Rosh Chodesh Adar: Honouring Happy Iscove

Rosh Chodesh Adar: Increasing Joy

As we welcome Rosh Chodesh Adar, we enter a month defined by joy, laughter, and renewed spirit.

Adar is the twelfth month in the Jewish calendar, and it is known in our tradition as the month when joy increases. Each day of Adar offers another opportunity to embrace happiness, as these are days associated with miracles for the Jewish people. Adar also carries historical joy, as it was the final month the Jewish people spent in Egypt before the Exodus.

The very name Adar is related to the word Adir, meaning strength and power. The zodiac sign of the month, Pisces (Dagim), reflects Jacob’s blessing that his descendants would multiply like the fish of the sea. Fish symbolize blessing, abundance, and a deep connection to the Divine. Just as fish cannot survive without water, the Jewish people thrive when immersed in Torah, which is compared to life-giving water.

Adar is not a month guided by intellect or overthinking. Instead, it calls us to lean into intuition, simplicity, and heartfelt joy. This helps us understand the wisdom of our Sages: “When Adar enters, joy increases.”

The tribe associated with Adar is Naftali, rooted in the word nefesh—the soul. During this time, the Jewish people reaffirmed their unconditional acceptance of God, a theme echoed in the story of Purim, when we were all called Yehudim.

It is especially fitting, then, that we honour our Woman of Valour, Happy Iscove. She embodies the spirit of Adar through her warmth, positivity, and strength. Through her teachings and leadership, she has guided and inspired a generation of young adults from Holy Blossom Temple, leaving a lasting legacy of joy, connection, and Jewish pride.

May this month of Adar bring increasing happiness to us all.

Join Women of Holy Blossom for Rosh Chodesh Adar on Wednesday, February 18, 7:30 am

Rosh Chodesh, meaning head of the month, is a holiday celebrating the arrival of a new moon. It is often celebrated by women as a day off from work. All genders are welcome to join Women of Holy Blossom and pray in solidarity with Israel’s Women of the Wall. Join Women of Holy Blossom in sacred worship for Shacharit services followed by a light breakfast.

Breakfast is generously co-sponsored by Caroline Ingvaldsen and Denise Gordon in honour of the Woman of Valour for Adar, Happy Iscove and by Shira Lester and Taali Lester in honour of the Yahrzeit of their father, Harry Lester z”l

Woman of Valour Project Honours Happy Iscove

by Denise Gordon

For the Love of Learning: In Praise of Happy Iscove

Happy Iscove has lived a purposeful Jewish life, influencing generations since her arrival at Holy Blossom Temple some 55 years ago. She is a respected educator, learner, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, mentor and mensch. Her unassuming demeanour belies anastute, knowledgeable, and compassionate love of all things Jewish. We are grateful to have been the beneficiary of Happy’s Jewish wisdom these past many years.

Happy’s journey in Toronto began many decades ago at the determined insistence of Holy Blossom’s then Director of Education, Heinz Warschauer, z’l. This journey began in 1969 when Heinz saw a young, impassioned Happy leading in the forefront of Jewish education while working at the UAHC’s Kutz Camp in Warwick, New York. Heinz quickly recognized the intelligence and enthusiasm of this accomplished 24-year-old woman. What were these talents he recognized? Was it Happy’s solid academic credentials: an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Applied Music, followed by amaster’s degree in Jewish Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion? Or perhaps it was Happy’s avid and passionate involvement in the Jewish Youth movement in the States: her years as Director of Youth Activities for the New York Federation of Reform Synagogues; as a counsellor and folk dance specialist at Olin-Sang-Ruby Camp; or as an Adviser to United Synagogue Youth, Habonim and Regional Administrator for Young Judea in her hometown, Minneapolis.

Two years later, however, at the tender age of 26, Happy accepted the offer to join Holy Blossom’s Religious School faculty. She immigrated to Toronto, where she further honed her skills as a Jewish leader and educator.

At HBT, Happy was an innovator from the start: as full-time Director of Youth Activities, she organized countless after-school and weekend programs for the Junior and Senior youth groups and pioneered camp weekends for Religious School students in grades 4 -10. In 1974, she and Helen Lyons were the first HBT members to become adult b’nei mitzvah.  After leaving her full-time position, Happy continued to teach in the Religious, Senior and Hebrew Departments. She started the parent-student programs that gave parents the opportunity to co-teach lessons in religious school; she supervised Holy Blossom’s Tanach Tournament and led our team to championships in the greater Toronto area. In her final twelve years in the school, Happy taught hundreds of our b’nei mitzvah students their Torah and Haftarah portions.

Outside of Holy Blossom, Happy had a stint working at Baycrest as a daycare worker with our Jewish seniors. For nearly four decades, she taught in the Jewish Information Class program for aspiring Jews by choice. She taught Jewish Studies courses at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto. Ever the learner and the teacher, Happy also offered additional courses in writing Jewish ethical wills (sometimes known as wisdom letters or legacy letters). Many participants lovingly remember invitations to her home to share Shabbat and other Jewish life cycle events.

To date, Happy is busy researching her ancestry and writing memoirs, accompanied by photos and anecdotes to pass down to her children and grandchildren. Happy continues to study and to prepare her own eight grandchildren for their b’nei mitzvah readings. Her influence is felt multi-generationally in the Toronto Jewish community and beyond.

Happy Iscove has led a Jewish life of purpose and has deservedly earned the mantle ‘A Woman of Valour’.  May Happy’s wise and valiant heart continue to be a blessing to her, to her family, and to the myriad of students she continues to influence to this very day.