Written by Atara Beck
THORNHILL – A truly heartwarming celebration dinner for Rabbi Baruch Taub of Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) congregation featured impressive guest speakers – ranging from synagogue leaders to Torah scholars and government ministers – all of whom expressed deep admiration and respect for the outgoing spiritual leader responsible for the growth of a tiny minyan (prayer quorum) into the largest orthodox congregation in Canada.
Rabbi Taub, who is making aliyah later this year, was honoured at the sold-out event – more than 800 people packed the hall – with the title ‘Rabbi Emeritus.’ BAYT President Peter Feldman presented him with a Tree of Life painting by renowned artist Karla Gudeon.
A perfect event in terms of food, décor and sheer elegance, organized by dinner co-chairs Florence Dimant and Moishe Posner, it was also a moving walk down memory lane for those among the congregation’s 13 founding families 30 years ago in a brand-new neighbourhood, when a house on Bevshire Circle served as a makeshift synagogue for several years before construction at the permanent site on Clark Avenue.
The synagogue, now considered among the largest Orthodox congregations outside of Israel, boasts several minyanim that accommodate various prayer styles and traditions, all within the umbrella of Torah Judaism.
BAYT hosts a variety of youth programs and classes to suit all levels of learning, including children, university students and young families, as well as the largest Daf Yomi (daily page of Talmud studied worldwide) attendance in the GTA.
Emcees Jack Feintuch and Shloimie Romberg – both are past presidents who contributed significantly over the years to BAYT’s extraordinary growth – shared touching reminiscences. It was a bittersweet evening, as many of the original members, while rejoicing in the shul’s success and appreciating the rabbi’s wonderful opportunity to move to the Holy Land, remembered dear friends and relatives who have passed away, most poignantly the adored Rebbitzen Judy Taub, who worked tirelessly alongside her husband to build this vibrant community.
Even before he began to speak, Thornhill MP Peter Kent, minister of state of foreign affairs (Americas), received a prolonged standing ovation in recognition of the Conservative government’s solid support for Israel under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. On behalf of the PM and the Canadian government, Kent recognized Rabbi Taub’s “cross-cultural” efforts and wished him well as he begins a new chapter in life.
Thornhill MPP Peter Shurman delivered greetings on behalf of PC leader Tim Hudak, as well as his colleagues in the Ontario legislature, and remarked on the “inclusive ideology” and atmosphere promoted by the BAYT spiritual leader.
“I am sure your legacy will stay with this community,” added Ward 5 Vaughan Councillor Alan Shefman, who extended greetings on behalf of the mayor.
Shomrei Shabbos Chevra Mishnayos Rabbi Yaakov Felder, vice-chairman Rabbinical Hakashruth, referring to Rabbi Taub as a “sincere friend,” noted the “outpouring of emotion for the Rav, who has done so much for the community and beyond…creating a bond and a relationship with all members, including young children, and inspiring others to illuminate their lives” through religious observance and learning.
Rabbi Shmuel Taub, a son of the BAYT rabbi, recalled that when he was a little boy living in New York, his mother explained that the move to Toronto would enable his father to study more Torah.
“I don’t know what you learned,” he said, addressing his father, “but look around the room…the success…how much Torah has been learned.”
Like many of the speakers, including his father, he recalled the intense love that his late mother had for the shul community. He also welcomed his father’s new wife, Rebbitzin Malkah Taub, an “eyshet chayil (woman of valour)” who “has added such splendour to this mishpacha (family).”
“I think the BAYT became the BAYT because of the leadership of the Rav,” declared guest speaker Rabbi Nota Schiller, dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions, explaining that a leader’s accomplishments could be measured by what he has “put into place that will have vitality, excitement and continuity.”
The crowd enjoyed a Men’s Choir Medley and a short video, coordinated by Pearl Gladman, that featured several BAYT members, young and old, recalling fond memories and paying tribute to their beloved rabbi, who has shared with them in both good and bad times.
“With the blink of an eye...our children are having children,” Rabbi Taub acknowledged. Displaying profound emotion and humility, he expressed gratitude to his family and to the entire community, singling out members, volunteers and employees ranging from Executive Director Andi Marcus and other professionals to workers and including Rabbi Chaim Ackerman of Congregation Ahavas Sholom in Columbus, Ohio, who served as assistant rabbi at BAYT for a couple of years and flew in for the occasion. Rabbi Taub reminded the crowd that credit for creating BAYT, one of the most dynamic communities on the continent, belongs not to him, but to late builder and developer Joseph Tanenbaum, an extraordinary philanthropist and a “true visionary…who remains a legend in the Jewish world.” The synagogue is in the Spring Farm neighbourhood, which began with few amenities and, due to Tanenbaum’s entrepreneurial brilliance and generosity, has become a prime location.
Noting the “thousands and thousands” of weddings and other lifecycle events that have taken place at BAYT in accordance with authentic Jewish values, Rabbi Taub stressed that true spiritual growth – Kedusha (holiness) – is “not attained through isolation….
“It does not mean to retreat from the world. It means to engage in the world and bring that holiness and sanctity to the world.
“My plea is for you to go from strength to strength, to continue to grow,” he proclaimed. “I will always love you and I will always be your rabbi, if you allow me to.”
The event was preceded by a grand Sefer Torah procession, chaired by past presidents Lazar Rand and Larry Zeifman, as well as Moti Bensalomon, where Rabbi Yochanan Zweig, rosh yeshiva of Talmudic University, Yeshiva and Kollel Beis Moshe Chaim, Miami Beach, delivered the keynote address.