By Regina Simon
As my mother’s 28th Yortzeit is approaching on Chof Daled Teves, I can’t help but remember all the lives she impacted and touched in her short 52 years of life.
To this day I am constantly approached by people who she helped or people she was mekarev to Yiddishkeit and to the Rebbe. The common thread in all these comments is how much Simchas Hachaim she had and how giving and generous she was. She was always ready with a smile and a delicious plate of food!
She started off by cooking for Chabad in Montreal with Rabbi Zushe Silberstein, making affordable lunches at Wagar High School in order to entice the students to eat kosher and make a brocho and put on teffilin. It was in that tiny kitchen that she happily prepared food to feed “her” students. To this day I meet students who remember her “best smoked meat” sandwiches for $1! She would be thrilled to know how many of those students went on to keep kosher. Later on it was Rabbi Naftoli Perlstein who took over the program.
She then took over the kitchen in the Main Chabad House in downtown Montreal at McGill University under the leadership of Rabbi Berl Mockin. Needless to say, the students would pour in at all hours to eat Mrs. Haboucha’s delicious food.
What she is most famous for is cooking for Camp Gan Israel in Montreal. It was there that she fed thousands of boys over the years. She was more of a nurturing camp mother making sure that no one was hungry and gave out extra cake and snacks to boys all day long.
She then continued on to cook for Pardes Chana and girls still remind me that she taught them how to make delicious Moroccan dishes!
In her later years, and throughout her illness, she cooked for the Chabad Center run by Rabbi Shalom Chriqui. She catered hilloulas and dinners and simchas with a smile and enthusiasm that was uncommon for a woman facing tremendous health challenges.
My mother knew all my friends by name and had an open house ready to make a party at a moment’s notice. She was indeed the life of the party.
She and her sister Mrs. Suissa (Z”L) led many shabbatons to Brooklyn to see the Rebbe and to be mekarev an entire generation of sefardic women in Montreal. There is no-one who does not remember this dynamic duo!
I am so proud of what my mother accomplished in her short life and throughout 16 years of illness. She pushed herself with emunah and hope and b’simcha. I feel blessed that she was able to cater her last simcha which was my son’s upshernish and make it the magnificent and memorable event it was.
May her Neshoma have an Aliya on 24 Teves and may she daven for her entire family and klal Yisroel and for the coming of Moshiach, Amen.
may her neshama have an aliya and be a guteh betteren for her family Moshiach now I remeber her well
She was the most loving person, she always had a smile, and when we lived upstairs from the Haboucha’s home in Montreal, she had a special affection for my young babies, calling them booba! Her delicate pastries that she baked for mimouna were incredible, it seemed like she had angels wings in order to prepare such a spread, right after Pesach.I remember her mostly as a very devoted mother and wife, May her neshama have an aliya gedolah!
Thanks for sharing. Yes one of a kind. והחי יתן אל לבו
Regina may your children.einiklech give her alot of nachas
Amazingly, she always was smiling, warm, welcoming – while running a giant kitchen!
thank you for sharing her incredible legacy with all of us to learn from
Regina, I remember your mother so fondly. She was generous with her warmth, smile and wise advice.
You brought me back to a beautiful time in our lives.
May her neshama have an Aliya. We all wait for the day when we can partake of the beautiful feast which I’m sure your mother will lovingly help cater.
Ty for sharing!! May u all merit long life…..Maybe in her merit we will get out of this bitter Golus already!!
So easy to talk to, she fed us in camp….<3
I remember her well. I was the counselor of her son Ovadia (who’s now a Rav in Toronto). As her son’s counselor, I was able to get into the kitchen and get extra servings of her delicious Kakosh cake that we had every Shabbat morning.
She greeted everyone with a smile and always had a few extra portions of food for those lonely, homesick campers to help cheer them up.
It was an honor to have known her while I was in CGI.
May her Neshama have an aliya.
Chaim B.
What a special Human your mother was with an infectious laugh that lit up her surroundings!! Bashert and Lucky for our family to have been neighbors and such close friends.Amongst many other kitchen tips tricks and recipes…her salad cuite recipe graces our shabbos table almost weekly!In her short life together with your father z”l she obviously raised and gave over to you and Ovadia the most important and essential life lessons, love of Hashem his mitzvos and his People!!! I’m sure she is shepping much nachas from you and your brothers families kah and davening for us all to be… Read more »
Bh Thank you Regina for sharing the beautiful life story of your mother A”h I had the privilege to experience first hand the tremendous impact her food had on the young and old. While cooking, serving lunch at Ess n Bless the Chabad High cafeteria for the high schoolers her motherly love inspired many of the teenagers to recite the Brochos on the foods and to put on Tefilin during their lunch break During the many years when we would bring full busses of people to spend a Shabbos by the Rebbe in 770, Mme Haboucha’s food was an additional… Read more »