Avrum Rosensweig

Avrum Rosensweig was the founding director of Ve'ahavta, a Canadian Jewish non-profit humanitarian and relief organization. He founded Ve'ahavta (Hebrew for 'and you should love') with a mission to encourage all Jews, and all peoples, to play a role in tikkun olam, 'repairing the world'. In 2016, Avrum stepped down as CEO and took on the position of Founder & Ambassador, speaking and fundraising in support of Ve'ahavta.

Rosensweig Leading Community Passover Seder at Habonim (2014)

Background

Rosensweig spent ten years on commercial radio in Toronto as the co-host and producer of a show about food and restaurants called 'Marty & Avrum: The Food Guys'. Avrum and his partner spent five years at Talk 640 radio and the subsequent five years at CFRB1010. The two also did a stint at CHFI.

As of 2019, Rosensweig was the producer and host of the podcast HatRadio!. The podcast presents in-depth interviews with people of all backgrounds about their lives, upbringing, and experiences.

Rosensweig was born in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1960, the only son of Rabbi Phyvle (Philip) Rosensweig (1928–1989) and Gitel Rosensweig (née Flicht) (1930–2016). Rabbi Phillip Rosensweig came from a family of Orthodox Rabbis that emigrated to Canada during the turn of the last century. In his younger years, Rabbi Rosensweig was active in helping Jewish refugees from Europe flee persecution to come to Canada. Some of Gitel Rosensweig's family were Polish Jews from Wierzbnik (after 1952 called Starachowice), Poland, who were murdered in the Holocaust.

Avrum Rosensweig received an Orthodox Jewish education at Ner Israel Yeshiva in Toronto and later on in Jerusalem, Israel, followed by the study of journalism at Ryerson University. From 1990 to 1996, he worked for Toronto's United Jewish Appeal (UJA) campaign. During the 1994 Rwandan civil war, he convinced UJA in Toronto to launch efforts to help refugees fleeing the war-torn region.

From 2005 to 2015, he served as associate Religious Leader at Congregation Habonim Toronto.

Rosensweig with children at Community Passover Seder at Habonim (2014)

Ve'ahavta

In 1996, he co-founded Ve'ahavta with Stephen Epstein. The NGO is Canada's only Jewish humanitarian and relief organization. Ve'ahavta has launched numerous initiatives in Canada and around the world.

Rosensweig at a Hurricane Katrina Benefit

In its first 15 years of operations, Ve'ahavta operated around the world assisting locals through medical care. Ve'ahavta medical teams set up clinics in Guyana and in Zimbabwe and responded to natural disasters in Turkey, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Honduras and other places. Ve'ahavta also launched local programs for those experiencing homelessness and poverty, including the Mobile Jewish Response to the Homeless, a nightly van program whereby volunteers travel the streets of Toronto to assist those living on the street; the Ve'ahavta Street Academy, a school for the homeless or near homeless; and the Creative Writing Contest for the Homeless. Ve'ahavta has also operated homework clubs and photography contests.

Other areas of operation have included the Caribbean, in Thailand (after a tsunami) and the Philippines (after a hurricane), and advocating awareness about the genocide in Darfur. Locally, Rosensweig has initiated several programs for the disadvantaged in Toronto: Passover Seder for the Homeless (co-sponsored by Toronto's Congregation Habonim), Creative Writing Contest for the Homeless, and Homework Partnership Program for Somalian Children.

Rosensweig Presenting Plaque to Chief Rodney Monague, of Christian Island, Survivor of Residential Schools (2009)

Ve'ahavta hosts a gala fundraising event each year, honouring Canadians of all backgrounds for their work in social, humanitarian, medical and educational fields. Honourees have included: Moshe Hammer, Dr. Naomi Azrieli, Dr. Michael Dan, Irwin Cotler, Karen Levine, and Adam Hummel.

The Avrum Rosensweig Show

The Avrum Rosensweig Show is listed as an in-depth conversational platform hosted by Rosensweig. The show, hosted on YouTube features discussions with individuals from diverse backgrounds and their life experiences. A significant aspect of the content has focused on Israel, specifically the reactions and feelings of its citizens to the events of October 7th and life afterwards.

One of its early shows featured the art of storytelling with Holocaust educator and senor religious leader, Eli Rubenstein. In 2024, Rosensweig and Rubenstein co-hosted the show, interviewing Holocaust survivor and educator, Nate Leipciger. The show was specifically about the response to antisemitism rising worldwide since October 7, 2023. Rosensweig asked Leipciger if he felt surprised by the rise in antisemitism, he replied, "I am surprised. I shouldn't be, but I am. 80 years after Auschwitz [the Holocaust] is not a long time, and when the vengeance with which antisemitism has returned has eliminated the gap between then and now... I think [like most people] I feel disappointed, I feel troubled, I feel horrified by the loss of life we have witnessed on Oct 7, and with the brutality with which it was conducted. It was unequal even Isis didn't show pictures like that."

Media presence

• Weekly column in the Canadian Jewish News
• Contributing columnist for Haaretz.com
• CFRB1010 Talk Show co-Host - "Marty & Avrum: The Food Guys"
• Talk 640 Talk Show co-Host - "Marty & Avrum: The Food Guys"
• TV Show co-Host (Marty Galin) - "The Moveable Feast"
• Israel Today Radio Show Host (with Shimon Zeraviv)
• Blogger, Huffington Post