Rosh Chosesh Elul: honouring Marilyn Farber z’l

Rosh Chosesh Elul: honouring Marilyn Farber z’l

We have reached the last month of our calendar and the most sacred.  Elul is the sixth month of the Jewish year (counting from Nisan), which immediately precedes Rosh Hashanah. It is traditionally a month of introspection and stocktaking – a time to review one’s deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming “Days of Awe” of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The word “Elul,” aleph, lamed, vav and lamed, is an acronym for the phrase (from the biblical Song of Songs) ani l’dodi v’dodi li, which means “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me.”

Believing that the “beloved” refers to God, the sages take this verse to describe the particularly loving and close relationship between God and Israel. During Elul, then, is our time to establish this closeness so that we can approach the Yamim Noraim, or Days of Awe, in trusting acceptance of God’s judgment. We approach the trial not out of fear, but out of love. As the month of “Divine Mercy and Forgiveness”, it is a most opportune time for teshuva (“return” to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased “Ahavat Yisrael” (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d.

The letter of the month is yud, which signifies action. It is the smallest letter in the alphabet, alluding to humility. Therefore, the attribute of the month is ACTION. Teshuva is a state of mind, but it is not enough without action. As it is said, we first do and then we will understand.

“May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year” (L”shanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim)

We hope you will join us for our Rosh Chodesh Elul Service on Sunday, August 24, at 9:00 am.

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. Learn more & join us here!

A Woman of Valour: Marilyn Danson Farber z’l

by Sheila Smolkin

One of the many things I have come to appreciate while working on the Temple Archives is the tremendous contribution various women in the congregation have made to the development of our synagogue over the years. One of those women is Marilyn Farber, a true Woman of Valour.

Marilyn attributed her mother, Sadie Danson, with imbuing her with a feeling of pride in the family’s long association with Holy Blossom, an association that dates back to the Richmond Street days. (Holy Blossom built its first home on Richmond Street in 1876 and occupied that space for the next 21 years.) Two of her aunts were members of the first Confirmation class of 1899, a class designed especially for young girls.

Marilyn followed her mother by becoming very involved in Sisterhood (now Women of Holy Blossom) and eventually became President of Sisterhood from 1961 to 1963.  Her page in Sisterhood’s Women of Valour Book lists her accomplishments as a Vice-President of the Parent Council, a founder of Holy Blossom Alumni (an early seniors’ group at Temple), the formation of the Fine Arts Committee, and the creation of Oneg Shabbat following Friday night services.

The Archives is fortunate to have several memories written by Marilyn of her years at Temple, as well as a video interview done by Michael Cole a few years before Marilyn’s death. These pieces bring Temple activities to life, and Marilyn’s friendship with key Temple personnel like Rabbis Eisendrath, Feinberg, and Plaut, as well as Edmund Scheuer, who was considered the father of Canadian Reform Judaism, paints a wonderful picture of just who these leaders really were.

After her stint as President of Sisterhood, Marilyn joined the Temple Board of Trustees and was elected as recording secretary, the first woman to serve as an officer of the congregation. She was named a Warden of the Congregation in the 1980s. Marilyn could very well have gone on to be the first woman president of the congregation except for the fact that when the Chair of the Nominating Committee phoned to offer her the position, her husband, Earl, answered the phone and turned down the request!

One of my favourite passages in the Temple’s Board Minutes is an excerpt of the very long and heated discussion surrounding the issue of allowing liquor to be served at Temple simchas. Up until this point, the only liquor on Temple grounds was wine for Kiddush. But this was the early 1960s, and the Philip Smith Hall had just been completed. The hope was that Temple members would use this facility for functions. Max Enkin and Bora Laskin were both against loosening the rules concerning alcohol and suggested that all sorts of evil activities could follow. The Board Minutes have a simple line attributed to Marilyn where she is reported as saying, “I don’t think that would happen!”

Marilyn’s two brothers, Barney Danson (former Minister of National Defense of Canada) and Bert Danson were members of Temple as well. Some may remember the Danson family as being the original owners of Camp Winnebagoe. Marilyn’s two children, Janie and Ronald, grew up at Temple and Janie, with her husband, Frank Tizel, are still members of Holy Blossom Temple.

I consider myself to be so fortunate to have known Marilyn. From her, I learned true leadership qualities and how to fight for your values in all you do.

Marilyn was indeed a Woman of Valour.