By Joseph Marshall
Rabbi Leigh Lerner, who led Montreal’s Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom for more than two decades and remained a prominent figure in Montreal Jewish life long after leaving the pulpit, has died.
Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom announced his death Sunday evening, writing that Lerner was “deeply learned and equally compassionate, and a beloved leader of this community.”
Lerner served as Senior Rabbi of the Westmount congregation for 23 years, from 1989 until 2012, and remained connected to Temple afterward as Rabbi Emeritus.
Originally from Minneapolis, Lerner studied at Duke University before being ordained at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. Before coming to Montreal, he spent 17 years at Mount Zion Temple in St. Paul, Minnesota, eventually serving as its senior rabbi.
When Lerner arrived in Montreal in 1989, he did more than take over the pulpit of one of the city’s best known Reform congregations. He learned French, became a Canadian citizen and became increasingly involved in the broader Jewish and interfaith life of the city.
He served as president of the Montreal Board of Jewish Ministers, now the Montreal Board of Rabbis, from 1992 to 1995, led the Canadian region of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and twice served as president of Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Montreal. He was also involved with ARZA Canada, served on the Montreal Gazette’s Board of Editorial Contributors and chaired the Montreal Jewish Healing Project.
During his 23 years at Temple, Lerner pushed the congregation toward greater involvement in social justice and interfaith work while also overseeing changes within the synagogue itself. Temple introduced its English, French and Hebrew Minhag Canada prayer book during his tenure and expanded a number of programs dealing with hunger, community care and human trafficking.
He was also an early advocate for the inclusion of LGBTQ Jews within Montreal’s Reform community. During his tenure, Temple changed its bylaws to recognize same sex couples under family membership and expanded its outreach to LGBTQ Jews and their families.
Retirement did little to slow him down. After becoming Rabbi Emeritus in 2012, Lerner continued teaching and writing and developed close ties with Reform Jewish communities in Italy, working with congregations in Florence, Milan and Rome. He also wrote The Mossad Messiah: A Novel of Israel.
For many Montrealers, however, Lerner’s legacy will be much more personal than the organizations he led or the positions he held. Twenty three years as a congregational rabbi meant being there for generations of families, at weddings and funerals, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, births, illnesses and all the ordinary moments in between. Even after his formal retirement, he remained part of the congregation and the community he had helped shape.
In announcing his death, Temple began simply with the traditional words, “Baruch Dayan Emet.”
The funeral will take place in Minnesota in the coming days. Temple said a shiva will also be held at the synagogue in Montreal, with details to be announced.
May his memory be a blessing.
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