TORONTO — At 92 years old, Rachel Kanner, left, could easily sit back and relax. Instead, she’s packed up her North York apartment, where she lived alone, and made aliyah.
A widow “for at least 30 years,” with no children of her own, Kanner said she’s joining her “adopted” family.
In an interview Jan. 22, just prior to her departure date, Kanner said that although she had lived in Canada since 1952, her heart had always been in Israel.
She participated in UJA Federation’s Walk with Israel for at least 33 years and volunteered with Sar-El Volunteers for Israel “many times.
“I was always raising money for Israel. I knocked on people’s doors, and no one was safe when I came along.”
A longtime member of Congregation Darchei Noam, Kanner said she went to all of the Reconstructionist synagogue’s events. “If I wasn’t there, nothing was happening.”
She credits yoga with contributing to her long life. “I started teaching yoga in Jerusalem, and continued here at night school and private schools. It helped me maintain my great shape.”
She was born in Eden, Germany, in 1917, where her father, Samuel Blum, was the chief rabbi of the province. In 1939, as a result of Kristallnacht, her parents and two younger siblings left for Palestine, but her parents sent Kanner to England with two brothers because they were only allowed to bring children under eight years old with them.
“At 17 years old, I was separated from my family and was working as a domestic for a rabbi’s family. After the war, I was lucky enough to be one of the first to go to Palestine. I lived there until I left for Canada.”
Her “grandson” Doron Gechman, who came to help Kanner make the move, said his family met Kanner about eight years ago on one of her visits to Israel, and they had an “instant connection.
“We discovered that my grandfather and her grandfather came from the same city, and we just started talking from there. We have adopted her to our family,” Gechman said.
He said it took his family a long time to convince Kanner to move to Israel. “We’re thrilled that it is actually happening.”
Kanner said the family was finally able to convince her because she realized that “it is important to have my family around me. I’m alone here, and I need family support.”
She stresses, however, that she has rented an apartment in Ashdod, where her adopted family lives, and will continue to live on her own. “Now, we can spend Shabbat together.”
“For a number of years I was ‘nisht ahear and nisht ahein.’ My body was here and my soul was there. Now I’m combining my body and soul. I’ll be all together.”
