April 2026 – Holy Blossom Temple

Advocacy @ HBT: The week of April 29, 2026

Advocacy @ HBT: Two Upcoming Advocacy Events

We would like to draw your attention to two important events that are coming up at the beginning of summer!

On Monday, June 29th, Holy Blossom Temple will be hosting an intimate conversation with respected Canadian political commentator, Warren Kinsella. Mr. Kinsella has written a new book called “The Hidden Hand: The Information War and the Rise of Antisemitic Propaganda.” He will be with us to discuss his new book, copies of which will be available for purchase and signing, and to share what he has learned about the forces which are motivating the organized campaign against Jewish life in Canada.

“Canada has become ground zero for this international effort, a result of shifting demographics, porous online and physical borders when it comes to foreign interference, lack of political will, and failure to enforce laws that could help prevent the spread of this type of hate. The numbers themselves are astounding, reflecting a growing tide of antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and general intolerance with a brazenness that has not been witnessed before. A country known for its historic support for the Jewish homeland and for Jews in general has become, since October 7th, a place where Jews live in fear, with skyrocketing incidents of vandalism, violence, threats, and intimidation.”

You can learn more by clicking here. Registration will be live soon.

Additionally, it is once again time for the UJA Walk with Israel. We’re proud to walk alongside Toronto’s Jewish community and allies at UJA’s 2026 Walk with Israel on June 7th. More information will be coming soon, as the security conditions become more transparent.

Pre-Registration for the walk is always important, and you can sign up directly here.

Learn more about Advocacy here.

April 29, 2026/1 Comment/by Holy Blossom

Rabbinic Reflection: Rabbi Samuel Kaye

Years ago, when I arrived in Israel, I made friends with a young man from the East Coast who was also at the beginning of his spiritual journey. Both of our paths would ultimately take us into the rabbinate, but that is where the similarities ended. He found his people among the disciples of Rebbe Nachman, the Breslovers or Nachmanites, smiling Jews you often see in Jerusalem with a special knit kippah, leaping from their cars to dance at red lights, and playing loud upbeat club tunes remixed with Jewish themes.

The best known and most important teaching of Rebbe Nachman, and perhaps the hardest one to follow, is this. It is a great mitzvah to ALWAYS be happy.

“Serve God with Joy!” says the Psalmist, and the great rabbi took this quite literally, teaching that depression, sadness, and despair are the tools of the evil inclination – distancing your soul from God. Instead, choose happiness and joy, as this will bring you closer to the Holy One.

I always found this teaching simultaneously inspiring and impossible. Life is full of emotions other than joy. Sadness and loss are normal and human. Grief, too, has its place in the Jewish world, sanctified and ritualized by our rituals and prayers. Always be happy? Always?

One day I asked my friend, now fully immersed in this world, how did he do it!? How did he always, authentically, find happiness when the world was dark or when pain filled his life? He smiled (because of course he smiled), and what he said next has stayed with me ever since.

“When I am broken-hearted… I do a mitzvah.”

There’s a lot of tsurrus in the world right now, many reasons to be upset or angry, scared or sad. From personal grief to national worry, international concern for our Jewish people to immediate loss in our Holy Blossom community. Telling you ‘Don’t be sad, or scared, don’t grieve or be concerned’ is not my Torah. But that little twist, that ray of light and hope that my friend taught me years ago, it has stuck and become my personal practice.

When you are broken-hearted, do a mitzvah. Do the mitzvah that you are suited for. Prayer and action; learn, serve, teach! And if you don’t yet know what mitzvah suits you there is one I particularly want to recommend.

Please join us in bringing donations of shelf stable food to the Janis Rotman Tzedakah Centre, right inside the doors of the shul, and leave them there for our dedicated volunteers to fill the tiny pantries. In this way we care for our anonymous neighbours, in fulfillment of the teachings of Maimonides. Each small donation makes a big difference in the life of a fellow traveller up and down Bathurst St.

For as Maimonides teaches…

“No harm has ever come from the giving of tzedakah, nor has anything bad come from it, as it is written ‘The work of tzedakah, is shalom.’” Mishneh Torah, Gifts to the Poor, 10:2.

Moment by moment, step by step, mitzvah by mitzvah, we find our Shalom.

Shalom for our world. Shalom within.

This week, happy or sad, whether the world is breaking your heart or not, listen to my friend. Go and do a Mitzvah.

April 29, 2026/0 Comments/by Holy Blossom

Horizon

Honouring Eric Roher z”l

We Mourn the Passing of Temple President, Eric Roher z”l

With deep sorrow and profound gratitude for a life of meaning, leadership, and devotion, Holy Blossom Temple mourns the passing of our beloved President, Eric Roher z”l.

Eric’s life was inextricably woven into the fabric of Holy Blossom Temple. A proud, multi-generational member, Eric often spoke of his “Holy Blossom story.” From his earliest days in our religious school to his years of dedicated leadership, Eric was shaped by our congregation, and in turn, he shaped it.

We gathered around the Roher family to comfort them and to honour Eric’s life of service on Sunday, April 26. You can watch the meaningful service below.

Stephanie Smyth MPP for Toronto-St. Paul’s delivered her member’s statement honouring the life of Eric Roher z”l. Click here to watch the touching tribute to her dear friend.

Click here to watch Leslie Church, MP for Toronto-St. Paul’s members statement in honour of Eric Roher z”l

Click here to read the moving tribute by Dave Gordon in the National Post

Because Eric was so devoted to Holy Blossom Temple, the family welcomes donations to be made in Eric’s honour at Holy Blossom to either Excellence in Education or Outreach & Next Gen, as well as to Princess Margaret Hospital. You can donate online here or contact Marni Turner at [email protected] or call 416-789-3291 x 227 or Joe Freedberg at [email protected] or call 416-789-3291 x 260.

May the memory of Temple President Eric Roher, Arieh ben David v’Lailah, be an enduring blessing.

April 24, 2026/6 Comments/by Holy Blossom

Lifelong Learning, Our Community Stories

Introducing Dr. Cindy Kozierok

Introducing Dr. Cindy Kozierok, Holy Blossom Temple’s Inaugural Director of Lifelong Learning

by Carly Steinman, Chair of the Search Committee

Welcome, Dr. Cindy Kozierok

Holy Blossom Temple is thrilled to welcome Dr. Cindy Kozierok as our inaugural Director of Lifelong Learning, starting July 1, 2026. The Director of Lifelong Learning will be the senior educator of our congregation, driving the overall vision, strategy and innovation for learning at all life’s stages.

“Never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and God gave it to me.” – Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

These words guide Dr. Kozierok’s approach to Jewish learning and were emphasized in her application and interviews. She believes, at its core, education should nurture awe and joy, inviting each learner to grow and shape meaning for themselves.

Dr. Kozierok brings 25 years of teaching experience at the Toronto District School Board and seven years as the Director of Education at Beth Radom Congregation. She grew up in Toronto, and as a lifelong learner, recently earned an Executive Doctorate of Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Dr. Kozierok is also known in Ontario and beyond as the Holocaust Education Chair for Liberation75.

So what is this new role, and why now? Holy Blossom Temple began dreaming of this position long ago. With funding in place, the formal search began in 2025, led by a new Search Committee, composed of congregants Daniel Abramson, Karen Kollins, Mark Madras, Kate Rosen, and Barbara Sandler, together with ex officio members, VP of Education, Diana Solomon and our Senior Rabbi, Yael Splansky. This group brought care, wisdom, and dedication to the process. Over months, they reviewed applications, asked thoughtful and probing questions, and engaged in rich, sometimes challenging conversations about what lifelong learning could look like in our community. As Search Committee Chair, I extend a profound thank you to each member.

Lifelong learning is about elevating formal and informal learning for all our congregants at all ages. This Director position involves supervising and working with our two experienced Principals of the Youth Education Centre and the Early Childhood Education Centre. Together, they will continue to build deep and rich curricula and programming for children and teens.

Dr. Kozierok will envision innovative pathways and new frameworks for adult education, and work in sacred partnership with clergy, lay leadership and professional staff to elevate Holy Blossom Temple into a thriving hub of multigenerational learning—where curiosity, tradition, and community come together to inspire minds and nurture souls.

And as Holy Blossom turns 170, we are celebrating excellence in education on May 11th, when Dr. Kozierok will make her first appearance on the Holy Blossom ‘stage’ for North of Broadway. Please join us in welcoming her with a rousing chorus!

April 24, 2026/0 Comments/by Holy Blossom

Advocacy at HBT

Advocacy@HBT: The week of April 24, 2026

Advocacy @ HBT: Senate Report on Antisemitism and CIJA Response

In response to the recent significant increase in antisemitism in Canada, the Senate has just released a report on protecting our community and methods of strengthening Canadian democracy.

You can read the report in its entirety (and an executive summary of the report) here.

Among the many recommendations the Senate has made to the government, several stand out. They include the reinstatement of a Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, continued and streamlined funding to address security concerns, and the establishment of an independent task force to investigate if there is active foreign interference promoting antisemitism in Canada.

Ultimately, the Senate was very clear: “Antisemitism remains a clear and present danger to Canada’s free and democratic society.”

CIJA has responded, saying the following: “The Senate’s report on antisemitism comes at a moment of crisis. As Jewish institutions face violent attacks and Jewish Canadians experience unparalleled levels of hate crimes, antisemitism is no longer confined to the margins—it has spread across our society and institutions.”

You can read the full statement from CIJA here. Learn more about Advocacy here.

April 24, 2026/0 Comments/by Holy Blossom

Our Community Stories

The Spotlight Awaits! Join us for North of Broadway

Women of Valour Series: Honouring Dalia Alalouf

Welcome to Rosh Chodesh Sivan on Sunday, May 17, at 9:00 am – All are welcome!
The Women of Valour Series is generously sponsored by Robert Lantos in memory of his mother Agnes Lantos z”l

Zodiac sign – Gemini (The Twins)
Sivan, the third month of the Hebrew calendar, reflects the spiritual power of the number three—seen in Moses, the third child, and the three-day preparation to receive the Torah.

This month, we celebrate Shavuot, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai over 3,300 years ago. Each year, we renew this sacred bond, likened by our sages to a wedding between G-d and the Jewish people.

The essence of Sivan is Tiferet—harmony and truth—a balance of justice and compassion, embodied by Moses and Aaron, and reflected in Gemini, the twins. The story of Ruth, read on Shavuot, reminds us of the courage to pursue a life of deeper purpose and truth.

Woman of Valour: Tribute to Dalia Alalouf

By Lesley Simpson

I interviewed Dalia in late March 2026, before my bat mitzvah in May. At that time, Dalia said, “I still can’t believe this honour, eshet chayil for rosh chodesh. I’m the luckiest person on earth to be able to do what I love the most, teaching and helping out.”

I first met Dalia when I joined the HBT Monday night Aleph Bet class in the fall of 2025.

I joined because I have an Olympian level of Jewish curiosity. I was not planning to have a bat mitzvah; however, when I heard about the opportunity to learn cantillation, my interest was piqued, and I was terrified. “We leave nobody behind,” Dalia told us. She mentioned that once she did have a student faint, but that her system was foolproof. We had to trust the process.

Dalia created a pedagogical system for cantillation. With each parsha, she underlined different phrases in different colours. Red, blue or green pencil indicated which trope to use. We were given a recording of the tropes. As I progressed, I earned the right to add another colour to my parsha, Leviticus 25 8-13. I kept the parsha in my purse. For an English speaker, this skill of cantillation is not easy because there is the visual pattern recognition required to recognize and pronounce the Hebrew, as well as trope melodies. To make it more daunting, the trope itself is not in the Torah parchment.

What is surprising about Dalia is that Hebrew is not her first language. She was born in Bacau, Romania, in 1948 and immigrated to Israel in 1959. Romanian was her first language. She and her family moved to Neharia, and she learned Hebrew in Kibbutz Eyn Dor. The move was difficult for her family. Her mother, who spoke many languages, worked at a restaurant to keep the family afloat financially. Dalia was eleven years old when she landed in Israel and had no Jewish background. Being Jewish in Romania had been a liability with systemic discrimination in many quarters of society, from school to government. Dalia remembers the hatred towards Jews she experienced within the school system, where Jews were not given the same opportunities as others. Jews were singled out and humiliated. Subsequently, in her family, Judaism skipped a generation.

Her own parents did not observe Jewish rituals or traditions (She did not attend her first Passover Seder until she met her husband Jack when she was 19 years old, and his family’s Seder unfolded in Ladino!) But before she met Jack and landed in Israel, a new world opened for Dalia, and she learned Jewish texts as well as the Hebrew language.

“I attended school, then high school; I worked hard to catch up with all the Bible, Talmud, and Israeli literature I had missed in my early years. I bet this is where my understanding, compassion and patience towards students—kids and adults—comes from, knowing how difficult, strange, new things are and competing with others. Then I proceeded to study in teachers’ college in Beit Berl, Kfar Saba.

Dalia lived in Israel for eight years, and on April Fool’s Day, she met Jack, her future husband. He had served in the Israeli Air Force and, upon his discharge, looked for work in Israel. There was no work. He had a sister who lived in Canada who sponsored him. He arrived on a Friday in 1967 after the Six-Day War, and on Monday, he was hired at De Havilland Aircraft Company. This August, the couple will celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary.

“Teaching was in my DNA. I was always surrounded by children and tutored many. It was my real passion.” Dalia worked at Beth Am, Beth Tikvah and Beth David synagogues, and then applied to Holy Blossom Temple, which has been her “second home” since 1971.

“What makes teaching adults different is that they have chosen to learn. They are not being forced. Each person learns differently…. Each person I come into contact with is a gem.”

April 24, 2026/0 Comments/by Holy Blossom

Horizon

Shavuot 5786

Rabbinic Reflection: Rabbi Eliza McCarroll

There is a quote from our Proverbs (22:6), which states:

חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכּ֑וֹ גַּ֥ם כִּי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין לֹא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃
Educate children in the way they each ought to go;
They will not swerve from it even in old age.

Excellence in Education, and particularly our value of Lifelong Learning, was one of the major reasons that I was so eager to join the team at Holy Blossom back in 2022.

I knew that we had a reputation for deep learning, for engaged students, for high-level scholarship, and prestigious guest teachers, and I couldn’t wait to be a part of it all.

I have been proven right since, with one of the most rewarding pieces of my role being when I get to be part of those educational moments: whether it’s on the occasions I get to teach Torah study or a class series, or when I’m with our students on Sunday morning, or when a scholar-in-residence comes to town.

With our rich history in, and valuing of, Jewish education, it feels so special and appropriate that on the evening of May 11, as we mark 170 years of Holy Blossom Temple, education will be our key focus.

As we enjoy our magnificent “North of Broadway” event, we will celebrate our community, leadership, and resilience, and dedicate this night to Excellence in Education with a red carpet and spectacular musical performances!

Join us also for some very exciting announcements about the future of Education at Holy Blossom Temple, as we both honour our history and invest in the next generation of our vibrant congregation.

Beginning with a VIP cocktail reception at 6:30 pm, the doors for general admission will open at 7:30 pm, and all are welcome to join for a delicious dessert following the concert.

For more information and to buy your tickets, click HERE.

Tell your family, tell your friends, bring them along, spread the word, and we can’t wait to see you there!

At all ages and stages, and in every generation, may our reputation for educational excellence precede us.

To the next 170 years!

April 15, 2026/0 Comments/by Holy Blossom

Our Community Stories