Last month, members of the TT Class of ’69 gathered both in person and online to reconnect, share laughter, and revisit cherished memories of their years at Talmud Torah School. The event was a heartfelt celebration of lifelong friendships and the many paths taken since walking the halls of TT.
The idea for the TT reunion began when several alumni were invited to the Ross Sheppard 50-year reunion. They reached out to other TT classmates who planned to attend the Shep event, suggesting an impromptu TT gathering as well. From there, the wheels started turning; a small TT alumni committee formed, plans took shape, and everything soon fell into place.
Arrangements were made with the principal of Progressive Academy for a tour of the former TT building in Glenora, much of which remains just as it was decades ago. After the Shep dinner on Saturday evening, TT classmates met again Sunday morning at our current school in the Don and Myrna Silverberg Lunchroom. Over a delicious kosher-catered meal and warm, meaningful conversation, the reunion reminded everyone of the deep and enduring bonds formed during their years together.
One of the attendees, Ruth Adler, provided feedback as to TT’s impact on her as an adult: I am sure attending TT in the ’60s contributed to who I am today. For me, the exposure to Israeli teachers and Hebrew at an early age made a big impact. Today I have one foot in Tel Aviv and the other in Toronto, though I do feel more at home in Tel Aviv. I have children and grandchildren and maintain an art practice in both places. Since October 7th, I’ve participated in daily protests in Israel to bring back the hostages and support the hostage families. Recently I’ve given presentations in the Toronto Jewish community about the Israeli art community’s involvement in the protest movement since October 7th.
Rochelle Wolfond was happy to add: I am so grateful for a Talmud Torah education. I still speak and read Hebrew, and can sing songs from all the Jewish holidays. I have a strong Jewish identity, certainly from my upbringing at home, but it was deepened by attending TT. I still consider my classmates to be my friends, 56 years after we graduated. I think it is amazing that almost all the Jewish kids in Edmonton (at the time) went there; it was truly a school for the whole community.
Another attendee, Arlene Morin, shared: Mr. Bar El ‘s grade 4 class and students making historical home movies with us wearing desert attire and fake beards and crowns etc. We painted and decorated the closets as biblical locations and we wrote scripts. I would love to see those movies now. I am amazed at how many games and activities we played and dreamed up at recess. I was always in awe of the girls brave enough to do flips around the green metal fence rails.
Some memories that were shared during the reunion:
A chalk-slinging Israeli teacher; the grade one classroom with bathroom that kids were terrified to ask to use; mac & cheese lunch with “crust” edges, “Beep” juice & pastrami on rye; hateful salmon patties; boot racks, the principal’s office, the pink tiled girls’ bathroom which is still exactly as it was in our day.
