A Bit About Me
I live in Winnipeg where I was born and raised, the eldest child of a Holocaust survivor and his Canadian-born bride, whom he met at the Jewish Y. My sister and brother are two and ten years younger than me.

I spent my childhood attending Talmud Torah for grade school, followed by Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate - a private Jewish high school, and eventually graduated from the University of Winnipeg. My summers were spent at the Hebrew-speaking Camp Massad, and my winters with B’nai Brith Youth Organization, where I made friends I’ve now known for over 55 years—a fact we still joke about together.

My family life was traditionally Jewish. Shabbat dinners were held every week, and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were spent at the Rosh Pina synagogue, where, after my Bar Mitzvah, I would daven on the Beemah with all the other Kohanim. Services were always followed by large family dinners at my parents’ house or by breaking the fast with family and friends. These traditions continue to this day.

I am now 67 years old and an integral caregiver to my elderly, widowed, 88-year-old mother. For the past 50 years, I have worked full-time in the hospitality industry. I was extremely active—an avid swimmer who enjoyed hiking, long fast-paced walks, and travelling. I also loved cooking large, memorable feasts for family and friends.

In 2023, I was diagnosed with a rare liver disease, which quickly left me thin and weak, and eventually led to renal failure, due to hepatorenal syndrome. In 2025, I was fortunate to receive a liver transplant in Toronto. This experience brought my already close family even closer. My family supported me through this life-altering situation and accompanied me from Winnipeg for the entire three-month hospital stay, guiding me through the entire transplant process. The experience made me appreciate just how tight-knit my family truly is.

I am forever grateful for the liver I received—it has given me hope to recover the strength and abilities the disease had eroded. However, the loss of my kidneys months before my liver transplant, was an additional emotional blow and makes full recovery so much more challenging. Together with my family and the support of Renewal Canada, I begin the search for a kidney donor, hoping to return to swimming, hiking, traveling and cooking family feasts again. G-d willing, with their incredible support, I will find a donor and reclaim the life I love.