), Naomi (Jerusalem)
and Michael (Monsey), 21 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
We are grateful that all our children have internalized our
way of Tzedakah and chessed in their lives and are passing
it on to the next generation.
|
