Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Today, all of Canada is united as one. On this day, we pause to remember all those Canadians who fell in battle protecting peace, freedom, and liberty for those living in our country and for those all over the world. We also pay tribute to those who served in conflicts around the globe and survived them.

When I first came to Canada, I was approached by a local chapter of the Jewish War Veterans to serve as their chaplain. At the time, their leaders had turned to another local rabbi as their chaplain. When I asked why they were turning to me, they responded that my having served in the military as a chaplain was important to them. Although my service was in the United States Armed Forces, my affiliation with the Jewish War Veterans in Canada became important to me and to them. For years, prior to Covid, I have proudly shared the invocation at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony held at the Lipa Green building.

In contemporary society, there is a trend to purposely forget the lessons of history and to create new origins and values which are void of any historical context. As Jews, we know that the Mitzvah of remembering is a central value of life. In Jewish tradition, there are many rituals of remembrance. Each morning, many Jews daven a text called the Six Remembrances. Many of us know the weekly Mitzvah to remember Shabbat and the annual Mitzvah to remember the evil of Amalek. It is important to remember and to glean lessons learned from events of the past.

On this day, I am proud, saddened, and privileged to remember those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we today can cherish the many freedoms we ought never take for granted.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Howard Morrison