Date of death: January 18, 2023.
Livestream Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81116007079
BERNARD BASKIN
Who served as spiritual leader of Temple Anshe Sholom in Hamilton, Ontario between 1949 and 1989, and as Rabbi Emeritus from 1989 to 2017.
Died on Wednesday, January 18, 2023 in Toronto at the age of 102. Rabbi Baskin was born on March 9, 1920, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the eldest child of Rabbi Samuel and May (Guss) Baskin.
The family moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 1929. Rabbi Baskin attended Brooklyn College, studied for a year at The Jewish Theological Seminary, and undertook rabbinical training at The Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. Between 1944 and 1947, he served Temple Emanuel in Denver, Colorado, replacing the congregation’s rabbi, who was an army chaplain.
In Denver, Rabbi Baskin met Marjorie Shatz and the two were married in 1948. After a year in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the young couple moved to Hamilton, Ontario, where they remained, becoming Canadian citizens in 1967. Marjorie Baskin predeceased her husband in 2005.
Rabbi Baskin received an honorary doctorate from McMaster University in 1969 and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972. His other many honors include a B’nai B’rith Humanitarian Award for his interfaith involvement and Negev Dinner honoree. During his many decades in Hamilton, Rabbi Baskin was deeply involved in the larger community.
He served as Chairman of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews and was on the Board of Governors of McMaster University, and the boards of the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and the Hamilton Public Library, in addition to his involvement in many other organizations.
Together with Hamilton Mayor Lloyd D. Jackson, Rabbi Baskin was the first recipient of the B’nai B’rith Humanitarian Award. He was elected into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction. On the North American scene, Rabbi Baskin was an active member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and served as President of NAORRR, the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis in 2005.
A great lover of literature and the humane arts, Rabbi Baskin wrote numerous book reviews and general articles over the decades for “The Hamilton Spectator” and “The Canadian Jewish News.” His annual series of public book talks in Hamilton were enormously popular and he continued to deliver them well into his nineties. In recent years, two collections of Rabbi Baskin’s reviews and occasional remarks were published, The Essential Bernard Baskin (2008) and The Essential Bernard Baskin. Volume 2 (2018). Rabbi Baskin continued giving lectures on a range of subjects at The Russell Hill Retirement Residence, where he retired in 2017; these included a series of observations in connection with the celebration of Hanukkah, just three weeks before his death.
Above all, Rabbi Baskin believed in the power of kindness and the essential goodness to be found in all people. His theology can be summed up simply in his declaration: “God is a verb; He is found in what we do, how we behave and how we treat others”. He was a wonderful orator who had perfected rhetorical dexterity; the wisdom of his sermons was matched by their inspiring presentation.
Rabbi Baskin is survived by his three children, Dr. Judith Baskin of Eugene, Oregon (Dr. Warren Ginsberg), and David (Joan Garson) and Susan (Dr. Jack Micay), both of Toronto; seven grandchildren: Samuel (Lindsay Liebman) and Shira Ginsberg (Vladimir Aleksic); Jacob Baskin (Jackie Hurwitz Baskin) and Rebecca Baskin (Yogev Zafrir); and Nathan (Karina Galindo), Rachel, and Jonathan Micay; and four great grandchildren, Maya and Adam Benjamin Zafrir, Levi Ginsberg, and Lucy Baskin; his sister, Pearl Baskin Rabinowitz of Louisville, Colorado; and his dear friend Ailine Hess. The family thanks Dr. Marnie Howe of the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care, the devoted staff of the Russell Hill Retirement Residence, and caregivers Alex, Lyn, Robert, Orlando and Bryan.
The service will be held at Temple Anshe Sholom, 215 Cline Avenue North, Hamilton, on Sunday, January 22, at 11:00 a.m. Interment in the Temple Anshe Sholom Cemetery, 427 Limeridge Road East.
Donations in Rabbi Baskin’s honour may be made to Temple Anshe Sholom of Hamilton 905-528-0121 https://anshesholom.ca/ and the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care, Toronto 1-877-565-8555 https://www.tlcpc.org/
A great rabbi for the hamilton jewish community ! may he rest in peace !
My late grandparents, William and Rose Sacrob, held Rabbi Baskin in the highest esteem. As newcomers to Hamilton in the late 1940s, they were warmly welcomed at the Temple. Both became active participants in the vibrant life of the Temple. When attending Junior Services as a young child, I was always fascinated by his sermons. He was the first Rabbi I ever knew, he set the bar high. May his memory be a blessing for all to cherish. Most sincerely Debbie Sacrob
My condolences to the Baskin family he was considered a icon I was very fortunate to have him as a teacher as he taught the confirmation class of 1979 not only that he officiated my bar mitzvah October 1st 1977
My deepest condolences to the Baskin family on Rabbi Baskin’s passing. My parents Anne and Sidney truly cherished their special friendship with both Rabbi and Mrs. Baskin and the many, many good times they spent together at summer theatre festivals and countless other occasions along with Dr. and Mrs. Minden and Dr. and Mrs. Hotz. Rabbi Baskin’s intellect, humanity and humour always shone brightly and he was deservedly admired by all who knew him as both a friend and Rabbi.