Elka Enola
HAT Coordinator and Membership Secretary

1. Tell us about your background. 

In 1941, in Montreal, I was born into an immigrant Jewish home of extreme poverty. I remember, while still a preschooler, wondering about things, especially ‘people things’ like why all the women were at home. I asked many ‘why’ questions to which I either received absurd answers or was told not to ask such questions. So, at an early age I learned that adults knew little, were not to be trusted, and that I was on my own on my quest for ‘the truth’…about anything.

Home life was very unhappy, so at age 14, I decided to leave home, get a job, rent a room and finish high school at night. The search for knowledge and truth has been central to my life as long as I can remember.

From 1959 onwards, I taught in the daytime and attended university at night.

In 1962, I moved to London, England, which was the international centre of socio-political activity. Upon my return to Montreal in 1964, I resumed my university studies. When four of my professors learned that I was homeless and could not afford any textbooks, they came to my rescue, arranging grants, bursaries and a bank loan so that I could complete my studies in a much more comfortable manner.

I have never forgotten those early hardships nor the people who, unasked, provided essential support.

Those times form the filter through which I evaluate the world. I define myself as a Social Activist and Poet, both being ways in which I serve my community. Throughout my life, both academically and informally, I turned to philosophy to provide a scaffolding for my thoughts.

I also started and ran three successful businesses, so my world view is from quite diverse experience.

In my travel to over 100 countries, I was fortunate to spend time moving freely among societies gaining insights which have been invaluable in my understanding of world politics and of the acquisition and wielding of political and economic power.

I lived in London, England from 1962-1964, returned to Montreal and in 1970 moved to Ontario. Although adamantly opposed to the institution of marriage, I was married twice, each time compelled to do so by the laws of the land; federal the first time and provincial the second.

I am passionate about the arts and, while I write poetry seriously, I dabbled in painting just for the pure joy of it. I love music (everything except rap and its ilk) and bemoan my inability to create music either vocally or via instrumentation.

2. How did you become a secular humanist?

If I were to say, “I was born that way,” it would not be far off the mark. I most definitely was a secular humanist long before I knew either word.

My family were very observant Jews so there was an overabundance of stupidities to question, and for which there was either no answer or unbelievably ridiculous responses. That made me an early atheist.

However, my Humanist values and empathy are a direct result of my immersion in Jewish culture and values.

3. When did you become involved with HAT and what roles did you play?

I became involved with Humanism in the late 1950s when I ran the Sunday school for children whose parents were attending Humanist meetings upstairs at Henry Morgentaler’s home in Montreal. After moving to Ontario, I joined HAT and later, in Oakville, started a humanist group which has since evolved into The Halton-Peel Humanist Community.

I served as HAT Coordinator and Membership Chair, edited the newsletter, helped organize special speaker events, helped run the Forum, and regularly contributed both poems and articles to the newsletter.

4. Are there accomplishments at HAT you are especially proud of?

Presenting the Humanist of the Year Award to June Callwood had a lasting impression on me because I respected her so much. Watching her interacting with residents and staff was a wonderous example of Humanism in action.

The highlight for me was my significant contribution, while Coordinator, to the prevention of Sharia Law being established as part of the official Ontario legal system.

5. What does HAT mean to you?

First and foremost, HAT is Community. Human community. HAT is a haven for those dealing with religious oppression, confusion and fear.

It is a place where truth and ethics are examined through a secular lens, with the understanding that neither is an absolute. Contemporary Western philosophy considers all ideas contextually. Although it has never been specifically said at HAT, all discussions assume a continuum of values and as such, often conclude that a situation holds only under particular circumstances.

That is very different from both religion and society as a whole where almost all values are Cartesian and are viewed dually. Either / Or. Right or Wrong. No conditionals.

Although HAT succeeds magnificently in providing a community of truth searchers, and although we are improving in providing social hugs, we have a long way to go to even begin matching the kind of practical and material support religious group provide to members in need.

The Forum is still centrally important to me so my Saturdays are organized around that. And now, with Zoom, we are international. What an enrichment HAT is to my life!

6. What are your current interests?

Throughout my life, my interest in the arts as a participant and as an observer haven’t changed. Neither has my interest in politics, sociology, philosophy, food, human rights and the human condition. What has changed is the way I am now able to participate.

Covid-19 which is now (2023) in its most transmissible form, prevents me from all in- person group activities, like concerts, theatre, travel, museums, art galleries and restaurant dining. However, In the 40 years prior to Covid-19, I had an overabundance of travel, fine dining, museums, art galleries, concerts and theatre. In those years, unfortunately, my intellectual needs were undernourished.

With Covid came ZOOM. Now, though I don’t go to theatres or concert halls, I have almost all the streaming services so I have a wealth of cultural choices, e,g, a full live season of the outstanding Berliner Philharmonic.

Likewise I have an abundance of international intellectual stimulation, most notably Philosophy. There are also many Mensa activities which are now online and bring international minds together.

I am the President of the Oakville Literary Alliance which offers the monthly Literary Café via ZOOM.

What used to be a very Oakville centric organization is now available worldwide. I have resumed both writing and sharing poetry, which became impossible during the years of caregiving for my husband, Ernie.

I have also resumed philosophical, sociological, economics and political presentations which I now share internationally via Zoom. I continue my social-political activism, regretfully, not in-person, but like other activities, Zoom has opened international avenues.

Another Zoom advantage is that where I would have had to choose one event a day, I can now attend three a day, no matter the weather or location. One thing is certain, I never was and never will be: bored.