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Ottawa Jewish Bulletin JUNE 26, 2017 | 2 TAMMUZ 5777
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A messenger who opened eyes, touched hearts, and inspired action Teacher Patrick Mascoe, who founded the Day of Cultural Understanding, remembers his friend and Holocaust survivor David Shentow.
D
avid Shentow passed away in Toronto, June 12, in the company of his loving wife Rose and their daughters, Lorie and Renée. I had the honour of getting to know David starting in 2004, after inviting him to Charles H. Hulse Public School to speak to my Grade 6 students about racism and discrimination. He came back every year and we became friends. I visited him in Toronto just two days before he died and he was humble, as he always was, asking about my wife, my students, and my health; typical David, it was never about him. David lived two very distinct lives. He arrived in Canada on March 27, 1949, and settled in Toronto because he had an uncle living in the city. His uncle helped him find his first job, sewing linings for women’s clothing. That year, David met his future wife, Rose Feldberg of Ottawa. A few months later, Rose invited David to Ottawa for Chanukah and he never left. Newly married, David began working in his father-in-law’s clothing store. He encouraged Rose to go to university to become a high school teacher. After the birth of their two daughters, David became a buyer for the A.J. Frieman Company, which was eventually bought by the Hudson’s Bay Company.
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Much of David’s success was attributed to his friendly disposition and his ability to speak five languages. But there was one topic he never spoke about until many years later: his life before 1949. David was born April 29, 1925 in Warsaw, Poland. When he was six weeks old, his parents moved from Poland to Antwerp, Belgium. At the beginning of the Second World War, his father tried to find a way out of Europe, but they were trapped. Gradually life in Antwerp changed – daily decrees were issued to dehumanize Jews. David and his sisters were forbidden from attending schools, cinemas, theatres, and even from sitting on park benches. One day when he was 17, a letter arrived from the Gestapo. David and his father were ordered to report to the railway station in Antwerp. They boarded the train on August 10, 1942. It was the last time he saw his mother and sisters alive. The train eventually arrived at Dannes-Camiers, and the prisoners were forced inside a work camp. Eventually, the work camp was closed and the forced labourers were to be sent back to Belgium. Each man was given a loaf of bread and loaded onto a train. But when the train finally stopped, they knew they
KAREN PALAYEW
David Shentow and his wife Rose travelled alongside March of the Living students four times because David felt an immense responsibility to share his story and to instil in others the importance of remembering the Holocaust.
Community’s duty to a great man: teach the lessons of the Holocaust BY KAREN PALAYEW
The Ottawa Jewish community, the community at large, and humanity itself, has lost a beautiful soul. David Shentow, who passed away June 12, will be remembered as an intelligent, engaging, and kind human being. He had a brilliant sense of humour. He was strong, resilient, and righteous. He adored his wife Rose and
See Shentow on page 16
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his family, and he loved and appreciated the beauty of life. David was a Holocaust survivor – a survivor who courageously dedicated himself to openly and honestly sharing his personal story of loss and survival. Like many survivors, he did not speak about his experiences until the early 1980s, when Holocaust deniers began to See Lessons on page 16
Am Echad Walk/Run for Jewish Education > p. 10 Jeff Pleet, Sales Manager (left) Josh Silverman, Finance Manager