Ruth Block

(née Markovicz)

Our beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Ruth Markowicz Block died Friday, Feb. 14, at the Jewish General Hospital after several weeks of declining health.  She would have been 107 on March 12. Ruth came to Montreal in 1938 from Zloczew, Poland to work as a seamstress in a clothing factory and a year later married Harry Block. Though devastated by the news that her father, mother, brother and sister-in-law had perished in the ghettos and camps, she focused her love and energy on nurturing her young family and raising funds for social welfare in Israel with the women's group, Na'amat. She loved Yiddish and read the Yiddish novels of Isaac Bashevis Singer until the last weeks of her life. She was also a huge fan of the Montreal Yiddish Theatre. She enjoyed her daily Gazette. When Harry died in 1980, she joined Congregation Dorshei Emet, the Reconstructionist Synagogue, which became a second home where she was cherished and honoured. She is survived by her children, Lillian (Plattsburgh), Irwin (Barbara) Montreal, Rona (Hagai) Tel Aviv; grandchildren in the U.S. Jeffrey and Wendy (Mike); Myriam (Hugues) and Ariel, Montreal; Tali (Elad) Menlo Park, CA; Yael (Tamir) Nanaimo, BC; Shira (Shai) Moshav Ramat Tzvi, Israel; Amy (PJ) and Molly (Tim) California. Great grandchildren are Juliette, Madeleine, David, Matthew, Kfir, Naomi, Ma'ayan, Aviv, Be'eri, Shaked, Yadin, Idan, Eden, Eve, Paul, Charles, Lea, Eloi, Sevi and Leo. Her legacy of love for family lives on. We will all miss you Ruth!

Funeral service from Paperman & Sons, 3888 Jean Talon St. W., on Wednesday, February 19 at 1:00 p.m. Burial at the Russian Polish Hebrew Cemetery, de la Savane. Shiva at her son Irwin’s home. Donations in Ruth’s memory may be made to Dorshei Emet Congregation, (514)486-9400 or click here.