TORONTO — Inspired by the national recognition Canadian soldiers get each year on remembrance day, George Stern wanted to honour Israeli and Jewish Canadian war veterans in his own way.

Stern, a Hungarian-native who survived the Holocaust as a hidden child and fought in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, said he got the idea to organize a special Shabbat service for Jewish war veterans when he saw the Prime Minister Stephan Harper attending a televised remembrance day service.

“I saw the prime minister and it touched me how much they are sensitive to remembering every year. That is when I started to think that we have to do it,” Stern said.

Canadian and Israeli war veterans and their families are invited to Beth Tikvah Synagogue at 9 a.m. on Nov. 1 for a Shabbat service in their honour. Following the service, Israel Consul General Amir Gissin will deliver a speech, as will Beth Tikvah Rabbi Wayne Allen.

“It will be special because we’ve gathered many veterans, Israelis who fought in the ’48 or ’56 or any war and they are now living here,” said Stern, who is on the board of Beth Tikvah’s ritual committee.

He said the invitation extends to all war veterans from any Canadian or Israeli wars and he expects to attract about 200 to 300 people.

“It doesn’t matter if they are younger and fought in the ’67 war or ’73 war, every war was important. We defended our country, Israel. The Canadian veterans… there were a lot of Jewish veterans from World War II.”

He said that within the group of Canadian Jewish war veterans, there are many who are machalniks, volunteers who fought in Israel’s war of Independence after serving in World War II.

With help from Norman Gardner, former chair of the Toronto Police Services Board and a member of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada, Stern said he was able to extend an invitation to many Canadians, but tracking down Israeli war veterans living in Canada was more difficult because they are not as organized.

He said he had help from the Israeli consulate in Toronto but he hopes that those he was not able to reach will hear about the event through word of mouth and will come to the service.

“There is a group, my friends, about six or eight people who fought in Israel. I know them personally and I invited them personally,” Stern said.

Among the many veterans Stern expects are Joseph Warner, a machalnik who served in an anti-tank unit, Sam Wasser, who volunteered for Israel in the 7th brigade and Ben Ocopnick who served in Israel’s army, navy and air force and played a role in the Aliyah Bet campaign, the illegal immigration movement that brought Jewish refugees to Israel.

Stern said that some of the veterans have promised him that they will bring archival photos from the wars they fought in.

“Whoever will give me pictures, I will put them on display,” he said.

Stern, who has organized this event for the third time in as many years, said that honouring war veterans is just as important as honouring Holocaust victims.

“I think it’s very important for young people, the new generation, to know about what happened, that people sacrificed their lives and their health,” he said.

“The veterans are dying. There are not too many left in all of Canada, and we’re doing it for the same reason that the Canadian government does it, to remember that they are worthy, to thank them. They deserve some appreciation in the last years of their lives. I feel this strongly.”

For more information, Stern can be reached at 416-223-7481.