Eighty-seven thousand nine hundred seventy-three – that’s the total number of calls the 12 ambulances that were donated to Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) thanks to efforts of the indomitable Wolf Bronet have rushed to.
But it’s not enough for the leader of the YM-YWHA Wolf Pack running club: Bronet has dreamed of that 13th ambulance – the “bar mitzvah” vehicle – as his crowning gift to the people of Israel.
Bronet’s admirers, who are legion, are making that dream come true. At a May 22 tribute to Bronet, Canadian Magen David Adom (CMDA) officially launched a campaign to purchase and ship the ambulance, which was parked outside the Segal Centre in Montreal that evening.
The inscription on the door proclaims the appreciation of the Montreal Jewish community to Wolf and his wife Henia, both 94, accompanied by the Wolf Pack logo and the message: “Keep on Running.”
READ: WOLF PACK TO BUY MORE AMBULANCES
The Bronets, Holocaust survivors from Warsaw, are not wealthy people, but he had the charisma to rally fellow runners and many others to contribute to those dozen ambulances between 1989 and 2014.
“His heart and commitment is amazing,” said CMDA national president Michael Levine. “As Wolf has said, more is achieved through good deeds than through violence. Sports can unite people all over the world.”
The great majority of those close to 90,000 interventions were medical emergencies, including over 10,000 traffic accidents. But they also include 19 terrorist incidents, as well as almost 1,900 other acts of violence.
As Uri Shacham, MDA’s chief of staff, observed, upwards of a million Israelis have been touched by the presence of those ambulances, seven of which are still in operation.
His heart and commitment is amazing.
– Michael Levine
All were manufactured by Demers Ambulances in Beloeil, Que.
Bronet, who created the Wolf Pack in 1963 and was still running until a few years ago, was praised for his inspirational personality, humanity and sense of humour, including his penchant for telling corny jokes. “He can be a bit outrageous at times,” said his grandson, Ilan Elbaz.
Wolf Pack veteran Armand Cymbalista recalled that when Bronet suggested that they get some regular exercise by running – on the street – he was incredulous. “Wolf was the first to do that in Montreal, if not North America,” he said.
Members often found the regular outings beneficial, both physically and emotionally.
Bronet has been an inspiration to Sylvia Weiner, a survivor of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, who said she could never have completed 75 marathons without Bronet’s encouragement. “Running saved my life,” said Weiner, who continued to run into her 80s.
Ian Karper said he and his wife Phyllis will be forever grateful to Bronet for his compassion, following the accidental death of their son, Mitchell, and his fiancée in 1995. “Within one year, Wolf had raised the money for an ambulance in their memory,” he said.
Within one year, Wolf had raised the money for an ambulance in their memory.
– Ian Karper
When Wolf Bronet says his marriage to Henia was “made in heaven,” he means their enduring, loving partnership – not the circumstances that brought them together.
Henia Bronet met her future husband’s sister while they were in Auschwitz. The sister told her that, if they survive, she must meet her brother, who was in a forced labour camp in the Soviet Union.
The two found each other in a displaced persons camp after the war and soon emigrated to Canada. Unfortunately, Henia Bronet was unable to be at the ceremony, due to health reasons.
Barry Rishikof, a co-chair and initiator of the tribute, said he has “never seen someone who has given so much without asking for anything in return.” Giving Bronet, who was resplendent in a royal blue velours tracksuit, this kavod was long overdue, he said.
“When you live in Israel, sometimes you feel you are alone. We don’t have the best neighbours and the United Nations is not much better,” said Shacham. “Then you hear about a 94-year-old gentleman in Canada who cares so much. It means a lot.”