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Lorraine and I both grew up with
strong ties to Jewish community where both our homes respected the values
of Gemilut hasadim.
 Lorraine was born in Rhodesia of European parents. I was born in Cape
Town and was third generation South African. After marrying, we made our
home in Cape Town and grew into our early adulthood deeply involved with
a South African Jewry that was strong, committed to Jewish education and
Israel, and supportive of all facets of Jewish communal life. We immigrated to Toronto
in 1976 with our two young sons, Robert and Ian. As newcomers to Canada,
we worked hard to re-establish our lives. We knew that Jewish education
for our sons was imperative and that continuing our tradition of tzedakah
within our new community would be an obvious pursuit.
We did our best and became
involved in many ways. We both took on various leadership roles which for
me eventually resulted in my presidency of UJA Federation. Lorraine, as
a working woman, chaired Women's Campaign and now chairs the Holocaust Center
of Toronto. Her professional work as the Director of the Holy Blossom Pre
School for eighteen years, was evidence of her great passion for inspiring
young families with meaningful Jewish experiences.
We both believe that creating welcoming,
inclusive community extends opportunities for others. Welcoming portals
of positive experiences provide community access for all. The strength of
a caring community is defined by how it cares for its most vulnerable. Input
and contribution from all levels within our community are required to ensure
this. Together we plant trees from which forests will flourish.
We hope our actions,
beliefs and values have inspired our own children to plant, at minimum,
a few seeds of their own and that future generations will do their part
to grow, nurture, and sustain a Jewish community that will thrive in many
ways and for generations to come.
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