Leader of Montreal's Reform Jewish Community
Committed, convincing and inspiring, the Montreal leader carries a vision and values that can be an inspiration in our communities. She tells us about benevolence, sharing, empathy and openness towards minorities. With eloquence, Lisa is the bearer of the teachings of living together.
Born in Ottawa in 1974, she grew up in a Conservative Jewish family and spent her childhood and adolescence in Toronto. She was supported by her parents – an engineer father and a consultant mother – who taught her that girls could achieve their dreams on an equal footing with boys. The young woman's intellectual curiosity led her to a bachelor's degree in political science at McGill University. She completed a Master's and a Doctorate at Oxford University (England) in the field of religion, specifically Judaism and Christianity. Prior to obtaining her doctoral degree (D. Phil.) in 2003, she worked from 1999 as an assistant rabbi in a Reform synagogue in Manhattan, New York, until 2012 when she moved to Montreal. As both a woman and a lesbian, she recognizes that her choice to serve God was best supported by the liberal or progressive philosophy and orientations of the Jewish Reform movement. Senior Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom since 2012, mother of three children aged 2, 12 and 18 and spiritual leader of the Reform Jewish community of Westmount and Montreal, she broke the stained glass ceiling ! In carrying out her mission, in her role as a teacher of the values of Judaism, she is proud to say that she has reached people from all walks of life, young people, representatives of LGBTQ groups, single people... "In their commitments, the Jews must be open to the world around us... they must serve their country." She recognizes inspiring leaders such as Rabbi Elyse Goldstein (Toronto), Dr. Karen Mock of the human rights movement, Irwin Cotler O.C., lawyer, elected official, human rights activist, and Dr. Victor Goldbloom O.C., physician and politician (1923 – 2016). He devoted his life to building bridges between Francophone and Anglophone citizens, as well as between Jews and Christians. Like this leader, she firmly believes that respect and dialogue between people of other cultural identities and beliefs is a feature of Canada's diversity and strength. This led her to a dialogue with Muslim leaders in Montreal and to help Syrian refugees. It is precisely the experience of Jewish refugees in the Holocaust that inspires her and her community to try to welcome new immigrants, she says, while recalling that the Montreal community today has the largest number of survivors of the 20th century Jewish genocide.
With a very busy schedule, the responsibility of three children and incessant phone calls and emails, she tells us: "My job is not to tell you what to do or what to think, but rather to teach, educate, support, convince." Her convictions and dedication to a multitude of good works are based on values that define her equity, openness, inclusion, social justice, compassion, wisdom, civic benevolence.
The following quote goes well with the daily life of the Montreal leader: « Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable ». This leads me to push to grow our community," she says. " In our rich society, it is easy to acknowledge our ignorance of the vulnerable, the elderly, the poor, disadvantaged or marginalized social groups, often referred to as minorities. As a rabbi, she says, “I have the responsibility to transfer the universal values of Judaism to future generations”. "My social responsibility is also to become a good ancestor for the people who will follow me" while referring to the words of the American author Ijeoma Oluo, a leader on anti-racism.
In Canada, justice cannot be envisaged without tangible actions of reconciliation towards Indigenous peoples who have been treated harshly for decades. In addition, "Although laws and policies have framed the state's relationship with minorities, unfortunately, anti-Semitism is still alive and well in Canada. Members of Jewish communities remain marginalized and abused. It is not easy today for young people to assert their Jewish identity." In our democratic society, respect for the rights of minorities and respect for people from minority groups remain a huge challenge, she says. "This is true for gays and lesbians, for indigenous people, for many immigrant groups... it is not only the business of governments, but also that of all citizens." The leader, who is eager to improve her proficiency in French, stresses the importance of recognizing the uniqueness of Quebec, its language and its culture. “In our nation, children should be bilingual”. Having lived abroad for several decades, she dreams of discovering her country by crossing the regions from the east coast to the west coast, adding Nunavut to the route. The discovery of the regions by CBC Radio is also stimulating, she says!
Speaking to young people, she professes four teachings: "Relate to people who are different from you; Go live in a region other than that of your origins; Be curious and read as much as you can; Get involved in your community." One expression sums up Lisa's mission, her commitments and her convictions: "Try to change things".