As many have now heard, Rabbi Reuven Bulka died on June 27, 2021. Rabbi Bulka was a beloved public figure in Ottawa, once called “Canada’s Rabbi” by former prime minister Stephen Harper. He was being treated in a New York State hospital for terminal pancreatic and liver cancer. He had just turned 77 on June 6.

His funeral, held on June 27, was a massive event. As many as 800 people attended in-person at the Long Island funeral home, while officials told us it was the largest gathering online for a funeral they had ever seen: more than 4,200 people tuned in to watch the live broadcast.

As the tributes came pouring in from politicians and Jewish organizations, The CJN Daily reached out to two leaders in Ottawa’s Jewish community, who share how Rabbi Bulka inspired them. Andrea Freedman is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, and Ian Sherman is the federation’s chair.

What we talked about:

• Read Rabbi Bulka’s obituary at thecjn.ca
• Learn about his Kindness Project at rabbibulka.ca
• Watch his funeral at The CJN’s YouTube channel
• Listen to The CJN Daily’s episode on Kindness Week at thecjn.ca

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.