Days ahead of Yizkor being recited in synagogues across Canada, The CJN Daily wanted to take stock of some noteworthy Canadian Jews who've passed away in recent months. It's the latest edition of a recurring series we like to call "Honourable Menschen".

Today, host Ellin Bessner sits down with The CJN's obituary writer, Heather Ringel, to chat about five noteworthy community members we've lost in 2024. They begin with Sheila Kussner, one of Canada's most relentless cancer fundraisers, before moving onto Irving Liebgott, one of the longest-surviving members of The Tailor Project, which brought Jewish tailors and their families to Canada after the Holocaust. They also discuss Morley Rosenberg, who served as the mayor of Kitchener in the late 1970s and early '80s; Faye "Tootsie" David, who owned an iconic Jewish deli on Cape Breton with her husband, Ike; and the trailblazing feminist academic Frieda Johles Forman.

What we talked about

• Obituary: Sheila Kussner, 91, whose Hope & Cope advocated for people living with cancer (thecjn.ca)
• Obituary: Irving Leibgott, 100, whose work as a tailor spared his life in the Holocaust and helped him write a new chapter in Canada (thecjn.ca)
• Read about Morley Rosenberg's run for city council in 2018 (thecjn.ca)

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

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