HBT Archives: Pride in Holy Blossom

By Susan Cohen

As we approach Holy Blossom’s annual Pride Shabbat on June 14th, we look back at 1980s Toronto and the rise of HIV-AIDS. Toronto seemed safe, growing, multicultural, even a little innocent. But under Rabbi Dow Marmur, Holy Blossom championed emerging social issues. One of the most challenging was HIV-AIDS, a disease which emerged first among gay men and left many not just ill and dying but ostracized from their communities.

The synagogue took on the task of galvanizing the broad Jewish community. An extraordinary group of volunteers from the synagogue partnered together to bring AIDS support out in the open. Acting on Jewish tradition and the belief that people with AIDS “should not become strangers in their own land”, Holy Blossom created the first direct Jewish community support program, AIDS: A Jewish Response, in Canada.

With partners such as 519 Church St. and Jewish Family and Child Service, Holy Blossom trained volunteers to offer support ­– financial, practical, social and spiritual. One of the most important initiatives was The Third Seder, a community-wide Passover meal with a unique Haggadah. It ran for almost a decade and at its height, attracted more than 250 people.

Holy Blossom created an Aids Assist Outreach buddy system and held special memorials to acknowledge and honour those who lost their lives. Temple Brotherhood and Sisterhood provided funds and volunteers while HABSTY members proudly helped at events. Today Pride Shabbat at Holy Blossom celebrates an inclusive Jewish identity and Holy Blossom members and staff march in the annual Pride Parade.

Two treasures in Holy Blossom’s archives from that era are a special hand-stitched quilt and rainbow suspenders.  The late Sybil Geller created the colourful quilt in honour of Yale Aaron Lampe, her son-in-law’s brother. Yale died in 1991, relatively early, and the family wanted to bring attention to the people behind the statistics. The rainbow suspenders were worn at the Pride Parade in 2015 by the late Nancy Ruth, a former president of the temple.

(The Archives Committee receives inquiries regularly. We invite you to contact us about this or other areas of interest at:  [email protected].   We are always interested in learning and sharing more about our remarkable history.  We also encourage you to examine the archival displays in the Schwartz-Reisman Atrium.)