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I grew up in a very observant home in a small town in Poland.
We were a family of 10, not rich and my parents were very
strict. When the war started, other than my eldest brother
who came to Canada in 1936, I was the only member of our family
who escaped to the former USSR. At that time, being young
and alone, I lost touch with Jewish life. I married a woman
with whom I had three children, the first being born in the
USSR. As soon as the war ended, I returned to Poland, my birth
country, had two more children, and started to organize my
life. Since the USSR, and Poland were now communist regimes,
there was not much Jewish life for those Jews who survived
the Holocaust, but I did manage to send my eldest son to a
Jewish school. Later, Jewish learning was abandoned and again,
I lost what I was brought up with. I divorced my first wife
and she returned to the former USSR and took the two younger
children with her. I remarried and my youngest son, Mark,
was born in Poland.
We came to Canada in 1960, and I realized that what had been
missing from my life, was my Jewishness. I embraced our heritage
by having my sons circumcised and leading them in Jewish lifestyle
and religious observance. My youngest daughter was born here
and I sent her and Mark to Jewish day schools to ingrain Jewish
life in them. I kept these three children together and throughout
the years kept in close touch with my other two children –
one of whom has recently joined us in Canada.
At every opportunity, I remind my children that we are Jewish
and of the importance of our Jewish community, from conducting
the Passover Seders, to attending Synagogue on High Holidays,
and celebrating Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Regarding tzedakah,
I always give what I can to Jewish and other community causes.
I am proud to be Jewish. I sing in the Toronto Jewish Folk
Choir, I belong to a mutual benefit society, and even at the
young age of 87, I continue to attend and enthusiastically
participate in community events. I fight for Jewish identity
and whenever possible, I help out our beloved homeland of
Israel. I am pleased to be able to share my story, and honoured
by my children and grandchildren’s commitment to the
Jewish community.
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