Memorial Tribute: Gillian Horwitz, OBM

(AJNews) – The Jewish community of Edmonton was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Gillian Robinson Horwitz on Friday June 20. She was a vibrant leader and a shining star in our community for over 40 years.

Gillian z”l served as president of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton from 2009 to 2011. She chaired the Edmonton Holocaust Education Committee under the umbrella of Federation from 1990 to 2000 and continued as member through to 2025. She was a board member and president of Jewish Archives and Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Alberta, from 2019 to 2022.

A dedicated volunteer, she spent her life serving both the Jewish and wider communities.

Gillian was born in Capetown, South Africa, and moved to Edmonton in 1979 with her husband Billy and two young children Brian and Terry, z”l. Gillian was a kindergarten teacher at Talmud Torah School, before she and Cory Felber became hosts of a local Jewish television radio programs during the 1980s. Cory did the TV portion, On Being Jewish, while Gillian did the Jewish Hour radio portion on CKER. The show aired from 1981 to 1991.

Gillian was a powerful advocate for Holocaust education. She participated in a project called Testimony to the Holocaust, a result of a provincial government grant which documented the experience of Holocaust survivors. She spearheaded the creation of the annual Grade 12 Holocaust Education Symposium and oversaw the committee responsible for erecting the Holocaust memorial at the Alberta Legislature in honour of survivors. In addition to her work as a producer on the documentary Black Snow about Edmonton’s Holocaust survivors, Gillian helped establish the annual Toby and Saul Reichert Holocaust lecture at the University of Alberta and interviewed survivors for Stephen Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation. She emceed the Federation’s annual Yom HaShoah and Kristallnacht ceremonies  for many years.

In the broader community, Gillian and Elexis Schloss z”l were volunteer puppeteers, bringing their program, Kids on the Block, to over 100 Edmonton schools. This was a Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital program that used life-sized puppets to teach Grades 3 and 4 about people living with disabilities.

The City of Edmonton Citation Award was given to Gillian in 2014 for her contributions to the community. This award recognized individuals and groups for their significant contributions and inspiring leadership within the community. She volunteered extensively in many community roles, including as President, Edmonton Hadassah-WIZO from 1990-1992, and as National vice-president, Canadian Hadassah-WIZO, from 1992-1998.

In addition to the leadership roles at the helm of Jewish Federation of Edmonton, she served as a board member of Alberta Multilingual Society, Pilgrims Hospice Society, Jewish Seniors Citizens’ Centre, Jewish National Fund, Beth Shalom Synagogue, and Jewish Family Services of Edmonton.

Gillian and Billy’s daughter, Terry, of blessed memory, tragically succumbed to breast cancer at age 38 in 2008. To honour Terry, in 2008 and 2009, they formed the 180- member Team Terry Horwitz for the Run for the Cure, raising $20,000 for breast cancer research. A Grant MacEwan graduate in early childhood education, Terry is remembered with an annual scholarship established by Gillian and Billy through Edmonton Hadassah-WIZO. There is also a healing garden in her name at Assaf Harofeh Medical Centre in Israel.

Gillian and Billy’s son, Brian Horwitz and his ex-wife, Orith, live on Vancouver Island and have a son named Troy, who recently celebrated his bar mitzvah at Beth Shalom in Edmonton.

Gillian battled cancer with strength, resilience, gratitude and positivity. She was supported and loved by her family and a wonderful group of close friends. She loved life, family and community. Her deepest wish was to impart her love of Judaism, Yiddishkeit and community to the next generation – particularly her son and grandson.

Gillian passed away surrounded by loved ones on Friday June 20. She had meticulously planned Troy’s bar mitzvah in Edmonton; it was held on June 21. Brian said they had considered postponing the bar mitzvah when they realized how ill she was. However, Gillian’s wish was for the bar mitzvah to go exactly as planned. It was a wonderful simcha – exactly as she wanted – as she planned. Friends and family had gathered including many who came from great distances to celebrate. Although she wasn’t at the bar mitzvah Gillian had the opportunity to kvell in advance at the accomplishments of her son and grandson who worked together to learn the haftorah and the service. And the lights did flicker three times during the service which some viewed as a blessing from the beyond. Gillian’s funeral was the following day and a great number of people attended to pay their respects and say goodbye. Gillian was the star.

She died as she lived, surrounded by community members and loved ones who gathered to pay tribute to an exceptional matriarch.

On behalf of the Jewish Community of Edmonton we extend heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Gillian Horwitz. May her memory be a blessing.