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Cite Memoire celebrated a selection of great and unknown moments in Montreal's history -- such as Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's colour barrier
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Montreal addresses homeless situation - opens more shelters The number of homeless people our city is reaching unprecedented numbers, largely due to pandemic. On January 25th 2020, the first person in Canada tested positive with the Covid-19 virus, by the end of February, Quebec confirmed its first case - a woman who lived in the Montreal area. Since then, not only has the province become the epicentre of the virus in the country, Montreal quickly became the epicentre of Quebec - and our homeless people were not immune to the upheaval it caused for us all. Homelessness is not a situation anyone would really want to find themselves in especially during the winter season soon upon us. However, some people are unable to afford housing or they have emotional challenges, drug or alcohol addictions or just plain down and out with bad luck. In 2018, there were approximately 3,100 people who were homeless in the city - and since the start of the pandemic, it is estimated to have doubled.
By Bonnie Wurst mtltimes.ca The constraints of not being able to hold private gatherings or eat in restaurants, have a drink at a bar with friends or family can seem trivial - when one considers the plight of those who live on the street. In an ongoing effort to address the situation, Montreal has been working with both the Federal and Provincial governments to deal with the rising numbers. At a press conference on Thursday October 30th, Mayor Valerie Plante announced some new measures to address the problem.They will take affect as of November 1st instead of December 1st and continue until March 31st of next year, when the situation will be looked at again. The goal is to keep people safe and healthy during the winter. The number of indoor shelter spaces will be increased to 1,650 spaces, almost double the number of 900 for 2019-2020 season. For the present moment, the city will not be forcing any homeless people to leave their tent camps, which have been popping up around the city - the most noticeable • November 7, 2020
Montrea tent cities, found in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve area, along eastbound Notre-Dame Street. with close to 100 tents, found in the what we worked toward." Hochelaga-Maisonneuve area, along eastIt is in addition to the other shelters albound Notre-Dame Street. Lionel Car- ready in place: mant, Quebec's Junior Health Minister, said - At the former Royal Victoria Hospital, at the press conference, "As long as the close to 200 places have been made availperson is not in danger or doesn't put able since the beginning of July. Mission someone else in danger, we give them the Good Home and Mission Old Brewery orchoice… however, if there is a danger es- ganizations, in conjunction with the Father's pecially with winter coming, we will accom- House, manage four floors for male and fepany them to hospitals so we can take care male accommodation, including one floor of them and redirect them toward neces- for people awaiting screening or COVIDsary resources." 19 test results (in partnership with the Their new plans include a shelter at the Mental Health and Addiction Program downtown Hotel Place Dupuis, being con- Branch of the CSMTL). One floor also verted to house 380 people. It will able to houses women under the supervision of accommodate women, men, couples, trans- the Chain and Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion. gender people, people with reduced mobil- - Since August 19th, the Guy-Favreau Comity and even those with animals - and plex has close to 50 beds for the homeless managed by the Welcome Hall Mission. Aboriginal and Inuit population and is adThere will also be several other shelters ministered by Quebec Aboriginal Projects and day centres set up for men only and (QAP). women only. As well, nine other day shel- - Since August 31st, the former YMCA ters around the city will made available for Hochelaga has provided emergency accompeople to warm themselves up and eat a modation for up to 65 people. Managed by hot meal - with the main one located at the CAP Saint-Barnabe and CARE Montreal, Grand Quai in the Old Port and able to ac- the two organizations have also offered commodate up to 300. Other smaller shel- new places at their sites, including a space ters will be situated throughout the city in dedicated to young people. different neighbourhoods where they are Quebec and the City of Montreal will be needed most. They will all be set up to en- studying what other measures can be put sure physical-distancing rules can be main- into place - which includes more affordable tained. Shuttles will be deployed around the social-housing. In early October, the Federal city to pick up people on the street and and Quebec governments announced that bring them to the resources needed. $3.7 billion would be invested to 'improve "There is a place for everybody right now," social and affordable housing' in the Plante said. "That's our hope and this is province. www.mtltimes.ca
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November 7, 2020 •
Quebec students feeling increasingly stressed and worried during pandemic From pre-school, elementary school to high school, students have been feeling increasingly 'stressed', 'anxious' and 'worried'.Their schedules and curriculum have changed several times over the course of the pandemic - and it is taking its toll. Since the first cases of Covid-19 in schools were reported in Quebec, students have experienced complete shutdowns of schools, classroom 'bubbles' and physical distancing rules, rotating schedules, mandatory wearing of face masks, quarantines and more. Adapting to all the changes and not knowing what will come next is creating much anxiety for them. It is unprecedented. As of Thursday October 29th, Quebec reported 1533 schools with at least one confirmed case of Covid-19 since the start of the school year - and 869 of them are presently dealing with active cases. The number of diagnosed infections among students and staff has risen to a total of 6973, with 2388 active cases (2,070 in the public sector and 318 in private education). Teachers and school staff in the province do not only have to deal with their own stress and worries, but those of their students who are confused and overwhelmed by all the changes. However, they are trying to find new ways to make sure their education continues, by adjusting their classroom and lesson plans in the most effective ways possible. CBC News received almost 2000 re• November 7, 2020
By Bonnie Wurst mtltimes.ca sponses to a questionnaire they sent out to approximately 22,000 school 'staffers' in eastern Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, asking specifically for teachers to respond - and more than 2,000 did. Another questionnaire sent to education professionals in Quebec last August (by CBC Montreal and Radio-Canada) also received close to 2,000 responses - and they echoed those of their counterparts. Granted anonymity, their statements offer some interesting insights on how students have been doing since the schools reopened. An elementary school teacher from the Outaouais area was quoted as saying, "We made our priority their mental health and don't follow the curriculum like we would in a normal year…. this way we can catch up on things missed last year without www.mtltimes.ca
rushing and stressing them out." A high school teacher in the Laurentians wrote in the questionnaire, "I'm seeing a lot of fragility… anxiety, more frequent crying". Another teacher from the Mauricie said, "The students are not ready to learn.They have cognitive overload… basic lessons take three to four times longer this year." Over 500 teachers offered descriptions of 'alternative teaching strategies' where they were seeing success. An elementary school teacher from the Eastern Townships wrote, "I started a discussion period every morning so students can vent their frustrations, their pain, their joys, their pride." A teacher from Montreal wrote, "I ask them to speak about their experiences and I listen to them express themselves in order to adjust my pedagogical methods or orient them toward the appropriate services." They are also coming up with new ideas and ways to help students. "Our school has bought board games for each classroom, wrote a Montreal high school teacher, "So the second half of lunch they have fun activities." On Wednesday October 28th, Quebec announced they are increasing funding for youth mental health services by $25 million. "The increase in anxiety and psychological distress is an issue that greatly concerns me," said Quebec's Junior Health Minister Lionel Carmant.Whether it will be enough and how long the pandemic will last and affect our lives, remains to be seen. 5
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Democratic deficit in Ville Marie: downtown borough cannot elect its mayor It is one of the strange anomalies in our city: in the Borough of Ville Marie that comprises the downtown area and its eastern and western extensions, its main authority—the mayor—is not elected by its citizens. This democratic deficit that goes back to an amendment to the city charter puts indeed the borough in a sort of "colonial status" with respect to the rest of the city. The city mayor is also the borough mayor. To add insult to injury, the charter allows the mayor to appoint two other councillors, from other boroughs, to sit as full members of the borough council.The purpose of this legal tactic is basically to give the mayor an eventual veto in case that he/she is in a minority situation since Ville Marie actually elects three councillors. A cynic manoeuvre to ensure political control of the borough? A measure to facilitate governance of the central district? The reason for the city mayor to double as borough mayor has also been rationalized. It has been suggested that the central district of any metropolis is not only the concern of its local citizens but of the whole city inhabitants. However, this is an argument that the current municipal party in power, Projet Montréal, had rejected when it was campaigning for election. That previous stance has changed though. Neither Projet Montréal nor Mayor Valerie Plante seem very interested in pressing the provincial government to change the law and allow Ville Marie citizens to vote for their own mayor. "It is not a priority" replied Mayor Plante when I asked the question during a bor-
By Sergio Martinez mtltimes.ca
ough council last year. I contacted her again on this occasion, and I only got a reply from her press secretary, Catherine Cadotte: "A mandate was given to the departments to document the issue of representativeness in the Ville-Marie borough, identify different possible scenarios for legislative and governance changes, and then submit them to the local population for public consultation. To develop these scenarios, city and borough departments will need to be accompanied by experts. A working committee comprising various City departments and experts will be appointed by the end of the year." According to a release made by the Peter McGill Community Council, "Bernard Sanchez, a resident and President of the Shaughnessy Village Association, and Jennifer Maccarone, our provincial representative for Westmount–Saint-Louis, recently worked together to submit a petition to the Quebec government.The petition asks the government to remove paragraph 2 of article 17 of the City of Montreal Charter, which www.mtltimes.ca
would allow our borough to elect its own mayor." Mr. Sanchez, who launched the petition, explains: "Although Ville Marie represents between 25 and 30% of the Quebec GDP, it is since 2009 the only borough in Montreal and in Canada not to be able to elect its mayor. In fact, we have 6 representatives, including the mayor, but only 3 are actually elected. Furthermore, businesses and stores are suffering from a lack of attention, and many are facing closing. Mayor Plante admitted in many interviews that she is overloaded and does not really have the time to do a quality job for Ville Marie. Nothing against her but it is a fact with all the functions she has, and even more during this pandemic." He then adds: "Out of the last three mayors, she is the only one that made the promise to stop this injustice within 100 days of her mandate. (Link to the unkept promise: http://www.projetmontreal.org/villemarie_2 ).We are in more than 1070 days in her mandate." The petition has gathered a great deal of support among residents of the borough, Mayor Plante however, remains non-committal on the issue. With municipal elections scheduled for next year, the citizens of Ville Marie expect that by then, some action had been taken to restore their democratic right to choose their own mayor. And, also, get rid of the two "guest" councillors who most likely, are seen as intruders by most Ville Marie residents. November 7, 2020 •
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Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon creators of Montreal Cite Memoire
Cite Memoire documentary to air on CBC
Perhaps one of the best things to come out of Montreal's 375th anniversary celebrations three years ago was a multi-media project called "Cite Memoire". Launched in 2016 at a cost of $20 million, Cite Memoire celebrated a selection of great and unknown moments in Montreal's history -- such as Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's colour barrier, or the legend of tavern owner Joe Beef, or when Rocket Richard scored five goals in a single game -- using sophisticated technology and interactive art, which were projected at a height of 20 stories onto a number of buildings throughout the Old Montreal district. Over the past five summers, a multitude of visitors and tourists were treated at this unique manner of looking back at Montreal's history; the narration and soundtrack, which were done in French and English, was made available through a free downloadable app to complete this viewing experience. But how did this ambitious project come about in concept and reality? Janice Zolf, a former arts and entertainment journalist for CTV in London and Windsor, Ontario who became a documentary producer/director, first saw
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By Stuart Nulman mtltimes.ca Cite Memoire when it was officially launched and was immediately dazzled by it. "I fell in love with the project. I thought to myself 'Wow. This is the reason why I came to Montreal.' It was a real epiphany moment for me, because a work like Cite Memoire didn't exist anywhere else in Canada," said Ms. Zolf during a recent phone interview.
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After a chance meeting with co-creator Michel Lemieux, which led to a two-hour conversation, Ms. Zolf got the inspiration to create a documentary about the story behind Cite Memoire called "Into the Light with Cite Memoire", which will air on CBC Gem on Novermber 6 at 9 a.m., on CBC Television on November 7 at 7 p.m., and in French on Club Illico on November 26. A co-production of Janice Zolf Productions, Les Films du Rapids-Blanche and Les Productions du Rapide-Blanche, along with producer Sylvie Van Brabant, whom Ms. Zolf regarded as "one of the most experienced producers of documentaries in Quebec, the documentary goes behind the scenes with co-creators Michel Lemieux, Victor Pilon and Michel Marc Bouchard, to show how Cite Memoire evolved from page to projection. "My objective with the documentary was to take the audience behind the scenes with this immense project, and lift the curtain up, so that the audience can step behind that curtain see the magic," said Ms. Zolf. continued on Page 9
November 7, 2020 •
Cite Memoire celebrated a selection of great and unknown moments in Montreal's history projected on buildings continued from Page 8
Teamed with cinematographer J.F. Gratton, who shot footage in the studio where one of the projections was being filmed, the audience gets to be present at the creation of what made Cite Memoire such a draw in Old Montreal. "We were present when they were filming the projection dealing with Leonard Cohen, which was represented by an underwater dancer diving into a dark swimming pool as the muse in Cohen's song 'Suzanne'. It was quite fascinating," she said. Add to that the editing skills of Annie Leclair ("She really understood the project, because she thought of the project from the point of view of the creator," added Ms. Zolf), and the documentary came together quite smoothly. As well, Ms. Zolf is amazed not only with the overwhelming success of Cite Memoire, but how it became the catalyst for other major cities like Paris, Chicago and London to eventually undertake their own projects that are going to be similar to the Cite Memoire model. "Cite Memoire was an amazing way for us to reimagine our history," she said. "Montreal has such a rich history, so it's no wonder why other cities such as London want to adopt Cite Memoire. So if they take their cue from Montreal, there's no reason why they shouldn't reboot their history in such a unique way." To experience Cite Memoire in its entirety, download the free Montreal en Histoires app. • November 7, 2020
For more information please contact: 514.692.4545 / studioeliross.com info@studioeliross.com www.mtltimes.ca
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A 16-year-old girl engages in an act of rebellion in "Spring Blossoms"
Gerard Depardieu in "Home Front" Bottom Right: Isabelle Hupert in "Mama Weed"
Now Cinemania fest is here: online too!
The 26th edition of Cinemania, the film festival devoted to French-language movies with English sub-titles has started this Wednesday, November 4, and will finish on November 22. Like most festivals in these times of pandemic, Cinemania has adopted an online format: "Cinemania has reinvented itself and decided to set up an online screening platform for the duration of the Festival enabling audiences not only in Montreal but also in the rest of Quebec and Canada to watch films from our selection in the comfort of their home," says Guilhem Caillard, Director-General of the festival. He also remarked that "this online version will be made up of a 90 international films, the majority of which are North American premieres." The movies shown at Cinemania are grouped in categories according to a variety of themes; that apart from the usual categories of feature and short films, documentaries, etc. The themes seem very interesting, for instance: Cannes Selection, the movies that were chosen to be screened at the 2020 Cannes Festival, which in the end didn't take place due to the pandemic. In this category, we find: "A Good Man" by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, "Home Front" by Lucas Belvaux, "Josep" by Aurel, "Spring Blossom" by Suzanne Lindon and "Should the Wind Drop" by Nora Martirosyan. The category of Award-Winning Filmmakers includes recent works by some celebrated di10
By Sergio Martinez mtltimes.ca
rectors: "Someone, Somewhere" by Cédric Klapisch, "Summer of 85" by François Ozon, "Night of the Kings" by Philippe Lacôte, "The Lost Prince" by Michel Hazanavicius, and "Madre" by Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Comedy, of course, couldn't be absent. In the Laugh out Loud—One-of-a-kind comedies you'll love, we find the following titles: "My Donkey, My Lover & I" by Caroline Vignal, "Mama Weed" by Jean-Paul Salomé, "The Sticky Side of Baklava" by Maryanne Zéhil, and "Smoothie" by Pier-Luc Funk. There is also a category devoted to animation, which includes: "Josep" by Aurel, "Abigail" by Nicolas Debray, "La pureté de l'enfance" by Zviane, and "Mynarski chute mortelle" by Matthew Rankin. Political movies have their own category, dewww.mtltimes.ca
scribed as "a collection of recent works that tackle contemporary politics, near and far." The following films are listed here: "Je m'appelle humain" by Kim O'Bomsawin, "Night of the Kings" by Philippe Lacôte, "Should the Wind Drop" by Nora Martirosyan, and "Acadiana" by Guillaume Fournier, Samuel Matteau and Yannick Nolin. Another category is devoted to new female directors: "A new generation of directors has arrived; these narratives from a female perspective are transforming the landscape," reads the description.The films are: "Gold for Dogs" by Anna Cazenave-Cambet, "Spring Blossom" by Suzanne Lindon, "Slalom" by Charlène Favier, "Vacarme" by Neegan Trudel, "Working Girls" by Anne Paulicevich and Frédéric Fonteyne, and "Sër Bi" by Moly Kane. There are also films from Quebec, others devoted to art, music, and literature, war stories, quirky comedies, families, and love. Most films are available for $8, theme bundles cost between 10 and 40 dollars, and online pass $65. For detailed information about the films, schedule, and ticket prices go to: www.festivalcinemania.com November 7, 2020 •
Experts say Montreal schools now main source spreading Covid-19 As of Thursday November 5th, Quebec reported that since the start of the school year, there has been a total of 1,642 schools with at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 - 865 of them still dealing with active cases.The total number of diagnosed infections (students and staff) stands at 8,129 - with 2,410 active cases. There have been temporary class closures, but no complete shutdowns of schools since they reopened.The government has upheld their theory that the infections in schools are not the main source of transmission, but a 'reflection' of what is going on from outside in the community. However, two experts in the field of infectious disease and public health feel quite differently - maintaining that the main spread of the virus is coming from schools in Montreal (the epicentre of Quebec) and out into the community instead. According to data from the public health department and educational system, obtained by the Montreal Gazette, Montreal's 'mostly poorly ventilated and crowded schools are now reporting more infectious clusters than in the workplace and healthcare institutions combined'.They state that 'this shift in transmission has implications for public health policy, as federal officials this week acknowledged that the coronavirus can spread easily through the air in lingering aerosols in addition to respiratory droplets, yet most Montreal schools without modern ventilation have no plans to install portable air purifiers in their classrooms'. In their interview with Dr. Karl Weiss (President of the Association des médecins microbiologistes-infectiologues du Québec) on November 5th he said, '“Schools were the driver to start the second wave in Quebec, although the government did not recognize it… the number of cases started to go up 14 days after the French-language schools opened and 14 days after the English ones opened in Mon• November 7, 2020
By Bonnie Wurst mtltimes.ca treal. Schools are certainly a driver." He then added, "It's true for any respiratory virus. It’s true for the flu. It starts in schools, kids will bring the virus back home and infect the parents, and parents will get sick. Eventually the parents will infect their coworkers and it will spread to the community.” He also suggested that the main reason the 'cases in Montreal have not sloped downward from a plateau of more than 200 a day in the last few weeks is that transmission is active in schools'. Dr. Weiss believes the cases were coming 'from schools and from teenagers hugging each other'. He said, "I was walking towards my house and I saw a group of 20 to 30 teenagers without masks talking to each other because they have nowhere else to go. They can’t go do sports." Jean-Nicolas Aubé, spokesperson for Centre-Sud regional health board (CIUSSS) was also stated in the Gazette report as saying that 'Despite the data on rising cases and outbreaks in schools, a spokesperson for the public health department denied that the school environment is driving the spread of the coronavirus in Montreal' and 'the schools are not acting like engines of outbreaks. In fact, schools are a reflection of community transmission. The cases in the school milieu are relatively stable, and in a majority of instances, the source of the www.mtltimes.ca
transmission comes from parents.' However, Montreal public health consultant Dr. Michael D. Levy, was stated in the report as saying, 'there’s an obvious discrepancy between what the epidemiological data show about Montreal schools and Aubé’s assertion' and 'the percentage of cases in the schools is much higher than in the general population… Why is that? I don’t know how (public health) calculates this because they’re very cagey about sharing the data… I don’t know how they can tell most of the cases are coming from the home. When they opened the schools in the fall, there was an immediate surge in cases. I think it came from the schools because it wasn’t that bad during the summer even though bars, restaurants and gyms were open'. Montreal's Director of Public Health, Dr. Mylène Drouin had also said at a news conference on Friday October 30th, that 'it was in the school milieu that we’re observing the biggest increase in terms of the number of cases and the number of outbreaks.' It is all contrary to what Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s chief public health officer said. He attributes most outbreaks across the province to the workplace, but did not refer to Montreal - and suggested that 'although schools have shuttered classes because of COVID-19 exposure, there is not that much transmission as such.' Keeping schools open are proving to have serious implications for students with all the constant changes in their schedules and curriculum - making them feel increasingly stressed and worried.While closing schools have proven challenging as well, with socialisolation taking its toll. So where do we go from here as the virus continues to spread and with no real end in sight? Will it take a complete shutdown again and are children more resilient than many think and able to bounce back? 11
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November 7, 2020 •
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City Stamp celebrates 45 years of service to Montreal Stamp Collectors
ack in the early and mid-1970s, I was an avid stamp collector. In particular, I was partial to stamps from Canada and the U.S. For about three years, I spent my Sunday afternoons going to coin and stamp shows that took place in hotel ballrooms throughout Montreal, leading through the albums of multitude stamp dealers to see what I could add to my growing North American stamp collection.
By Stuart Nulman mtltimes.ca Robert Cooperman was also attracted to the world of philately (the classic term for stamp collecting), when he first took up the hobby at the age of eight. Six years later, he turned his passion for stamps into a profession, when he became a bond fide stamp dealer. In 1975, Cooperman established City Stamp Montreal, a business that catered to long time stamp collectors who wanted to buy and sell rare and valuable stamps. And 45 years later, City Stamp Montreal has maintained their stellar reputation as a high end stamp dealer. "I feel like it's quite an accomplishment for my business -- or any business -- to be around for 45 years," said Cooperman during a recent phone interview. "I have seen City Stamp through many different phases, whether it be inflation or other difficult times that have affected the world. But I have to give myself a pat on the back for being around for so long, especially owing to the fact that City Stamp was able to adapt to changing times." And one major adaptation that greatly affected City Stamp Montreal for the better happened eight years ago, when Cooperman was approached by Michael Rosenblatt, a young entrepreneur who
Canada #5 Mint very fine with original gum Value: catalogues for $80,000 specialized in online marketing, who strongly suggested that City Stamp follow the World Wide Web route (www.citystamp.ca). Since that fateful decision, City Stamp now has Platinum Seller status with eBay, and as a result of their tremendous online success, revamped their website in 2017. "We now have a strong website, and it's an important part of the business because it's a major platform for us to sell high value stamps," said Cooperman. "We're also affiliated with Hip Stamp (www.hipstamp.com), a user friendly site for stamp collectors that covers 940 stores and has an inventory of over six million stamps, which offers a direct line to collectors, and people have really taken a liking to that." "With the recent corona virus pandemic, there have been a lot more people who have been on the sidelines for years that have just come back into the hobby, and with stamp dealers going online, it brings them into the present moment," he added. "And stamp collectors are definitely thrilled that they have this hobby to keep them active during this time.They have more time and less responsibilities to devote more time to stamp collecting. As well, they are spending more money on stamps because they have a great appetite for it." Cooperman said that these days, stamp collec-
Robert Cooperman City Stamp tors are seeking out classic stamp issues from around the globe, especially those from Great Britain and British Commonwealth countries, as well as the U.S., because they either maintain their high value or go up in price. Another type of stamps that are sought after by collectors are the high grades of all sorts of stamps, because they are instantly able to sell them to dealers or fellow collectors. Cooperman runs City Stamp Montreal with a staff of four (which includes three expert philatelists), who constantly buys and sells rare stamps of a high quality, as well as worldwide stamp collections, from a customer base from North America and around the world. As well, City Stamp Montreal is well known for offering collectors higher premiums on what it purchases and sells for less than what competing stamp dealers offer. There is also free worldwide shipping, flexible payment terms and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. For more information, or to book an appointment, call 514-875-2596 or toll free at 1-800-615-2596, or by email at: info@citystamp.ca .
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Book Reviews - mtltimes.ca
Holocaust survivor memoirs make sure we never forget The year 2020 has not only been a tumultuous year, but a significant milestone year when it came to one of the most turbulent events of the last 100 years. It was 75 years ago that Germany and Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, thereby ending six years of hostilities that was World War II. Also, it was 75 years ago that the Charter of the United Nations was signed in San Francisco, which laid the foundation of a global organization whose aim was to avoid deadly wars and look after the concerns that affected the entire world at large, such as health, hunger, children’s issues and conflict resolution between nations. Also, 2020 marks 75 years since the Nazi concentration camps that were located mainly in Germany and Poland were liberated by Allied troops, and opened the eyes of the entire world of the Nazis’ systematic plan to eliminate those races of people who did not fit into their plans of conquering the entire European continent. As a result, over 12 million innocent civilians were brutally murdered by the Nazis during its 12-year Third Reich; six million of them were Jews. This tragic episode, better known as the Holocaust, has seared in the conscience of the entire world over the past 75 years, especially how far hate can go if it’s allowed to fester. However, thanks to museums, documentaries, education programs, lectures, books and annual events such as the March of the Living, subsequent generations can take away from these events the valuable lessons that have been taught from the Holocaust so that it should never happen again. When it comes to books, a genre to the Holocaust canon has surfaced over the past two decades that gives a rather vital pointof-view to this unspeakable human tragedy: the survivor memoir. Here in Canada, thanks to the Azrieli Foundation, a series of professionally published memoirs written by Holocaust survivors who settled in Canada after World War II have created quite an impact with generations of readers. Since 2005, the Azrieli Series of Holocaust Survivor Memoirs have published over 50 titles – in French and 14
By Stuart Nulman mtltimes.ca English – by these survivors that are distributed free of charge to schools and educational institutions (and are sold in bookstores for a reasonable retail price) that create a permanent record of testimony of survivors from practically every corner of continental Europe of their harrowing, yet brave experiences of avoiding certain death at the hands of the marauding Nazi war machine, which breathes of luck, planning, cunning and a great deal of sacrifice. To mark this significant historical milestone, I am reviewing five Holocaust survivor memoirs (four of them published and distributed by the Azrieli Foundation) who made Canada their post war home and whose painful stories cry out loud their far reaching message to the rest of the world: “Never Again!”. My Silent Pledge by Sidney J. Zoltak (MiroLand Publishers, $25) Montrealer Sidney Zoltak has carved out a successful career running an insurance business for many years. However, his road to Montreal was a dangerous one, which started in Nazi-occupied Poland, then to Italy, then to Israel before he reached Canada in 1948. As a child Holocaust survivor, the experience of watching your hometown, family and joyful way of life being destroyed by the Nazis is just as harrowing and traumatic to someone of such a young age. Zoltak tells his story of www.mtltimes.ca
survival in his compelling memoir My Silent Pledge. The premise of the book takes place in 1997, when Zoltak pays an emotional visit to his hometown of Siemiatycze, Poland, where he was born in 1931, to show his family where he lived before immigrating to Canada, and to reunite with the surviving members of the Krynski family, who took a tremendous risk by hiding Zoltak and his immediate family from the Nazis during the occupation of Poland. From there, he gives the reader a well-documented history of his hometown, which reflected the richness of life, tradition and culture that was typical in Jewish communities in pre-war Eastern Europe. And what is interesting about the tone of this book is how his mother’s steely determination to keep the family together through this hell on Earth – even if it meant sacrificing certain aspects of her own survival – was quite a brave goal when families were usually torn apart before and after deportations to the concentration camps. The second half deals with a common thread of many Holocaust survivors, and that is how to put together a new life in a new country, which sees him endure the DP (displaced person) camps, boarding school-type facilities and plenty of bureaucracy towards that new life. And this phase shows that such post-war experiences of Holocaust survivors were tough at the beginning, but with gradual adaptation to a new lifestyle can have rewarding results. Zoltak is currently retired from the insurance business, and spends his time speaking to groups and students about his Holocaust experiences and the importance of never forgetting such a tragic period in history (and he also performs similar duties as a survivor escort/educator with the Montreal delegation of the March of the Living). My Silent Pledge is a compelling, riveting account of impossible survival that was made possible. It’s a pledge that thankfully Zoltak continues to live up to with resounding reverberations. continued on Page 15
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actual memoir, actually fleshes out Garfield’s story, and gives the reader a much more clearer picture on how the Holocaust made A Cry In Unison by Judy Cohen her post-war way of life a much more painful (Second Story Press, $14.95) one. Overall,Too Many Goodbyes is an angry While attending a virtual launch for Judy testimony to how the idea of survival does Cohen’s memoir A Cry In Unison earlier this not always equate with instant happiness fall, she told how she chose the title for the once the struggle is over. book. It took place in the fall of 1944, where Always Remember Who You Are by Anita she was an inmate of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In Ekstein (Second Story Press, $14.95) her barrack, she asked one of the Jewish “Kapo” guards for a candle to perform the Kol Nidre ceremony that started the high Another aspect of the story of Holocaust Holyday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atone- survival is how children were taken in or hidment. As the candle was lit and the prayer den by other families who were not subject was being said, a sudden, loud cry emitted to Nazi persecution, but risked getting shot from the mouths of the hundreds of women if caught. To ensure that survival, the child in in that barrack, which was emblematic of the question had to learn the customs and trasolemn nature of Kol Nidre, but performed ditions of that family (and learn new, yet unfamiliar, religious practices), and above all, get in place they didn’t want to be at. That haunting image stuck in my mind and a new identity. That was the case of Anita Ekstein, who prompted me to read this book. retells her own survival story in Always ReCohen, who was born in Debrecen, Hunmember Who You Are. gary, traces her experiences as part of the Ekstein was seven years old when the chapter of the tragic genocide of Hungarian Jews during the final year of the war. This Nazis marched into her hometown of Lvov journey of hardship and survival saw her go in Eastern Poland in 1941.Things go from bad from Auschwitz-Birkenau, to Buchenwald, to to worst when she and her family are sent working as a slave laborer in the Junkers air- to a ghetto, and then her mother disappears craft factory, to finally liberation while hiding shortly afterwards. Her father finds a way for in a barn located in a small town in Germany. Anita to escape certain death within the After she retired from her bookkeeping walls of the ghetto or in the gas chambers. job, and when her two children grew up, He convinces a Catholic man named Josef Cohen became an activist for Holocaust Matusiewicz to secretly take Anita into hiding awareness as a guest speaker, March of the at his home in the town of Rozdol. From Living participant and a researcher. One as- there, she gets a new name (Haneczka) and pect that she focused on, which she stead- quickly becomes a member of the Mafastly believes was a long overlooked aspect tusiewicz family … only this time as a pracof the Holocaust, is how women survived the horrors of Nazi oppression and the concentration camps (in which many of the female guards were more sadistic than their male counterparts). This is the overlying theme of the book, and her diligent research unveils the hidden story of the Holocaust from the women’s point-of-view. In fact, Cohen attributes her survival to managing to staying close to her sisters, as well as creating a sense of sisterhood amongst her fellow inmates throughout her ordeal. A Cry In Unison speaks volumes to the story of how this genocide affected the female population of occupied Europe. It’s a cry that should never be ignored. continued from Page 14
ticing Catholic. The rest of her story deals with keeping up a new identity for the sake for survival, but also the struggle to return to one’s original identity once the war ended and starting a new life in Toronto. It’s a fascinating book that deals with a valiant, yet confusing, twopronged issue that many hidden children of the Holocaust have faced. Confronting Devastation edited by Ferenc Laczo (Second Story Press, $14.95) This 450-page book is a collection of stories by 22 survivors who recall the “last chapter” of Hitler’s Final Solution, which was the murder of 550,000 Hungarian Jews in 1944-45. The chapters are divided into the significant events of the genocide of the Jews of Hungary, which occurred – ironically enough – at a time when the tide of the war was turning in the Allies’ favour, and that the Nazis were on the run on both Eastern and Western fronts. From the rule of the authoritarian Miklos Horthy, to the rise of the virulently anti-Semitic Arrow Cross Party that opened the door to the Nazi occupation of Hungary, to the labour battalions, to the massacre of Jews on the banks of the Danube River in Budapest, to the uneasy liberation, Confronting Devastation gives a thorough retelling of this widespread genocide in such a short period of time, but also explains the political circumstances of why it was allowed to happen at a time when the war was coming to an end, and this example of willful murder could have been avoided.
Too Many Goodbyes by Susan Garfield (Second Story Press, $14.95) She was born Zsuzsanna Loffler in Budapest, Hungary in 1933. But when the Nazis invaded her native country in 1944, 11-yearold Zsuzsanna started to keep a diary that chronicled her experiences of Hungary under Nazi rule. Now, as Susan Garfield, she published her diary in book form called Too Many Goodbyes. Reading the diary portion of the book shows how the effects of losing family (her father is sent to a labor battalion, and her mother was taken away by a group of proNazi collaborators) can have a devastating emotional toll on a child. The diary, which runs from 1944-1951, also gives a portrait of a person under angst, pain and cynicism and how it made it difficult for her to initially settle into a new life in western Canada (Alberta and Manitoba, in particular), and how that bleak atmosphere just compounded her angst, especially her unsuccessful attempts to apply for residency in the much more cosmopolitan Toronto. The second part of the book, which is the • November 7, 2020
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