Avrum Rosensweig

Rosensweig Leading Community Passover Seder at Habonim (2014)

Avrum Rosensweig is a writer, an online personality, and philanthropist from Toronto who served as associate religious leader for Congregation Habonim Toronto, a Toronto synagogue founded by Holocaust survivors He was the founding director and CEO of Ve'ahavta, a Canadian Jewish non-profit humanitarian and relief organization for twenty years. Rosensweig co-founded Ve'ahavta (Hebrew for 'and you should love') with Stephen Epstein, with a mission to encourage all Jews, and all peoples, to play a role in tikkun olam, 'repairing the world'. In 2016, Rosensweig stepped down as CEO and took on the position of founder and ambassador, speaking and fundraising in support of Ve'ahavta. Rosensweig served as Associate Religious Leader at Congregation Habonim Toronto, from 2005 to 2015.

Early life

Rosensweig was born Avram Isaac Rosensweig in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1960, the only son of Rabbi Phyvle (Philip) Rosensweig (1928–1989) and Gitel Rosensweig (née Flicht) (1930–2016). Rabbi Phillip Rosensweig came from a family of Orthodox Rabbis that emigrated to Canada during the turn of the last century. In his younger years, Rabbi Rosensweig was active in helping Jewish refugees from Europe flee persecution to come to Canada. Some of Gitel Rosensweig's family were Polish Jews from Wierzbnik (after 1952 called Starachowice), Poland, who were murdered in the Holocaust.

Rosensweig's grandparents from his mother's side were Moshe Chaim Flicht and Hilda Flicht , who both lost brothers and sisters who were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Moshe Chaim Flicht's father was Avraham Yitzchak Flicht, whom Rosensweig was named after. Avraham Yitzchak Flicht, his wife, and many of his children and grandchildren were taken out of their homes by the Nazis at the start of the war, and were shot and killed.

Avrum Rosensweig received an Orthodox Jewish education at Ner Israel Yeshiva in Toronto and later on in Jerusalem, Israel, followed by the study of journalism at Ryerson University. From 1990 to 1996, he worked for Toronto's United Jewish Appeal (UJA) campaign.

From 2005 to 2015, he served as associate religious leader at Congregation Habonim Toronto, where he led many services, working alongside religious leader, Eli Rubenstein, and was a regular contributor to the congregation's monthly bulletin.

Rosensweig with children at Community Passover Seder at Habonim (2014)

Ve'ahavta

Rosensweig co-founded Ve'ahavta with Stephen Epstein in 1996. The NGO is a Canadian Jewish humanitarian and relief organization. Ve'ahavta has launched initiatives in Canada and around the world. Paid internship programs consisting of "Recipe for Success," for people interesting in working in the food service industry; "Upper Shelf," to help individuals enter warehouse management opportunities, the Outreach Van Program, helping to serve needs in the community, and the "Building Foundations for Women" program. a nine-week intensive course load for people who identify as women.

Rosensweig at a Hurricane Katrina Benefit

In its first 15 years of operations, Ve'ahavta operated around the world assisting locals through medical care. Ve'ahavta medical teams set up clinics in Guyana and in Zimbabwe and responded to natural disasters in Turkey, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Honduras and other places. Ve'ahavta also launched local programs in Toronto for those experiencing homelessness and poverty, including the Mobile Jewish Response to the Homeless, a nightly van program whereby volunteers travel the streets of Toronto to assist those living on the street; the Ve'ahavta Street Academy, a school for the homeless or near homeless; and the Creative Writing Contest for the Homeless. Ve'ahavta has also operated homework clubs and photography contests.

Other areas of operation have included the Caribbean, in Thailand (after a tsunami) and the Philippines (after a hurricane), and advocating awareness about the genocide in Darfur.

Rosensweig Presenting Plaque to Chief Rodney Monague, of Christian Island, Survivor of Residential Schools (2009)

Ve'ahavta hosts a gala fundraising event each year, honouring Canadians of all backgrounds for their work in social, humanitarian, medical and educational fields. Honourees have included: Moshe Hammer, Dr. Naomi Azrieli, Dr. Michael Dan, Irwin Cotler, Karen Levine, and Adam Hummel.

As a co-founder of Ve'ahavta, Rosensweig also had access and opportunity to attend and report on an event held by Ve'ahavta Street Academy (VSA), a school that opened in 2011 for at-risk or vulnerable individuals in the Greater Toronto Area. The VSA became a three-month course held at George Brown College in Toronto. The Academy's goal is to provide participants with knowledge, resources and support in the creation of goals leading to healthy living.

Rosensweig wrote that the VSA was an idea originally thought up by a recovering addict and sex worker who won a Ve'ahavta creative writing contest. Rosensweig, serving as co-founder of Ve'ahavta, was approached by this individual, Theresa Schrader, looking for a summer job. Schrader and Rosensweig were planning the Ve'ahavta Street Academy with Schrader's idea of creating a scholastic institute, and George Brown College became a partner in the endeavor. At the time of the article Schrader was credited for bringing together the team of teachers, including the VP of Academics for GBC. There was also mention of the hope of franchising the idea. The VSA today is an educational institution in Toronto.

in 2009 a Roma family from Budapest, Hungary arrived in Canada after being brutally attacked by neo-Nazis. The Pusuma family, after hearing a car on the property, were beaten with bats in their yard. The father surrounded and protected their 15-month old daughter from the blows. The article written in 2014 took place five years after their arrival in Canada. The family had been in hiding the entire time, so that they would not be picked up and sent back to Hungary. The article called for more Righteous Gentiles to take action to help prevent this family from being deported. The article written by Rosensweig was published in the Canadian Jewish News in hopes to get support for the endangered family. "Many Righteous Gentiles saved us. Now is our chance to repay them," Resensweig wrote.

Written contributions

Rosensweig has contributed to the Huffington Post, Haaretz, Canadian Jewish News, and Congregation Habonim Toronto's bulletin, where he contributed sermons and articles. In an article written about Eli Rubenstein's film titled "Blind Love: A Holocaust Journey to Poland with Man's Best Friend," Rosensweig interviewed Rubenstein, the National Director of March of the Living Canada since 1989, about the film.

In the early days of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Rosensweig wrote an article titled, "With Glowing Hearts? Coming to Terms with Our Dark Past," using a line from the Canadian national anthem. Rosensweig described understanding how modern day Germany might feel, knowing its own dark past. He wrote, "As a Canadian, as a Jew, I'm sickened to share with you that in 1928, Alberta's Sexual Sterilization Act was passed, allowing students of a residential school to be sterilized with the principal's approval. At least 3,500 young native females were sterilized this way. Knowing this, I can understand the feelings of young Germans today when dealing with aspects of their country's past."

In March of 2009, Rosensweig wrote an article for Haaretz, pleading Jewish people worldwide to stand up to antisemitism by approaching community leaders. Rosensweig reported on the rise of antisemitism in his home country of Canada. This came at a time when Israeli academics were barred form lecturing in universities in Ontario. Rosensweig stated that after years of large sums of spent on Holocaust education, and after six-million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, Rosensweig still did not see any type of action taken against antisemitism at the time, and he called upon the Jewish community to rally leaders to "mobilize a plan." He further pointed out that in history, Jewish communities have never been ready for the fight to curb antisemitism. He shared it was now time to "tap into the available philanthropic funds and know-how that has been built up in every major metropolitan centre in the world, to create a fundraising campaign that will underwrite this plan. Despite recent financial woes and the fifty billion actions of a destructive member of our community, funds are still available and a Community Mobilization emergency campaign will prove that."

Commenting on Ezra Levant's "Gypsy" Video

In September 2012, writer and columnist, Ezra Levant, broadcasting on The Source (Sun News Network) released a commentary titled, "The Jew vs. the Gypsies," with comments widely perceived as inappropriate and hateful, accusing the Roma people of bring criminals and thieves. Following public complaints, the Sun News Network removed the video and issues a retraction. The Executive Director of the Roma Community Centre described it as, "nearly nine minutes of on-air racist hate-speech targeting our community." Rosensweig, alongside Bernie M. Farber and Nate Leipciger co-wrote an article in The National Post titled, "Hating the Jew, hating the ‘gypsy'' calling Levants words "shocking and offensive." The article also pointed out that the most of the media seemed "mysteriously silent" about Levant's video.

"If the Sun News Network had aired an attack on Jews, the whole country would be outraged. Yet we have seen little support for the Roma from other faith and ethno-cultural groups, politicians and community leaders in the wake of Levant’s on-air rant. Even the media has remained mysteriously silent."

Rosensweig, Farber, and Leipciger, who all-three have roots to the Holocaust wrote, "The Jewish community understands where such hate can lead. The special bond Jews and Roma share was nowhere more evident than during the Holocaust, which Jews call the Shoah. Also targeted for extermination, the Roma had their own word for their attempted genocide: the Porajmos [the devouring]." The article quotes, "The time has come for all of us to reject hate and bigotry — against any group." The Sun News Network's retraction stated, "It was not the intent of Sun News, or anyone employed by Sun News, to promote negative stereotypes about the Roma people. We regret our error in these broadcasts, and we apologize unreservedly to the Roma people and to you, our viewers."

Broadcasting

Rosensweig spent ten years on commercial radio in Toronto as the co-host and producer of a show about food and restaurants called Marty & Avrum: The Food Guys. Rosensweig and chef Marty Galin, spent five years at Talk 640 radio and the subsequent five years at CFRB 1010. Some prominent music guests were interviewed during that time, included Jeff Healey, Harry Belafonte, and Michael Buble, Neshama Carlebach, James Carville, Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Jose Feliciano, David Shore, David Broza, Graham Kerr (The Galloping Gourmet), and Michal Cotler Wunch.

Marty and Avrum took their epicurean double act to television in the early 2000s as co-hosts of The Moveable Feast, a series which followed the pair as they toured the kitchens of top chefs and sampled their dishes.

Rosensweig began to host and produce a podcast in 2019 titled, "HatRadio!." The podcast featured "regular folk," being interviewed. The tagline read, "just a Jewish guy, trying with friends, to figure out what the hell is going on!"

The Avrum Rosensweig Show

The Avrum Rosensweig Show was launched as an in-depth conversational platform hosted by Rosensweig. The show, hosted on YouTube features discussions with individuals from diverse backgrounds and their life experiences. A significant aspect of the content has focused on Israel, specifically the reactions and feelings of its citizens to the events of October 7 and life afterwards.

One of its early shows featured the art of storytelling with Holocaust educator and senor religious leader, Eli Rubenstein. In 2024, Rosensweig and Rubenstein co-hosted the show, interviewing Holocaust survivor and educator, Nate Leipciger. The show was specifically about the response to antisemitism rising worldwide since October 7, 2023. Rosensweig asked Leipciger if he felt surprised by the rise in antisemitism, he replied, "I am surprised. I shouldn't be, but I am. 80 years after Auschwitz [the Holocaust] is not a long time, and when the vengeance with which antisemitism has returned has eliminated the gap between then and now... I think [like most people] I feel disappointed, I feel troubled, I feel horrified by the loss of life we have witnessed on Oct 7, and with the brutality with which it was conducted. It was unequal even Isis didn't show pictures like that."

Over the course of the show to date, Rosensweig has had a number of notable guests such as Israeli reporter, Susie Stern, long-time Israeli musician, David Broza, Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, and Dr. Michael Silverman.

External Links

• Avum Rosensweig's website
• Congregation Habonim Toronto
• Ve'ahavta website
• Haaretz.com articles by Avrum Rosensweig

References

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