I am so honoured to be on the board of Holy Blossom Temple. I am sure you are all curious to know all about me and what brings a smile to my face.

Here we go!

I was born in Montreal, as well as my parents and in-laws. Half of my grandparents were born in Montreal, the other half in Europe, but they moved to Canada at just the right time.

I was also educated in Montreal – right up to my undergraduate degree from Concordia University. After graduation, I studied advertising at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario where I faced brutally cold winters and dreamed of being a copywriter in Toronto. I finally moved to this beautiful city in 1996.

After a few short months of living here, I joined a Hadassah group followed by Na’amat, following in the footsteps of my grandmothers.

As soon as my eldest was ready for preschool, Holy Blossom Pre-School was all the rage, so I signed up right away. Little did I know that this temple was going to change my life.

I stepped into such a welcoming and caring community where I found my best friends to this day. I began to volunteer with The Tot Shabbat dinners and the Purim carnival committee.

Then came the years at The Leo Baeck Day School where I participated in the LBPA – their Parent’s Association. While my daughter was at Greenwood College School, I was the class parent and sat on the Roundtable – their parent’s association. My two sons went to CHAT, but I didn’t volunteer there. My dance card was full as I was the speaker coordinator and then co-chair of the Ve’ahavta Gala during those years.

I am the author of two books: Me and My So-Called Friends and Get Up. I also write blogs on my website, where I share self-care tips, insanely simple recipes, the true meaning of a friend, and anything else that I feel the world needs to know about.

I also wrote a third novel that will be published later this year.

On a personal note, I am married to Dr. Gordon Arbess and have three children who we love dearly. Josh, Adam and Olivia (Liv). I am an official coffee snob and enjoy re-creating my grandmother’s matzah-ball soup for Shabbat dinner.