About Eli

Eli Rubenstein is a Holocaust educator, writer, filmmaker, and activist. Since 1988, he has served as religious leader of Congregation Habonim Toronto, a Toronto synagogue founded by Holocaust survivors. He has also served as the Director of Education for March of the Living International since 1988 and as the National Director of March of the Living Canada from 1988 to 2024.

Congregation Habonim of Toronto

Congregation Habonim Toronto, founded in 1954,
is the first synagogue in Canada established by Holocaust survivors after the war. Its clergy have included such notable figures as Rabbi Reuben Slonim (1914–2000), Esther Ghan Firestone (1925 to 2015), the first female cantor in Canada, and Avrum Rosensweig, founder of Ve’ahavta, the Canadian Jewish Humanitarian Relief Organization.

March of the Living

Eli has been involved with the March of the Living since the organization was established in 1988. MOTL is an annual educational program that brings thousands of young people together in Poland and Israel to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day. Eli took on the role of National Director the year after its inception and led the first Canadian delegation in 1990. Over the years, over 300,000 people have participated in the March of the Living.