Meir Ifergan

It is now almost one year since our beloved Meir is gone. Our hearts are still heavy with sadness.

But we must go on. Meir would want it that way

Harvey Mandelker and family

Chère Jacqueline, Ariel et Shalva,
Mario et moi vous présentons nos plus vives condoléances en ces moments difficiles.
Meir occupera toujours une place spéciale dans notre coeur et je voudrais partager avec vous un souvenir qui le décrit si bien. Lors d'un service de Shabbat à Dorshei Emet cet été, alors que Meir s'était senti la force d'être avec nous même s'il était évident qu'il souffrait beaucoup, il me demanda à la bimah quelle bénédiction je souhaiterais à l'occasion de mon alyah. Je lui demandais des voeux de bonne santé pour mon mari qui allait se faire opérer. Meir me demanda de dire tous les prénoms et le nom de Mario; il me prit les mains et son regard parlant directement à mon coeur, il procéda à une bénédiction et à des bons voeux pour mon mari malade qui m'émurent aux larmes. Meir, malade et souffrant, continuait de remplir nos coeurs de son amour et de sa générosité.
Nous n'oublierons jamais Meir et nos coeurs s'associent à la douleur que vous partagez.

Dear Jacqueline, Ariel,and Shalva, It is hard to find words to say how sad we feel for You, and for Meir, and the trials he had to endure. Meir meant so much to us, impacted us at the very essence of our Judiasm, our spirituality, and our Lives. Meir profoundly established relationships with all of us, he enabled us and participated with us, and brought joy and meaning to all of us and to our children in their young lives. Meir tutored Sacha, and Adam, in unique and creative ways that were unusual and unforgettable, bringing a whole new level of meaning to Bar Mitzvah preparation. The Bar Mitzvah in the Grand Canyon would not have been so special to us without him, and your family. From deep within our hearts we send to you our condolences. We will never forget Meir,and the love that he imparted; we send it back to you now, Judy & Ron, Sacha, and, Adam, Baylin-Stern

Dear Jacqueline and Ariel
I was saddened to hear of the passing of "Monsieur Ifergan". I have very fond memories of our classes at Marie de France, and he provided some of us with a foundation on which we built a more observant life. May you be comforted with the knowledge that he touched the lives of many. Thus his spirit lives on in a great number of people. My deepest condolences to the entire family.

Chère Jaqueline et famille,
Je vous offre mes condoléances les plus sincères et chaleureuses à ce moment extrèmement difficile.
Veuillez être rassurée que nous partageons la perte de Meir et nous sentons le vide qu`il nous a laissé.

Jacqueline, we were so sorry to read of Meir's passing. The kids and I adored him. He did two bar mitzvahs for us and was beyond supportive. He was the nicest possible person and a buffer between anyone who ever had a conflict with anyone. He was always positive and hopeful and caring and we can only imagine how much you'll miss him when we'll miss him so much.
Bonnie, Cory and Jason Piedalue

It was clear to me, right from the start of attending services at Dorshei Emet, that Meir's teachings were evident in the cadence of almost all of the Torah and Haftorah readings, Bar or Bat Mitzvah or not. Meir has been a profound influence on and contributor to the congregational community, and he will surely be missed in this and I am sure other ways in which he touched lives. My deepest condolences to his family and the community.

Meir was a very special person who had a wonderful way of making you feel special, even though you were just one of hundreds and hundreds of people he knew. When he recited those post-aliyah "mi-shebeirakhs" on the bimah, often customizing them to fit your particular situation, looking directly into your eyes, you felt truly blessed. An aliyah will never feel quite the same to me again.

He was not only a beloved teacher of children, but also of adults. When I turned 50, he taught me my Haftorah, and as his student, I felt nurtured and taken care of. On the day I actually chanted the haftorah in shul, I was very nervous, but felt him behind me--not just his physical presence, but his energy, like a safety net, just in case I needed it. It was very reassuring, and helped me feel grounded enough that I didn't need to use the safety net at all. I ended up not only completing the Haftorah, blessings, etc. very successfully, but also having quite a spiritual experience.

Cher Meir, vous me manquerez pour toujours.

As a member of Dorshei Emet for 30 years (from 1971 to 2001 when my husband and I moved to Toronto), I have fond memories of the important role that Meir played in that congregation. His devotion to all of the people who relied on him in so many ways was always obvious.

May your good memories of your years together with Meir be a comfort to you.

There is not doubt that Meir will be counted among the righteous of Israel. Might you be able to soon find comfort in the good memories. Might you be able to move forward, with the knowledge that he made the world a better place, always moving forward, one step, one kind act, one person at the time. Always warmly remembered.

As
Rabbi Aigen said yesterday there are no words that can express our enormous loss of this very special,humble,kind,unassuming and brilliant teacher of our youngest seekers.

Meir you will be missed and long remembered for your many acts of love and caring for your family, your students, and many many friends and colleagues, synagogue members whose lives you touched in immeasurable ways.

I was saddened to read of Meir's passing. He was a wonderful person. May you, his family, be comforted by the memories you now have to cherish.

(I worked in the Dorshei Emet office from 1980-2001)

Dear Jacqueline and Family,

Corey, Meaghan and I want to express our sincere condolences on the loss of our dear Meir. We were all so fortunate to have him in our lives at the most critical and stressful times, to guide us and lead us through the path of life. We are all blessed to have know such a great man, a sweet man, and a gentle soul. I wouldn't have wanted Corey to learn from any other scholar than our Meir. We wish you strength to handle the days ahead without your loved one beside you. We will miss Meir and will never forget how he touched all of our lives. May you know no more sorrows.
Debbie Fine and Corey and Meaghan Miller

Meir...words can not express how you touched our lives. You were the driving force during our years of Bar Mitzvahs at Dorshei Emet, your smile and "Joie de Vivre" touched each member of our family. We will always remember you in our hearts and cherish the pictures and memories that we shared as a family. We all know you will be missed by some many families. We were blessed to have know such a remarkable human being-thank you for planting some special seeds in our lives...my children learnt so much from you, more than you will ever know... you will be missed but know that you were loved by so many.

Our family will never forget Meir. He helped our kids ( and my wife and I ) get through the bar mitzvah program in a way that only Meir can do. He was a man of great inner strength. I will never forget his kindness or his deep insights into life. Our family will miss him greatly. This is a huge loss to our community.