 Okay, welcome everybody, my friends, relatives, and members of the congregation, rabbis, even people I don't know, because I think word got around that we're going to be honoring my father, Nissencis, who was well-known amongst many people, and I thought it'd be very appropriate to have a special evening for him. I didn't ever have the occasion to have Shloshim from my mother, I really regret it, I was not aware of the custom, but when people asked me, what is Shloshim, I said it's a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the life of my father. I'll leave the rabbis to explain more significantly what Shloshim is, but all I would like to say is it's given me a wonderful opportunity to really appreciate my dad, and he was a very fine person, I'm going to speak to him later, I'm going to ask that we have a number of speakers speak before I do, I'm going to keep my thoughts and words to the end, but I just want to say before we start that my dad always wanted me to make sure that this picture of him was on this blade, his funeral, it's a picture of himself holding a picture of himself that he took about a half year after liberation, and he's wearing his concentration camp uniform in it. I'm not going to say anything more, my dad will explain it later on because I have a videotape of him explaining the significance of that. I'd like to ask for my first speaker to come and share some thoughts and words with you. The rabbi of Sherry Tfilok congregation, Sherry Tfilok congregation has been very, very kind and generous to our family and to the organization that I work with, Jews for Judaism. We've had programs here for two decades now and it's become home central for the outreach work of Jews for Judaism, and don't be surprised if you watch some of our videos online to see this Arna Kodish behind me as the constant set for many of the videos that we have up there for the lectures. Rabbi Lipner has been the rabbi of Sherry Tfilok now for going I think four years and he has really done a remarkable job at rekindling life into this congregation. When I first came to this congregation without exaggerating maybe I could have seen three baby strollers out in the hall when I would come to Shul. And today easily 33 plus is what you're going to see. The baby strollers coming everywhere. And I think a lot of this has to do with the incredible vitality that Rabbi Lipner has brought to Sherry Tfilok congregation and bringing so many young people to come and enjoy Jewish life in a community that is open and accepting. So without further ado I'd like to ask Rabbi Lipner to come in. I forgot to tell Julius when we're doing this you don't have to introduce all the people. It's our COVID to be able to give words. I know that there's a bunch of people to share stories, personal stories, people who have spent the last years with him and being so critical developing that respect and honor and relationship and people who knew him back when his parents first came over and the history like that. Julius speaks about rekindling. So I just want to maybe frame what I think this evening is a little bit about. There's the famous Rashi in the beginning of this week's coming part of Baha Loshcha. And the language for Baha Loshcha in English if you see the translation it's when you light, when you kindle. I believe that's a word Julius just used to kindle in the Shamos. So it uses the word to kindle but as we all know from Hanukkah when we light the menorah we say lahadlik. We don't say lahaloshcha. To bring up we say the light. That's the proper word. So Rashi is bothered by this word which seems to be an unnatural word a little bit out of what you would expect. Explains bringing down the Gamare. He says what is Baha Loshcha which means to go up? So he says the halacha of being yote, the law to fulfill lighting a candle is Baha Loshcha, read it inside. She tsarekh lahadlik adshatia shalheves ola mealeho. They've only fulfilled lighting a candle when the candle can be lit on its own meaning that very often there's a match and when you light with the match so the candle is lit but sometimes when you pull the match away the candle doesn't have the strength to last on its own. And really that's not called lighting the candle. It's got to be able to stand on its own. And I think the life of Nisen along with the Zeshashayahs could be a little bit of a shloshim and a cover for both of them if we have the opportunity to do the first time. I think that to be able to live a life that persevered through so much difficulty is one thing which I think someone in my door in my generation can't even begin to understand and appreciate just surviving and continuing on. But the picture that you speak about and spoken about often about how special that was, it was the idea of all the Nishamlis that didn't necessarily make it through in physical form but they represented something. And to see in Yor Meshpacha, the Meshpacha that he leaves over and the work that you do, it's Baha Loshcha realizing that those values really you know that they were important when they were communicated in a way where they can continue on. I think that happened through you. I think it happened through everyone that you touched and came across. They saw that strength and were inspired by his perseverance to go up and to be able to carry on as well. And I think this evening we speak about very often and I'm sure many have heard the words of Analias Nishama that the Nishama should go higher. I think that the words in the Divry Zikara and the Divry Torah, the words of memory and the words of Torah that are shared that represent the life that he lived should not only be something that's Madlik us that in kindles our desire to be able to aspire to that type of Kedusha but I'm sure that those words shared in the lives lived in the impact that he had will continue to be a Nishama and their Nishamas should continue to rise to the highest types as well. Thank you Rabbi Lipner. I'd like to call upon another very good friend of our family, someone who has been a source of strength for us at times of weakness and and and really a wonderful friend and a listening ear, someone who had an impact on my father as well. I'd like to call upon the rabbi of Bezdov Yosef. Well by the way I would like to say one thing I'm going to be doing this all night because nobody told me the rules of how you do Sholashim so I'm doing it my way. Okay but I want to take the opportunity to just you're going to hear the word Nishama come up some people here don't speak Hebrew the word Nishama means soul and if I'm not mistaken I think we still have my father's soul lingering amongst us right now and so the Nishama the soul of my father is I feel getting incredible pleasure. How are you here? We should say more of the aso. Yeah obviously as the Roth mentioned Bealoisko is the keyword when it comes to saying Sholashim. We mentioned by the Levi how lightning of candles goes through the whole period of a morning from the time the person dies till the yard side still there's always a candle every square we like the Aloysco. Aloysco is part and parcel of a year but in this particular passion there's far more than that. You're going to find in the passion there's a tremendous tremendous different range of topics in the passion that seem to be unconnected but there's one thing if you look into the passion you're going to listen Shabbat to create a Torah you're going to see that they're all connected by one thing traveling going from one place to another whether it's the Menoire coming up whether the Neyro is themselves whether it's the Levine going from being what they were to becoming a serpent tribe whether it's by Hibinsoya Horoen or the way they travel the Hatshoi choice and the way everything was was a played out there's always traveling there's always movement. Till then by Miriam they stayed but they also involves involves the no movement. We travel through life we travel from different places and to different stages. It's by Hibinsoya Horoen we have to recognize that the machine that pulls us is by Hibinsoya it's the order. It's our traditions our Torah if you want to stay and really travel properly it has to be only with the order pulling, conducting us. I didn't know that I've missed them so well but I was able to pick up on the internet they placed his testimonies from the Holocaust the last few days and I now I seem like I actually know you. I had some tremendous tremendous really really incredible incredible testimonies being said there being related there. One of them that really struck me was the last time he saw his father I believe. It was in a concentration camp next to Riga remind me it was to stop something anyway it was there and they it was a working camp and they and they made a decree that everybody who was over 50 had to go to a special section they're going to deport them to death camp and they took them his father was then 52 and they he he put his life in danger just to go to that particular place where he was on that section just to see him one last time and his father got angry at him and he told me so what are you doing and he said then he's then he tells him you know what thank God you came and he says something most incredible at that time they didn't feed him anymore so they were they were kind of they are just coming apart so he said something so strange he says he took parts of his cheek they were falling apart right and the and the and the he says that's took into his mind what's happening what's happening and then he tells him I want you to remember this and I want you remember my son always when we came family sees I should not be forgotten I should keep on going and then he tells in the beginning of his story that his father was a hasen it was in twins in a small shoe he couldn't remember the name of the shoe or the name of the rabbi but his father was a hasen and they he says one of all the things on that on that tape of all the stories the thing that brought tears to his eyes is when they were standing young and he would cover all the seven children with his talism and they will all be singing together that voice should not be diminished should not be standing still and should be keep on going and should be by he been so yahoo or on because that's what that's what he wants it's and then very interesting he had in his dear two pictures of the also maya that's in here a coin of doings and the rocket show there was a maya he didn't remember well but he said when he was a kid right going to issue it would cross over with the rocket show and the rocket show it would tell him good job as as a kid the rocket show of all people who was always immersed in learning it would tell him good jobs now rabbi say show him is indeed as Julius mentioned the ends but what the story what have I he been so yeah it began with a hasen in doings and you know how many be alloys toys those Neshames together with Rabbi Skobak how many be alloys was there been how many people have they returned to Yiddish Heights how many people have become closer because of what Julius is doing lighting those Neshames bringing them back to the proper way the by he been so yahoo or on by incredible incredible journey as it has been and now it's coming came to his end the Neshame goes practically now back home to lay on Shekul O'Shaves I'm pretty sure knowing what we know that the rocket show varies once more standing there to greet at the showman I'm telling me son been late which house thank you very much Rabbi Bartfeld for those very very meaningful words you know my father spent much of the last six of his years in a situation where he really couldn't take care of himself and we brought it to his life some caregivers to help him be able to function to help him enjoy quality of life to help him enjoy the community that he was living in at that time Bacres Terrace at one point he broke his back and he had to live for a year in Bacres Hospital when he finally recovered from that he lived for the remaining three years in the Jewish Home for the Aged Apothecs and the caregivers that took care of him gave him such quality of life such purpose such meaning such enjoyment companionship conversation and I felt at the funeral that when we were giving our eulogies that it was very very appropriate for me to recognize the caregivers for the incredible self-sacrifice dedication that they did Loris Divina the seat we also worked for my dad for a while incredible incredible work but made him happy and so when I had spoken to Dolores Gavin after the funeral on the phone she was almost weeping she said I feel so bad there was so much I wanted to say and there was just no time and I said Dolores I got good news for you and bad news the bad news is the funeral is over there's nothing we could do about it the good news is we have a custom in Judaism called Shloshy an opportunity for you to share with our community our family our friends a little bit of what you felt was of meaning in your life and my father's so I'm going to ask Dolores Gavin if you could please come up and say a few words good evening everyone good to see you all again okay a tribute to mr. niece and sis who is no longer with us but his memories live within our hearts I was one of mr. niece and sis caregiver for many years mr. sis was a remarkable man he was classy clean neat everything that we do in all care towards him have to be in order in place almost perfect he was a new nonsense man he used to tell us so many stories some would almost bring us in tears and some would have us laughing our heads off that was mr. that was our mr. niece and sis mr. sis was a lover of flowers he used to tell us about his lovely flower garden to the many fruit trees in the back of his lovely house oh can't forget the water fountains one in the front and one in the back he used to love to sit in the sun he was sitting there all day if you allow him mr. sis did love life and he had a good life and his family loved him very much mr. sis loves his family his grandchildren great-grandchildren they were the love of his life he would talk about them all the time so on behalf of Lee Blake the vener carrying and myself and Cita mr. sis you will never be forgotten may his soul rest in peace we love you now mr. Julius sis if love caring attention could save your dad he would be alive today because that you gave to him even though you're coming to see your dad you would call me in the morning just ask me how is my dad doing you were never too busy or tired to attend to your dad's needs we call you concerning your dad you would say I'll be there in 10 minutes we call you you're there we don't call you you're there still there every step of the way nights and day just to make sure your dad is okay you were the best son anyone could ever have you have outdone yourself may God continue to bless you and your family it was a pleasure knowing the sis family a big thank you from my family thank you thank you very much to Loris and Divina Cita and Lee who's could make it here tonight it really means a lot to us that you were there to give my father I believe happiness did you put a smile on his face and you know you have to appreciate Humas so many of us don't realize we really really think for granted the caregivers that we entrust to our elderly not realizing that in the case of my caregivers they were with my dad 11 hours a day what did I do I visited them maybe 20 minutes half an hour and they have the opportunity to really really have a big impact so thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts we really really really honestly appreciate it you know the Loris mentioned how much my father loved his grandchildren and one of the grandchildren is here tonight along sis my nephew the lawn has if you oh by the way I'm going to be distributing some leaflets later on so that you can go to the website where by Bartlett made reference to some of these videos actually just tell you go to Julia sis calm and there's going to be a big thing that says click here to see videos honoring the memory of Mr. Sis and so the Julia sis calm and you'll get some of these videos but in those in those videos my father very much expresses his love and for his grandchildren so I'd like to ask my nephew alone wherever you are to please come there he is okay I'm Nissen's grandson as Julius introduced me as this day was approaching I thought it would be appropriate to watch Zady show I interview which Julius indicated would be online if you want to take a look at it I watched it with my wife and my son David and Karen we had never seen it before and I thought it would be a good time to do so for the last 30 days I had so many reminders of him including pictures which my daughter strategically placed in the high ball of traffic areas of the house so we couldn't miss it the interview had been conducted around 22 years ago before I had met my wife and and unfortunately the Zady that my kids knew has been slowly in decline either walking very slow with a cane in a wheelchair or confined to a hospital bed I wanted them to get another image and impression of him one in which they could get a sense of his energy strength vigor gentleness and his amazing storytelling abilities the interview itself was around three hours but we had to stop probably around after an hour and a half and we plan to watch it at a later time as a parent you try and share expose and teach your children the things in life that you find so important and meaningful these things really start asserting the value on you when you reach a certain age or when life starts slowing down and your perspectives changed I'm certain that my kids did see a different side to their great-grandfather and got a better appreciation of the sacrifices he and the rest of his generation made to give us a better life perhaps they did not get as much out of it as I would have liked but I also know that will come with time maturity and perspective the next day I decided to watch the rest of the interview with just me and my wife at the end of the interview I felt a sense of catharsis seeing that Zady in the video brought back so many memories for me and once again being able to see the animation on his face his unique facial expressions and to hear his accent at the end of the video Zady talks about he went back to where his father was being held destined for death his father horrified that he'd come to this place and risk death himself in order to see him one last time his father ordered him to save himself to carry on the cis name and that's exactly what he did he talked about coming to Canada with with no money in his pocket being a simple Schneidermeister having three boys then grandchildren then living to see his great-grandchildren grow as well not only that give him nachas but the happiness that it gave him gave us nachas in return although my Zady's life had many moments of pain and sorrow it was also filled with Sim husband fulfillment weddings birthdays bar mitzvahs brisses as I was preparing this speech and reflected on his life I found myself getting a little embittered at my grandfather's life and all the hardships he went through perhaps it came through the first draft of this speech which I read to my wife she looked at me in horror as if she was hearing a Stephen King novel and threatened to divorce me if I read it it wasn't until I watched this the video and talked to my wife about his life that I realized that all the nacha realized of all the nachas he had outweighed everything else and made life something to live for enjoy and cherish Zady appreciated everything he never took anything for granted no matter how small or trivial I'm sure you're gonna hear another speeches tonight the phrase everything is gonna be okay in his passing he taught me that it doesn't matter what you have what matters is who you have it with and perhaps in the back of his mind he knew that when he said his last words everything will be okay thank you I'm very fortunate to have in my life a friend and a colleague who has known my father for 25 years and when Rabbi Skobak came to Canada back in 1991 couldn't help but avoid my dad at our Shabbat's table at Simcha's at different affairs and volunteering at the office I think Rabbi Skobak had an opportunity to see him many many times Pesach Sardarim and Rabbi Skobak I think would be able to paint a different portrait and the same portrait in a different way a different portrait but I think Rabbi Skobak has an insight that I would love for him to share about my daddy Julius's father Nissen Siss was born in Dvinsk 1925 one year before the passing of the city's great Rav Ravmeir Simcha Yorsimeach for most of his working life Mr. Siss was a master tailor and he made clothing for people as a Cohang clothing is a very important piece Torah says in the book of Shmoos Exodus chapter 28 that the clothing of a Cohang the clothing of the priest was Le Kavo de los Ifares it was for honor and it was for splendor the Ramban Nachmanity says that the clothing of a Cohang was basically royal clothing clothing that was supposed to be royal the morale says the Kavo de honor is from the word Kavade weighty important we know that Nissen Siss was a Holocaust survivor and in a way he wore this as a badge of honor fact that it was so important for him to have this photograph displayed the end of his life and at the Shiva shows in some way how he wore this experience as a badge of honor Kavade the Nazis Yamach Shemom tried to rob us of our humanity they tried to reduce us to numbers but mr. Siss refused to be broken and he emerged as a person of tremendous strength and nobility I have very impressionistic memories of seeing mr. Siss at various times as Julius just mentioned and some of the strongest impressions were times when I saw him in passing maybe when I saw him briefly at Baycrest or when he came to our office to do volunteering and even though mr. Siss was very tall he would often pull himself up to his full height he would make sure his clothing was just right he had a regal and dignified bearing like the priest honor and nobility and splendor he was very proud of his origins and I remember he would have a twinkle in his eye as he shared with me that he as a child was able to see the rugga chubber he knew where he came from and it was part of his pride when I think of Tiferous the priest clothing were for covered for honor and Tiferous was splendor and I think of something that's really indeed splendorous I think of the way that Julius was so totally devoted to his father fulfilling the mitzvah of Kibbutav the devotion that Julius had to his father was an incredible testimony to the dad who raised him this insist was incredibly blessed to have a son like Julius he was absolutely steadfast and unwavering in his dedication with tremendous misirous nefesh to caring for his father and I think that Julius is caring for his father was a divine service like the service of the priest serving in the holy temple our sages explain that honoring parents is very closely related to honoring God the Kliukar explains that that's why in the Ten Commandments even though honoring parents seems to be a commandment that involves interpersonal relationships it doesn't appear on the side of the tablets that deal with the other interpersonal relationships it appears on the side of the tablets the first five commandments that deal with our relationship with God because ultimately the Talmud says there were three partners in our creation each one of us has our mother our father and the Almighty as Kohanim as priests it was very likely that the name siss or this is related to the tzitz that was worn by the Kohangodil one of the special garments worn by the high priest it was a golden ornament on the forehead that had written on it holy to Hashem holy to the Almighty and I think that aside from his incredible service to his father the other incredible heroic service of Julius which is again such a dramatic and powerful testimony to his father was the incredible and is the incredible dedication and self-sacrifice that he has devoted himself to in the lifesaving work of Jews for Judaism I can tell you there are probably not many people I can count them probably on one hand not many people who actually know how devoted Julius has been to this holy work people don't really see it but a handful of us know that every ounce of his being every ounce of his strength is given over to the work of Jews for Judaism much in the same way that every fiber of his being was dedicated to caring for his father especially in the difficult last years of his father's life and this is truly an incredible testimony to Nissan sys Julius his loving father is in the shama should have an aliyah thank you Revice go back probably one of the most unique people in my father's life showed up in his kitchen one evening in April 1996 the Miriam sys came into our lives before we even took her home we felt that the first place we must take her to is to Zadian booby and we took her home from the hospital drove to my parents house and the look of joy on my parents faces when they saw little itzy bitzy Miriam notice I said a little itzy bitzy her nickname is Mitzy can you imagine little itzy bitzy Mitzy she was only four pounds three ounces very very tiny just can't hold her in my hand like that I sometimes did people yelled at me but I would like my thought my my father's favorite granddaughter to come up here and share a few words my daughter this this the theme of my daughter's dress tonight is going to come up twice tonight okay my daughter is wearing boobies dress that she wore at my brother's bar mitzvah of dress that my father made with his own hands on the sewing machine in the basement and she thought this would be a nice commemoration I completely forgot about this and we're not gonna show you the video from the bar mitzvah we can actually put that up on YouTube but my father made the dress for booby for the she wasn't a booby then for my brother Joseph's bar mitzvah and I'm going to be referring to that later on this evening everyone there's a saying that I heard once and basically the bottom line of it is the first the first thing you forget about a person is their voice I can still remember his and I'm proud of that because it's something that makes me feel connected to him still like he's still here and when I talk to him it's like I can you know hear him answering and I love that my zady was someone who had an extremely hard life and yet he loved every single minute of it he lived it he loved it and it loved him and so did all of his friends and his family and I think that's what life is about really is who you have in it and what you make of it my zady gave me the definition of life and that's something that I won't forget thank you thank you boobala next I would ask somebody who I've known for many many many many many years who I regard as a good friend and somebody who he enjoys a Shabbos guest many many times at her house some of the beautiful voice and a beautiful heart I'd like to invite the Shamash of Shared Philip Gordon Lindsay to come up Shalom aleichem malachai ha-sharet malachai al-yon mihu melech malachai amlachim akadosh baruchu these words created a very unique relationship between me and Mr. Nissen siss oliva shalom rub usher turin he should be well had asked me to come to the becress terrace which is the independent living facility at the west campus of becress center to sing shalom aleichem and to make kittish and sing some smear us every Friday night when the days were long enough for the people there the residents there sitting down to have their dinner their Friday night dinner he felt there wasn't enough Yiddish kind so he asked me to do that and I did that and of course when I do that I would walk around the entire dining room singing shalom aleichem making kid ish going all the way around all the tables and afterwards I would go and greet everyone wish them a good Shabbos sometimes I'd have some color to give out to them from the head table and they all appreciated it but no one appreciated it on anywhere near the incredible level that Nissen siss oliva shalom did he was like I it was to me totally disproportionate I'm just singing shalom aleichem making kid ish but he thought that was absolutely over the moon and he never stopped praising me I'm got embarrassed he never stopped praising me yet so effusively for me for doing this whenever I would come around to the tables when he was there as a resident he would praise me to the skies and also when I went over to Julius and sisters as a Shabbos guest and he was there oh he said there's a great man this is a great man he's a prince he's a prince and when I went to the table by him to say good Shabbos at the terrace and even at Julius and Clare's he'd take my hand he'd kiss my hand he was so over-the-moon enthusiastic about me doing that that you know basic myths for that I was doing for them and I still do at the terrace so I wondered about it I wanted why what is what is so special about what I'm doing here's a man who went through the incredible upheaval and torture and tension and terror and the loss of dear family to the Holocaust something I can't imagine myself going through and surviving he went through all of that he and his wife you have to shingle all the show came to Canada built up a whole new life did all kinds of wonderful things raising a family starting a business as a what is so great about what I'm doing compared to what he has been true to what to what he has suffered I just I couldn't imagine him thinking that out it was so great what I was doing I've ever been every all the Jewish people go do that every Friday night and that's that was the key to my beginning to understand what it was I began to get an inkling as to what was going through his mind here it was at baycrest terrace living in a room on his own by himself no family around him and as I say with not too many people were celebrating the Shabbos as as Rabbi Turin you should be well had me do it for them and I realized what was going on as far as I could guess what was going on was that after all had been through and all of the real hardships of his life I was suddenly able to transport him back to the idyllic life and experience that he had before the terrible tumult of the Holocaust before all of the hardships in the building of his life before all that he had a beautiful life as Rabbi Bartfeld pointed out pointed out his father was a cousin so you imagine you come home and seven kids were there imagine coming home to a beautiful on Shabbos from Arab Shabbos coming home to a beautiful the table is sad mommy and daddy are there all the family is there the kids are there and my the father sings like with a cousin's voice sings shalom aleikah makes kid ish smear us it was incredibly beautiful it was a beautiful life of peace security love all kinds of wonderful good things and I believe that's what he liked about what I was doing that I brought him back because I'm I'm not shy as you can see so when I sing out I give people their money's worth and when I'm singing kid making kid ish when I'm singing shalom aleikah there's a lot of you know a lot of a hava coming out of me when I do that and I think that's what the reason was therefore my prayer is that since Nissan loved my singing so much that he be zoica the boy should love should let him listen to the real singers the real Malachi a charade the ministering angels mission should have a front row seat to listen to them sing to him praise to a sham every day of his life of his new life that he wants the shama should have an aliyah and now we're going to segue into another task that Julius has assigned me we have a letter from Israel from the emeritus rabbi of charade filler rabbi Moisha Stern he sent Julius this wonderful email and Julius has asked me to read Rabbi Stern's thoughts on the occasion of the Shloshim I feel privileged to be able to share some thoughts in marking the Shloshim observance of remniscence sis all of a shalom at the outset I want to acknowledge the phenomenal devotion and Derek Aaron's Julius displayed towards his beloved father the last months of remniscence life were spent struggling to remain alive in the intensive care unit at Humber Hospital though Julius was under tremendous pressure to allow the doctors to end all treatment Julius was relentless in following the halacha and thus preserved the life of his father I will never forget Julius phone calls and our discussions of the halacha during these critical times my wife and I so admired Julius determination and a mood out a sham that so inspired us and should be a lesson to others time and again when the doctors proclaimed his end remniscence would rally and continue his valiant fight to live remniscence sis was a Holocaust survivor and his passing is again a reminder that the survivors are diminishing and it will be up to the next generation to keep the memory of those horrific events alive and shared with our children and grandchildren remniscence experienced numerous tragedies in his life the passing of his wife Helena a la shalom the loss of children but he always maintained a positive outlook and never displayed bitterness or ill-feeling his motto was as has been said they've had sang good everything will be well he was a proud Jew and I cherish the time we spent conversing in Yiddish he was a big man with an even bigger heart he loved his family and had a special bond with his grandchildren he had a great influence on Julius and considering the key roof work Jews for Judaism is performing remniscence will surely be welcomed into a special place of honor in gun Aidan this past Shabbat we read in the Torah the Birkat Kohane the priestly benediction a blessing remniscence would be familiar with in as much as he was a coin may the blessing of peace be remniscence eternal reward as he is now reunited with the families he lost in the Shoah and since then may his memory inspire us all to strive to perfect our personal commitment to Torah and Mitzvot with great respect Rabbi Moshe Stern you know I shared at the Shiva the remarkable story of Achnachas Orchim that was bestowed upon my parents when they came to Canada my father and my mother and my brother they came here with nothing and my father got a job on Spadina had a misfortune or fortune to to find an apartment but it was the sunny side so for him to get to work on Spadina it was an hour and a hour and a half walk every morning to and from Spadina and after his first week working there being a Jew from Vince Latvia he was invited to a meeting of Lithuanian Jews and there he's he was invited to speak about what he had gone through after which a woman came up to him and said you're going to move into my house who is this woman was Rebedson Berenson the wife of Rabbi Berenson and she expressed resolute determination that my father could not say no she invited my father to stay as long as was necessary not to worry about food not to worry about rent my parents ended up staying in their home for six months and had it not been for the incredible hospitality and generosity of Rabbi and Rebedson Berenson I don't know what would have been the fate of my my parents but I do know that that because of the incredible love and kindness that was expressed by them we were very very grateful to be able to have Rabbi and Rebedson Berenson in our life but we also feel like they were part of our family because coming to the coming to the new country without any relatives everybody became an aunt and an uncle so Rebedson Berenson to us became anti-rifca and so we have anti-rifca's daughter here Evelyn Mandel Chavala as we used to call her to share a few thoughts about my daddy can you come up how about how about I'm gonna boop about 60 years ago I remember coming home from school I remember coming home from school and finding a family in the house what's going on this tall red-haired freckle-faced man and his wife a beautiful Helena and a little baby three months old Yossi and I said what's going on what anyways that my mother invited them to come live with us and we got to be very close I remember my mother used to warm up a bottle for Yossi in the middle of the night so that Helena and Nissen didn't have to wake up and I remember one incident that Nissen and I were on a bicycle and around the Spadina circle there used to be a Borden's Dairy I don't know if it's still there and the policemen stopped us we both were so scared him for sure I was laughing I thought what's the big deal but anyways it turned out it was okay and I just grateful that I had such wonderful parents who could take in people and they're just like family to us sorry I'm not used to talking as much as Julius is thank you so much Kavala at around the same time that Rabbi and Revitson Berenson took my parents under their wing another couple rose up mom pa Urkovich I don't they became mom pa for our family our grandparents and their children became our aunts and uncles uncle Harry and T Penny and T Rosie the we had we had family we're not so sure what the definition of auntie and uncle really meant but they were aunties and uncles and one dear dear friend of mine is a part of that family Michael Hart a grandson of mom pa Urkovich so I'd like Michael if you could come forward and just share some of your reflections on on my dad and and your family thank you I'm not a rabbi not a tomothoth I'm not a canter so I'm I really would just like to just like to honor this insist tonight that's all I want to do so and Julius called me and he said you know I should speak for five minutes I said you know I thought to myself she's the idea that you could capture the life of a person in five minutes is just as ridiculous and it's outrageous and then a person that was extraordinary like Miss insists it's it's it's not possible it's there's no possibility of success so but I'm gonna do I'm gonna endeavor to try I'm gonna try to do justice to nissan I called him nissan the strong he was he was probably the strongest person I ever met so nissan hagi board I'm probably gonna say that a few times tonight so this is a you know people most of most people didn't know nissan miss Ben Deltas but I knew him since I'm an infant anyway anyone with an interest in genealogy will tell you that there's usually one person in each family that has an interest in family history and in my family that's me and the first thing you do when you're looking for when you're trying to research your family history is you speak to the oldest members of your family and use you write down the living memory so so you see cancers from I remember many years ago in the late 70s I had or maybe middle 70 I asked my grandfather his name was Isaac Yerkovich I asked him about the family and you know and I wrote it all down you know he came from Ukraine in you know 1923 and whatever and and at some point I said can you explain to me how we're related to nissan and Helen assists and I he just lit up you know he just lit up and and if he came clear very quickly that in reality we weren't related blood relatives but we were to refer to them as family so allow me to explain nissan and minds more biographical than everybody else's I think anyway so allow me to explain nissan and Helena came to Canada after the war in the late 1940s my Aunt Rose who's also born in 1925 like nissan he met them and of course she slept them to my my Bobby and my Zeta Isaac my my Bobby Surra and my my Zeta Isaac in short order the sisses and the Yerkoviches were indeed family the siss family always referred to my grandparents as ma and pa and both of these families had something in common they didn't have any relatives here in Canada they didn't have any aunts they didn't have any uncles they didn't have any cousins the siss family because they were all murdered and and my family because they were the only ones that left the only families that left my grand my grandparents so they were the only you know they had them and they saw each other as as mishpoch as a family some of my earliest memories are sitting around tables listening to nissan relate stories of unimaginable horror the magnitude 10 nightmare that he and Helena had had gone through in Europe the great toll and trauma that was exacted from nissan and Helena's it's it's it's utterly ungrounding it's their lives had to endure such darkness such unfathomable evil but was but nissan was just about the strongest person that the good Lord ever made nissan was unsinkable there's another word I it's been on the tip of my tongue for days now and I cannot come up with it even now he was unsinkable so thus I come up with I can you know that's not it either but but thanks for playing the game okay anyway nissan nissan was hagi board and this was greater than the horror if I was to relate some of the stories the experience that nissan siss endured even the strongest of you would be in tears I would be in tears and you know it was it was and I heard those stories many times I can't even imagine how many times you heard those stories anyway the angels I'm sure would shed tears too but again nissan was so strong and whatever amount of strength that you're in you're conjuring in your mind add more jewels add more newtons add more ergs add more gigabots gigawatts nissan wasn't just strong for himself nissan also carried Helena his besherto so Helena really wasn't was unable I don't want to get into it but she was really unable and and it was okay she's saying she painted she couldn't stand it if you weren't eating and and and she was she was beautiful and regal somebody else used that word regal she was regal I always thought of her as I always thought she was sort of royal princess maybe meanwhile though nissan did the heavy lift he went to work he attended to his three sons he was a gardener of renown and one thing was constant there was no rest for nissan sis he was so strong though nissan and the sis family are a metaphor for the Jewish people in the 20th century nissan was born in Latvia in 1925 and he was one of seven children he had five brothers and one sister the peaceful segment of nissan's life ended in 1940 when Latvia lost its independence to the Soviets and Latvia went from bad to infinitely worse when the Nazis entered in 1941 that's sort of like burned in my engrams you know he would talk about that within a very short time of nissan's arrival at the death camp there were only himself and his father Joseph his father's name was Joseph they were left alive and I heard the story of nissan's father's demise many times and I'm unable to write it here or even attempt to relate it to you suffice to say that at war's end nissan was the sole member of his family among the living it is an exercise in incompleteness to talk about nissan without talking about Helena Helena and nissan met in a displaced persons camp Helena was a world-class beauty and nissan was handsome and of course nissan was so strong while in the DP camp they had their first of three magnificent sons Joseph leave yes he he was born in December of 1947 in Munich Julius was born in 1951 here in Toronto and Sheridan in 1952 also here in Toronto my family called them Joey, Julie and Sherry I have nothing but magical memories of these three young lions and their and the Yiddish and nachos that they brought to Helena and nissan as I said the story of the cis family in the 20th century is the story of the Jewish people in the 20th century once I went to war for Israel I want to say something about that too it's one of my sharpest memories I was 10 years old Joey and DeVora his new wife they came back to Toronto and we were in the backyard and and I don't remember who made the speech they were talking to a Joey and it's a great line it's 1970 do you remember this so I don't remember who said it they said you know the sixth day war would have been nine or ten days if it wasn't for Joey he never forgot that line he used it all the time today by the way is June 6th that's unbelievable and Friday I had Joey's Joey's son and beautiful Eloni and Sarah came for a shabbat and it was Helena's birthday was you know very shocking to me anyway so Joey one son went to war for Israel one son was consumed by depression and one son became Torah observance a particular note nissan and Helena have glorious descendants too on a side note those are some pretty giant shoes to fill I have such beautiful memories of how happy how elated and how life affirming the wedding of Alon and Sarah was Helena and Helena didn't live much longer after not not so much longer after that but she was beautiful that night Helen and Nissa were so happy and I have to make mention of their wonderful children David and Karen David and Karen beautiful on a side night we believe that we are in closest proximity to God during the prayer and under our hope us so people always pass people prayers and say you know that could you pray for this person to pray for whatever and so after my wedding on my wife and I we compared we were driving down to the hotel like two in the morning and I said what did you pray for and she said I prayed that she said I prayed that Claire and Julius would have a baby and I said I prayed for that too and I can't take full credit but but but I always shep copious amounts of of not from hearing about the exploits of Miriam sadly sherry left this world without having children I remember how crazy a time that was for Nissa and Helena it was such a it was so close to your wedding to Julius and Claire's wedding and so it was like frenetic this one was so strong though I guess at this point the point is that if you ever get a chance to ask Nissa about his grandchildren you would see what it was leaked it was like being in the present of a 10,000 watt lightbulb when I was growing up each yisgar on young kipper Pesach Shavuot and Shmini at my mother Panina a blessed memory would always light an extra yurtite candle she taught me she taught us that there were so many people that don't have anyone to light for them and to remember them and I encourage everyone to take this tradition on every time we light yurtite candles since I was a kid I always think had the Germans major memories be erased I had their way these extra yurtite candles would have been for for Nissa and Helena to this insist was a big strong man I was blessed to have known him in tractate Megilla it says that a diamond of great value may be lost but it's still in the world it's only lost to its owner while it turns out that John Dunn was right and each man's death does diminish it also heartens me to think that Nissan Hagi bor and Helena are together and this and is reunited with Sherry and those that were so violently taken from him me his greatness I'm having a Liam so I want to take a few minutes just to reflect a little bit on certain aspects of my father first of all the incredible pleasant memories growing up the wonderful Shabbat meals we would have together as a family the times he would surprise me and my brothers with ice cream cones when we least expected it my mother's little variety store on St. Clair was called Helen's smoke shop nobody calls anything a smoke shop nowadays but Helen's smoke shop on St. Clair it's a business failure but they tried it for two years my father teaching me how to sew I was able to eventually show so shirts and I remember my first bottle of beer working in the garden with my dad on a hot July day and I'm he goes into the garage and hopes up a beer and he looks to me goes the little step is above his little I never had a beer before I was thought the smell was terrible but that day I was so thirsty tasted pretty good I remember going to my dad some of you may have heard the story when I was 12 years old telling my dad I really like a bicycle and he said to me you want a bicycle no problem get a job make the money get a bicycle two months later I had a nice red bicycle two years later he came to me when it was moving up to Steels and Bathers needed money to pay for the appliances for the new house he was moving in sure no problem that was 14 he taught me he taught me to work you want something you strive you work for it you set goals you achieve them nothing in life is going to be a handout at least if it is you're not going to appreciate it you appreciate it if you have to work for something I remember I remember very fondly my experiences in school with my dad they were very vague but I remember sitting in in a pew like this a chair show my I'm on st. Clair and he be with his finger his big hit huge hands showing me where they were in the sitter or if we were following along in the khumish one of my sweetest memories it's unbelievable that I have this memory is sitting on his shoulder on simplest Torah with a flag and an apple on it dancing around a little three it's in my head I can't forget it a beautiful memory what I'd like to do is give you a little bit memory of my father and I'm going to take you back in time to my brother's you'll see his bar mitzvah and I want to play just a two minute clip of my father's speech at that bar mitzvah my dear relatives friends distinguished guests it's one of my greatest honor to stay in front of you all to see you like sisters and brothers not like guests participating to my greatest in my life after I've seen my son today saying his mother in a shoe from a thousand people participating from Davenin and each of one of them was the greatest honor to come out from the exit and to shake hands and to visit him a lot of mothers in the years to come my dear son it's one of my greatest honor to stay in front of you after a day which you said I'm after which that's what I was praying for that's what my father teach me and I gave my best to you I hope in the years to come you should have a lot of nachas from you and you should be an example from all the Jewish families they should go to the Hebrew Jewish school and they should learn how Jewish boys has to get education I hope that you go on from now on as far as you can go to reach the best of your ability I would like to express my deeply thanks to all my guests and friends for participating to this great Simcha thank you very much and a lot of nachas for your taste of whom my father was you know it's a shame that we didn't quite give him all the nachas he could have gotten we've we we we weren't able to maybe necessarily give my father everything he hoped for I know that I disappointed him greatly for a period of his life and one of the interesting things that comes through in his in his little speech there at my brother's par mitzvah was his knowledge and knowing of the importance of a Jewish education but what what what I've come to understand now is that that education as importance and as beautiful as it is really pales in comparison to the education that a child receives when they see their parents live Judaism and make Judaism come alive in their own homes they become Jews for Judaism make Judaism real and meaningful and vital in their own lives and homes and so it's something that that I I I realize in a way as an impetus for me is this I've my father inculcated into me that that passion and that fire for Yiddish guy but I just I did the one message that I would like my father's words to portray is that we should all take our faith seriously and make Judaism much much more meaningful I want to just say two more things first of all several people have made mention of of my commitment to trying to take care of my father and to make sure that he was well taken care of somebody shared with me a a few words that I agreed to read and I think it's very inspiring Kabeid et Avicha et Temecha it's one of the commandments from the Ten Commandments honor your father and your mother the word honor Kabeid has the same root as the word Kabeid heavy it is so much easier to honor your parents when they're well and in a position to give you that one benefits from but when they become older and frail that part becomes very heavy therefore we are commanded to honor our parents always and throughout the course of our lives no matter what it was my privilege and honor to be there for my daddy for my daddy my dad and this insists on he spent so many years taking care of his family and it's filling in us our Jewish heritage I believe his efforts were tireless and very very well worth it just like to conclude with a few thoughts I sent out invitations by email to tonight's shloshim nobody ever told me what you do and you don't do with one of these affairs and I'm glad I didn't ask anybody's opinion so I'm going to read you the words of the email I sent out to the prospective invitees and some of the responses I got back the lores was with me the day that this took place my father was a Holocaust survivor he was the only one of his entire family to survive Hitler's hell in 1948 with his wife Elena also a Holocaust survivor and my oldest brother Joseph he came to Canada penniless to find work and rebuild a new life my dad inculcated in me a lot of positive values to be proud as a Jew to appreciate those around me to embrace my passions and to work hard to achieve my goals and although I made some really big mistakes in my life I was always assured that he loved me my father spent the last nine months of his life in the intensive care unit and Humber River Hospital on August 5th he was admitted with congestive heart failure and pneumonia soon he couldn't breathe on his own and needed a ventilator then a tracheotomy was inserted into his throat disabling his ability to speak he had to have a feeding tube because he could no longer swallow then he had kidney failure and the go on dialysis and there was more but I'll spare you the agony and although he could not talk he would smile and tell the caregivers and the nurses I love you by carefully mouthing the words then he would often blow them kisses but most inspiring was what happened two months before his passing while I was sitting with Dolores his caregiver his tracheotomy got twisted briefly and for a quick moment it enabled him to utter just one sentence to us it was the last sentence I remember him saying to me he turned to us to be in Dolores and he said everything is gonna be okay amazing but that was my dad no matter how tough things got he had a positive attitude and hope everything is gonna be okay became the theme of our Shiva and the shloshim as well of this and sis it's all I know that my dad would love for you to be encouraged by his last verbal message to me this in spite of all the problems difficulties and hardships we may face everything is going to be okay you got to believe it those were the words of the email I sent and I got so many email responses I'm just gonna read you four of them one email says yesha coeth and thank you for sharing such inspiring words they're very meaningful to me personally as I am myself going through a tough time and the encouragement couldn't have been better time another person writes mr. Sis was a loving and supporting father a tolerant and non judgmental man of faith who lived what he believed and passed those lessons to his family keep faith in a sham be a good person have goals work hard keep a positive attitude care for and help others third person writes you gave those of us who did not have the opportunity to meet your father a wonderful and accurate picture of his warm caring positive and inspiring person that he was despite his own pain and suffering when he was ill he focused on and cared about others encourage them and supported his dear precious family and those around him including his caregivers last comment your father's reassuring words everything is going to be okay express so much about faith attitude love and character they are indeed words to live by so everything is going to be okay as long as we're together thank you so much