Elsa & Howard Chandler
As children of the Holocaust who came to Canada as orphans, we have been granted numerous blessings. Overcoming many obstacles, somehow we have always been able to look forward to a brighter future. We are blessed with four children, their spouses and 7 grandchildren who are bringing us lots of joy and naches.
As a Youth Aliyah child when liberated to Sweden after surviving Bergen-Belsen, it is no surprise that by 1955 I joined Hadassah. Our involvement in many community organizations stems from our desire to be part of a thriving and vibrant community. As children of the war, our formal education was nearly non- existent when we came to Canada, but our desire for knowledge, a good and productive life for us and our children was alive and well and we took every opportunity to learn. Howard has been on the March of the Living three times showing American youth how far the Jews of the world have come. Howard also volunteers at the Holocaust Education Centre and is a regular motivational speaker. He has been the president of the Wierzbniker Landsmanshaft for many years which is striving to keep the memories of his home town alive by seeking the involvement of the second and third generations. We are also members of the Adath Israel Synagogue.
While I have had the pleasure to work with many wonderful people in the Canadian Jewish Congress, Jewish Family & Child Service, Na’amat Canada, Reena, Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Baycrest, my most noticeable contribution has been to education both Jewish and Public. I worked as both a trustee including two terms as Chair of the North York Board of Education, for over 25 years. I was also a member of the Metropolitan Toronto School Board and Chair of the Schools for developmentally challenged children. I am also life member of Bialik and have been there since their beginning. What a wonderful school!
We have had the support or our children and family in the work that we do and that they continue to carry out. They know that we do not live for ourselves alone. We believe in Tikun Olam, our hope is for a better world, a better future for the children of the world.
