Blog

My father spent the last years of his life in a long-term care residence, suffering from dementia. My brother was his primary caregiver, which means he took greater responsibility for our father’s day-to-day care. I was involved more as a manager of social support. I communicated with the service providers and sometimes advocated on his behalf with his dietician, physiotherapist,... Read More

In the 1980s the phrase, “Practice Random Acts of Kindness,” was popping up everywhere – bumper stickers, billboards, decals on mailboxes and elsewhere. I remember the first time I saw it. I was in my car and read it on the bumper sticker of the vehicle in front of me. This simple, yet profound message resonated deeply within me because it was a call to action – to live our lives... Read More

I moved from Montreal to Toronto at age 71 because I wanted to live closer to my daughters and their families. We love spending time together and I enjoy being part of their lives. However, I missed having a few intimate female friends my age to share life experiences and to do things with as I explored my new city. I know the value of having peer group friends because I have it... Read More

Recently, I went forest bathing (also known as nature therapy) which is adapted from the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku. It originated in Japan in the 1980s and has become popular around the world. In fact, some researchsuggests it is becoming as popular as the yoga trend that began 30 years ago. Forest bathing involves walking through the forest slowly and taking in the... Read More

Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons, ccyhan.   When I was growing up, my parents constantly reminded my brothers and me to say, “Thank you.” It became so automatic that I didn’t appreciate what it meant. I thought it was their way of teaching us good manners. However, as I grew older, I understood the significance of these words. My parents were Holocaust survivors, and expressing... Read More

Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons, W. Tipton. I don’t adapt easily to travel because I enjoy the comfort of my home and daily routines. Travel takes me out of my comfort zone into a world filled with unexpected experiences. That being said, I decided to accept an invitation to spend two weeks in Hawai’i on the islands of Oahu and Maui. I believe that this experience came to me for a... Read More

Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons, whologwhy. As we age, many Boomers are seeking a spiritual way of being that moves beyond religious practices. This may include everything from integrating eastern and western philosophies and meditation, to journal writing, bodywork, yoga, tai chi, Qigong, mindfulness, and appreciating our blessings and expressing gratitude. For many, this spiritual... Read More

Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons, Peter Miller. Holocaust survivors overcame the most severe form of persecution and went on to become productive members of the communities in which they settled. They have exhibited an extraordinary resilience and love of family and community. Their survival is an example of the human spirit’s ability to adapt, rebuild and recover from genocide. As... Read More

Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons, Joseph B. In November 2016, at age 69, my life changed in a split second and my world turned upside down after I suffered a fall that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. On my road to recovery, I tapped into my resilience and learned important life lessons in dealing with a health challenge. I was walking towards the grocery store where I shopped... Read More

Dr. Robert Butler, first director of the National Institute on Aging, coined the term “ageism” in 1989. It refers to stereotypes of and discrimination against older people. Ageism can lead to myths about older people and the aging process. I often ask students at the beginning of my gerontology course to describe older adults and the aging process in a few words. They describe them... Read More

Resilience: Transcending Victimization  Myra’s TEDxMontreal presentation was posted on Jan 17, 2016. Holocaust survivors are ordinary people who have lived extraordinary lives. They experienced the dark side of humanity and have much to teach us about adaptation, resilience and recovery. Using a strengths-based approach, Myra Giberovitch explains how we can change our... Read More

Supposedly it takes a village to raise a child. I also learned that it takes a village to help speakers prepare for a TED talk. In May 2015, Katy Yam, co-producer of TEDxMontreal, approached me to meet with her and Christian Porowski, a member of the Curation Team, to discuss a talk based on my work with survivors of genocide. We met for two and a half hours at a nearby coffee shop... Read More

In recent weeks all political parties in the Quebec National Assembly expressed solidarity with the Quebec Jewish community and unanimously passed a motion condemning the recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe and Montreal. In an underground garage in a Montreal suburb, cars were vandalized with swastikas and envelopes containing bullets and threats were placed on their... Read More

Cheryl Bender, coordinator of Jewish West Island Family Institute (WIFI), approached me last August to share her idea to have an artist paint 18 canvases about Holocaust survivor experiences. I liked her idea and wanted to involve members from the Drop-in Centre for Holocaust Survivors at the Cummings Centre. The members became excited about this opportunity for two reasons: first,... Read More

  On February 19, the McGill University School of Social Work hosted the launch of my book to the academic community. I was excited to launch it at the School because it was here that I formulated my ideas and developed the foundation for my life’s work with Holocaust survivors. Faculty, current and former students, and members of my family attended the event. The McGill... Read More

InMontreal, an online visual tapestry of the Montreal Jewish community, posted a photo on February 14, 2014 of Myra at the Cummings Centre with  some of the Drop-in members. InMontreal is an initiative of Federation CJA. Here is the link: Drop-in Centre Members with the Author The University of Toronto Press featured Myra on January 30, 2014 in its online blog Behind the Book... Read More

Malcolm Clarke’s film, “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved my Life,” is short-listed in the documentary short subject category at the upcoming Academy Awards this March. It’s based on the life of 109-year-old Holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer who performed in over 100 concerts at the Theresienstadt concentration camp. This camp was established near the Czech city of Prague by the... Read More

  Wonderful News! Just received an email from the bookstore. The book is on the shelf! Checked with the publisher. Yes! They released it earlier than expected. The prodigy of my life’s work has left home and ventured out into the world… Read More

At the end of the war, as survivors emerged from the abyss, they had to cope with their monumental losses. Families and friends were murdered and their homes, communities, and communal institutions were gone. Their culture and way of life had been destroyed by the Third Reich which labeled them as different, brutally uprooted them and targeted them for extinction through mass... Read More