Toronto Jews establish fund for Har Nof terror victim

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto has established a fund to help assist the family of Canadian-born Howie (Chaim) Rothman, who was severely injured in the November 18 terror attack on a synagogue in the western part of the city’s Orthodox Jewish Har Nof neighborhood by two Palestinians from East Jerusalem.

Rothman’s siblings in Toronto and Montreal told Canadian media that their brother, who made aliyah to Israel 30 years ago with his wife Risa, was struck in the head with a meat cleaver during the attack. He has reportedly lost vision in one eye, suffered brain damage, and is in a medically induced coma.

Toward the end of last week, a spokesperson for Hadassah Medical Center, where Rothman and other victims of the attack are hospitalized, told The Times of Israel that Rothman, the most severely injured of the surviving victims, was in serious condition, had undergone multiple surgeries and had not regained consciousness.

Rothman, 54, has been the breadwinner in his family, working in the State Comptroller’s Office specializing in systems audit. He is the father of 10 children between the ages of four and 24, and recently became a grandfather for the first time. Nine years ago his eldest son, who was 17 at the time, died after accidentally falling off a cliff while riding his bike in the Jerusalem Forest.

“Howie is not only well liked, but perhaps more importantly, he is respected both as a valued colleague and as a person,” Rothman’s co-worker and fellow immigrant from Canada Isaac Becker told The Times of Israel.

In interviews with Canada’s CTV network, Rothman’s brother Steve Rothman and sister Shelley Rothman-Benhaim described Rothman as a very kind, peaceful, generous person.

Steve Rothman recounted how on a trip to Jerusalem to visit his brother, he observed him giving charity to beggars on the streets of the ulta-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood.

‘…the ability of Howie Rothman to support his family is going to be incredibly compromised’

“I said to him, ‘Howie, how can you do that? You have 10 children. You can’t even look after your own children and you’re giving to these people as well?’” Steve Rothman said in the interview.

“And he said to me, ‘Steve, God makes all kinds of classes of people in this world. There are people who can’t take care of themselves. There are the people who study Torah. There are people in my community and my shul, my synagogue, who I give money to. And there’s my family, who I give the most to.’”

The Federation’s website states that the moneys raised from contributions to the Howie Rothman & Family Victim of Terror Assistance Fund will go toward Rothman’s medical bills, basic household expenses and his 10 children’s needs.

“Although the final prognosis is not in…the ability of Howie Rothman to support his family is going to be incredibly compromised,” noted Steven Shulman, campaign director and counsel for UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, to CTV.

Shulman also said that the fund was established based on Rothman’s strong ties to the Toronto community, where he grew up and was educated through university.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to him, his family, and all others affected by this terrorist attack,” said Rabbi Lee Buckman, head of school at TanenbaumCHAT, the Jewish high school from which Rothman graduated in 1979.

“Before even knowing that Howie was in the attack, we had convened a group of students and staff to brainstorm ways in which our students can reach out to our alumni who live in Israel,” Buckman told The Times of Israel.

‘The Toronto Jewish community responds immediately when there is a crisis’

Debbie Cohen-Benudiz, a former classmate of Rothman’s wife, went last Tuesday to the Toronto community’s mass recitation of Tehillim for Rothman and the other victims of recent terror attacks in Israel.

“The Toronto Jewish community responds immediately when there is a crisis,” Cohen-Benudiz told The Times of Israel. “Even if people didn’t know Howie or Risa personally, they came.”

Cohen-Benudiz was shocked to hear that such a massacre had taken place in Har Nof, on the far western edge of Jerusalem.

“We’re not safe anywhere. It could spill over to Canada. It can happen anywhere now,” she said.

“All we can do is be on guard, be vigilant and hope for the best. What more can we do?”