Volunteer seeks Israelis, Russians for Jewish veterans group

TORONTO — As a Hungarian-native who survived the Holocaust as a hidden child and fought in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948 before settling in Canada, George Stern believes that all Jewish war veterans living in Canada should be recognized and organized.

George Stern

Stern, who has been a volunteer and member of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada for about 10 years, has made it a personal mission to attract the hundreds of Israeli and Russian Jewish war veterans living in Canada to join his organization.

He said that when he first approached the group’s board of directors and the president about including Jewish war veterans who fought for countries other than Canada, they were hesitant. But about a year ago, they agreed to reach out to Russian Jews who fought against the Nazis in World War II, as well as to Israeli Jews, who settled in Canada.

“They realized, that, first of all, Canadian veterans, unfortunately, every year there are less and less,” Stern said, adding that if the organization wants to thrive 10 years from now, it needs to reach out to vets who fought in recent wars in Israel, such as the 1967 Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Stern said that within the Jewish War Veterans of Canada – which, according to its website, functions as a “Jewish veterans association with all rights to operate independently, to recognize and assist the State of Israel in any way possible”– there are many machalniks, volunteers who fought in Israel’s War of Independence after serving in World War II.

“It’s important for [Russians and Israelis] to join, because they don’t have an organization at all. They have an organization for disabled soldiers, but it is only for the disabled. There is also an organization that sends gifts to [active Israeli] soldiers [the Association for Israeli Soldiers],” Stern said.

“I was searching for any office, anything for them, and there was no organization. That’s why I wanted them to belong with us.”

Stern, who is on the board of the ritual committee at Beth Tikvah Synagogue, has long been advocating for the recognition of Jewish war vets.

In November, his shul will be holding a special Shabbat service for Jewish war veterans for the fourth consecutive year, and this year, for the first time, it will specifically include Russian, as well as Israeli and Canadian, war vets.

“At the last Shabbat service at Beth Tikvah, there were 90-year old guys [veterans of World War II]. They came, thank God, and we were very glad, but every year there are less and less,” he said.

Stern noted that a plan is in the works to build a monument in Toronto for Jewish Canadian veterans, whether they fought for Canada, Israel or Russia. (A $7-million project slated for Earl Bales Park and designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind was scrapped after veterans couldn’t raise enough money. A scaled-down version is being envisioned as part of the redevelopment of the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre.)

“We don’t want to include just the names of the soldiers who died, but people who fought the wars against the Nazis and the Independence war of Israel and all the wars,” he said.

“We have something in common together.”

Stern said that an acquaintance of his, a Russian war veteran, told him that the absence of an organization for Russian Jewish vets makes him feel alone.

“They feel like they don’t belong. Everybody feels like they want to belong,” Stern said.

The annual fee to be a member of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada is $35.

For more information or to inquire about joining, call Stern at 416-223-7481, or e-mail [email protected].