Rabbi Chezi Zionce

Our deepest sympathies, my his memory always be a blessing.

Robin, Marla, Jacob, Micah and Shira. My deepest condolences on the loss of your brother and father. Chezi had one of those endearing larger than life personalities. I was very fond of him and while we did not see each other all that often, we had a wonderful connection and he was always very respectful and supportive of me. I am truly sad and will miss him.

Robin - I am very sorry to hear the sad news. I had the pleasure of getting to know Chezi when he came back to Toronto. He was a pleasure to watch at the pulpit and to be inspired by his energy and spirit. May he continue to provide you with only good memories.

Dear Robin, Richard, Jacob, Micah, Shira and Marla I am devastated by the loss of your brother (in law) and your father. He was a good friend and mentor to me and I will always miss him. I send you my love and wishes of comfort. May his memory be for a blessing.

Dear Marla and Robin. My deepest condolences on the passing of Cary.

Chezi was brilliant beyond words. When he spoke a d'var Torah, one could understand him and enjoy the way he explained things. He was kind, fun and spoke with laughter in his voice. He had so much more to teach and give. Baruch Dayan HaEmet.

Marla and family : please accept my condolences on the loss of your brother. May his memory be a blessing

Our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the Rabbi’s family. We wish you all strength during this very sad time. We were all very fond of Rabbi Chezi and will miss him dearly.

My Condolences to the Zionce Family. May Rabbi Chezi Zionce Rest In Peace.

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Rabbi Chezi Cary My heartfelt deepest condolences to his family for the loss of your father, and to Marla and Robin for the loss of a brother. Rabbi Chezi was a good friend and could always make us all laugh with his humour. He will be missed May his memory be a blessing and may his neshama have an aliyah

Robin and family, I am so sorry for your loss. Always enjoyed listening to Chezi from the pulpit.

We are so saddened to hear about Rabbi Chezi. He always made services interesting and was a great source of support and encouragement around the time of our son's bar mitzvah. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him. BDE

Our deepest condolences to all of you during this difficult time in your lives. May all of your fond memories comfort you always. Love the Small family

Our deepest condolences on your loss. Chezi was more than just our Rabbi, he was our friend. We looked forward to seeing him in shul and listening to his sermons and jokes. He was there for our family in good times and bad. We are forever grateful to him for insisting on officiating at Jonas’ funeral and supporting us during our difficult time despite his health. We will always remember him and miss him.

The tears cannot stop....Rabbi hardly knew us however for my family he was the greatest inspiration. He truly made us welcome and finally feel like we were part of a community with his all accepting ways. The biggest heart and the reason our daughters bat mitzvah was so successful. We truly loved and appreciated his character. The world was better with him in it....so sorry for your loss.

My deepest condolences to The Zionce Family. When ever I came to Toronto, I would come to shul with my great nephew, Jonah Shapiro. May God comfort you. He will be truly missed Beverly Zatser (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Niki and Marvin Rosenshein Our deepest condolences to the Zionse family. The rabbi was always available whenever called upon. May his memory be a blessing.

Our deepest condolences to Robin, her family and The Rabbi's children. He was a special and influential man and will be sadly missed by the Beit Rayim congregation, whom he led so well for five lovely years.

My whole family is so saddened by this news. Chezi was a special man who made his congregation feel his energy and passion for Torah and for learning, but most of all, for Tikkun Olam and for compassion for others. He was a teacher of mine at camp Ramah many moons ago, and I was honoured to have him in my life again in recent years as the Rabbi at Beit Rayim. Condolences to his whole family, and may his memory be for a blessing.

To all of Chezi’s family: I knew Chezi from the time I first moved to Toronto and I was the assistant rabbi at Holy Blossom Temple. Chezi taught in our Jewish Information Class and his students adored him! He was smart, funny, engaging and genuinely cared about each and every one of them. His passion for Jewish living and learning was contagious. I wish all of you strength and comfort to get through these times. May the nurturing embrace of family and friends be your support. May Chezi live on through your heart, mind, memory, actions and deeds of love. זכרונו לברכה.

To the whole Zionce and Garber family, We are so sorry for your immense loss. Chezi, tho larger than life in his personality, had the gift to make every single person in his congregation special, welcome and known. He had a gift to make every person he connected with feel like his friend. He was warm, insightful and wise - all while simultaneously entertaining. There was NEVER any dozing during one of Chezi's sermons. He will be missed and we will think of him often. May you know no more sorrows and may you all be comforted with the mourners of Zion.

I am so sad to learn of the passing of Rabbi Zionce. He was a man with many gifts, especially his wonderful personality and love of life. He made others happy with his presence. He will be missed but never forgotten.

Sending wishes for comfort to all of Chezi's family. Chezi touched many of our lives with his joyful commitment to Judaism. His memory is a blessing...

Chezi z"l was not just my Rabbi .. he was my friend. He taught me about being Jewish. He taught me that Rabbis were not the aloof scary persons of my childhood. I first met Chez at Beth Tikvah in Naples Florida on a Friday night. That night I learned that going to Shul was spiritually uplifting and pleasurable. I looked forward to Friday and Saturday services. I loved the way Chez would explain a Parsha in a way that fit for me in the 21st century. I especially loved the meals we enjoyed together in Chez’s favourite kosher of course restaurants. We discussed and caught up on our lives family and mutual matters. I was honoured when Chez officiated at my renewal of our vows after 50 years of marriage. To the Zionce family my deepest and heartfelt sympathy for your loss. I have no words of comfort that are sufficient. In times such as this I would turn to Chez for guidance. I cannot. May his memory be as a Blessing.

Niki and Marvin Rosenshein Our deepest condolences to the Zionce family. Rabbi was so kind in times of need,never too busy. He was a real mench. May you find solace in your memories Of such a fine man? May hie memory be a blessing

Sincere condolences to Jacob, Micah, Shira, and Lila. Chez my friend rest easy. Your wit, charm, intelligence, and deep desire to find that light in the Torah lives on. Israel & Limore Ellis and family.

I was privileged to have call Chezi Z"l a dear friend...Michael

Robin and Richard, Marla and the entire Zionce Family, I have no way of expressing my sadness at the loss of your Beloved Brother and Father. So many cherished memories of growing up 3 doors down on Fountainbleu, I was privileged to have reconnected with Chezi and become a member of his Congregation. Chezi made services fun and interactive, something we need more of in the Jewish Community. He was an inspirational leader. May you find love and support from your many friends and family. All our love, Harold, Tracie, Hayley, Jamie and Sydney

Our deepest condolences to the Rabbi Chezi's family. He was a great a man, a great leader for the community and we loved the way he was able to engage the kids during the services. He was with us in happy times and in a sad ones too, comforting us with the right words. His humor from the bema and his personality it will be greatly miss. May his memory be a blessing. Gali, Uri, Tomer, Fabiana y Edgardo

My deepest condolences to the family and to the Beit Rayim Congregation. His spirit, energy and banter at the Lebovic Jewish Community Campus will be missed by all. May his memory be for a blessing. .

My deepest condolences to the entire family.

Baruch Dyan Emet. Chezie was truly "one of a kind" having known him for over 40 years, going all the way back to USY. I now how excite he was to take the pulpit at Beit Rayim, and how he loved to be with his congregation there. He will be missed by all who knew him. May HaShem comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. הַמָּקוֹם יְנַחֵם אֶתְכֶם בְּתוֹך שְׁאַר אֲבֵלֵי צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָלַיִם

So sorry to hear of Rabbi Chezi’s passing. Deepest condolences to the family. We were honoured to have been married by Chezi. His sense of humour and welcoming attitude was unmatched.

The Zionce Family our deepest and heartfelt sympathy for your loss. We have no words of comfort that are sufficient in times such as this. May his memory be a blessing

Our heartfelt condolences to the Zionce and Garber families. I know he will be missed terribly by his family and all who had the honour to know him. We were proud to call Rabbi Chezi Zionce z"l our good friend. He had a huge positive impact on our family and his community. May his memory be a blessing to all.

Dear Marla, Robin and the entire Zionce and Garber Family, Kelly and I want to send our deepest condolences to you all. We know he will be greatly missed and we are so sorry for your loss. Cheryl & Kelly Himmel

Dear Zionce/Garber Families, Hunter and I would like to send our condolences to you all. We are very sorry for your loss. Michael & Hunter Himmel

Dear Faye and Family, Please accept my deepest condolence on Chezi's passing. It was a shock to see his name .. He was such an energetic teacher. Ellie Loebel

I am very sorry to learn this news. Chezi was a magnet and a pillar of Jewish life in downtown Toronto when he helped to lead the First Narayever Synagogue from 1986 to 1998. We learned from him, we were uplifted and encouraged and inspired by him, we adored him. And though he broke our hearts, he remained an essential and formative influence in the community we became and have remained. May his memory always be a blessing to his friends and family.

Dear Robin, Heartfelt condolences on the loss of your dear brother Rabbi Chezi Zioncee are extended to you and your entire family. May his memory be a blessing. Carol Handelman

To Rabbi Chezi's family, we are so sorry for your loss. We will miss him, I love how he connected with my kids, he always had the right words and stories.He was a very special person with a great personality. He made my son's bar mtizvah very special. We will always be grateful for his support. May his memory be a blessing. Ana,Tali, Eitan and Gabriel Grosman

Robin, so sorry to hear of Chezi's passing. May your fond memories be a source of comfort to you and your family. My thoughts are with you at this time.

We very sad to read of Chezi’s passing Our deepest sympathy to his family. Chezi was a very special person , beloved and admired by many. May he Rest In Peace.

Our deepest condolences to your entire family.

Our deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved brother and the Rabbi,s family. He was a warm sweet person with a generous soul who will be missed by all who knew him.

instead of elly rubinstein ho wash in Poland when my wife died rabi chezi did a beautiful and very emotial speech at the memorial servie I wiil never forget this.shalom deer man.

My name is Bernie Feldberg and I knew Chezi for many years and he was a real mensch he will be sadly missed May he rest in peace

Rabbi Chezi lead the baby naming for our daughter Jacqueline and we attended many of his wonderful services, we truly loved him, May his memory be a blessing to all of those that loved him.

Dear Robin, Marla, Richard, Jacob, Micah and Shira, Upon hearing about the news of Chezi’s passing, we cannot say how sad we are. Chezi created a nurturing shul environment and showed great commitment to Beit Rayim. He had a welcoming approach, insight and leadership as the Rabbi of the congregation. As a family, we always enjoyed listening to him and being a part of the services. His presence is one of the major reasons that I, Ann-Karen, spent more time at the shul, partook in volunteerism and enjoyed his leadership, his humour and his gregarious approach to Jewish life at the Shul. We believe the term “gregarious greeter” must have been a model of how he welcomed everyone into the congregation, young and old. I would come home on Saturdays and always have great things to say and I had the warm, uplifting feeling of enjoying Shabbat at Beit Rayim. We respect the passion he brought to his role, to life and to the people around him. His insights and general demeanour made interactions extremely pleasant and gratifying and we, as a family, will miss him dearly. We are forever grateful to have had Chezi be the Rabbi at our renewal of vows and frankly, help make it into the wonderful, warm, funny and meaningful heartfelt ceremony that we both always wanted. Having him administer Carly’s Bat Mitzvah was extremely meaningful as well and a family event that will always be cherished. We hope memories and the people he touched help you in this time of sorrow. Sincerely, Ann-Karen Katz, Brahm Swirsky, Aidan, Julia and Carly

I remember Chezi very fondly from the days when he led the Narayeveh Congregation in the late 80's and early 90's. The children especially loved him. Sorry to hear of his untimely passing. Jeremy Posner New York

Our condolences to the Rabbi’s family. May his memory be a blessing.

Shocked and saddened to hear of Rabbi Chezi's passing. My deepest sympathies to the Zionce and Garber families. I first met Chezi at the Narayever many years ago and again re-connected with him at Bait Rayim. He had a powerful spirit,. a booming welcoming voice that made going to shul such a joy. He made a huge positive impact on many lives, mine included. May his memory always be a blessing.

Dear Faye and Family, Chezi was such an energetic teacher. It was a shock to read the sad news. Please accept my deepest condolence. Ellie Loebel

To my companion, mentor and friend, I say Au revoir! We had planned to meet during this summer, I guess I'll take a rain check on that one.My world is a sadder place without your advice, wisdom and laughter. To your precious family, my heartfelt condolences, yet know that his memory will ONLY be for blessings. I miss you! BDE

I was extremely saddened to learn of Chezi's passing. I met Chezi 38 years ago when I was 12. Chezi taught me my Bar-mitzvah portion (I can still hear his voice on the cassette tape "Barchu et Adonai ham'vorach….REPEAT"), and he was later my religious school teacher at Temple Emanu-el throughout high school. He led my class on a 6 week trip to Israel when I was 15, and Chezi was instrumental in fostering my love for the country. He managed to lead and teach teenagers in a way that was both engaging and educational. Chezi encouraged discussion about the controversial topics of the time, while opening our eyes to the world outside our suburban walls. He was a mensch and a mentor. In my college years, we drifted apart. We both eventually moved to the US, and we lost touch. A few years ago, when I saw that he moved back to Toronto, I reached out to him by email, but never heard back. I'm sad now that I didn't make a greater effort to speak to him, even just to say "Hi, remember me? You should know what an impact you had on my life". He is one of those people who will always be remembered. Condolences to his family and synagogue.

We are saddened to hear about Chezi. Our deepest condolences to the entire family. May his memory be for a blessing.

We were so saddened to hear that Rabbi Chezi passed away. He officiated at Beit Rayim a year ago at our granddaughter's Bat-Mitzvah and two years ago at our grandson's Bar-Mitzvah. I'll never forget his wonderful sense of humour and the caring way he related to the children.

Our hearts go out to the family. My brief relationship during my sister and my loss of our father demonstrate a man of wisdom, compassion and experience together with teachings and words from a kind and gentleman with a twinkle in his eye. That you for the honour of knowing him. May those wonderful moments fill those of sadness.

Lila, Shira and family, we are so very sorry for your loss. May time help the heartbreak and community help you whenever you need it. Thinking of you.

Dear Robin and Family, Please accept our deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved brother. We only just heard now, our thoughts are with you all.

Dear Shira and family. We all wanted to express our deepest condolences to you at this time on the loss of your beloved father. We are all thinking of you and sending our love and prayers to you. With our love, Judy, Cliff, Max and Lily Librach

Our deepest condolences to the rabbi’s entire family We will never forget his beautiful service at our daughter’s wedding last year! He made us laugh and cry tears of joy! May He Rest In Peace! Baruch Dayan Haemet!

Rabbi Chezie Zionce always with a sincere smile. He shared many funny jokes. He truly was our very first friend,living one house apart going back to 1966 on Fontainbleau Drive. He will be missed by all who knew him. May HaShem comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. הַמָּקוֹם יְנַחֵם אֶתְכֶם בְּתוֹך שְׁאַר אֲבֵלֵי צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָלַיִם