We are all blessed with the privilege of having had Rabbi Gunther Plaut in our lives, said his son Rabbi Jonathan Plaut in a eulogy at his fathers funeral at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto on Sunday, Feb. 12.
Senior rabbi at the temple from 1961-1977 and then a senior scholar, Rabbi Plaut died on Feb. 8 after a long battle with Alzheimers disease. He was 99.
Holy Blossom was blessed for having him in its midst for 51 years; blessed is the city for knowing such a leader; blessed are the immigrants for having such a champion of human rights; blessed is Israel for having such a strong supporter; and blessed is G-d for having such a loyal servant, his son said.
Born in Germany, Rabbi Plaut, a scholar and writer, was a law student at the University of Berlin in 1934 when the Nazi party came to power.
He moved to the US the following year and came to Toronto in 1961 after serving as a US Army chaplain during WW II and a rabbi in St. Paul, Minn.
He was with the American forces that went into the concentration camps and saw first hand the remnant of those brutalized by the Nazis.
In keeping with the social responsibility he taught from the pulpit, Rabbi Plaut was a former president of the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
He also helped found Torontos Urban Alliance for Race Relations and served as vice chair of the Ontario Human Rights Commission for seven years.
Among the many distinctions and community honors bestowed on him, Rabbi Plaut was made a companion of the Order of Canada, received the Order of Ontario and 19 honorary degrees from universities around the world.
Rabbi Plaut, a Canadian Jewish News columnist for 20 years until 2003, was the author of 26 books including The Torah: A Modern Commentary, the standard text used in the Reform movement for prayer and study.
His son said that Alzheimers disease turned his father from a learned scholar and loving father into a man who was totally dependent.
Asked why I would make the trip [so often] to visit him when he did not know us, I replied that the answer was simple,he said. We knew him.
He was gifted with the mind and talent to pursue scholarly work, and he was a person who had tremendous love and respect for humankind.
Everything had its place, though. To my father, family came first. He was a wonderful problem solver, and he gave us his full attention, even if circumstances distracted him. When we left a discussion, we felt fully supported and confident in the knowledge that he was a caring person.
Members of the Toronto community raised Rabbi Plaut and acknowledged his many significant contributions.
Rabbi John Moscowitz, Holy Blossoms senior rabbi, said that Rabbi Plaut preached responsibility to oneself and to others.
He lived what he spoke; his word was his deed, Rabbi Moscowitz said. He had faith, but understood those who didnt He reached across many divides.
Donald Carr, the president of The CJN who sat on several community committees with Rabbi Plaut over the years, called him a tower of strength.
He was intellectual, and could also be down among the people. When he got sick, it was a tremendous loss to the community, a loss that has not been replaced.
Bernie Farber, former CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress, called him a defender of human and civil rights at a time when many didnt even know its meaning.
In a tribute to Rabbi Plaut posted on the Union of Reform Judaisms Website, URJ President Eric Joffie said that Rabbi Plaut was usually ahead of the pack as a spokesman for Jewish values and tradition.
He said things that others did not want to hear, or were not ready to hear,Rabbi Yoffie wrote.
He articulated unpopular beliefs, and he fought for those beliefs.
But Gunther knew no other way. He spoke the truth as he saw it, with no apologies and no excuses, but always in a voice uplifted by faith and hope for the ultimate redemption of the world.
Rabbi Plaut was predeceased by his wife of almost 65 years, Elizabeth.
He is survived by his son Jonathan, daughter-in-law Carol and daughter Judith Plaut; grandchildren Daniel and Amy Plaut and Deborah and David Elias; and two great-grandsons.
Written by Carolyn Blackman, staff writer, Canadian Jewish News. Reprinted with the permision of the CJN. The IJN edited portions of this article.
