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The River – an excerpt from a new novel by former Winnipegger Zev Coehn
Introduction: The following story is an excerpt from a longer story in Zev Cohen’s new novel titled “Are You Still Alive?”
As Zev wrote to us recently, “this is Chapter One of my novel, “Are You Still Alive?” It is partially based on events recounted to me by my late father Moshe. The story, beyond being one of the countless tales of Jewish survival against all odds during the Holocaust, is also an allegory for the indomitable human spirit intertwined with Rabbi Akiva’s maxim ‘V’havta l’raecha kamocha’. I hope to have the complete novel published soon.
Zev’s writing has appeared several times in the past in this paper. His collection of short stories, titled “Twilight in Saigon,” was published in 2021.
Born in Israel, Zev lived in Winnipeg until he was 17, when he returned to Israel with his parents. He now spends half the year in Israel and half the year in Calgary, where his two sons live.
Chumak leads the way towards the river in the dark. I had walked the route from his hut to the riverbank in daylight a few times and am confident I know the path down to the water and back. This time, though, I intend to cross to the other side under cover of darkness. Chumak, who came up with the idea, eagerly insists on guiding me so, he says, I don’t get lost. He claims he can find his way blindfolded. I think he believes that if this works, he might soon be rid of us, although he hasn’t said anything openly about it. To be fair, my suspicion just might be a projection of my own pressing desire to escape on to Chumak, whom I trust implicitly.
This summer has been uncommonly wet, and tonight the clouds are scudding low, hiding the moon and stars and making it difficult for others to spot us. At first, the only sounds are those of our movement through the brush and the occasional whoosh of passing nightbirds. The path is not overly challenging, and my labored breathing and rapidly beating heart stem more from fear than physical effort. Though I’m soaked to the skin by the constant drizzle, it is a minor irritation in the face of what I expect lies ahead. The sudden rattle of machine-gun fire causes us to instinctively fall flat on the ground, but luckily it isn’t close by, and we move forward a moment later. Distant flickers of lightning and muffled thunder are the backdrops as I blunder through the undergrowth and futilely attempt to avoid trees. Banging my knee against a tree trunk while trying to keep up with Chumak, I stifle a cry of pain, and then suddenly, I slip and slide down the muddy embankment, unable to get any traction. He grabs me before I plunge headfirst into the river.
“Quiet, you’ll get us caught,” he whispers as he holds my arm in his vicelike grip. “There are German and Romanian patrols on both sides of the river. Be more careful, or you will end up dead before you begin.”
The slope ends at the lapping water’s edge, but the river is barely visible in the blackness. A dog begins to bark incessantly on the other side. Has it picked up our scent even before I start to swim? I have no choice but to take my chances. Along the opposite bank downriver, dim points of light seem to be moving—smugglers perhaps or night fishermen. It’s hard to estimate how far away they are. I hope the current doesn’t drag me to them, but there is no going back. At least, for now, no searchlights are combing this particular area. Chumak seems to have picked the right spot.
Lightning flashes again, stronger this time, and in that instant, I realize how far it is to the other side across the rippling current. My swimming experience is limited to a small, calm pond near home, where my brother taught me some strokes. The wide, flowing river looks ominous, but I’ve made it this far, and I can’t give up now. And Chumak urges me on. I’m already knee-deep in the water, shivering, but not because the water is especially frigid.
“You can do it,” he encourages me. “The current isn’t so strong at this time of year. You must do it. It’s your only hope. Go!”
I stop for a moment and turn to him. “If anything happens…if I don’t make it back, help Ella and Sophie, please. They have no one else.” I don’t want to sound as if I’m pleading, but I am.
“Go, nothing will happen. You’re going to save them and yourself,” he says. “It’s the only way. I will wait here till you reach the other side and when you get there, clap some stones together three times to let me know you are safely there. The sound carries far at night. I’ll hear it, and I’ll tell Pani Ella that you made it.” Amid everything, I notice that this is the first time he calls Ella by her name.
I move slowly into the deeper water. At first, it’s easy; the water is up to my chest, but my feet still touch the soft muddy bottom. Then, without warning, it drops away, and I’m flailing and swallowing water. Finally, I calm down, gain control, and begin to swim. The current takes hold and starts pushing me downriver. Sputtering, I force myself to fight the rising panic and use my arms and kick with my legs in a crawl that will hopefully propel me towards the unseen shoreline. It’s working, and I’m not drowning, but I’m weakening rapidly. The combination of sickness I haven’t completely recovered from since the camp and general malnutrition has sapped me of strength. My clothes are waterlogged and drag me down. This can’t continue much longer. How idiotic would it be, I think, if I drowned now before beginning my mission? Rolling over on my back, I take the pig’s bladder that Chumak wrapped the note in from my pocket, and holding it tight, I squirm out of my pants to lighten the load. I let the current carry me and turn on my back to stroke and move gradually in the riverbank direction. It is less exhausting this way.
I’ve lost any notion of time as I float on my back and see nothing but the overcast sky. Has it been minutes? An hour? I fear trying to stand. If it’s still deep, I might sink and not be able to come back up. At least the rain has stopped. Some clouds have dispersed, and I can see stars in the black sky. Then I hear it. A baying sound getting closer. Maybe a dog? Then barking. Yes, a dog. Thankfully I must be near the shore. My feet hit bottom. I totter through the shallow water and, in the faint moonlight, survey a pebbly beach fronting the tree line. There is no sign of the huts nor of the large two-story house Chumak had pointed out some days earlier opposite my point of departure.
The house, he told me, belonged to a certain Nicolescu, a wealthy Romanian and well-known smuggler before the war. Chumak suggested that my woman, as he called Ella, write a letter to Nicolescu in Romanian asking for his help crossing the river. I imagined that he would get the letter to the Romanian or at least knew someone who could do it, so it took me by surprise when he said, “You will bring the letter to him, and he will make the arrangements.”
It seemed like a far-fetched idea. Beyond the problem of my crossing the river, in itself seemingly suicidal, why, I asked, would any Romanian, not to mention a wealthy smuggler, have anything to do with helping Jews? This is probably a punishable offense in Romania and meant certain death in German-occupied Poland. Only gypsies were desperate enough to offer their services. Even if Nicolescu was willing to help me, I had no money to pay him.
Moreover, those who did pay were often betrayed and delivered to the authorities on one or the other side. There was no guarantee of success, and many lost their lives in the attempt. A few days earlier, I saw a clump of corpses roped to each other floating down the river. I didn’t consider my death an issue anymore, but I was afraid of exposing Ella and the child to the risks involved. I told Chumak to forget it. I couldn’t do it.
“What choice do you have?” Chumak pressed. “Don’t be a fool. You, the woman, and the child definitely won’t survive on this side of the river, and you will stand a better chance over there, as far away as you can get from the Germans.”
His understanding of the situation is correct. The local peasants were handing Jews over for some butter or sugar and an opportunity to steal their belongings. They say a drowning man will grasp at a razor blade to save himself, so I agree.
“Even if I manage to make it across, how will I convince him? I have no money.”
Chumak was skeptical about my claim of penury. This wasn’t out of spite that he had thought through but rather an inherited bias. He was of the age-old school that believed Jews always had hidden treasure somewhere. He was convinced that if I couldn’t offer cash immediately, Nicolescu would accept a promise of future payment from a “high-class” Jew like me. To me, this appeared to be just wishful thinking since Chumak admitted never having actually done business with this Romanian smuggler, who was out of his league.
Chumak remained adamant, and his confident tone was hard to resist. “Tell your woman to write that she comes from an important, prosperous family in Romania that will pay him generously for his efforts. Give him a written guarantee.”
Before I could change my mind, he produced a slightly greasy lined sheet of paper from a child’s copybook and a blunt pencil stub. I took it to our hideout in the nearby forest, where I cajoled Ella, who also thought the plan was absurd and not doable, into writing the requisite supplication and promise of reward.
Standing on the flat terrain on this side of the river, I realize that the current took me downstream, and I need to walk back to the Nicolescu house. I’m not sure how far it is, but at least I can see where I’m going in the moonlight. I find some stones and strike them together three times, as I promised Chumak, hoping that he hears me, and goes back to report to Ella. Not expecting a response, I walk close to the tree line, off the riverbank pathway used by locals and military patrols. When a searchlight sweeps the river from the Polish side, I scamper into the trees, waiting, breathing hard, and picking up a dead branch for self-defense. Going forward, I detour through the woods to avoid a small group of men sitting by the embers of a fire smoking and passing around a bottle. Hunters or fishermen, I believe.
The house lies ahead through the gate of a stone-walled enclosure. No light escapes from the windows. Nearby in the compound, there are two thatched-roof peasant huts, weak light emanating from one of the windows, and a barn where a horse nickers. I stop to consider which building would be best to approach, and then, as I take a step closer, the dogs come at me, snarling. I fend them off with the branch, hitting one of them in the head. It runs off whimpering while the others keep their distance, growling, and barking. I’m done for. They are going to wake everyone. I retreat into the adjacent cornfield, crouching there cold, miserable, and afraid, as a woman appears holding a lantern outside one of the huts. She calls off the dogs and shoos them into the barn. As she locks the barn door, she stares into the darkness in my direction before going to draw water from a well in the yard and returning to the hut.
I can’t stay here much longer as indecision eats away at my remaining determination. It’s time to make a move, either forward to Nicolescu, whatever the risk and chances of success, or back across the river in abject failure. I run to the hut showing light and knock hesitantly. The dogs continue barking hysterically in the barn. Nothing happens, and I try again more decisively.
“Who’s there,” asks a muffled woman’s voice in Ukrainian.
“It’s me,” I reply. What else could I say?
She opens the door a crack. People must be accustomed to seeing strange sights around here because she doesn’t slam the door in the face of the wet, disheveled, half-naked specter that stands before her.
“What do you want? Who are you looking for?” the woman asks as if I was routinely passing by.
“I have an important letter for Mr. Nicolescu. He needs to see it,” I say, also in Ukrainian.
She invites me into the hut. Alone in the single, earthen floor room, she wears widow’s black. Wrinkeled but unbent, her age is indeterminate. Most of the space in the room is taken up by a traditional wooden loom, while a large blackened icon of the Savior hangs above a stove. I rarely devoted attention to Christian symbols, having never, so far, entered a church and always hurrying by the ubiquitous roadside shrines in our vicinity with eyes averted. The narrative of Christianity and Christians as moral and physical threats was, since time immemorial part of our Jewish psyche, but I have no direct personal experience of it. Even the murder of my father by Jew-hating thugs, which undoubtedly weighed heavily on my perception of the people who surrounded us, didn’t feel like a religious issue. Now though, as I stand here shivering, Jesus on the cross seems to be observing me ominously. But, immediately, my attention is drawn away to a piece of bread on a side table, and without invitation, I grab it and chew hungrily. The woman sees that I am exhausted and soaked and tells me to sit and rest. She brings me a blanket and pours a cup of water, watching silently as I continue chewing the bread thoroughly.
When I finish, she says, “You are from over there. You’re a Jew.” It’s not posed as a question, and she clearly knows why I have come. I’m not the first desperate Jew who has shown up on her doorstep. To my relief, she doesn’t take long to make her decision. “I will take you to Mr. Nicolescu’s mother. She lives in the other hut. Maybe she will help you.”
“Thank you.” I’m wary of digging too deeply into the subject for fear of treading on sensitive toes, but I’m also anxious to find out what has happened on this side of the river and know what to expect if Ella and Sophie are to cross with me later. “Are there any Jews left around here?” I ask warily. “What about the Jews in the city?”
“They got rid of all our Jews,” she replies in a matter-of-fact tone. “They say the devil came for them. You need to watch out.”
“Come,” she beckons. “We should go to Nicolescu’s mother before anyone else sees you here. People won’t hesitate to give you up.” I follow her to the neighboring hut, where a tall, old woman approaches us. “Who is that with you, Bohuslava?” she calls out in Romanian. “Beware of robbers. I’ll get a stick and run him off.”
Bohuslava walks over to her. “Shh, be quiet,” she says in Ukrainian. “Stop fussing. He means no harm and just wants to show you something. “Come here quickly,” she gestures to me.
Grey-haired, slightly stooped, with one eye clouded by a cataract, she must be in her seventies but looks far from frail. She takes my hand with a firm grip. “Let’s go inside,” she says.
She lights a kerosene lamp. This is a much bigger and well-appointed abode with an ornate porcelain stove dominating the room and a dining table covered in a hand-embroidered red and white tablecloth. Adjacent to the stove stands a single bed occupied by a young woman sleeping, oblivious to us.
“Bohuslava, you may go,” the Romanian says. “Just keep your mouth shut, or it won’t be long before everybody is aware that you take in Jewish strays. We don’t need that kind of trouble.”
“What will I say?” answers the other woman on her way out. “That you have a new lover and a Jewish one at that,” she cackles.
“Sit,” the tall woman says, pointing to a chair beside the table. Like most Romanians living on the border, she is fluent in Ukrainian, while my Romanian is rudimentary at best. “Show me what you brought,” she asks. I remove it from the pig’s bladder and hand the grotty piece of paper to her. She dons reading glasses and concentrates on the message.
“Good Romanian,” is her first reaction. “Who wrote it? It couldn’t be you.”
“My wife,” I say tersely.
“Is she from around here?”
“She is from the city,” I reply. “Actually, we’re together but not officially married. She has a small child, her daughter, with her. They were forced across the river with others a few months ago, and we are trying to get back to the city to join relatives who might still be there. The situation on the other side of the river is deadly.”
“Yes, I know. It’s not really safe here, either. If you’re caught, they will send you back there without a second thought. Don’t expect much pity here because nobody wants to get in trouble for hiding Jews from the authorities.”
Not wanting to get into a discussion on motivations. I prefer to get to the point. “I was told that your son, Domnul Nicolescu, has experience getting people across the river. If your son could help us, we will take our chances. It’s preferable to certain death over there.”
“I can’t speak for him,” she says. “He is a good man, but I doubt, though, that he would be willing to take such a great risk. He was never involved in the smuggling of people across the border. It’s a bad business. For him, it has always been cigarettes and other contraband.”
I am surprised, honestly, that she speaks so openly of her son’s activities to a stranger… especially to one with a price on his head. Though she doesn’t hold out hope, her demeanor and attitude give me a sliver of confidence. “You should get some rest,” she suggests, “and I will take you to him in the morning.”
“What is your name?” I ask.
“Margareta. And yours?”
“I am Emil. Thank you, Doamna Margareta, for your kindness. I hope your son takes after you.”
She wakes the girl rudely and pushes her into the other room. “Here, take this bed. The servant girl can sleep in my room. I will leave some dry clothes for you and wake you when we need to go.”
“Thank you again. Good night.” I kiss her hand.
“Good night, Domnule Emil. Sleep well.”
I feel exhausted and drained, and my shriveled muscles ache from the unaccustomed effort of swimming across the water, but sleep remains elusive. It’s not the discomfort of the thin, lumpy mattress and the scratchy wool blanket that still hold the sour odor of their previous user, nor is it the constant, sometimes frantic, barking of dogs outside that keep rest at bay. By now, I’m also habituated to grasping moments of sleep in more dire circumstances, whether in the camp barracks or on the cold forest floor. Tonight I’m kept wide awake by the train of thoughts and questions running in a relentless loop through my mind. Are Ella and Sophie safe on the other side, alone with the Chumaks? Will Nicolescu agree to help without payment in advance? Will we be betrayed by the smuggler as so many have been before us? What lies in store for us on this side without any means for survival at our disposal? Should we hide in the countryside here or take the risk of heading for the city? I try to block out the most subversive, monstrous, cowardly, and tempting considerations, but they are there. The palpable fear of swimming back across the river toward the near certainty of death, tries to convince me that I’m now safer and that on my own, I stand a better chance of hiding and surviving. Yes, I would be abandoning Ella and Sophie, but by going back, I would only join them in being captured and killed. They would be safer staying with the Chumaks, who certainly would take pity and continue to conceal and support a defenseless woman and child. Or maybe I could remain here and just send the smuggler for them. I want to scream. I will go back.
The sun is up when Margareta nudges me awake and offers me a mug of hot tea while waiting as I put on the clothes she brought. They belong to a larger man, but they will have to do. I walk with her to the door of the house. A few people, already out and about, are on their way to work in the fields, some leading cattle and a flock of sheep. The men doff their hats and greet her, paying no attention to me.
Margareta instructs me to wait outside and enters without knocking. I hear raised voices inside. “Have you lost your mind? Why did you bring him here? Do you want to get us arrested? Send him away!” A few moments later, Margareta reappears with another woman, a pale ash blonde of about forty, holding a cigarette in her long elegant fingers with a worried look on her face — definitely not of the farming class. The woman scans the yard nervously.
“My mother-in-law told me what you want. I am sorry, but Mr. Nicolescu doesn’t do this business. We cannot do anything for you.” Her voice trembles and she is obviously terrified. “Anyway, he is not here. He is in the city, and I don’t know when he will be back. You must go. It’s dangerous here, and you will get us into trouble. Please go now.” She starts to retreat into the house.
I can’t hold her against her will, and if Nicolescu is indeed away, there is nothing more to be gained here. “Thank you, Doamna Nicolescu,” I say in Romanian and press my luck. “I will go, but could you kindly give me some bread?”
She goes inside and is soon back with half of a large loaf. I once again kiss her well-manicured hand and turn to leave.
“Mr. Emil,” says Margareta, “You should not wander around here in daylight. It’s dangerous to stay out in the open. Why don’t you hide in the barn till dark? It will be safer that way.”
“Again, you are so kind, Madame, but I must return to my family. It has been too long already. They are alone and will worry that something bad has happened to me. I will be as careful as I can.”
“Very well, if you must, but follow me.” She leads me into the forest on a narrow footpath that is a roundabout way down to the water’s edge. “Eat the bread, you need the strength, and it will be ruined in the water,” she says. I need no more encouragement as I almost choke, devouring it. She turns to leave. “Be careful, Emil, and good luck to you. I will talk to Nicolescu when he returns. Maybe he will agree to help. He has more conscience than that frightened ornament he calls his wife. How can he find you?”
“There is a peasant named Chumak. He knows where we are,” I tell her.
“Yes, Chumak. I know him. He also used to smuggle cigarettes before the war.”
“Thank you, Madame. I will remember your generosity.” She is gone.
I sit brooding among the trees looking at the river as the sun glints off the streaming water and listening to cheerful birds chirping. I can’t help but ponder the difference between the elderly women, Bohuslava and Margareta, and the wife of Nicolescu. I’m not surprised by the younger woman’s reaction. It is one version, slightly less brusque, of the general refusal to help Jews. But, all other considerations aside, who can blame people for fearing the fatal punishments meted out by the Germans and their Ukrainian lackeys to so-called Jew-lovers? Would I behave any differently in their shoes? I am more impressed, not to say astonished, by those candles in the darkness, people who have everything to lose, yet whose basic humanity causes them to stretch out their hands to support their fellow men and women. That rough peasant Chumak, whose whole universe is his tiny homestead next to an unknown village on the banks of the river, heads my list of the righteous. Now I add Bohuslava and Margareta to it. The existence of such people, beyond their contribution to our physical safety, keeps alive my essential positivity toward humankind and allows me to still retain some belief in our survival.
What next, I ask myself? I achieved nothing and have no other plan in reserve. Swimming back in broad daylight now seems suicidal. Maybe drowning is a good option? But that means abandoning Ella and the child, and I have already decided this is not an option. Bring back yesterday’s rain, I pray. I pray, though my belief in the idea of an Almighty, never cast-iron, has been dramatically undermined by the past year’s events. Then the wind picks up, and the miracle unfolds. Dark clouds scud across the sky, and the first drops wet my face, replacing the tears. In moments the downpour becomes torrential. I tie the new clothes around my neck and dive into the river, feeling more energetic on my way back. The current is slow enough for me to gradually dog-paddle most of the way across and finish with a few crawl strokes.
I’m carried only about a half-kilometer downstream, and elation replaces caution as I drag myself onto the riverbank and start walking. Climbing up the steep slope, Chumak’s hut is soon ahead, but when I approach and enter it, nobody is there. I look for Ella and Sophie, but the barn is empty too, and figuring that Chumak is probably out working in the field, I continue upwards into the forest towards our erstwhile hiding place. Ella and Sophie are supposed to wait there for me in case of trouble. I call out not to surprise them but there is no reply. I run to the hideout. They are gone.
Features
Embracing your femininity in Tishrei
By ELENA KNIGHT Rosh Chodesh Sameach! This month, Tishrei, is a time of beginnings; we observe Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, we celebrate humanity’s creation, and we celebrate the seventh month since the Exodus from Egypt with shofar and festivities.
Though all Jewish people celebrate the head of the month, traditionally, women are rewarded for not participating in the sin of the Golden Calf, and many women take the day to honour the Shechinah, the feminine mystical aspect of the divine. Literally meaning “dwelling,” the Shechinah relates to G-d’s close and relational presence amongst people, such as in the Temple. In Kabbalah, since the word is grammatically feminine, the Shechinah is seen as the feminine aspect of G-d, representing a nurturing, compassionate presence, an almost motherly form of the divine. But how can we honour the Shechinah specific to Tishrei?
Rosh Hashanah provides a straightforward answer: New Year’s resolutions. A tradition observed across the globe, by people of all traditions and faiths, we can apply the idea to our New Year, and think of ways to improve in the year 5787. Make a resolution to join a women’s group at your synagogue or JCC, support woman-owned businesses (the SHE-Canada directory can help you find them!), read up on feminist theory or history, or mentor a young girl in your community. And, like traditional resolutions, don’t kick yourself if you slip up!
While we listen to the shofar, recall that its sound awakens the soul, mystically preparing us all for the Shechinah’s manifest presence on Yom Kippur, when it comes to earth to bring realignment and forgiveness.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, also offers a way to embrace your feminine side. On this day, we are prohibited from all work, and physical pleasures; though it may sound counter-intuitive, this is the perfect day to be aware of your womanhood in its most natural state. No adornments, no makeup, no perfume, no fancy shoes, no gold jewelry. This is a day when we can see who we are without the extras, as G-d made us, and be aware of the beauty in our creation as is. Also, for any women who are pregnant, nursing, or otherwise exempt from the holiday restrictions, isn’t it amazing to know that our Creator values our health over all?
Sukkot offers a time to appreciate the bounty that G-d has provided over the past year, but what I want to call attention to is the Four Kinds. The etrog has both taste and aroma, the lulav’s fruit, the date, has taste but no aroma, the hadas has aroma but no taste, and the aravah has no taste nor aroma; at some point in our life, and likely at some point in the month, we are all like one of the Four Kinds. The Midrash drew a comparison between taste and Torah learning and between aroma and good deeds. Sometimes, we have etrog moments, when we have a perfect balance between learning and doing, we are in harmony. Sometimes, we have lulav moments, when we prioritize learning over worldly involvement. Sometimes, we have hadas moments, when we prioritize action over enlightenment. And sometimes, we have aravah moments, when we have no energy for learning nor doing. All of these are necessary for living, and during the month of Tishrei, we can appreciate each of these moments. As we sit in our Sukkah, we are wrapped in the wings of the Shechinah, and experiencing its divine protection as we celebrate the Festival of Ingathering.
Shemini Atzeret begins our prayers for rain, and here’s where I get a little extra mystical. Rain is connected to femininity through its association with the womb of creation, fertility, and gentle power which renews life. In Genesis, G-d creates the world from a formless void, using language which conveys ideas of a cosmic womb, a life-generating space which G-d filled with his purpose to design our world. As humanity was created in G-d’s image, the womb metaphor is solidified. As rain comes, it revives the earth, making it fertile, restoring the feminine principles of creativity, emotional depth, and spiritual renewal in the very land we walk on. Rain comes most often as a gentle power, one which arrives calmly, sustaining all life.
Simchat Torah is the time when we celebrate finishing the annual cycle of reading the entire Torah and beginning again. Here, we are brought back to Rosh Hashanah and its new beginnings, with an added layer of holiness and celebration. On this day, it is tradition to dance and revel in the joy of our peoplehood, our identity, our Jewishness, and, let’s add, our femininity. G-d has given us a remarkable gift by making us women. While we revel in the holiness of Torah, let us also revel in the holiness of womanhood.
Features
The tragedy of Clara Haber
By DAVID TOPPER This story of the sad and short life of a remarkable woman, Clara Haber, should be better known. I hope this essay is a step in that direction. Her legacy deserves it.
She was born Clara Helene Immerwahr on June 21, 1870 to two Jewish parents. Interestingly, the German surname breaks down into: immer (always, forever, still) and wahr (true, real, right). Take your pick. I like: Still real.
Being smart and hardworking, she was the first woman to obtain a doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Breslau, part of Germany at the time (today it’s in Poland). This was in 1900. Several years before that, she had converted to Christianity. A year later, 1901, she married Fritz Haber, who also had a doctorate in Chemistry. (He was from Breslau too; they met at a dance.) He was two years older than her, and he also had converted to Christianity, in the early 1890s.
This act of conversion – starting in the early 19th century, when, on the heels of the French Revolution, Jews came out of their ghettos – was more common among European Jews than you might think. There were about 2000 conversions per year throughout the century. Some famous ones are: the poet Heine, the mathematician Kronecker, and the composers Mendelssohn and Mahler. In most cases it was the only road to prestigious appointments, otherwise restricted to Christians.
On June 1, 1902 Clara gave birth to what would be their only child, Hermann. The job of raising Hermann was given to her, Fritz being too busy with his important work in his Chemistry Lab – thus ignoring her work in Chemistry. He put in 18-hour workdays, barely leaving time for dinner (if he ate at home) and some sleep. Plus, Hermann was a sickly child, and hence Clara spent all her time raising him – without Fritz. In letters she spoke of her unhappiness in the marriage: especially “Fritz’s oppressive way of putting himself first in our home and marriage, so that a less ruthlessly self-assertive personality was simply destroyed.” These are harsh and powerful words, expressing her extreme disillusionment and frustration with her married life. Yet it was true; her potentially successful career in Chemistry was dead. She never accomplished anything after her degree. The family and household took all her time and energy.
What, therefore, was this important work that kept Fritz busy and out of the home? He was the Director of the Institute for Chemistry in Berlin. His first major discovery was synthesizing ammonia from nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas, which revolutionized the production of fertilizer. The result was higher yields in agriculture throughout Europe and eventually the world. (Even today, it’s been estimated that food produced from this process supports almost half of the world’s population.) For this Haber was seen as a hero, alleviating otherwise mass starvation. In 1918 he got the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work.
But there was a flipside to all this: the fertilizer could also be used to make explosives. This too Fritz explored, especially with the start of the First World War in August 1914. Out of this work came poison gases, and thus the creation of chemical warfare.
Fritz was a staunch German patriot and nationalist, supporting the War from the beginning. For example, he signed the “Manifesto of the Ninety-Three,” with other German intellectuals in support of the War. (Incidentally, Albert Einstein, who was living in Berlin at this time – they were good friends – refused to sign the document.)
Fritz not only worked in the lab producing the chemical, he was also involved in supervising their deployment on the war front. Thus, he was in Ypres (near Flanders), Belgium on April 22, 1915. As one historian has drolly put it: “The small Belgium city of Ypres is to chemistry what Hiroshima is to physics.” Indeed, this was the first use of chemical weapons in military history. They released around 170 tons of poison gas across a 4-mile front. There were an estimated 800- 1400 immediate deaths among the French and Algerian troops. Fritz left before the battle was over. During the entire so-called Second Battle of Ypres, from April 22 to May 25 – there were over 67,000 casualties among the French, Canadian, and British troops.
(As an aside: this battle was commemorated by John McCrae, who wrote “In Flanders Fields,” a poem recited every Remembrance Day here in Canada.)
Leaving Belgium, and after a brief stay at home, Haber immediately went to the Eastern Front to oversee gas released against the Russian Army. For all this work, he was given the rank of Captain by the Kaiser.
Meanwhile, Clara, usually alone, was raising Hermann, and taking care of the household, not having time to explore all the chemistry she would like to do. In letters she says that her husband’s work with poison gases is a “perversion of the ideals of science” and “a sign of barbarity, corrupting the very discipline which ought to bring new insights into life.” She also witnessed the accidental death of a former classmate, who was in Fritz’s lab working with these chemicals. To make matters worse, she was hearing rumours of Fritz’s involvement with other women. (Humm, it seems he found time for that!)
When Fritz returned home from Belgium (I don’t know the exact date), and before he left for Russia on May 3rd, there was a celebration at their home on the success of the gas attack. There are reports of arguments between Fritz and Clara, but we don’t know the details. What we do know, as a fact, is this. On the following morning, May 2, 1915, Clara took Fritz’s military pistol and walked into their garden. She shot into the air (presumably to test the gun) and then, pointing it into her chest – she pulled the trigger. Hermann heard the shots, ran into the garden – and his mother died in his arms. The following morning, Fritz left for Russia, to supervise the gas attack on the Eastern Front.
At this point in my story, Clara is gone. But there’s more to tell, and – if she knew the rest – I’m sure she would want the reader to know it too. Especially this.
During the final weeks of the First World War, on the Western Front, the Allies now launched a series of gas attacks in the district of Ypres on the Germans. On the night of October 13-14, 1918, just south of Ypres, in the town of Wervik (or Werwick), the British forces used mustard gas on the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. One German corporal serving as a messenger in the army was caught in the attack, and was partially blinded. He was able to stagger to safety and eventually was taken to a military hospital in Germany to recover. We know about this because he wrote about it in his 1925 book, Mein Kampf. Adolph Hitler recalled: “I stumbled and tottered back with burning eyes…. [M]y eyes were turned into glowing coals; it had grown dark around me.” He was still in hospital at the end of the War on November 11, 1918, at the signing of the Armistice with Germany’s surrender. While lying blinded, he says he had a vision to enter politics to “save” Germany. How much this is true and how much perhaps psychosomatic, due to the shock of the mustard gas – or just plain hyperbole – we will never know. But it led to his myth of Germany’s “stab in the back” – and all that followed with the rise of the Nazi Party.
In 1933, when the Party took over the country, Fritz was still alive. During the 1920s he had a staff at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute developing more gases, such as the cyanide gas formulation, Zyklon A, which was used as an insecticide to spray on plants. In the spring of 1933, with the passing of Hitler’s law of removing all Jews in professional jobs throughout the country, Fritz was stunned. But it was worse. Fritz not only lost his job: but all his awarded metals, his many accolades, the staunch patriotism and nationalism, his service to the country, even the conversion to Christianity – it all came to naught, since he was a Jew by birth. Thus: his legacy was completely erased from all records, in all German history – as if he never had even existed.
And so, in August, he left the country. He first went to Paris, then to Spain, England, and finally Switzerland. He even took a brief trip to Palestine, where he bequeathed his private Library to the nascent Weizmann Institute, and was offered a position there. He accepted it, but never fulfilled it. He died of severe coronary sclerosis in Basel, on January 29, 1934 at the age of 65.
A major outcome of the Nazification of Germany, as we know, was World War Two. And with that – the Holocaust. Both Clara and Fritz died before all that; but not members of their families.
Most of Clara’s families were assimilated Jewish professionals and intellectuals, which was no buffer to the Nazi plague. Most of the Immerwahrs died in Auschwitz or Theresienstadt. Only a few had fled to France and then the USA. None was in Germany in post-1945.
As for Fritz’s family, he had a younger half-sister, Frieda. She fled to Jerusalem and survived the war. But her children and grandchildren all died in Auschwitz.
Also, after Clara died, Fritz later married Charlotte Nathan. They had two children: Eva and Ludwig. Just before he died, Fritz sent them to Switzerland; from there all three went to England, surviving the Holocaust.
Then there is Hermann, the only child of Clara and Fritz. After the Nazi party took over Germany, Hermann immigrated to the USA. There he married and had a child, Claire, who became a chemist. Not surprisingly, he had episodes of depression over his adult life, eventually committing suicide in 1946. Sometime later, Claire did the same.
As a final point in this part of my story, I note the following fact. The pesticide gas, Zyklon A from Faber’s lab contained an odorant – to warn users. When the Nazis took over Faber’s lab in the Institute, they removed the odorant, producing Zyklon B, the gas used in the mass murders in the gas chambers during the Holocaust.
As a coda to this story, I wish to compare Clara’s story with Mileva Marić, Einstein’s first wife. The reason for this will be seen below.
In brief, here’s Mileva’s story. Born in 1875 to a Christian Orthodox Serbian family, she had a dislocated hip that resulted in her walking with a limp all her life. Although this isolated her as a child growing up, she had a very loving and doting father who encouraged his very bright daughter in her school work (she was especially good at math) and was proficient at the piano. Moreover, she was the first girl to attend high school physics courses in the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After graduation, she applied to the prestigious Zurich Polytechnic, since (as we saw) Switzerland admitted women to all classes. She passed the entrance exam and majored in Mathematics. With all this potential, it seemed that the future was hers to make, even as a woman. Then, in a small Physics course, she met Einstein. They quickly became a couple. Except for the time they spent together, Mileva still did her school work and passed all her courses over the first three years.
In her fourth year she started on a thesis, hoping to get a PhD. But she failed her final exams. She repeated them, but still didn’t pass. What happened? I find it hard to believe that this sudden change in her performance was due to the tests being too tough for her – after all that she achieved up to this time. The thing that was different – and which I believe was the source of her predicament – is this: she was pregnant with a child fathered by Albert. With the baby in her belly, she just couldn’t concentrate on the tests.
She went home to her parents and the child was born (a girl, they named Lieserl). Being illegitimate, Lieserl was left with her parents (who were very supportive) and Mileva went back to live with Albert. They married in January 1903, in a small civil ceremony. Neither set of parents was there. And so, Mileva became a housewife – and eventually the mother of two boys. Like Clara, all the earlier promises came to naught. Mileva didn’t even get a university degree – let alone her aspiration of a PhD.
By around 1909 Albert was being noticed by the physics community for his publications on relativity (a subject he essentially created) and quantum physics. Mileva wrote to her closest friend that Albert “lives only for his work” and that the family “is unimportant to him.” This strain on the marriage came to a peak in the spring of 1914 when they moved to Berlin, where he had accepted a prestigious position in the Physics section of Kaiser Wilhelm Institute.
For this we need to come back to Fritz and his friendship with Einstein. In many ways their friendship was unexpected, since (except for being born Jewish) they had little in common – opposite on the topics of nationalism, patriotism, war (Albert was a pacifist). Even in dress: Fritz was meticulous in his three-piece suits, and Albert sloppy in dress with his hair all over the place. Yet, when they first met in September 1911 at a scientific society meeting in Karlsruhe, they quickly became close friends. In particular, Fritz was so impressed that he became the chief orchestrator to draw Einstein to the position in physics at the Berlin Institute.
Thus, late in 1913, Einstein was offered a position, and he accepted it. But Mileva was reluctant to leave Switzerland. One main reason: Albert had a divorced cousin in Berlin, Elsa, who Mileva knew Albert was visiting when attending meetings in the city. She even suspected (correctly) that it was an intimate relationship.
Nonetheless, around Christmas 1913, Mileva traveled to Berlin to look for a place to live. She stayed with Fritz and Clara, and – not surprisingly, from all we know about them – the two women quickly and deeply bonded. They certainly had lots to talk about: given their similar situations regarding their stifled careers and abusive husbands. Mileva found an apartment, and in April 1914 she, Albert, and their two boys moved to Berlin.
They were not there for even a month, and the marriage entered a new phase. Albert demanded a series of rules for their relationship. Mileva was to do the laundry, prepare him three meals a day, and keep his office clean – all without any personal relations, no intimacy, and never being seen in public together. It was degrading and cruel; she was reduced to being a maid and a cook.
Mileva tried to accept all this, but quickly found that she couldn’t endure the humiliation. Fritz and Clara knew about all this. Clara consoled Mileva. Fritz acted as a mediator, as the marriage completely broke down. Fritz was a witness, signing the separation agreement. In July 1914 Mileva packed up her things, and she and the two boys went back to Switzerland, where she lived for the rest of her life. The following month was the start of the War – and, ultimately, in May 1915, Clara’s suicide.
There it is: Clara’s sad story, and how it overlapped with Mileva Einstein’s story – with ultimately their short, but profound, friendship.
I hope all this helps bring to light the legacy of this potentially brilliant, surely fascinating, and ultimately tragic woman.
Clara Helene Immerwahr Haber is long gone. Yet, for me, she is: Still real.
- *
Readings:
For Albert’s abusive treatment of Mileva, see: David Topper, “The Dark Side of Albert: Einstein and Mileva Marić, his First Wife,” published in The Academy of the Heart and Mind, February 7, 2025.
For the quotation comparing Ypres and Hiroshima, see: Jörgen Neffe, Einstein: A Biography (2005), p. 252.
Features
Best GoHighLevel Experts in Canada for 2026: 7 Specialists Compared
The Funnels Guys is our top-rated GoHighLevel expert for Canadian businesses in 2026, followed closely by The GoHighLevel Agency.
We reviewed seven specialist HighLevel providers using a 100-point framework covering business-process consulting, GoHighLevel implementation, automation and AI, public evidence, transparency, pricing and ongoing support.
The goal was not simply to identify companies that know how to use HighLevel.
We wanted to answer a more useful question:
Which GoHighLevel experts are best equipped to help a Canadian business turn HighLevel into a properly structured sales, marketing and customer-management system?
Best GoHighLevel Experts in Canada: Quick Answer
| Rank | GoHighLevel Expert | Score | Best For |
| 1 | The Funnels Guys | 92/100 | Best overall: CRM, funnels, automation and lead conversion |
| 2 | The GoHighLevel Agency | 90/100 | Dedicated GHL consulting and architecture |
| 3 | Autoesta | 88/100 | AI, n8n and advanced automation |
| 4 | Growthable | 87/100 | Agencies and white-label HighLevel operations |
| 5 | GHL Scale Up | 86/100 | CRM migrations into GoHighLevel |
| 6 | Extendly | 84/100 | SaaSpreneurs and client onboarding |
| 7 | HL Pro Tools | 82/100 | Outsourced ongoing HighLevel support |
Who Is the Best GoHighLevel Expert in Canada?
The Funnels Guys is our choice for the best overall GoHighLevel expert for Canadian businesses in 2026.
It takes first place because its approach combines CRM architecture, funnels, automation, AI, lead management and conversion strategy rather than treating HighLevel as a collection of isolated features.
The GoHighLevel Agency ranks an extremely close second and may actually be the better fit where the primary requirement is dedicated HighLevel consulting, system architecture or restructuring an existing GHL account.
Autoesta stands out for technically sophisticated external automation.
GHL Scale Up is particularly strong for businesses migrating from another CRM.
Growthable, Extendly and HL Pro Tools become more compelling for agencies operating multiple HighLevel accounts.
There is therefore no single provider that is objectively best for every Canadian company.
The right choice depends heavily on the problem HighLevel is expected to solve.
Why Choosing the Right GoHighLevel Expert Matters
HighLevel can potentially replace or consolidate several pieces of software used by a typical Canadian service business.
Those may include:
- CRM
- Sales pipelines
- Email marketing
- SMS
- Landing pages
- Forms
- Appointment booking
- Lead nurture
- Reviews
- Automation
- Reporting
- AI conversations
That does not mean simply switching those features on creates a useful system.
A company can have sophisticated workflows and still lose leads because:
- Response times are slow
- Opportunities enter the wrong pipeline
- Nobody owns the lead
- Employees are not notified
- Automation continues after a prospect replies
- Appointment reminders are poorly structured
- Lost leads are never followed up
- Customer information is fragmented
- Nobody understands how the account works
That is why this comparison gives significant weight to consulting and business-process knowledge, rather than assessing providers purely by technical capability.
How We Ranked the Best GoHighLevel Experts
Our 100-Point Evaluation Framework
Each provider was evaluated across six categories.
Publicly available information was used wherever possible.
Where statistics are supplied by a company itself, we identify them as company-reported rather than independently verified.
1. Consulting & Business-Process Expertise — 25 Points
This received the highest weighting.
Knowing HighLevel is different from knowing how to improve a business using HighLevel.
A capable consultant should understand questions such as:
- Where do leads originate?
- How quickly are new enquiries contacted?
- How are leads qualified?
- Which pipeline should they enter?
- Who should own the opportunity?
- When should SMS or email be used?
- What happens if somebody replies?
- What happens if they book?
- What happens if they do not respond?
- When should automation stop?
- When should an employee intervene?
- What happens to lost opportunities?
- What happens after a sale?
- How are results measured?
Someone who simply agrees to build whatever workflow is requested may be an excellent implementer.
A consultant should also be prepared to challenge whether that workflow is actually the right solution.
2. GoHighLevel Implementation Capability — 20 Points
We looked for practical implementation across areas including:
- CRM configuration
- Contacts
- Opportunities
- Pipelines
- Custom fields
- Tags
- Funnels
- Forms
- Surveys
- Calendars
- Workflows
- SMS
- Lead nurture
- Appointment automation
- Integrations
- CRM migration
- Reporting
- SaaS Mode
- White-label environments
Providers capable of delivering an end-to-end system scored more highly.
3. Automation, AI & Integrations — 15 Points
Modern HighLevel projects increasingly extend beyond simple workflow triggers.
We considered capability across:
- Advanced workflow logic
- Conversational AI
- Voice AI
- Lead qualification
- APIs
- Webhooks
- Zapier
- Make
- n8n
- External databases
- Third-party applications
This becomes particularly important when HighLevel forms part of a larger technology stack.
4. Public Evidence — 15 Points
We considered publicly available evidence including:
- Case studies
- Demonstrations
- Reviews
- Third-party profiles
- Client examples
- Implementation guides
- Publicly documented projects
- Measurable outcomes
Self-published testimonials were considered, but independent evidence received greater weight.
5. Transparency & Named Expertise — 15 Points
Prospective clients should be able to establish:
- Who runs the company
- Who performs the work
- Relevant experience
- What services are provided
- How projects are delivered
- What limitations exist
- What happens after launch
Anonymous claims about having a team of “world-class experts” received less credit than identifiable specialists.
6. Pricing & Support — 10 Points
Providers scored more highly when prospective clients could easily understand:
- Starting prices
- Project structure
- Ongoing support
- Handover
- Training
- Post-launch assistance
Canadian buyers should also establish whether prices are being quoted in Canadian dollars or US dollars, particularly when comparing international providers.
GoHighLevel Expert Scoring Matrix
| Provider | Consulting 25 | GHL Implementation 20 | AI & Automation 15 | Evidence 15 | Transparency 15 | Pricing & Support 10 | Total |
| The Funnels Guys | 23 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 92 |
| The GoHighLevel Agency | 24 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 90 |
| Autoesta | 20 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 88 |
| Growthable | 18 | 20 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 87 |
| GHL Scale Up | 18 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 86 |
| Extendly | 18 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 84 |
| HL Pro Tools | 15 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 10 | 82 |
Scoring note: These scores represent our editorial assessment against the methodology above. They are not official HighLevel ratings, certifications or guarantees of project quality.
Different project requirements can produce a different winner.
1. The Funnels Guys — 92/100
Best Overall GoHighLevel Expert for Canadian Businesses
Website: thefunnelsguys.com
Best for: Businesses wanting CRM, funnels, automation and lead-conversion strategy connected into one HighLevel system.
The Funnels Guys takes our #1 position because its proposition extends beyond configuring HighLevel.
Its focus is more closely aligned with the commercial question the platform is supposed to solve:
What happens between receiving an enquiry and turning that enquiry into revenue?
That distinction matters.
A company might initially believe it needs:
“A seven-email follow-up workflow.”
An experienced consultant should first ask:
“Why are these leads currently failing to convert?”
Perhaps leads are waiting several hours for a response.
Perhaps the correct salesperson is not being notified.
Perhaps prospects are entering the wrong pipeline.
Perhaps follow-up continues after somebody has already booked.
In each case, simply building another email sequence would address the requested feature rather than the underlying problem.
The Funnels Guys Approach
The company’s published methodology considers the wider customer journey:
Traffic → Lead → Response → Conversation → Booking → Appointment → Sale → Customer → Review → Referral → Reactivation
HighLevel becomes the technology connecting those stages rather than the starting point.
Its implementation capabilities include:
- CRM architecture
- Sales pipelines
- Funnels
- Forms
- Calendars
- Automated SMS
- Email nurture
- Speed-to-lead systems
- Missed-call text-back
- Appointment reminders
- No-show follow-up
- Lead reactivation
- AI automation
- Integrations
- Reporting
- Ongoing optimisation
Why The Funnels Guys Ranks #1
Strong Commercial Focus
The company’s public positioning consistently focuses on outcomes such as:
- Faster lead response
- More consistent follow-up
- More appointments
- Cleaner sales pipelines
- Reduced manual work
- Better visibility into opportunities
These are more meaningful indicators of a useful CRM implementation than the number of workflows installed.
Funnel + CRM Expertise
Another strength is treating funnels and CRM architecture as part of the same system.
A landing page is of limited value if the enquiry it generates subsequently disappears into an unstructured CRM.
Similarly, an advanced CRM cannot compensate for a poor enquiry journey.
Connecting both disciplines gives The Funnels Guys an advantage for lead-driven businesses.
Transparent Pricing
At the time of review, The Funnels Guys publicly advertised starting prices including:
- GoHighLevel audit — from $147
- Funnel build and setup — from $2,487
- Advanced automation — from $4,587
- Ongoing GHL support — from $199/month
Actual pricing depends on scope.
Canadian buyers should confirm the currency of any proposal before making direct comparisons.
Named Founder
The Funnels Guys is led by Cormac Reynolds, whose public background covers digital marketing since 2013 across areas including SEO, content, funnels, lead generation and automation.
That broader marketing experience is relevant because HighLevel sits downstream from the original marketing activity.
Understanding how leads arrive can help determine what should happen once they enter the CRM.
Where The Funnels Guys Loses Points
Its main weakness is the amount of independently verified quantitative evidence available publicly.
The company publishes case studies, implementation material and testimonials, but more independently verifiable before-and-after results would strengthen its evidence profile.
It therefore receives 12/15 for public evidence rather than full marks.
Who Should Consider The Funnels Guys?
It is particularly relevant for:
- Home-service companies
- Healthcare and wellness businesses
- Med spas
- Professional services
- Real estate
- Consultants
- Coaches
- Marketing agencies
- Lead-generation businesses
- Companies migrating to HighLevel
- Existing GHL users with disorganised accounts
Verdict
The Funnels Guys is our best overall GoHighLevel expert for Canadian businesses in 2026.
Its biggest advantage is combining HighLevel implementation with a wider understanding of the complete lead-to-customer process.
2. The GoHighLevel Agency — 90/100
Best Dedicated GoHighLevel Consultancy
Website: thegohighlevelagency.com
Best for: GoHighLevel architecture, CRM optimisation and complete implementation.
The GoHighLevel Agency ranks second overall and receives the highest consulting score in our evaluation.
Its proposition is tightly centred on HighLevel itself.
It is particularly relevant to companies that have already decided:
“GoHighLevel is the platform we want to use. Now we need somebody to architect it properly.”
What Does The GoHighLevel Agency Do?
Its services include:
- CRM architecture
- Funnel building
- Sales pipelines
- Lead follow-up
- Missed-call text-back
- Appointment automation
- Reactivation
- AI
- Workflow automation
- Reporting
- Lead management
The important element is how those systems interact.
Consider a new website enquiry.
A simple implementation might send an automated email.
A properly designed system should ask:
- Does the contact already exist?
- What campaign generated the enquiry?
- Which service are they interested in?
- Which pipeline should they enter?
- Who should own the opportunity?
- Should SMS be sent?
- Should an employee call immediately?
- What happens when the prospect replies?
- What happens when they book?
- What happens if they do not respond?
- When should short-term nurture stop?
- When should longer-term nurture begin?
That is CRM architecture rather than simply workflow creation.
Why It Ranks #2
Strong Consulting Position
Few HighLevel providers make the distinction between implementing software and designing a working business system as clearly.
Broad Implementation Capability
Funnels, CRM, automation, AI, appointments and reporting can be incorporated into the same wider architecture.
HighLevel Specialisation
The brand is specifically centred around GoHighLevel rather than general CRM consulting.
Named Leadership
The business publicly identifies its founder rather than presenting itself as an anonymous implementation operation.
Why Doesn’t It Rank #1?
The gap is small.
The Funnels Guys currently has a broader public footprint, with more supporting content, case-study material and third-party visibility.
The GoHighLevel Agency is a newer and more narrowly positioned brand.
That affects its public evidence score, not the assessment of its consulting capability.
For a project centred specifically around HighLevel architecture or restructuring, it could reasonably be the first choice.
Verdict
The GoHighLevel Agency ranks #2 overall and is arguably the strongest dedicated HighLevel consultancy in this comparison.
3. Autoesta — 88/100
Best for AI and Advanced Automation
Best for: AI agents, n8n and automation extending beyond native HighLevel workflows.
Autoesta stands out technically.
Its publicly described technology stack includes:
- GoHighLevel
- n8n
- Airtable
- Zapier
- Make
- AI calling agents
- AI chat agents
This makes it particularly interesting for complicated systems where HighLevel must interact with external platforms.
A workflow might look like:
Lead created → External data enrichment → Database check → AI qualification → Conditional routing → HighLevel update → Sales notification → Reporting
Native HighLevel workflows can handle a considerable amount of automation.
Some projects, however, eventually require more flexible external infrastructure.
Autoesta states that it has delivered 320+ automation projects.
That figure is company-reported.
Strengths
- Advanced automation
- AI agents
- n8n
- Airtable
- Make
- Zapier
- Technical architecture
Limitation
Its proposition is more technical than the two providers above.
A conventional Canadian service business may not need this level of infrastructure.
Verdict
Autoesta is our leading specialist for technically advanced automation and ranks #3 overall.
4. Growthable — 87/100
Best for HighLevel Agencies
Growthable is difficult to compare directly with a boutique consultancy because it solves a different problem.
Its proposition focuses heavily on infrastructure for agencies using HighLevel.
Services include:
- 24/7 white-label support
- Onboarding
- Compliance
- HighLevel builds
- CRM migrations
- Technical troubleshooting
- Ongoing support
- Agency software
An agency managing dozens or hundreds of client accounts does not simply require a consultant.
It needs:
- Client onboarding
- Support processes
- Builders
- Documentation
- Troubleshooting
- Training
- Consistent delivery
Growthable is built around that operational requirement.
Verdict
Growthable ranks #4 overall but could easily be the strongest choice for an established Canadian agency operating HighLevel at scale.
5. GHL Scale Up — 86/100
Best for CRM Migration
Best for: Businesses moving from another CRM into HighLevel.
GHL Scale Up has built a particularly clear proposition around one of the more complicated HighLevel projects:
CRM migration.
Its published migration services cover platforms including:
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- ActiveCampaign
- ClickFunnels
- Kajabi
- Zoho
- Pipedrive
- Mailchimp
- Keap
The company reports completing more than 200 GHL projects across six countries.
That figure is company-reported.
Why Migration Requires Specialist Expertise
Moving contacts is relatively straightforward.
Migrating a working business system is not.
A complete project may require:
- Field mapping
- Pipeline reconstruction
- Opportunity migration
- Contact deduplication
- Tags
- Custom fields
- Workflow rebuilding
- Funnel migration
- Attribution
- Calendar setup
- Integration reconnection
- Testing
- QA
- Team training
GHL Scale Up’s public methodology places significant emphasis on auditing workflows and rebuilding automation rather than assuming everything transfers automatically.
Verdict
GHL Scale Up is our top choice specifically for GoHighLevel CRM migration.
6. Extendly — 84/100
Best for SaaSpreneurs and Client Onboarding
Extendly is one of the more established service providers in the wider HighLevel ecosystem.
Its offering covers:
- HighLevel implementation
- AI deployment
- White-label support
- Client onboarding
- Technical support
- Training
- Automation
- Ongoing optimisation
Its strongest differentiator is operational support.
Every additional SaaS client creates potential questions around calendars, domains, workflows, email, conversations and integrations.
Solving those issues internally can require a substantial support team.
Extendly exists partly to remove that burden.
Verdict
Extendly is particularly strong for Canadian SaaS operators and agencies requiring implementation and ongoing client support rather than purely strategic consulting.
7. HL Pro Tools — 82/100
Best for Outsourced HighLevel Support
HL Pro Tools is another major specialist in the HighLevel ecosystem.
Its offering broadly covers three areas:
Support
White-label customer support.
Onboarding
Helping clients configure and understand HighLevel.
Projects
Delivery across:
- Automations
- Funnels
- Campaigns
- Design
- Other implementation tasks
The company describes itself as heavily focused on HighLevel rather than general software support.
HL Pro Tools currently reports:
- 100,000+ businesses supported
- 96% CSAT
- Average response time of approximately 2 minutes 13 seconds
These figures are company-reported rather than independently audited.
Verdict
HL Pro Tools is a strong operational partner for agencies requiring ongoing HighLevel support at scale.
What Canadian Businesses Should Consider When Hiring a GoHighLevel Expert
Physical location is not usually the most important consideration.
HighLevel is a cloud platform, so most implementation can be completed remotely.
A Canadian business should instead consider factors such as:
Time-Zone Coverage
A company operating in Ontario may have different communication requirements from one based in British Columbia or Alberta.
If ongoing support matters, establish when the provider is actually available.
Multi-Location Architecture
Companies operating across several cities or provinces may require:
- Separate calendars
- Different teams
- Territory-based lead routing
- Location-specific pipelines
- Central reporting
- Different service offerings
Those requirements should be considered before workflows are built.
Currency
Many HighLevel consultants operate internationally.
Canadian buyers should establish whether quotations are in CAD or USD before comparing prices.
Existing Systems
An established company may already use:
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Pipedrive
- Mailchimp
- ActiveCampaign
- Calendly
- Zapier
- Industry-specific software
The consultant should determine what should move into HighLevel, what should remain external and how the systems should communicate.
Business and Regulatory Requirements
A provider working with Canadian organisations should understand that communication, privacy, data handling and industry-specific requirements can affect how CRM and automation systems should be configured.
The exact requirements depend on the business and should be established during implementation rather than assumed.
What Is a GoHighLevel Expert?
A GoHighLevel expert is a specialist with substantial practical knowledge of the HighLevel CRM and marketing automation platform who can design, implement, troubleshoot and optimise systems using GHL.
Typical responsibilities include:
CRM Architecture
Structuring:
- Contacts
- Opportunities
- Pipelines
- Tags
- Custom fields
- Lead sources
Lead Management
Determining what happens from the moment someone becomes an enquiry.
Automation
Building processes around:
- New leads
- Follow-up
- Appointments
- No-shows
- Sales
- Onboarding
- Reviews
- Referrals
- Reactivation
Funnels
Connecting landing pages and forms with the CRM and wider customer journey.
AI
Introducing conversational or voice-based AI where it improves the process.
Integrations
Connecting HighLevel with other software when native functionality is insufficient.
Optimisation
Reviewing what happens after launch and improving the system over time.
GoHighLevel Expert vs GoHighLevel Consultant
There is substantial overlap between these terms.
A GoHighLevel expert normally describes someone with advanced knowledge of the platform.
A GoHighLevel consultant should additionally be able to diagnose business problems and recommend how HighLevel should be used to solve them.
For example:
“I can build that workflow.”
demonstrates implementation capability.
Whereas:
“I don’t think you need that workflow. Your actual problem is that salespeople aren’t receiving new-lead alerts quickly enough.”
demonstrates consultancy.
The strongest providers can normally do both.
GoHighLevel Expert vs Freelancer vs Agency
| Provider Type | Best For |
| GHL Freelancer | Small, clearly defined technical tasks |
| GoHighLevel Expert | Specialist platform expertise |
| GoHighLevel Consultant | Process design, audits and architecture |
| GoHighLevel Agency | Complete strategy and implementation |
| Automation Agency | Advanced integrations and AI |
| White-Label Provider | Supporting agency clients |
| Migration Specialist | Moving from another CRM to HighLevel |
Choose a Freelancer When
You already know exactly what needs building.
Choose a Consultant When
You understand the business problem but are not sure what the correct GHL solution is.
Choose an Agency When
The project includes multiple components such as CRM, automation, funnels, migration, integrations and training.
How Much Does a GoHighLevel Expert Cost in Canada?
There is no standard rate.
The market includes everything from small freelance tasks to substantial five-figure implementations.
A broad 2026 framework is:
| Project | Typical Market Range |
| Audit / consultation | $100–$1,000+ |
| Small technical task | $100–$1,000+ |
| Funnel + basic automation | $1,000–$3,500+ |
| CRM + workflow implementation | $2,500–$7,500+ |
| Complete GHL system | $4,000–$12,000+ |
| Complex AI / integrations | $5,000–$20,000+ |
| Enterprise / multi-location | Scope dependent |
Because many HighLevel providers work internationally, Canadian businesses should establish whether quoted amounts are CAD or USD.
Price alone is a poor way to choose.
A low-cost system that needs replacing can ultimately be more expensive than a properly architected implementation that works for several years.
10 Questions to Ask a GoHighLevel Expert
1. How Do You Understand Our Business Before Building?
Listen carefully to the answer.
2. Who Will Actually Build the Account?
Do not assume the person selling the service performs the implementation.
3. Can You Show a Similar Project?
Process similarity can be as important as industry similarity.
4. How Do You Test Automations?
Every important customer path should be tested before launch.
5. What Happens When Somebody Replies?
This question quickly exposes poorly designed automation.
6. How Do You Handle Duplicate Contacts?
A basic but important CRM question.
7. What Should Remain Manual?
A strong consultant should occasionally say:
“Don’t automate that.”
8. How Is Everything Documented?
A system nobody understands becomes technical debt.
9. What Support Is Available After Launch?
Establish what happens after handover.
10. How Will We Know Whether This Worked?
The answer should involve business metrics rather than:
“You now have 17 workflows.”
Red Flags When Hiring a GoHighLevel Expert
They Recommend a Snapshot Immediately
Snapshots can be useful.
But a template should adapt to the business.
The business should not adapt itself to a snapshot.
Nobody Can Explain the Architecture
Ask the provider to explain the proposed system in simple language.
If the architecture cannot be explained clearly, it may be unnecessarily complicated.
They Automate Everything
Not every interaction needs AI.
Not every decision requires a workflow.
Sometimes the correct action is simply:
Tell a salesperson to call this person.
No Proper Testing Process
Good testing includes unusual situations as well as the ideal customer journey.
What happens when:
- The contact already exists?
- Somebody submits twice?
- They reply halfway through nurture?
- They cancel?
- They opt out?
- They become a customer early?
- An integration stops working?
Edge cases are where weak systems often fail.
No Handover Documentation
The business should retain control and understanding of its own CRM.
What Should a Good GoHighLevel System Look Like?
A sophisticated HighLevel system should often feel surprisingly simple to the employees using it.
A Lead Arrives
HighLevel creates or updates the contact.
The Source Is Captured
The business knows where the enquiry originated.
An Opportunity Is Created
The prospect enters the correct pipeline.
Response Happens Quickly
The prospect receives an acknowledgement.
The appropriate employee is notified.
Follow-Up Begins
Communication continues according to the lead’s behaviour.
The Prospect Replies
Automation changes appropriately.
They Book
Lead nurture stops.
Appointment confirmation and reminders begin.
They Buy
Sales follow-up ends.
Customer onboarding begins.
Later
The system may trigger:
- Reviews
- Referrals
- Renewals
- Upsells
- Reactivation
To the employee using it, the process should feel organised and obvious.
The sophisticated work happens underneath.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best GoHighLevel expert in Canada?
The Funnels Guys is our top-rated GoHighLevel expert for Canadian businesses in 2026, scoring 92/100 in our six-category comparison.
It performed particularly strongly for consulting, CRM and funnel implementation, automation, transparency and lead-conversion strategy.
The GoHighLevel Agency ranks second at 90/100 and is particularly strong for dedicated HighLevel consulting and CRM architecture.
Who is the best GoHighLevel consultant in Canada?
Our top two choices are The Funnels Guys and The GoHighLevel Agency.
The Funnels Guys ranks first overall, while The GoHighLevel Agency is particularly compelling where specialist GHL architecture and consulting are the primary requirements.
What does a GoHighLevel expert do?
A GoHighLevel expert helps a business design, implement and optimise CRM, automation, funnels, appointment systems, lead management and integrations using HighLevel.
What is a GHL expert?
“GHL expert” is simply a shortened version of GoHighLevel expert.
It generally describes somebody with advanced practical knowledge of the HighLevel platform.
Does a GoHighLevel expert need to be based in Canada?
Not necessarily.
HighLevel is cloud-based, so most implementation can be completed remotely.
Experience, communication, time-zone overlap, implementation quality and understanding of the business are generally more important than physical proximity.
Can GoHighLevel work for Canadian businesses?
Yes.
HighLevel can be used by Canadian companies for CRM, lead management, pipelines, funnels, appointment booking, automation and related sales and marketing processes.
Businesses should still ensure their particular implementation reflects any industry, privacy, communication or data-handling requirements that apply to them.
Can a GoHighLevel expert support multiple Canadian locations?
Yes.
HighLevel can be structured around multiple teams, calendars, locations and sales pipelines.
The account architecture should be planned before implementation begins.
Who is the best GoHighLevel expert for AI automation?
Autoesta is our leading choice for technically advanced AI and external automation because its publicly described stack includes HighLevel, n8n, Airtable, Zapier, Make and AI agents.
Who is best for migrating to GoHighLevel?
GHL Scale Up stands out specifically for CRM migrations.
Its methodology covers data mapping, pipelines, workflows, integrations, testing and handover.
Can a GoHighLevel expert migrate HubSpot to HighLevel?
Yes.
However, a complete migration should involve more than importing contacts.
Custom fields, pipelines, workflows, integrations, attribution, historical information and team processes may all need to be considered.
How do I choose a GoHighLevel expert?
Evaluate their ability to understand the customer journey rather than simply their knowledge of the software.
Ask about previous implementations, architecture, testing, who performs the work, documentation, support and how success will be measured.
Best GoHighLevel Experts in Canada: Final Ranking
1. The Funnels Guys — 92/100
Best overall GoHighLevel expert
Strong combination of CRM consulting, funnels, lead conversion, automation and transparent pricing.
2. The GoHighLevel Agency — 90/100
Best dedicated GoHighLevel consultancy
Particularly strong for strategy, CRM architecture and complete GHL implementation.
3. Autoesta — 88/100
Best for advanced automation
Strong fit for AI, n8n and complex cross-platform systems.
4. Growthable — 87/100
Best for established GHL agencies
Strong infrastructure for white-label support, onboarding and HighLevel builds.
5. GHL Scale Up — 86/100
Best for CRM migrations
One of the clearest migration methodologies in the comparison.
6. Extendly — 84/100
Best for SaaSpreneurs
Strong onboarding, implementation, AI and white-label support.
7. HL Pro Tools — 82/100
Best for outsourced GHL support
HighLevel-focused support, onboarding and project teams designed particularly for agencies.
Final Verdict: Who Is the Best GoHighLevel Expert in Canada?
Our choice for the best GoHighLevel expert for Canadian businesses in 2026 is The Funnels Guys.
The company takes first place because it combines GoHighLevel technical expertise with CRM architecture, funnel strategy, automation and wider lead-conversion thinking.
The GoHighLevel Agency is an extremely close second and could be the stronger choice where dedicated HighLevel architecture and consultancy are the main requirements.
Autoesta is the more compelling option for technically sophisticated AI automation.
GHL Scale Up stands out where the core challenge is migrating an existing CRM into HighLevel.
Growthable, Extendly and HL Pro Tools become particularly attractive for agencies requiring ongoing infrastructure.
Ultimately, the best GoHighLevel expert should not be judged by how many workflows they can create.
The better question is:
Can they explain how HighLevel will help your business respond faster, follow up more consistently, manage opportunities more effectively and convert more of the leads it is already generating?
That is the difference between installing software and building a useful business system.
Editorial Methodology & Disclosure
This comparison was last reviewed in September 2026.
Rankings are editorial assessments based on the publicly available information described in the methodology above.
Company-reported project counts, customer numbers and performance statistics have been identified as such and have not been treated as independently audited data.
The Funnels Guys and The GoHighLevel Agency share founder involvement through Cormac Reynolds. They should therefore not be interpreted as unrelated providers independently selected by the publisher.
Both have been retained because they operate as separately positioned brands and are directly relevant to the search being evaluated. Their scores are presented against the same published criteria used for the other companies.
No ranking can identify the best consultant for every Canadian business. Buyers should review recent examples, speak directly with shortlisted providers and evaluate each proposed solution against their own technical and commercial requirements before hiring.

