Features
Canada’s Oldest Siblings: Three Bodies, One Heart, and a Set of Lungs
By CAROL SEVITT (This article first appeared in The Globe & Mail. Reprinted with permission.) My mother and her siblings, all Holocaust survivors, might just be the oldest siblings in Canada. Amazingly, they have spent nearly all their lives together.
At 99, 98, 96, and 94 they make a formidable quartet. There are three sisters – Sally Singer, 99, Anne Novak, 98 (my mother), and Ruth Zimmer, 94 – and a brother Sol Fink, 96. Sally’s 100th birthday is around the corner in late November, and the others aren’t far behind.
“A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves — a special kind of double,” wrote author Toni Morrison. In the case of my mother and her two sisters, it’s a special kind of triple, or as I see it, “three bodies and one heart.” Despite their different temperaments, they think and act alike. When one sister installed central air conditioning, the others followed. When they went on holidays, they went to the same place together. When one sister bought her first fur coat or string of pearls, so did the others. When one got her first microwave or food processor, so did her sisters. When one stopped colouring her hair, it was only months before the others went grey too. Even now they go to the same doctor, dentist, insurance agent, and financial planner. They use the same face cream and take most of the same medication. They bought the same jewellery and raincoat. They eat the same breakfast and watch the same TV shows (“The Bachelor” is a longtime favourite).
Their brother Sol carved out his own niche. After selling the grocery store he ran with his brother-in-law, he was a shoichet (ritual slaughterer) until he was 85. Throughout his life he chanted Torah and worked as the cantor at a small North End Winnipeg synagogue. He led prayers until he was 95, with Covid protocols putting an end to that. An article written about him a few years ago called him Canada’s oldest working cantor. Growing up with three sisters, whom he still calls the “maidlach” (girls), he learned how to treat women well. With natural mechanical ability, he was always there to do home repairs for them.
The four siblings spent their youth in Sanok, Poland, near the Carpathian Mountains. There were two boys in the family (the youngest Eli perished in the Holocaust), but the sisters were a unit unto themselves. As girls, one was bookish and organized, one was sweet and a peacemaker (my mother), and one was a comedian with a rebellious spirit – traits they have retained throughout their lives.
They were teenagers when the Nazis stormed into Poland – the start of the darkest period of their lives. Although being transported to a Siberian labour camp was traumatic, it was the reason behind their survival. The family spent the war years enduring bitter hardships in Russia, facing hunger and deprivation, but being together somehow made it bearable. The horror of having one brother and 80 relatives exterminated by the Nazis made the siblings hang onto each other even more.
After the war, like most Holocaust survivors, the sisters started making up for lost time. While in a DP camp in Germany, my mother and her older sister got married just 10 days apart. They even wore the same wedding dress. The family joke was that there were cookies left over from Sally’s wedding, so my mother had to get married right afterwards. Naturally, they both got pregnant and had daughters just nine months apart (I am one of those daughters). The youngest sister married a year later and promptly had a child to provide me with another cousin. Sol married a few years later and produced four more musically talented cousins.
After the war, the family emigrated to Winnipeg, and of course lived walking distance from each other. As immigrants, the siblings and their spouses faced many challenges – finding work, learning English, and adapting to the Canadian way of life. But they were young and hard-working, and before long, they bought homes and cars. When my mother got her driver’s license, her sisters quickly followed. My mother gave up driving less than a year ago, and misses her car every day.
Years went by, the families grew, and still the siblings stuck together. Although they each had friends outside the family, their core friendships were with each other.
Having faced hunger during the war, food became one of life’s big pleasures, and not surprisingly the sisters all cooked the same wonderful dishes. As a testament to their culinary skills, my Auntie Ruthie (the comedian) starred in the pilot episode of a grandmother cooking show on television called “Loving Spoonfuls”. My aunt may be famous for making chicken soup and pierogies on TV, but her recipe is the same as her sisters’. Because they think and act alike (three bodies and one heart), if one said she was cooking borscht, blintzes or knishes, the others invariably would do the same.
In their 50s, the sisters ran a coffee shop inside the Jewish nursing home, serving delicious homemade soups, burgers and sandwiches to staff and visitors. No arguments about how to prepare the food, as they all share the same European recipes and love nothing better than feeding a crowd.
Another common denominator is their desire to have fun. Whether it be writing and performing skits and songs, dressing up in costumes, imitating quirky family member or celebrities, or telling off colour jokes, they make each other howl.
In their seventies, it became difficult for the sisters to remain in their homes. My parents moved to a condo first. A year later, the condo unit on my mother’s left became available and her younger sister bought it. Soon, the condo on her right was up for sale and – you guessed it – the older sister bought it. When my cousins and I came to visit from out of town, it was a moveable party as we went from apartment to apartment, (even in our pj’s) enjoying the company, cooking, and wisecracks.
In her eighties, my mother entered the digital world where she loves to check Facebook, send emails, surf the web, and check out YouTube (especially Yiddish cantorial music). She was the digital star until her younger sister got an iPad a few months later.
All three sisters are now widows, but because the trio is together, life is not lonely. Just last year they all sold their condos and moved into an assisted living retirement home. True to form, Ruth is trying to teach the chef how to make tasty pierogies.
Not only are the sisters’ similarities remarkable, they also have the ability to forgive and forget, to smooth things out when there’s an issue, and to lift each other’s moods when a dark cloud descends. Despite devastating personal losses – three of the four have lost an adult child, all the husbands have died, they lost a young brother, their home and relatives in Poland — their outlook remains remarkably positive. At 98, my mother says, “Hitler stole 10 years from me, so I am actually only 88”. Whether in defiance of Hitler or simply thanks to their unique circumstances, all the siblings are alive and kicking.
From my mother, aunts and uncle I have learned many life lessons — to treasure family, celebrate every milestone, cook excellent dishes, and forgive small transgressions. Because my aunts are so close to me, I feel privileged to have three “mothers” who never miss the opportunity to tell me they love me, but not before telling me the latest joke. I also have the privilege of an outstanding uncle who does daily workouts or swims, can fix anything, and uplifts a congregation with his prayer and song.
If I have their genes, I will be lucky indeed.
Features
Auschwitz Tours from Warsaw: Preserving Memory, Honoring History
Auschwitz is one of the most powerful symbols of the Holocaust and its lessons are as current as ever. As the world prepares for International Holocaust Day the need to remember and educate becomes even more urgent.
At Auschwitz Tours from Warsaw, our mission is to help you connect with this dark chapter in history. We offer guided tours to Auschwitz-Birkenau from Warsaw and Krakow so you can visit the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp where over a million innocent lives were taken.
Why Auschwitz Tours from Warsaw?
A visit to Auschwitz is an emotional experience and we want you to get the most out of it. Our guides will walk you through the historical context, tell you stories of those who suffered, resisted, and in some cases survived. With respect and sensitivity, we will share the history that can’t be forgotten.
We offer full day tours from both Warsaw and Krakow so you can visit Auschwitz whether you’re coming from Poland’s capital or its cultural hub. Our tours include comfortable round trip transportation so you can focus on the experience without worrying about the logistics.
Extra Educational Content
Apart from the day trips, Auschwitz Tours from Warsaw also provides a lot of educational content about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. Our website is a resource for learning with articles and materials about Auschwitz’s history, World War II, and the long-term impact of the Holocaust.
For those who can’t visit in person, these materials are a window into this dark period of human history so the lessons of the Holocaust are available to everyone.
Honoring the Past on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th is a global moment of remembrance. It’s a day to remember the 6 million Jews and millions of others murdered by the Nazis during World War II.
It’s not just about the victims of the Nazi regime but about learning from history so we never repeat the mistakes.
January 27th is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945, a day of unimaginable suffering but also of survival. The site itself is closed on this day for commemoration, but it’s a place of great importance for those who want to reflect on what happened here.
Although the gates are closed to visitors on January 26 and 27, it’s a day of personal reflection and remembrance for those who have passed away.
But on January 27th, a special area will be open for those who want to mark this solemn day on the grounds of the Memorial. This is a unique opportunity to reflect and remember in silence, on the very ground where so many lives were lost.
If you can’t visit Auschwitz today, International Holocaust Remembrance Day is still a chance to connect with the stories of survivors and victims. It’s a day to educate ourselves and others, not just about the past but about the present need to face hatred, intolerance, and anti-Semitism in all its forms.
If you’d like to learn more about our tours or explore our educational content, visit us at auschwitztoursfromwarsaw.com. Join us in remembering the past and keeping the message of “Never Again” alive.
Features
The Hurdles Facing Egyptian Intellectuals
By HENRY SREBRNIK In the twentieth century, many middle-class Egyptians adopted a cosmopolitan cultural style. They wanted to move the country toward a more liberal and secular state.
But they always came up against, and were unable to surmount, the strength of a very strong Islamic religious culture. In despair, some, despite their own preferences, ended up preferring autocracy to what they considered a backward and dangerous ideology.
In 1952, a revolution brought the Free Officers movement, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, to power. It seemed to have brought a secular quasi-socialist regime to power.
But the undercurrents of politicized religion, though banned by Nasser, did not disappear. The Muslim Brotherhood, which had been founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna and preached a fundamentalist Islamism guarded exclusively by the sharia, was outlawed. Its most prominent theoretician, Sayyid Ibrahim Qutb, was executed in 1966.
But secular movements fell from favour following Egypt’s defeat by Israel in 1967, and the country was transformed into an autocracy following Nasser’s death three years later. From 1981 until 2011, Egypt was ruled with an iron hand by Hosni Mubarak, until popular unrest forced him to step down during the Arab Spring.
Would this herald a new, democratic chapter in Egypt? Would free elections bring about a rebirth of secular politics? The answer was no.
Mubarak’s ouster cleared the way for the Muslim Brotherhood to participate openly in Egyptian politics, and to that end the group formed the Freedom and Justice Party. In April 2012 the party selected Mohamed Morsi to be its candidate in Egypt’s presidential election. Morsi defeated Ahmed Shafiq, a former prime minister under Mubarak, that June.
Morsi soon issued an edict declaring that his authority as president would not be subject to judicial oversight until a permanent constitution came into effect. Although he defended the edict as a necessary measure to protect Egypt’s transition to democracy, mass demonstrations were held against what many saw as a seizure of dictatorial powers.
Worsening economic conditions, deteriorating public services, and a string of sectarian incidents, including attacks on the country’s Coptic Christian minority, strengthened opposition to Morsi’s rule. Clashes between Morsi’s supporters and critics in late June 2013 culminated in massive anti-Morsi protests around the country.
On July 3 the military under the head of the Egyptian Armed Forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, removed Morsi from power. A figurehead president, Adly Mansour, was installed, but it was clear that Sisi, who retained the title of defence minister, wielded power.
Sisi claimed that the military had carried out the will of the Egyptian people, as expressed in the anti-Morsi protests, and that the Islamist-dominated administration led by Morsi had put the Muslim Brotherhood’s interests before those of the country.
A month later the Egyptian police and armed forces committed what Human Rights Watch deemed “one of the world’s largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history.”
Eleven years on, the murder of over 1,000 supporters of the deposed president, known as the Rabaa Massacre, has gone largely unpunished. The Muslim Brotherhood was formally outlawed that September and Morsi was jailed. Prison conditions were harsh, and he was denied adequate medical attention. He died in 2019.
Sisi officially left the military to run for president and was elected in a clearly fraudulent manner in May 2014. He has been re-elected twice since, in March 2018 and again in December 2023, when he was reported to have won with 89.6 per cent of the vote after several opposition figures were prevented from participating. Under his reign, Egypt has degenerated into a police state even more repressive than the 30-year dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak.
Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, Egypt’s pro-democracy and civil society movements jettisoned their long-standing commitments to human rights and the rule of law and enthusiastically supported the return of military rule.
One of those civil society leaders, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, was among Egypt’s most influential intellectual figures. He had spent his career insisting that democracy is the solution both to political authoritarianism and to the allures of religious fundamentalism in the Arab world.
Pushing back against the prevailing view that Islamist groups must be marginalized, he argued that they should be included in the democratic process. He even went so far as to advocate, in an article titled “Toward Muslim Democracies,” that “it will be better for us as democrats, for the Islamists, and for Egypt to enlist Islamists under the flag of democracy.”
He encouraged Egyptians to support this vision and put aside common fears about Islamist movements and had been arrested for his views under Mubarak. Yet even he abruptly became an apologist for authoritarian rule.
The “problem” was that the bulk of the Egyptian masses were unwilling to part with their religious traditions or wholly consign them to the realm of the private. Put another way, if most Egyptians were given the choice between being liberal or being Muslim, they would overwhelmingly select the latter.
Faced with that reality, these intellectuals forged authoritarian alliances to forcibly impose their worldview on an otherwise unwilling populace. When Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood were in actual control of the state rather than at its fringes, the liberal secularists chose authoritarian rule. This is the same tragedy found in most of the Arab world.
Henry Srebrnik is a professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Features
Tafsik: Canadian organization created in wake of October 7 has played leading role in combating anti-Israel hatred
By BERNIE BELLAN It was prior to an event featuring Col. John Spencer speaking here on September 11 that we first became of something called “Tafsik.” We had received an email from whatever Tafsik was, inviting us to attend the Spencer event, but there was absolutely no information contained within that email explaining what Tafsik was.
Then, at the actual event, there was the logo for Tafsik emblazoned on a screen overlooking the stage at the Berney Theatre where Spencer spoke. Granted, there were logos for other organizations as well, but the Tafsik logo was larger than any of the others.
We were intrigued by the notion that an organization about which we knew nothing had been involved in bringing a notable expert on urban warfare to our city – and who has established a fierce reputation as a defender of the Israel Defence Forces, so we contacted Adam Levy, Publlc Relations and Communications Director for the Jewish Federation, to ask him whether he knew anything about Tafsik?
Adam said he didn’t and referred us to the organization’s website.
When we sent an email to Tafsik directly, asking who was behind them and what they were all about, we received a rather generic reply containing information that was already available on its website, but which left us even more intrigued as to who was behind it:
“Tafsik organization emerged resolutely from the tragedy of October 7th, dedicated to combating Jew Hatred in Canada and beyond. By forging alliances with diverse communities—including Iranian, Indian, Christian, Yazidi, Venezuelan, and many other groups—Tafsik is uniting voices against Jew hatred on a global scale. The organization hosts significant events featuring prominent figures such as Douglas Murray, Gad Saad, Hillel Fuld, and Colonel John Spencer, to illuminate the challenges faced by Israel and the Jewish community worldwide. Additionally, Tafsik is leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to combat Jew Hate more effectively. As one of the fastest-growing grassroots organizations in Canada, Tafsik is committed to fostering understanding and solidarity in the fight against hatred.”
Then, on September 30, we received yet another email from Tafsik, this time advertising the upcoming appearance in Winnipeg (on October 22) of well-known Columbia professor Shai Davidai.
If you don’t know who Shai Davidai is, he came to prominence soon after October 7 last year when Columbia University in New York City became a hotbed of antisemitism, where Jewish students and professors alike were being intimidated into silence – and fear for their physical safety, by fiercely antisemitic mobs that were being allowed to run rampant on that university’s campus.
A Youtube video appeared of Davidai speaking to Jewish students at Columbia, in which he spoke quite emotionally about how “unsafe” he felt at Columbia – and it quickly went viral. (You can watch that video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPVe2CsBqmM or simply by entering “Shai Davidai” in the Youtube search bar.)
So – two well-known speakers – John Spencer and Shai Davidai, both sponsored by an organization called Tafsik – about which we still knew very little. We were determined to find out who was behind Tafsik. We sent yet another email to the organization, but this time we were rewarded with a very expansive reply – this time from the organization’s founder directly, someone by the name of Amir Epstein.
Here is what Epstein wrote to us, in response to our suggestion that the original email we had received from Tafsik explaining what the organization wall all about was rather generic in its content:
“I apologize for the ‘generic’ explanation as to what Tafsik Organization is all about and our accomplishments. I hope my overview below satisfies any curiosity and questions you may have. I’m always happy to answer any specific questions I didn’t touch on.
“I cofounded Tafsik Organization after October 7th in response to the complicity I witnessed in the communities I have dedicated my life to defending. Suddenly, our community found itself isolated. I recognized that the rise of antisemitism in Canada had eroded our institutions, such as our universities, school boards, unions, media, and politics, all leading to a troubling apathy toward the horrific attacks on our people in Israel.
“As a law graduate who briefly worked in criminal law and previously owned a successful tech company in the food and beverage industry, I felt compelled to take action. I realized our community faced a serious existential threat. I approached my tech colleague, Bryan Lipovetsky, who had built my companies framework and website, and together we launched Tafsik Organization. Initially, we acted quickly, driven by a desperate need to help, although we were still defining our purpose and how best to combat the overwhelming hate directed at Canadian Jews.
“Our focus became twofold: building alliances and leveraging technology to combat antisemitism. In February, we launched TECAH (The Emergency Coalition Against Hate) alongside the remarkable Douglas Murray in Toronto, quickly becoming Canada’s fastest-growing grassroots ally-building organization. We have formed strong connections with the Indian and Iranian communities, commemorating significant events such as the anniversary of the Air India bombing, the murder of Mahsa Amini, and the genocide in Bangladesh. We have also engaged with various communities, including Venezuelan, Afghan, Arab, Chinese, and Black communities, and are working closely with Sheikh Mirza Ismail on reunifying Yazidi families still in refugee camps in northern Iraq with their relatives in Canada.
“Additionally, we have built meaningful relationships with leaders in politics, including some of the top politicians in our country. We understand the critical role their government positions play in protecting our community.
“We have hosted numerous sold-out events featuring prominent speakers like Douglas Murray, Gad Saad, Hillel Fuld, and Colonel John Spencer, with an upcoming event featuring Shai Davidai. These events aim to present the truth to diverse communities within our city.
“On the technology front, we are actively seeking funding to develop AI software capable of identifying individuals and accounts online that glorify terrorism. This technology will assess account histories, such as comments, likes, and posts, to evaluate potential radicalization and threats. Our goal is not commercialization but to provide law enforcement with tools to prevent real danger and violence against our community and others.
“In response to the overwhelming amount of antisemitic graffiti in Toronto, we are developing a new app called ‘Graffiti Watch’ that will map instances of hate speech in public spaces, empowering our community to take action against it. Graffiti Watch will be free to download.
“While our primary focus is on ally building and technology initiatives, we occasionally respond to urgent needs outside these pillars. For instance, this past June, we received a request via WhatsApp to help children from Kibbutz Kfar Szold, who were under missile attack from Hezbollah. When a major organization in Toronto declined to support this initiative, we launched a GoFundMe campaign and successfully raised more than we needed. As a result, we flew 15 children to Canada, where they attended Camp Northland and enjoyed a week of fun activities, including visits to Canada’s Wonderland, Niagara Falls, Ripley’s Aquarium, and a shopping spree. We also organizers a big dance party for the children, fostering new friendships with children from our community. Again, all free of charge. We are not a business. We are a non profit, and soon to be charity. Everything we have done has been self funded by me and a little money from donations, with exception to the Israeli kids who we brought with donations.
“This past year has been incredibly successful, exceeding our expectations. We now have just under 10,000 subscribers on our mailing list and a growing social media presence, including followers like Douglas Murray, Aviva Klompas, The Imam of Peace, Eylon Levy, and Colonel John Spencer to name just a few. These leaders recognize us as a driving force in Canada, dedicated to protecting our community and helping those in need.
“I hope this clarifies who we are as an organization and what we aspire to do.”
We thanked Amir Epstein for his quite expansive explanation, not only about how Tafsik came about, but who he is. We asked whether he’d be willing to send us a photo of himself and he readily agreed.
By the way, we’re not sure if there are still tickets available for Shai Davidai’s appearance here on October 22, but if you’re interested in attending you could try this link: www.tafsik.com/shai-winnipeg
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