91传媒

My Zeda Max was, at least to me, always old. He was almost bald, with tufts of gray hair in random patches on his head and sprouting out of his ears and nose. He wore glasses with thick lenses that made his eyes seem dark and evil. Old pictures showed him as rather dapper, tall, slim and always well-dressed, but time had taken its toll and Zeda Max had succumbed to the perils of old age.听 The only time he didn鈥檛 wear a white shirt, a suit and tie was when he was working in his garden or repairing a piece of furniture in his well-equipped basement workshop.听 For many years, he worked long hours, taking a commuter train every weekday at 6:00 AM to travel to St. Jean sur Richelieu, a small industrial town about 50 kilometers southeast of Montr茅al. There he was employed in a furniture factory, where he helped craft and assemble high quality dining room tables and credenzas.

The life of Zeda Max was chockfull of interesting anecdotes and adventures. He died of heart failure in 1977, but my grandmother and my uncles were always ready to reminisce and recount stories about his life in Canada.

My grandfather was a cabinet-maker by trade. He learned his craft from his own father back in Zaleszczyki, Poland. The small village, now in Ukraine, was a renowned Polish resort town known as the “Polish Riviera,” famous for its warm climate, sandy beaches on the Dniester River, and a thriving tourism trade in the 1920s and 30s. Located in the Tarnopol Province of pre-war Poland, it was a fashionable destination for vacationers and a hub for agricultural exports.

My grandmother spoke lovingly of her little Polish village by the river, but the town had been decimated during the war. Most of the 91传媒 residents, including what was left of my grandmother鈥檚 family, were shipped to German concentration camps to die in the gas chambers.听 In 1928, my grandmother鈥檚 aunt, simple known by the name 鈥淭he Mima鈥�, had immigrated with her husband to Montr茅al. They were shrewd business people and after only a few short years, they managed to purchase some rental property in the west end of the city, including a rambling duplex where they made their home.

My grandmother and The Mima exchanged many letters during this time. She suggested that my grandmother and her family come to Canada. These were hard times in Eastern Europe and rumours of a second war were rampant, reaching even the local Montr茅al newspapers. The Mima would sponsor my grandfather, who would come over as soon as possible and attempt to find a job. Good cabinet makers and carpenters were highly employable at the time. The plan was that my grandfather would come over first, get a job, save up some money, and then send for my grandmother and her two children.

The Mima, with the help of her lawyer, filled out all the appropriate forms, and a boat ticket along with the required documentation was sent to my grandfather. The only stipulation was that he had to start using my grandmother鈥檚 maiden name to prove to the Canadian authorities that he was directly related by blood to The Mima. Apparently, this was not a difficult problem to overcome, forgeries were made, and my grandfather soon arrived in Halifax and then took the train to Montr茅al.

With help from The Mima and her husband, my Zeda was able to find a rooming house in the Montr茅al 91传媒 ghetto. He only spoke Polish and Yiddish, so finding a job would be a challenge. For a while, he worked 鈥渦nder the table鈥� for a 91传媒-owned construction company. It wasn鈥檛 long before he could converse in French, and swear in Italian, English and Greek. Zeda Max was a quick learner, and he soon was able to obtain a higher paying job, this time in his own m茅tier 鈥� that is the assembly and finishing of fine furniture.

He started to figure out his way around the city, and on the weekends he would often hitch a ride with friends to the Laurentian Mountains, where he would go fishing. He also attended concerts in the city and often frequented the Yiddish Theatre. A dapper young man with a few bucks in his pocket, a wife and two kids back in the old country and a city chockful of beautiful women 鈥� what could possibly go wrong?

It wasn鈥檛 long before Zeda Max started to court numerous members of the female community. The band of gold slipped into his pocket and in everyone鈥檚 eyes, he was a free man. Saturday nights, he could be found cruising the bars, restaurants and cabarets along boulevard Saint-Laurent often with a young lady on his arm.

Meanwhile, back in Zaleszczyki, my grandmother waited patiently with her two young children for her immigration documents and her steamship tickets. Her letters to Zeda Max were mostly unanswered and so she decided to write to The Mima to see if any progress was being made.

The Mima had not heard from Zeda Max for several months. During his first year in Montr茅al, he would visit the Mima every Friday evening for the Sabbath dinner, but he soon pleaded tiredness from working too hard all week and that it was a long and difficult commute by streetcar to come all the way to The Mima鈥檚 house located in the far west end of the city.

When The Mima received my grandmother鈥檚 letter, she became suspicious. She made numerous phone calls to the rooming house, but Zeda Max was never around. She left messages and sent letters, but Zeda Max did not reply. Something was amiss, and the Mima was going to get to the bottom of it. On a late summer afternoon, the Mima boarded a streetcar and travelled east as far as Park Avenue. She then transferred to another streetcar that weaved its way southward to the area that we know today as Mile End. She ended up in front of the rooming house that Zeda Max called home on Rue Saint-Urbain.

The Mima crawled up the long flight steps of the boarding house and tapped on the front door. A French Canadian woman, wearing a ratty housecoat and with her blond hair in curlers, opened the door a crack.

芦 Oui, qu’est-ce que tu veux? 禄 demanded the woman angrily.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking for Max,鈥� replied The Mima in a rather menacing tone. 鈥淚 think he is in room sixteen鈥�.

鈥淗e鈥檚 not here. Probably out with one of his whores鈥� the woman answered.

鈥淩eally鈥︹�� said The Mima suspiciously.

She decided, then and there, to wait for Max to come home, even if it meant staying all night. She plunked herself down on the top stair, folded her arms and looked up and down the street for signs of Zeda Max.

The owner of the boarding house gave her one last look of disgust, uttered some swear words in French and slammed the front door.

It was just after midnight when Zeda Max strolled down rue Saint-Urbain, dressed to the 鈥渘ines鈥� and whistling softly. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw The Mima waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

鈥淪oooo, where have you been tonight, Max?鈥� questioned the Mima.

鈥淎hhh鈥�, said Max in a halting voice, 鈥淚 went to the Yiddish Theatre. There was a new Shalom Aleichem play, and I wanted to see it鈥�.

鈥淒id you go alone鈥�, asked the Mima.

鈥淲ith a few friends鈥�, answered Max.

鈥淭he manager of the rooming house told me you have a girlfriend or maybe even more than one鈥� accused The Mima with angry tone.

鈥淪ome of my friends are girls, but so what鈥�, said Max defensively.

Now the Mima became incensed. You could almost see the black smoke rising from her head. She gave Max an ultimatum.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 send for your wife and children immediately, I will report you to the immigration authorities and tell them that you entered Canada under false pretences!鈥� the Mima warned.

Well by now you know the rest of the story. In a little less than three months after The Mima threatened Zeda Max, my grandmother, along with my mother and Uncle Morris arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Zeda Max met them at the train station in Montr茅al and took them to their new home, the top floor of a triplex on rue Saint-Urbain, across the street from the legendary Baron Byng High School. Zeda Max never again strayed from his responsibilities (as far as we know).

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Paul J. Starr is a retired systems analyst who has lived his entire life in Montr茅al, Canada. On Sunday mornings he is 鈥渓iving the dream,鈥� hosting a two-hour Internet radio show featuring music from the 50s and 60s called 鈥淛udy鈥檚 Diner.鈥�