On Rosh Chodesh Sivan, Woman of Valour Series Honours Cynthia Good

You are invited to attend Shacharit services on Wednesday, May 28, to welcome the month of Sivan at 7:30 am.

Sivan’s zodiac sign is Gemini, and the third month of the Hebrew calendar. The controlling planet is Mercury, the planet of communication, which means it is like an electrical cable, telephone wire, a teacher, an adviser, and a storyteller – anything that can transfer any information from point A to point B.

This month’s honoree on our series Woman of Valour is Cynthia Good, and quoting from Proverbs poem #26/27: “Her mouth is full of wisdom, her tongue with kindly teaching.” Cynthia has connected with our community through the Holy Blossom Temple for Jewish Literature and has been a teacher to all of us through her lectures and her “Good Book” sessions for many years. We are the lucky beneficiaries of her good wisdom.

During Shavuot, we read the story of Ruth, the Moabite princess who abandoned everything safe and familiar to follow. A life of physical rigour and spiritual truth. Her story is the story of all of us this month as we try to move beyond our limited grasp of truth and move closer to the whole picture we saw at Sinai. During Sivan, we have the unique opportunity to go beyond the surface of the physical world and renew the deeper spiritual meaning hidden within each of us.

Shacharit breakfast is generously sponsored by Cynthia’s fans and admirers in honour of Cynthia Good, Woman of Valour.

 

A Woman of Valour, Cynthia Good by Kathy Morrissey

It is my honour and a privilege to recognize Cynthia Good as a Woman of Valour, and a true gift to our Holy Blossom community.

Cynthia was born and brought up in Toronto in a secular Jewish family which valued education. In spite of being secular, they did celebrate Passover, Christmas, and baseball.

At age seven, Cynthia knew, as did the family, that she would become an actress. Her mother also had her sign a form to promise that she would complete university! She began acting in shows at age twelve, and after completing high school, she attended acting school in New York for the summer. She and three friends started a theatre company with the encouragement of her parents. Cynthia recalls her sister helped her with her lines!

Cynthia attended the University of Toronto while continuing to act in theatre productions. She went on to a doctorate program focusing on 19^th-century literature and the era of George Eliot. Though she never completed her PhD, she was awarded an honorary doctorate.

Her first job was in a law office as a part-time receptionist. One of the lawyers in the firm encouraged her to apply for a job at a small publishing firm. Ultimately, that led her to Penguin Books. Cynthia worked at Penguin for twenty years and became the president and publisher. Cynthia also started a publishing program at Humber College and taught there for twelve years. It was during her time at Penguin Books that, by chance in 1991, Cynthia was introduced to Rabbi Marmur through Rabbi Plaut at a launch party for a Jewish book.

Cynthia spoke with Rabbi Marmur and indicated an interest in exploring her Jewish identity. He encouraged her to attend Torah study at Holy Blossom and, in fact, called her on Friday afternoon to suggest she attend Torah study the next morning. He even met her in the parking lot to help her feel more at ease! He met with Cynthia several times individually, and she began her life at Holy Blossom.

Cynthia is very clear that the decision to join Holy Blossom changed her life dramatically. She studied with Rabbi Moscowitz, and in 199,4 she had her Bat Mitzvah.

When she left Penguin Books in 2003 and was at “loose ends,” Rabbi Moscowitz suggested that she teach. So, Cynthia launched a course in contemporary Jewish fiction and has since then involved herself in other adult education programs.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit, Cynthia started Good Books at Holy Blossom – an online book discussion every two weeks. It quickly expanded to attract 50-100 people each session. She was able not only to connect people to books but to each other and to fill the void that Covid created. Good Books continues to thrive.

Cynthia created the Holy Blossom Centre for Jewish Literature. She has brought many well-known authors, such as Anita Diamant, Daniel Silva, and Dara Horn to Temple to speak, drawing a large audience at each event.

Cynthia has also been involved with the Out of the Cold program; she chants Torah and leads the evening service once a month. But her love of the written word and her ability to share this with us, is particularly valued. She is wise and thoughtful and not afraid to ask questions. She challenges us to be discerning.

When asked what Holy Blossom means to her, she told me, “These are my people.” She feels part of a community and her involvement in Holy Blossom has changed every part of her life. She has had the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to connect to her Jewish identity and to form meaningful relationships.  And to meet and marry her bashert, Dan. Cynthia and Dan were married in 2007 by Rabbi Dow Marmur z”l.

Her acting skills have given her the confidence and ability to teach, to lead, to reach out to people, and to help us appreciate the power of the written word. And for all this, we are grateful for that chance meeting with Rabbi Marmur in 1991.