Emotional Tribute to Rabbi Berger

The Jewish community in Ottawa recently came together to pay tribute to their Shliach Rabbi Mordechai Berger obm.

Rabbi Berger selflessly served the Ottawa Jewish community as a Rabbi, principal and community leader. The community has been devastated by his untimely passing.

The event opened with the MC Rabbi Chaim Mendelsohn, a Shliach in Ottawa and the son in law of Rabbi Berger, introducing the theme of the evening “Vehachai yiten el libi”, highlighting our collective responsibility to ensure that the enormous legacy of Rabbi Berger continues to live on.

Rabbi Mendelsohn then called upon Rabbi Dovid Hayes, Director of Chabad of Ottawa and Rabbi Howard Finkelstein, Rabbi at Congregation Beit Tikvah to recite a kapitel tehilim. Following the Tehilim, Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, Head Shliach of Chabad of Ontario, read and translated a letter from the Rebbe.

Steven Kimmel, a personal friend of Rabbi Berger and President of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, brought greetings on behalf of the federation. He also spoke of his memories of the great sense of Jewish pride he felt every Chanukah as Rabbi Berger would light a giant outdoor menorah.

Rabbi Reuven Bulka of Congregation Machzikei Hadas then shared his reflections of working as a colleague with Rabbi Berger for nearly four decades. He compared Rabbi Berger’s dedicated mesiras nefesh to his communal responsibilities to that of Avraham Avinu.

Elka Baitelman, Shlucha in Pacific Palisades, California and daughter of Rabbi Berger, spoke of the great pride Rabbi Berger took in the accomplishments of his children. Using the recently celebrated Shemini Atzeret as an example, she eloquently spoke about the ability to be able to continue having a vibrant relationship with Rabbi Berger despite his physical passing.

Nota Berger, son of Rabbi Berger and Rabbi Moshe Berger, brother of Rabbi Berger did a siyum on the shisha sidrei mishna.

At the conclusion of the siyum, there was a presentation of a very beautiful and touching tribute video that was produced just for this evening. The video was a compilation of over a dozen friends and admirers who spoke of the extraordinary impact that Rabbi Berger had on their lives.

A Tribute to Rabbi Motti Berger from Yossi Margolin on Vimeo.

Rabbi Yossi Jacobson, the keynote speaker, and a friend of Rabbi Berger passionately extolled the virtues of Rabbi Berger. Using his three names Mordechai, Yosef and Shimon he was able to capture the essence and depth of Rabbi Berger’s outstanding character and contributions.

Shternie Kagan, daughter of Rabbi Berger, offered very personal reflections of what it was like to grow up in Ottawa and of the great example that her parents set for all of her siblings to live a life consumed with the values of Torah and mitzvos.

Following her talk, she called upon her siblings to present her mother, Mrs. Chaye Leah Berger with a painting of Rabbi Berger receiving a dollar from the Rebbe. The masterpiece was commissioned by the exceptional artist and sofer Rabbi Elie Benzaquen who completed the painting in just one week.

The formal event concluded with the writing of a brand new memorial Sefer Torah where family and close friends, under the watchful eye of the expert sofer Rabbi Moshe Klein participated in its writing.

A new institute, Machon Mordechai, dedicated to offering a high level of stimulating educational courses and programming was launched. The new institute will be directed by Mrs. Chaye Leah Berger and Bassy Mendelsohn.

A beautiful tribute journal was distributed to all that attended.

Video: Full event

To donate toward our memorial Sefer Torah please click here.