Women of Valour Series: Honouring Phyllis Denaburg

Welcome to the Month of Av

The month of Av is the fifth month of the year, counting from Nissan. Its name means “Father,” reminding us of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. During this month, the Jewish people, the Torah, and G-d are bound together in a unique and profound way. The zodiac sign of Av is Leo, the lion, a symbol of strength.

Av is a month that contains both sorrow and hope. The Mishnah teaches, “When Av enters, we diminish joy.” Yet it is specifically during this month that we come to recognize the depth of a Father’s love. Even when His children stray from His ways, G-d’s love remains constant and unconditional. Through the challenges and losses associated with Av, we are reminded that His presence never departs from us.

The tribe of the month is Shimon, from the word Shema—to hear and to listen. In the previous month of Tammuz, the attribute of Reuven was sight. Av calls upon us to go beyond what our eyes can see and to listen deeply. Through the Shema, we open our hearts to G-d’s voice and strengthen our commitment to His Torah and mitzvot.

The letter of the month is Tet, the letter of Tov (good). Even within the apparent darkness of Av lies hidden goodness, waiting to be revealed.

Chassidic teachings strongly discourage sadness and despair. An old Chassidic proverb teaches: “Sadness is not a sin, but its effect on a person is worse than any sin.” The soul was sent into this world not merely to exist, but to fulfill its Divine purpose. Rather than retreat inward, we are called to bring light into the world through Torah, mitzvot, kindness, and faith. True joy reveals the soul’s connection to G-d and uncovers the hidden goodness within all things.

Join us in celebrating Phyllis this Wednesday, July 15, at 7:30 am

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The Women of Valour Series is generously sponsored by Robert Lantos in memory of his mother Agnes Lantos z”l

Eshet Chayil – Phyllis Denaburg

By Jeff Denaburg

Phyllis Segal was born and raised in Montreal, where she attended Jewish schools. Her family ran a successful factory in the “schmata” business.

When Phyllis was in high school, her father passed away suddenly. Her mother, originally American, decided to make Aliyah, to move to Israel.

At that time, Phyllis’s high school was already planning to spend a semester in Israel. Phyllis went to Israel with her high school, but after the semester she stayed and finished high school in a regular Israeli beit sefer tichon in Jerusalem. She learned to speak fluent Hebrew, took all her courses in Hebrew, and completed the Bagrut, the Israeli high school matriculation exams.

Although she did Gadna, pre-army training, she decided to attend university in North America instead of enlisting in the army.

Phyllis subsequently earned a degree in political science at Brandeis University in Boston. Having never acquired a taste for beer, she was the ideal person to be a manager in one of the campus pubs!

She then studied for her MBA at Cornell University, where she also ran the food concession at the business school. In her second year, she lived in a house with two female classmates, a house which happened to be across the street from a house with several male students in her program. One of Phyllis’s roommates, referring to a young man across the street, said to her: “You’re both Canadian, you’re both Jewish, and you both have curly hair. You’re perfect for each other.”

You know how that story ended, even if you have to use your imagination for the curly hair. Phyllis moved to Toronto after graduation, and we married soon after.

Phyllis, of Conservative background, quickly became comfortable with Holy Blossom Temple. My mother was active at the Temple and helped to introduce her to programs, such as the Women’s Retreat.

But her involvement in Temple life took off when we started to bring our children to the new Family Service. Before long, Phyllis was chair of family programming. Many volunteer roles followed, including many years on the Out of the Cold committee, where she was a Co-Chair for two years. She served several terms on the Temple board, including recently as our President. She still chairs the Nominating Committee, finding new people to serve on the board and other senior positions at the Temple.

Phyllis also served on the board of the URJ for ten years. When she finally stepped off this year, she immediately joined the URJ’s Reform Pension Board.

Phyllis also had a full-time career outside of Holy Blossom. Her work in risk management and governance in the financial sector provided good experience that enhanced her contributions to the Temple.

Although Phyllis settled in Toronto, her mother made a life for herself in Jerusalem, working for many years at the Israel Museum. Phyllis travels to Israel once or twice a year to visit her mother. And she’s still in contact with friends from her high school years in Jerusalem.

Phyllis may have lived in Toronto for the past 45 years, but in her heart, she’s a Montreal-born Yerushalmit.