CHATAN & KALLAT TORAH: RABBI MARC & JACKIE MANDEL
Rabbi Mandel and his wife Jackie came to us with over 25 years of rabbinic experience including lifecycle officiating, counseling, community outreach and marketing to expand congregational membership, adult education, fundraising, public relations, Torah reading, pastoral care and teaching (i.e. Talmud, Chumash and Tanach, Halacha, history, philosophy, etc.). Since arriving we have all seen that he is a dynamic and seasoned public speaker who makes appearances regarding various aspects of religion, family relationships, Israel and Jewish Education. He has used his past experiences as a faculty head of religious school, having created curriculum and special programs, to immediately reach out and work with Hebrew Foundation School and become part of their family as well.
Since coming from the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, they have jumped into the leadership role in our community, leading us in such important events as our services, Bar Mitzvahs and Weddings, as well as countless daily studying opportunities that he offers. For these reasons and to welcome them once again into our Beth Tikvah ASNH family, we honor Rabbi and Jackie Mandel with the Chatan and Kallat Torah Aliyah.
KOL HANA'ARIM: DANI AND ANAËLLE GAMSE
Dani was born in Munich, Germany. His family then relocated to Israel. Dani lived in Israel for 12 years then moved to Belgium where he met Anaëlle, who was working towards her PhD in quantum physics. Shortly after completing her degree, they got married in Israel and then moved to France (for Anaëlle’s postdoc) where Avital was born. One year later, they moved to Toronto (another postdoc) where Lielle was born. The following year, they moved back to Montreal where Elior was born. Anaëlle now works at the NRC (National Research Council) and Dani is the founder of a newly launched app that provides unique deals for restaurants and retail while donating part of the revenue to charity with every transaction. They both have sisters living in Belgium and they speak three languages at home.
This year, Anaëlle joined our synagogue’s board of directors with her primary focus of bringing more youth to our synagogue as well as programming for kids’ weekly activities. Anaëlle and Dani attend services regularly with their children. We honor them with the Kol HaNa’arim Aliyah.
Imre Grosz was born in Budapest in 1933. In March 1944, Germany invaded and occupied Hungary. Shortly after, Imre and most of his immediate family were forced into the Budapest Ghetto, a small area in which approximately 70,000 Jews were initially imprisoned. Imre and his family were eventually saved by diplomatic protection extended by Raoul Wallenberg, the well know Swedish diplomat, and by Giorgio Perlasca, who posed as a Spanish official.
After the war, Imre and and his family, then refugees, boarded the historic ship, Knesset Yisrael, along with almost 4000 other Jews in an attempt to breach the British blockade and reach Eretz Yisrael. Imre turned 13 on the voyage in 1946 and should have celebrated his bar mitzvah, but instead, had to wait 70 more years to celebrate with his children and grand-children in Zichron Yaakov.
Upon arrival in Haifa, the refugees aboard the Knesset Yisrael were deported to British internment camps in Cyprus where Imre and his family spent about a year before finally being allowed into Palestine under the quota, just in time for the November 29, 1947 UN partition resolution, when he and his sister survived an attack by marauding Arab gangs in Haifa.
Life in the fledgling state of Israel was not easy, and in 1952, his parents made the difficult decision to return to Hungary. He was drafted into the communist Hungarian army and learned to drive there (“which explains a lot”, says his son). He and his family fled Hungary for the second time during the 1956 anti-communist uprising. He lived for a time in Denmark before coming to Canada in 1957, where he settled with his parents in Toronto. He had learned to be a machinist in Israel and never had trouble finding work in Toronto where he helped support his family.
In 1959 Imre met and married Miriam Roth z"l, whose life history had many elements in common with his. The families actually knew each other from way back in the Old Country but were not close. They initially lived in Toronto and then relocated to Montreal in 1960 where he has lived ever since. While raising a young family in Montreal, Imre worked days as a machinist, toolmaker and, eventually, foreman. He also spent 11 years going to night school at Concordia, known then as Sir George Williams University. Despite never having completed high school, he graduated with major honors, receiving the Physics Medal. Shortly afterward, he obtained certification as a professional engineer, and later, held senior management positions at Dominion Lock and at Fuller Tool.
Imre wound down his career towards the early 2000s. He then traveled a lot, initially with his late wife, and subsequently on his own after she passed away in January 2018. Imre currently lives in his Dollard-des-Ormeaux house, has several hobbies, a busy social life, and is extremely devoted to his shul, his kids, his 8 grandchildren (plus their 4 spouses), and 9 great-grandchildren, never forgetting anyone's birthday. To this day, Imre generously shares the many heroic and historic stories of his life with family, friends and synagogue members, especially from the 1948-49 War of Independence period. Imre reliably attended our shul’s minyan during the COVID period when attendance was sometimes low and continues to be a glowing light within our daily services.
