I grew up in Montreal, went to McGill University and attended a “conservadox” congregation. When my wife Beverley and I moved to Ontario, we ended up in Mississauga and thought we would be there for only a few years because of business.  We ended up staying 30 years primarily because of Solel Congregation, the Reform synagogue there.  My two daughters grew up in Mississauga and we were all very active members in the small Jewish community. I am a Past President of the Congregation, and we are still members there.

In 2010, Beverley and I moved into the area to be closer to my daughter and her family who were members of Holy Blossom.  We joined Holy Blossom in 2011. I was Chair of the Adult Education Department for about 5 years and joined the Holy Blossom Board in 2018.  I am currently serving in my second year as Vice President of Kehilah Kedosha, that provides services and programs such as bikur cholim, (literally visiting the sick), Dorot (our new program for the wisdom generation), the Luke Sklar Mental Health Initiative, and YAD – our young professionals program. I am also Co-chair of the Israel  Engagement Committee and leading the Holy Grounds Café initiative.

Outside of Holy Blossom, I am Past President of ARZA Canada and currently President of the Canadian Zionist Federation. I also chair the Canadian Friends of the World Union for Progressive Judaism.

I enjoy playing tennis, bike riding and paddling in a canoe or kayak. We are fortunate to have a place in Palm Beach, Florida so I spend time doing these things in the winter as well as the summer.

As mentioned, I have two daughters. Lisa Taylor owns her own business and is an active member of Holy Blossom. She has two sons -Ethan, currently at Western University, and Hayden are both graduates of the confirmation program. Hayden was recently on the Canadian baseball team at the Maccabia (Jewish Olympics) in Israel.  Lisa’s husband is a real estate developer. My other daughter, Debbie, lives in Minnesota with her husband who is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Bet Shalom in Minnetonka. Her daughter, Emma, currently at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, is Past President of Bet Shalom’s youth group and a camp counsellor at OSRUI, the Reform camp in Wisconsin. Adina is the incoming youth group President and was on the OSRUI trip to Israel this past summer. Debbie is a personal mental health counsellor and social worker and is also very involved in synagogue and Jewish life.