On the Road to Sudbury, Eh!
I left my childhood home in Sudbury, Ontario in 1982 just shy of my thirteenth birthday. Over the years I have often thought about and been thankful for the many lessons and values I learned growing up in a small community. This week, it was my turn to give something back. After several months of planning, a group of six Toronto cantors accompanied by a six piece band left fall behind and arrived just in time for Northern Ontario’s first winter blast. We were making history. This was the first cantorial concert ever held in Sudbury since the founding of its Jewish community in 1890. For me, it was an incredible opportunity to go back to my roots and to thank those who instilled a sense of Jewish pride in me and taught me to love Yiddishkeit and Israel.
The concert was made possible under the committed direction of Mitch Speigel in Sudbury, the dedicated members of the Toronto Council of Hazzanim and the financial support of the Toronto Cantorial Trust Fund. Several hundred people braved through the snow to the beautiful facility rented for this festive occasion. The concert was billed as “An Evening with The Cantors.” The response from the audience was fervent and enthusiastic, with a standing ovation at the end of each half. We even appeared on CTV news!
Throughout the concert, I recounted short stories of my youth and paid tribute to my late singing teacher who inspired hundreds of children in their musical pursuits. I related fond memories of my grandparents who came to Sudbury from Romania at the turn of the century, and of Moses Men’s Wear, the family business they opened.
After the concert, I autographed CD’s and spoke with members of the audience. I was touched by the number of people who told me they had shopped in the store and shared a story about my father and grandfather. The majority of the audience were not Jewish, but so many had fond memories of my family.
One woman introduced herself as the nurse who was in the delivery room at the Sudbury General Hospital where I was born thirty-eight years ago. Another asked me to sign a CD for her daughter – she told me that when I was nine years old I played Hansel alongside her daughter who played Gretel in the young theatre company’s production.
Just before departing for Toronto, we stopped at Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue. The little classroom where I attended Hebrew school still had the same desks from thirty years ago. My colleagues were inspired by the pretty little sanctuary. As they ascended the bimah, they spontaneously started singing hashivenu Hashem eilecha – “cause us to return to you O Lord and we shall return; renew our days as of old.” Their voices echoed in beautiful harmony together. I sat silently in my grandmother’s seat overwhelmed by my childhood memories.
Before I left, Donna Speigel handed me a book, which she had recently found while cleaning out the Rabbi’s study. It was a beautifully bound machzor from Warsaw with my late grandfather’s name on it. Tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of his handwriting in a book that had been on such a journey. This part of my heritage was being passed on to me.
Before I left, Donna Speigel handed me a book, which she had recently found while cleaning out the Rabbi’s study. It was a beautifully bound machzor from Warsaw with my late grandfather’s name on it. Tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of his handwriting in a book that had been on such a journey. This part of my heritage was being passed on to me.
Today, Sudbury’s Jewish community has 28 remaining families comprised of 38 adults. They still have services every Friday night and Hebrew school for the few children. It is our duty to keep the flame of Judaism alive for those who remain.
Cantor Eric Moses