Ed & Fran Sonshine
Both our parents are Holocaust survivors so our connection to the continued existence of the Jewish people is strong. Taking different routes, both of our families settled in Toronto and over the years, as we raised our own family, we became increasingly aware of how lucky we were to live in such a vibrant Jewish community. Our early experiences with UJA Federation were during the time of the Yom Kippur War responding to an emergency campaign. It was harder for us back then, but we did our best and have never looked back.
Today, we are blessed in our ability to give and we are grateful for that opportunity. We know that as we are here for our community and for Israel — they are here for us.
It is our greatest pleasure to be able to commit our time, energy and resources as active members of various organizations, especially UJA Federation, in support of the community and Israel. We simply love taking part in these activities.
They say a society can be judged by how it cares for its elderly and how it educates its young. Decades ago, Toronto had the foresight to lay the groundwork to serve both needs. Our hope is that the Toronto community remains strong, continues to grow and endures as the leader it is today in caring for its own — locally and abroad. But who will maintain it? We can't mandate the next generation to take over. We can only set an example and provide a foundation that will inspire and empower young people to choose Jewish life and community.
We take comfort in knowing our endowment and on going support will work towards that goal for today and long after we are gone. Jewish Toronto Tomorrow embodies the best values and traditions of our community. Our dream is to keep it that way.
