Talmud Torah opens new outdoor classroom and leisure space in Edmonton

By Regan Lipes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(AJNews) – Talmud Torah School was delighted to recently unveil a new outdoor leisure and learning space onsite at the school. It officially opened this fall in loving memory of TT alumni Nathan Reboh, of blessed memory, who passed away in 2020 from cancer. Tragically, Nathan was only 31 years old. The outdoor space was a passion project of Nathan’s family, particularly for his older brother Joel and sister-in-law, Christina.

“Nathan was well known for being the friend who always got everybody together. In his later teen years and early twenties, his friends would often meet at my house to hang out before they went out for the evening,” commented Joel Reboh, the most senior of the Reboh brothers.  Nathan was a vibrant and energetic staple of the Edmonton Jewish community whose name is still spoken with love and respect.  “I was the oldest and Nathan was the middle child, and I had a lot in common with him. So, for me, it felt like losing a piece of myself.”  Joel also recalled Nathan’s deep sense of tzedakah: “He was passionate about helping other people. He had gorgeous, long, wavy hair, and I’ll never forget when he shaved it all off to raise money for cancer. He also regularly campaigned for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, going door to door to raise money.”

When Nathan passed away in 2020, the entire Jewish community mourned a man who brought smiles wherever he went. Nathan made those in his orbit feel special, but in turn, he was deeply loved by close friends and family. “We lost someone who was always willing to volunteer, and we all know how difficult those people are to find. Beth Israel and Chabad members still tell me how much they miss having Nathan at minyan.”

Thinking of all the lives he impacted, Joel elaborated: “He had a lovely fiancée named Selina who stuck with him every step of the way and who our family has adopted.” Both Joel and his brother Jasen, the youngest of the trio, feel the loss intensely. “My youngest brother Jasen who was also a part of this project misses Nathan’s positivity, goofy humour, and playing hockey with him.”  Joel added: “For my parents, obviously it was devastating. But they did everything they could for him. In fact, if it weren’t for their persistence in getting him properly diagnosed, he likely would have passed away years earlier. They fought for him every step of the way and, throughout everything, tried to enjoy every moment they had with him. They cared for him until the end and that’s really all one can do for their loved one.”

Those who attended the official opening of the outdoor classroom, hosted at TT prior to the start of the new instructional year, were witness to a bit of Edmonton Jewish history in the making. We wanted to find a way to celebrate Nathan’s memory somewhere within the community, said Joel. “Talmud Torah seemed like an ideal place. Most of Nathan’s closest friends had gone to school there with him, and it was such an important part of his life.” Joel credits Christina with envisioning the direction this project would take. “In 2023, I asked Nathan’s friends and members of our family what they thought, and every single person agreed that building something at Talmud Torah was the way to go.”

“We started hashing out ideas and Talmud Torah’s [then] principal, Darin Johnson, convinced me that we needed some sort of outdoor classroom. I wanted an outdoor chess table and ping-pong table because Nathan loved both of those activities,” explained Joel. Any undertaking of this scale comes with a price tag. “Christina and I committed to matching every donation that came in. Donations came from friends and family in Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal and elsewhere, but we still needed significantly more. I ended up personally calling just about every one of Nathan’s friends and also held an event at our home to raise the final amount we needed.”

He added, with gratitude: “The Alberta Jewish News was also incredibly helpful. They were kind enough to include our first advertisement in a couple of publications, which helped us get the word out. One of the owners was a close friend of Nathan’s. Fundraising was probably the hardest part of the project.” And so, in Fall 2026 a dedicated outdoor learning space was opened in honour of an Edmontonian who will never be forgotten. “The vision includes enough seating for a class to learn in the fresh air, play chess and table tennis to make recess even more fun, with seating for parents to connect while waiting for children, and landscaping to beautify our school,” reads the TT website.

“Seeing the space in action has been the most rewarding part of the entire project,” Joel explained. “Recently, the kids have invented their own handball game using the ping-pong table, and there’s a lineup to play every recess. That’s exactly what I hoped would happen. I didn’t want this to simply be a memorial. I wanted it to be a place that kids would actually use and enjoy.”

The children may not have had the pleasure of knowing Nathan, but his wonderful legacy lives on quite actively.  “If Nathan were alive today, I think he’d spend time at the park talking to the people who use it, learning about them and where they’re from. And that’s probably the best way I can think of to honour him: creating a place where people come together, where kids are having fun, and where people from different backgrounds can interact with each other.”

Only a few months into the school year, the TT community is still figuring out all the positive ways this exceptional space can be engaged.  With each new season the potential for how staff, students, and the community will interact with the outdoor classroom will evolve and unveil new potential. “I think the part my brother would have enjoyed the most is the fact that the neighbourhood is so multicultural. After school and on weekends, the Talmud Torah park is used by people from the surrounding neighbourhood, including members of the nearby mosque community.”

Nathan Reboh is missed by the Edmonton Jewish community, but the new outdoor classroom dedicated in his name means that those who knew and loved him will always have a place to gather and share cherished stories. For those who have not yet visited the space, there really is no time like the present.  May Nathan Reboh’s name be a blessing.