We are gathered here today (4/8/2026) to honour the life of Rosalind Kanowitz, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and dear friend.

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There are some couples whom you simply never think of separately.

David and Ros were one of those couples.

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Whenever you saw one, the other was never far away. For sixty seven years they walked through life hand in hand, sharing every joy, every challenge and every milestone together.

In April last year we stood here to farewell David. Today we gather to honour Ros, whose life was every bit as remarkable in its own quiet and beautiful way.

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Rosalind was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to parents who had immigrated from Germany and Latvia. Like so many Jewish families of that generation, they carried with them resilience, determination and a deep appreciation for family. Those values became the foundation upon which Ros built her own life.

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Ros often described herself as a shy little girl who was frightened of almost everything.

Yet courage is not the absence of fear.

Courage is quietly moving forward despite fear.

That quiet courage became one of the defining characteristics of her life.

She was an excellent student with a particular love for art. Even as a young girl she had a creative spirit and an eye for beauty, qualities that remained with her throughout her life.

At the age of nineteen she met David in Durban.

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They married when she was twenty two and began their married life with very little materially, but with everything that truly mattered.

The family recalls that after guests had left, Ros and David would check the ashtrays to see whether there were any unfinished cigarettes they could smoke themselves.

Today we smile at that story because it reminds us just how humble their beginnings were.

Those years never made them bitter.

They made them resilient.

They deepened their appreciation for every blessing.

And they forged a marriage that would endure for almost seven decades.

Howard was born, followed five years later by Andrea, affectionately known as Andy, and Ros devoted herself wholeheartedly to raising her family.

While David worked tirelessly to provide, Ros became the heart of the home.

She was always there.

Taking the children to school.

Listening without judgement.

Offering encouragement.

Drying tears.

Celebrating achievements.

Creating a home filled with warmth, stability and unconditional love.

Many people build houses.

Ros built a home.

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One of the things that stands out most about Ros was that she never stopped growing.

Some people stop learning once they leave school.

Not Ros.

She had an endless curiosity about life.

She loved pottery, painting, knitting, sewing, calligraphy, aromatherapy, walking groups, exercise classes and so many other pursuits.

She embraced every opportunity to learn something new, meet someone new and experience something new.

She understood that while growing older is inevitable, growing as a person is always a choice.

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In 1999, Ros and David made another courageous decision.

They left South Africa and began a new chapter in Australia.

Starting again later in life is never easy, but Ros embraced this new beginning with grace and optimism. She supported David in the family business while building friendships, remaining active and becoming an important part of her community.

If there is one quality that everyone remembers about Ros, it is her remarkable kindness.

She had an extraordinary gift for friendship.

Whether someone had known her for forty years or forty minutes, she had a way of making them feel that they mattered.

She listened.

She accepted people without judgement.

She forgave easily.

She showed genuine interest in others.

That is one of the rarest gifts a person can possess.

When David’s health declined, Ros became his devoted carer.

Those years revealed the depth of their marriage.

Real love is not measured only by the joyful moments.

It is measured by quiet acts of sacrifice.

Day after day.

Month after month.

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She cared for David with extraordinary patience, dignity and unwavering love.

Even during those difficult years she continued to carry herself with grace, always taking pride in her appearance and making the very best of every day.

Nothing, however, brought Ros greater joy than her family.

She was immensely proud of her son Howard and his wife, Colleen, and of her daughter Andy and her husband, Stewart.

She adored her grandchildren: Adam and his partner, Kim; Mandy and her husband, Ofek; Danielle and her husband, Shaun; and Brian and his partner, Jamie.

In later years, she was especially blessed to know her great grandchildren, Lucas, Jasper and Maya.

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Watching four generations of her family flourish brought her enormous pride and immeasurable happiness.

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This week’s Parshah begins with one simple word:

“Re’eh.”

“See.”

The Torah could simply have said, “I place before you blessing.”

Instead it begins by saying, “See.”

Perhaps because life is determined not only by what happens to us, but by how we choose to see what happens to us.

Two people can experience the very same circumstances.

One sees only hardship.

The other sees opportunity, gratitude and blessing.

Ros had that remarkable gift.

She experienced financial struggle.

She left one country to begin again in another.

She devoted years to caring lovingly for David through illness.

She experienced the pain of living without him after his passing.

Yet she continued to see blessing.

She saw beauty.

She saw goodness in people.

She treasured friendship.

She embraced learning.

She cherished every precious moment with her family.

She chose to see the blessings that Hashem had placed before her.

King Solomon teaches us, “Vehachai yiten el libo”—the living should take it to heart.

The greatest tribute we can pay Ros is not simply to remember her.

It is to become a little more like her.

To be kinder.

To listen more carefully.

To forgive more readily.

To treasure our families.

And perhaps above all, to learn to see the blessings that Hashem places before us each day.

To Howard and Colleen, to Andy and Stewart, to Adam and Kim, Mandy and Ofek, Danielle and Shaun, Brian and Jamie, and to Lucas, Jasper and Maya:

Ros’ kindness, her gentleness and her quiet strength have left an enduring imprint on each one of you, and on everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.

The values she lived by now live on in each one of you.

The family has experienced profound loss over the past sixteen months.

In April last year we farewelled David, after sixty seven years of marriage.

Today we farewell Ros.

But Judaism teaches us that while there is separation here on earth, there is reunion Above.

We believe that Ros and David’s souls are together once again in Heaven, reunited after their brief separation, continuing the bond of love and companionship that defined their lives for so many decades.

And we pray for the day promised by our prophets when that reunion, and the reunion of all those we have loved and lost, will become complete with the coming of Moshiach and the resurrection of the dead.

May Rosalind’s precious soul continue to ascend to ever greater heights and May her memory forever remain a blessing.

Tehei Nishmasah Tzerurah Bitzror Hachaim.

 

We are about to reach Psalm 91 which refers to the Angels escorting the departed person’s soul to heaven.

Throughout life, Hashem watches over us. And when a soul completes its mission in this world, that Divine care does not end. Our Sages teach that the soul is accompanied with great honour as it returns to its Creator. As difficult as this moment is for those of us who remain behind, we take comfort in knowing that Ros is not travelling alone. She is lovingly escorted by the angels of Hashem, guided safely from this temporary world to the eternal World of Truth, where she is reunited with those who have gone before her and where her soul rests beneath the wings of the Divine Presence.