Reuven Pinchas Bulka (; June 6, 1944 – June 27, 2021) was a Canadian

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

, writer, broadcaster, and activist. He was the spiritual leader of Congregation

Machzikei Hadas Machzikei Hadas may refer to: * Machzikei Hadas (synagogue), in Ottawa, Canada * Machzikei Hadas (organization), founded by Yehoshua Rokeach {{Disambiguation ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

from 1967, first as Rabbi and then, starting in 2015, as Rabbi Emeritus. He served as co-president of the

Canadian Jewish Congress The Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC; ; ; ) was, for more than ninety years, the main advocacy group for the Jewish community in Canada. Regarded by many as the "Parliament of Canadian Jewry," the Congress was at the forefront of the struggle for Hum ...

from 2007 to 2009. Bulka's work with Kind Canada led to the recognition of the third week of February every year as "Kindness Week" in Canada.

Biography

Bulka was born to Rabbi Chaim Yaakov "Jacob" and Yehudis "Ida" (Alt) Bulka in London on

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, June 6, 1944. The family moved to the United States in 1946, where his father taught at

Hebrew school Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning one's Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Heb ...

s in Providence and Rockaway before becoming rabbi of a synagogue in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. He received his rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Jacob Joseph Rabbinical Seminary in 1965 and was granted a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the City College of the

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

the same year. He briefly served as Associate Rabbi at Congregation K’hal Adas Yeshurn in

, before becoming Rabbi of Congregation

Machzikei Hadas Machzikei Hadas may refer to: * Machzikei Hadas (synagogue), in Ottawa, Canada * Machzikei Hadas (organization), founded by Yehoshua Rokeach {{Disambiguation ...

in 1967. He received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

in 1969 and 1971 respectively, concentrating on the

logotherapy Logotherapy is a form of existential therapy developed by neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. It is founded on the premise that the primary motivational force of individuals is to find meaning in life. Frankl describes it as "the Third V ...

Viktor Frankl Viktor Emil Frankl (; 26 March 1905 – 2 September 1997) was an Austrian neurologist, psychologist, philosopher, and The Holocaust, Holocaust survivor, who founded logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's mean ...

. In January 2021, Rabbi Bulka announced he had been diagnosed with late stage cancer of the liver and pancreas, and would travel to New York to be closer to his family who resided in and around New York City. He died on June 27, 2021, at the age of 77. He was buried in Israel.

Work

Writing and broadcasting

Rabbi Bulka was the founder and editor of the ''Journal of Psychology and Judaism''. He contributed scholarly and popular articles to various journals, including the ''Association of Mental Health Clergy Forum'', ''Analecta Frankliana'', ''Chronicle Review'', ''

Humanitas (from the Latin , "human") is a Latin noun meaning human nature, civilization, and kindness. It has uses in the Enlightenment, which are discussed below. Classical origins of term The Latin word corresponded to the Greek concepts of (loving ...

'', ''Journal of Ecumenical Studies'', '' Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society'', ''Journal of Humanistic Psychology'', ''Midstream'' and ''Pastoral Psychology'', among others. Bulka was the author and/or editor of over 35 books. He was also the host of the TV series, ''In Good Faith'' and hosted the weekly radio call-in program ''Sunday Night with Rabbi Bulka'' on

CFRA CFRA is a news/ talk formatted radio station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. The station broadcasts on the assigned frequency of 580 kHz. CFRA's studios are located in the Bell Media Building on George Street in Downtown Ottaw ...

, and was the host of the weekly radio Jewish culture and music program ''JEW-BILATION'' on CJLL-FM. He was a regular columnist for the ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...

s "Ask the Religion Experts" feature. Rabbi Bulka regularly appeared during nationally televised

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...

ceremonies at the National War Memorial Cenotaph in Ottawa.

Organizations

He was on the editorial boards of ''Tradition'', ''SASSON Magazine'', ''Journal of Religion and Health'', ''International Forum for Logotherapy'' and ''Pastoral Psychology''. Among other leadership roles, he served as Chairman of the

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

Publications Committee, the Ottawa World Jewry Committee (formerly Ottawa Soviet Jewry Committee),

Israel Bonds Israel Bonds, the commonly known name of Development Corporation for Israel (DCI), is the U.S. underwriter of debt securities issued by the State of Israel. DCI is headquartered in New York City and is a broker-dealer and member of the Financial ...

's Rabbinic Cabinet, the Canadian Christian-Jewish Consultation, Ottawa Kindness Week, and the Trillium Gift of Life Network, President of the International Rabbinic Forum of

Keren Hayesod Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal (, literally "The Foundation Fund") is an official fundraising organization for Israel with branches in 45 countries. Its work is carried out in accordance with the Keren haYesod Law-5716, passed by the Kne ...

, founder of Clergy for a United Canada, and Honorary Chaplain of the Dominion Command of the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans' organization founded in 1925. Members include people who served in the military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial or municipal police, Royal Canadian Air, Army and Sea Cade ...

. He was a member of the Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy and was instrumental in restoring Jewish Chaplains to the Canadian Forces. As a part of this Committee he received a Command Commendation from the Chief of Military Personnel. He was a member of the board of Canadian Blood Services and chaired the Hospice Ottawa West campaign. Previously he chaired the Courage Campaign for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation which raised $25 million for cancer care. Bulka's work with Kind Canada led to the federal government designating the third week of February every year as "Kindness Week" with the adoption of Bill S-223 during the

43rd Canadian Parliament The 43rd Canadian Parliament was in session from December 5, 2019, to August 15, 2021, with the membership of its Lower House, the House of Commons of Canada, having been determined by the results of the 2019 federal election held on October 21 ...

. As co-President of the

, Bulka called on the leadership of the

Catholic Church in Canada The Catholic Church in Canada is part of the worldwide Catholic Church and has a decentralised structure, meaning each Diocese, diocesan bishop is autonomous but under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and the Canadian Conference of Cathol ...

to follow the lead of bishops in France, Belgium and Germany, among other countries, in denouncing the Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism of Bishop Richard Williamson and in reaffirming in no uncertain terms that such hateful views have no place in the Church.

Awards and honours

Bulka was a recipient of the

125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal () is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada and was awarded to Canadians who were deemed to have made ...

(January 1993) as well as the Beryl Plumptre Award of Excellence from the

Kidney Foundation of Canada The Kidney Foundation of Canada promotes organ donor Organ donation is the process when a person authorizes an organ of their own to be removed and transplanted to another person, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive, throug ...

, Eastern Ontario Branch (1998). He was also awarded the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award of the Ottawa Jewish Community (1999), the Mayor's Award for Community Service (1999), the Bronfman Medal from the

. He was named the honorary principal of SAR Academy in

Riverdale, New York Riverdale is a residential neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Riverdale, which had a population of 47,850 as of the 2000 United States Census, contains the city's northernmost point at the Colle ...

, in February 2009. In 2006 Bulka was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

, and on February 18, 2010, he was awarded the Key to the City of Ottawa. He also received Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's Silver Jubilee Medal,

Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

, and Diamond Jubilee Medal. He was appointed to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

on June 28, 2013. He was awarded the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service for "inspiring sermons, venerable presence and meaningful messages to Canadians during the National Remembrance Day ceremonies from the steps of the National War Memorial, Ottawa, Ontario, over many years."

Partial bibliography

* * * * Translated in Russian (Daat, Moscow-Jerusalem, 2001). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Reuven P. Bulka fonds (R4259)
at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulka, Reuven 1944 births 2021 deaths British emigrants to Canada Jewish Canadian writers Canadian Jewish Congress members Canadian health and wellness writers Canadian Orthodox rabbis Canadian people of English-Jewish descent Canadian spiritual writers City College of New York alumni Members of the Order of Canada Modern Orthodox rabbis Writers from Ottawa Canadian psychotherapists Rabbi Jacob Joseph School alumni University of Ottawa alumni 20th-century Canadian rabbis 21st-century Canadian rabbis