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Obituaries

RABBI CARLA ELYNN FREEDMAN

Rabbi Carla Freedman will go down in history as a trailblazer. Not only was she the first Canadian woman to be ordained as a rabbi, she was also the first rabbi in history to become a grandmother.

With great sorrow, Rabbi Carla’s family announces that the trail reached its end when, after a short, but devastating illness, she passed away on Monday, September 23, 2024, just five weeks shy of her 80th birthday.

Carla Elynn Freedman was a leader from the moment she was born. While studying at West Kildonan Collegiate in her hometown, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, she took on her first elected leadership role, serving as President of B’nai Brith Girls, District 6. In this role, she honed her storytelling skills, winning an international championship by recounting the heroics of Hannah Senesh. She also discovered what would become a deep, lifelong love of Judaism.

In 1965, shortly after the birth of her first daughter, Deborah, she became one of the earliest members of Temple Shalom, Winnipeg’s first Reform synagogue. She celebrated the birth of her second daughter, Rena, in trailblazing fashion, with the Temple’s first baby naming ceremony.

After earning a B.A. in English and a master’s in educational psychology from the University of Manitoba, Carla worked as a counsellor in private practice and as a management training specialist with the federal Department of Transportation. 

She celebrated her 40th birthday by leaving Winnipeg to pursue her passion for Reform Judaism full time. She enrolled in Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating with a master’s degree in Hebrew Letters in 1989. She was ordained the following year, becoming the first Canadian-born woman rabbi in the process.

While in rabbinical school, Carla met the love of her life, Jeanne Shanin. Carla and Jeanne spent 39 joyous years together, moving throughout the U.S. as Carla took on congregational pulpits at Beth Israel Congregation in Plattsburgh, New York, Jewish Family Congregation in South Salem, New York, and since 2013, at Beth Israel Congregation in Sun City Center, Florida.

In 1992, while serving in Plattsburgh, Carla achieved her most treasured accomplishment when, upon the birth of her grandson, Jesse, she became the first rabbi in history to become a grandmother. She repeated the feat two years later, with the birth of her granddaughter, Brianna.

While she had a lifelong aversion to the color green, she had a world-class green thumb and an unmatched gift for keeping her hundreds of plants healthy. She found immense joy in simple pleasures: spy novels, Israeli music, anchovies, black licorice, popcorn, Rachel Maddow, Monk, and anything from the British Isles. But by far her greatest joys were serving her congregations and spending time with her family.

Rabbi Carla is survived by her soulmate, Jeanne of Riverview, Florida; her daughters, Deborah Melman-Clement (Tim) of Kingston, Ontario and Rena Rubin-Hines (Michael) of Toronto; her grandchildren, Jesse Rubin of Calgary and Brianna Rubin of Toronto; her sister, Phyllis Yaffe of Toronto; and her niece, Sarah Yaffe (Jay, Lewis, and Reya) of Toronto.

She was predeceased by her parents, Lou and Yetta Freedman, and by her beloved pets, Mo and Harley.

The family would like to thank all those who cared for Carla with such skill and compassion. 

Funeral services were held Wednesday, September 25 at Beth Israel the Jewish Congregation of Sun City Center, 1115 E Del Webb Blvd., Sun City Center, Florida, 33573, USA. Shiva Minyan with open mic tributes will follow. To view the recordings, contact cowebmaster1@jcscc.org.

Shiva will also be held in Toronto from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sunday and Monday, September 29 and 30 at 70 Rosehill Ave., #208.

Please feel free to honour Rabbi Carla’s memory with a gift to Beth Israel Congregation’s newly created Rabbi Carla Freedman Memorial Fund for the purpose of bringing to the congregation live music, speakers, and scholars in residence; or the charity of your choice.

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Obituaries

Recent funerals – as posted on the Chesed Shel Emes website

Jack ShromYaacov ben Aryeh Leib v’Rachel02/03/193108/09/202626 Elul 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Raymond Richard GreenReuben Rafael ben Leib Natan v’Yetta04/02/195131/08/202618 Elul 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Rhoda KravetskyTziril Tovah bat Mendel v’Doba21/05/194829/08/202616 Elul 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Brent Drew CohenBinyamin ben Zvi ha’Kohen v’Esther02/10/195828/08/202615 Elul 5786Bnay Abraham CemeteryMore Info
Liza LyuberLaya bat Lazer v’Malka05/12/192628/08/202615 Elul 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Michael TennenhouseMelech Shimon ben Hersh Tzvi v’Gileh22/04/194928/08/202615 Elul 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Inf
Lillian NeamanLeah Rivka bat Eliyahu v’Chana16/02/193421/08/20268 Elul 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Malik JuravskyMelech ben Levi Yitzchak v’Luba24/03/193119/08/20266 Elul 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Harvey AppelleChaim Tzvi ben Yehoshua v’Bayla08/05/194015/08/20262 Elul 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Mordy “Buddy” BrownstoneMordechai Leib ben Yishia v’Machla28/07/192611/08/202628 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Karen Leslie GomoriGayla bat Shlomo haLevi V’Chaya Sarah15/02/195010/08/202627 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Rhona ShnierRachel bat Shaul v’Chana04/07/192709/08/202626 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Belle BurkeBluma bat Zalman v’ Sara Elka12/05/192606/08/202623 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Reesa Gail LanghansReesa bat Yishayahu haKohen v’Faigel Tzipora17/09/194806/08/202623 Av 5786Hebrew Sick Benefit CemeteryMore Info
Gerald KalefGershon ben Yitzchak v’Chana24/06/192801/08/202619 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Arthur Joseph NitikmanAharon Yosef ben Yisrael v’Devorah17/05/194029/07/202615 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Sheldon Berney06/10/193628/07/202614 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Arthur ArkinAvraham ben Yitzchak haLevi v’Sarah22/05/192724/07/202610 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Dick BellDaniel ben David v’Chana28/12/192719/07/20265 Av 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Reesa NermanRivka bat Shlomo v’ Shaindel Leah30/05/195418/07/20264 Av 5786Rosh Pina Memorial ParkMore Info
Garry Israel FrankelGershon Israel ben Shlomo Moshe v’Miriam14/08/195313/07/202628 Tamuz 5786Rosh Pina Memorial ParkMore Info
Caroline Shelley RaberTzipi bat Yisrael v’Ita30/01/195511/07/202626 Tamuz 5786Bnay Abraham CemeteryMore Info
Estelle MeyersEsther Tzivia26/10/194110/07/202625 Tamuz 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Alice Grace LazarSarah bat Avraham v’Sarah27/12/192608/07/202623 Tamuz 5786Bnay Abraham CemeteryMore Info
Paula WolfmanPiya bat Mordechai v’Esther15/09/195308/07/202623 Tamuz 5786Hebrew Sick Benefit CemeteryMore Info
Sharon Ricki FeuerSharona Rivka bat Avraham v’Sarah14/05/194008/07/202623 Tamuz 5786Hebrew Sick Benefit CemeteryMore Info
Neil MargolisNissan ben Chaim Nechemia v’Deveorah29/07/193601/07/202616 Tamuz 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Sheldon Paul NemySolomon ben Moshe haKohen v’Rachel01/04/194723/06/20268 Tamuz 5786Hebrew Sick CemeteryMore Info
Murray KadysMoshe ben Shmuel v’Bayla12/01/194519/06/20264 Tamuz 5786Beit Chayim Mikdash Shalom, Chapel Lawn Cemetery, 4000 Portage AveMore Info
Richard GordonYitzchak ben Yaakov v’Dina06/11/194314/06/202629 Sivan 5786Grays’ Ridge Cemetery, Alonsa MBMore Info
David Harold DiamondDavid ben Avraham Yehoshua haLevi08/04/192909/06/202624 Sivan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Sidney GreenSimcha ben Aharon v’Rosa01/08/192907/06/202622 Sivan 5786Hebrew Sick Benefit CemeteryMore Info
Cecile KowallTzivia bat Shlomo David v’ Sluva Mata24/05/193503/06/202618 Sivan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Joan HargraveChana Henya bat Binyamin Mayer haLevi v’ Miriam Dina14/07/195301/06/202616 Sivan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Irwin Barry StrongerYitzchak Dov ben Matityahu v’Baila16/09/194131/05/202615 Sivan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
David Ivan CohenDavid Yitzchak ben Yaakov Moshe v’Sara Liba06/06/195630/05/202614 Sivan 5786Hebrew Sick Benefit CemeteryMore Info
Phyllis Maxine HochmanTziporah bat Shmuel v’Esther31/12/194030/05/202614 Sivan 5786Rosh Pina Memorial ParkMore Info
Alvin Murray ZivotAvraham Moshe ben Yaakov v’Leah Miriam03/08/193127/05/202611 Sivan 5786Rosh Pina Memorial ParkMore Info
Tova VickarTova bat Nachum v’Yenta24/08/194922/05/20266 Sivan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Karen LeipsicChaya Tova bat Kalman v’Raizel03/04/194421/05/20265 Sivan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Phyllis Lee DanaFayge-Leah bat Moshe BenZion v’Chaya05/10/193617/05/20261 Sivan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Betty Brina SimonBayla bat Yitzchak v’Miriam27/07/193515/05/202628 Iyar 5786Hebrew Sick Benefit CemeteryMore Info
Basia Bayla FliegelBayla bat Leib31/05/193013/05/202626 Iyar 5786Rosh Pina Memorial ParkMore Info
Harold DiamondTzvi ben Yaacov v’Chana04/12/193512/05/202625 Iyar 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Gary RayburnGershon Aaron ben Hersh Ber v’Masha21/09/196509/05/202622 Iyar 5786Bnay Abraham CemeteryMore Info
Ray SchnoorRaizel bat Ephraim v’Rachel13/06/192705/05/202619 Iyar 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Gila Ruth FainsteinRachel bat Kiva v’Leah25/06/193504/05/202614 Iyar 5786Rosh Pina Memorial ParkMore Info
Toby SchwartzChaya Tovah bat Moshe v’Chana16/07/193201/05/202614 Iyar 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Rachel WolmanRachel Bayla bat Moshe v’Malka03/02/196224/04/20267 Iyar 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Leah GitlinLaya bat Yosef v’Frayda04/09/192608/04/202621 Nisan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Lin Joseph RosenbaumYosef Levi ben Hershel Zvi v’Dvorah17/10/195206/04/202619 Nisan 5786Hebrew Sick Benefit CemeteryMore Info
Norman SteinNachum ben Avraham v’Chaya10/06/193206/04/202619 Nisan 5786Bnay Abraham CemeteryMore Info
Marvin Saul SilverMenachem Shaul ben Avraham v’Chana Gitel20/11/194105/04/202618 Nisan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info
Kimberley Dawn KirshenbaumIsabella bat Avraham v’Sarah09/12/196903/04/202617 Nisan 5786Rosh Pina Memorial ParkMore Info
Walter GanetskyZev ben Yosef haLevi v’Tziporah23/09/194002/04/202615 Nisan 5786Bnay Abraham CemeteryMore Info
Lorelei Camille LavittRachel bat Yaakov v’Raisa11/04/193626/03/20268 Nisan 5786Rosh Pina Memorial ParkMore Info
Melvin MyersMoshe ben Chaim v’Rachel24/04/193624/03/20267 Nisan 5786Shaarey Zedek CemeteryMore Info

To see more funerals go to https://chesedshelemes.org/records-of-the-deceased/

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Obituaries

BRUCE MILTENBERG

b. October 1st, 1940, d. 9 pm August 31st, 2026 (20th Elul 5786)

Bruce Miltenberg was a true New Yorker, born and reared on the West Side of Manhattan. He came of age in the New York of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, and built his life largely through his own initiative, judgment, and persistence. His mother, a Ziegfeld follies girl, supported her two boys as an actress, and insisted they learn Accounting. Bruce attended Stuyvesant High School, Hunters College, became a Licensed CPA, and opened his first tax office in the basement of Berman’s candy store on Broadway (where he’d worked since age 12). During the early ‘60s he did a stint with the U.S. Army Reserve.

Meantime, from that first basement office courtesy the Berman Brothers, Bruce established accounting practices in Flushing, Fort Washington, and at Eighty-First Street on Broadway. By the end of the ‘60s he was buying residential multifamily buildings in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Ultimately Bruce closed his tax practice to devote himself to real estate, with holdings eventually in New York, Boston. Philadelphia and Canada.

There was much more to Bruce than his real estate holdings. That was merely the matrix upon which he lived his philosophy of life and nurtured his family. He was an explorer in every sense. He loved ideas, conversation, and a spirited discussion. He often said: “I may not be big enough to push anyone around, but I am too big to be pushed around”. He believed fiercely in independence, courage, and resilience. He encouraged his family to take chances, see the world, stand up for themselves, and meet life’s challenges head on. Bruce was deeply proud of his Jewish heritage and was a lifelong supporter of Israel. He was also extraordinarily generous, often quietly meeting needs and supporting causes without recognition.

In the early 90s Bruce met Cynthia Cohen, of Winnipeg, who was then living in NYC. They married in 1994 at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, her family’s shule. They began to summer in Winnipeg Beach. As well travelled as he was, (his curiosity took him to some of the world’s most distant places, from Bhutan to Ushuaia), it was Winnipeg Beach—and especially the treasured friends he made there—that became his favourite place in the world. Here is a quote from one of these friends: “Bruce had a way of engaging each and every person who came into his sphere of life. He knew how to reach out to uncover what was important in their lives, while finding new ways to grow himself. He made us laugh, question what’s happening around us and strive to be a better person. Throughout his humour there was an undeniable honesty that we loved and will forever miss.”

Bruce is survived by his wife Cynthia nee Cohen, their daughters Rachel and Leah, his son Andrew (Jennifer), and daughter Alissa Wade (William), his grandchildren Skylar Vertes, Isabel and Jacob Miltenberg, Ava Miltenberg.

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Obituaries

HARVEY APPELLE

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Harvey Appelle, peacefully surrounded with his family, on August 15, 2026, at the age of 86.

Harvey was a cherished, loving and devoted husband, a proud father, an adoring Zaida, and loyal friend. His gentle spirit, generous and kind heart, quiet wisdom, and wonderful sense of humour made everyone around him feel welcome and loved.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife and life partner of 64 years, Faye; his children, Beverley, Rochelle (Martin), and Sheldon (Lorey); his beloved grandchildren, Daniel, Mikaela, Shane and Shawn; and brother, Morry (Christine). He was predeceased by his parents, Bella, Samuel and Pere; and his brother Gerry.

Harvey was born in Winnipeg, on May 8, 1940, to Bella and Samuel Appelle. He grew up in the North End, attended Luxton School and later St. John’s High School. Harvey worked in the lumber and building industries; drafted residential and commercial buildings; and later retired from Sears.

He met the love of his life, Faye Globerman, in 1961 and they married a year later. Together they raised three children.

Harvey was an avid golfer, curler, and bowler, and a dedicated season ticket holder for the Bombers for many years.

He dedicated his life to his family and later he was a dedicated volunteer, giving back to his community by generously giving his time to many organizations, including the Jewish Child and Family Services, WRHA, and events including the 1999 Pan Am Games, and multiple Grey Cups. He also donated blood to the Red Cross for many years.

Harvey will be fondly remembered for his love of family and friends, and for the respect and affection he earned from all who knew him. He was the true definition of a “mensch”.

Those wishing to honour Harvey’s memory may donate to the Jewish Child and Family Services or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of MB.

We are heartbroken and forever grateful for the love and legacy he leaves behind. We will miss him beyond words, love him always, and carry his memory with us forever.

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