Ontario Jewish Communities Honor Infant’s Memory

Following an infant’s untimely passing, his family is honoring the memory of their departed son and nephew by strengthening Jewish education in their communities, unveiling programs in two cities in Ontario, Canada, during the week of what would have been his first birthday.

Meir Shlomo Zaltzman, the son of Rabbi Mendel and Chanie Zaltzman, passed away at the age of seven months on May 25, just a few days before the holiday of Shavuot. For the parents of young Meir Shlomo, the loss understandably came as a shock. But in the following months, they responded to the tragedy by approaching their activities at the Jewish Russian Community Center of Yonge and Clark with a renewed vigor.

“I’d like to redirect the energy I would have given to Shloime’le to the young children of our community who are the continuation of the Jewish people,” said Chanie Zaltzman, who co-directs the Toronto-based JRCC and also teaches at its Hebrew School.

RELATED Related News Stories Nassau County Jewish Community Grapples With Passing of Young Boy Grieving Community Transforms Dinner into Joyous Honoring of Boy’s Life Long Island Community to Open Library and Media Center in Wake of Sudden Loss Chabad Centers Jewish Russian Community Center of Toronto Chabad Niagara

On Oct. 12, the couple marked the anniversary of their son’s birth by commissioning the writing of a Torah scroll.

“Our own synagogue didn’t have a scroll of its own,” said Mendel Zaltzman, who sees saw in the project an opportunity to increase community members’ awareness and appreciation for the Torah.

The Zaltzmans hope for the writing to be finished in time for the anniversary of Meir Shlomo’s passing and, a few days later, the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.

Students at the Niagara, Ontario, Hebrew school bearing Meir Shlomo Zaltzman’s name

The launch of the Torah scroll followed the Zaltzmans’ establishment of G’mach Meir Shlomo, a free-loan fund to help families in need, and the expansion of their communities’ Hebrew School, which they renamed in Meir Shlomo’s memory.

“As parents, we had planned a beautiful life for our son, replete with Jewish traditions,” said the boy’s mother. “Now we plan to ensure that many more children benefit the Jewish education our son would have enjoyed.”

A New School

Days after the Toronto event, Mendel Zaltzman’s brother and sister-in-law, who direct the Niagara Falls Chabad House, welcomed community members to the dedication of their own school. With the boy’s parents and his three siblings in attendance, Rabbi Zalman and Perla Zaltzman unveiled the institution’s name: Aleph Champ Niagara – Meir Shlomo Talmud Torah Hebrew School.

Perla Zaltzman referred to the approach of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, in explaining the reasoning behind each community’s efforts.

“We were taught by our beloved Rebbe that the only way to confront tragedy, to overcome and persevere,” she said, “is to persist with even more energy and increased joy.

“As I was thinking about the beautiful life Chanie and Mendy had planned for Shloime’le,” she continued, “so full and rich with Jewish traditions, it occurred to me that there could be no greater way of honoring him and eternalizing his life, than by bringing those values and excitement about Judaism to even more children.”

The effort resonated with locals.

“When such a terrible thing happens, we want the name to continue, the soul to continue,” said Barbra Orvitz, whose daughter Shira attends the school and who last year hosted the Chabad House’s Challah Braiders, a program that teaches children to make the traditional Shabbat bread.

During the ceremony, Perla Zaltzman spoke about the future.

Meir Shlomo Zaltzman was just seven months old when he passed away in May.

“Our children represent the guarantee that Torah will be preserved for the next generation,” she announced. “The children of the Talmud Torah are the future of our families, of our community and of our nation.”

Calling the school a “community effort,” she thanked the many backers and volunteers who help keep it running, singling out Mordechai Grun for his ongoing support. One of the school’s founders, Paul Greenspoon, was on hand to affix a mezuzah to its door, while Mayor Ted Salci and Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson presented a formal proclamation and cut the ceremonial ribbon with students.

Reached at her home, Orvitz extolled the benefits of a Jewish education, and praised the school for its hands-on teaching style and its multi-sensory approach to instruction.

“We are very impressed with everything,” said the native South African. “You can see that they put something really professional and kid-oriented together.”

While attendance at the school is already increasing, Perla Zaltzman said that the efforts would be worth it for even just one child, but that “we’re not satisfied until every single Jewish child in Niagara has a Jewish education.”

“A child is a world,” she told her husband during the planning stage. “Look how the loss of one child is affecting all of us so much.”