Obituary: Renee Dallal, 91, who led the Iraqi Jewish Association of Ontario and became a late-blooming passionate painter
Renee Dallal, who was born in Baghdad and went on to establish and lead the Iraqi Jewish community in Ontario—and later graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) at the age of 71—died on April 15. She was 91. Born on New Year’s Day, 1933, Renee Dallal looked up to her older […]
Yonadav Levenstein, 23, an Israeli-Canadian who died in battle in Gaza, remembered on Yom ha-Zikaron
This obituary was originally published on Nov. 7, 2023. Family in Canada and Israel are mourning the death of Yonadav Levenstein, a soldier with the Givati Brigade, who died in battle in northern Gaza. He was 23. The IDF announced his death on Nov. 4. “He was a very kind, very sweet guy. He was […]
Obituary: Harry Davis, 97, a boxing referee who brought his gentle disposition to matches like George Foreman fighting five men at once in Toronto
To his friends and family, Harry Davis was a nice guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly. But he was also a renowned Canadian boxer, boxing referee and international judge whose participation in the sport spanned 77 years. He died in Toronto on March 27 at age 97. As a boxer in the 1930s he was […]
Obituary: Jack Prince, 96, a pillar of Halifax’s Jewish community and a steadfast supporter of Israel
Jack Prince disembarked in Halifax harbour in the summer of 1939, at age 11. He spoke no English, but was fortunate enough to be aboard the last ship out of Poland before the start of the Second World War. And when he died on March 8, at the age of 96, Prince left a legacy […]
Obituary: Lita-Rose Betcherman, 97, the author of ‘The Swastika and the Maple Leaf’ who had an extraordinary career as a pioneer for women’s rights
Lita-Rose Betcherman, a pioneer for women’s rights in Ontario and author of The Swastika and The Maple Leaf—the first book to explore the rise of the far-right and antisemitism in Canada died on March 9, two days after her 97th birthday. Her pursuit of knowledge at a time when women who attended university were an […]
Brian Mulroney (1939-2024) was a steadfast supporter of Israel and the Jewish community
World Jewish Congress honoured him with the Herzl Award last November.
Obituary: Alexander Eisen, 94, a self-taught electronic engineer and passionate Holocaust educator
Alexander Eisen, a Holocaust survivor and beloved educator and speaker known for his soft-spoken warmth and keen intellect, died in Toronto on Feb. 17. He was 94. His turn as a sought-after Holocaust educator came in his later years, famously first speaking at his grandson Jared’s bar mitzvah. At the funeral, Alex’s son Doron recounted […]
Norman Jewison and the Jews: How antisemitism shaped the life and career of Canada’s greatest filmmaker (July 26, 1926-Jan. 20, 2024)
The director of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ died at his home in Malibu, Calif.
Obituary: Rabbi Erwin Schild, 103, a scholar and author who led Toronto’s Adath Israel Congregation for over 40 years
Rabbi Erwin Schild, who survived Kristallnacht and internment at the Dachau concentration camp to go on to lead one of Toronto’s largest Conservative synagogues for over 40 years, died Jan. 6. He was 103. Rabbi Schild’s life encompassed some of the worst moments of Jewish life in the 20th century. Born in Cologne, Germany, March […]
Rabbi Erwin Schild of Toronto’s Adath Israel Synagogue personally experienced nearly 104 years of Jewish history (March 9, 1920-Jan. 6, 2024)
Rabbi Schild talked to The CJN last March about his life and career.
