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David and Libby Chalk
David Chalk was my great-grandfather. He was born in Russia in about 1875. After marrying my great-grandmother Libby and having 1 child he came to Canada. He worked on building the railroad in Wyebridge, Ontario. Not earning enough money to pay passage for his wife and daughter he became a scrap metal dealer. He sent for Libby and their child in 1903 and settled in Penetang, Ontario. -
Aaron Fen
Aaron Fuchs was my great-grandfather. He was born in Russia in 1890 He was drafted to the Russian Army in 1910 and deserted shortly after. He left Russia illegally. He landed in Quebec but had no-one to accept him so he was turned away. He travelled to Liverpool where he was then sent to Glasgow to live. He changed his name to Fen since he was wanted by the Russian army. He was an ultra orthodox Jew but worked as a cabinet maker. He became a legal British citizen in 1950. -
Max Shubinsky (my Grandpa)
Max Shubinsky was my grandpa. He was born in 1919 and died at the age of 93 in 2012. He was born in Russia to Sarah and Joseph. They fled Russia in 1922 and came to Canada. They had 2 more children. The Shubinsky family lived in Kensington Market and owned a general store which they opened shortly after arriving and only closed it in the early 1960's when they retired. -
Camp Bordan, Ontario
Max Shubinsky was drafted into the Canadian Army at the beginning of WWll. He served from 1939 to 1944 when the war ended. He never went overseas. He worked with radio communications. Often he would work overnight and since he never finished grade school, he said that he learned how to read well and facts about the world when he read Readers Digest magazines. -
Grandpa and Joe
My grandfather Max Shubinsky made one extremely close friend in the army. His name was Joe and he was Italian Catholic. Their friendship was very unusual for the times since my grandfather was Jewish. Their friendship continued until his death. My grandma and grandpa attended all of Joes daughters Catholic weddings and Joe and Florence attended all of our family celebrations. Neither believed in racism at a time when it was still acceptable. -
Uncle Sam
My Uncle Sam Rose went into the Canadian Army in 1939 at the beginning of the War. He went to Europe right after his basic training. He had a very dangerous job in the military. Before his unit would start to travel, he would go first on a motorcyle to make sure the passage was safe for the rest. They would only start the journey when he said it was clear. We are very grateful he stayed alive for the entire war. He was rewarded with many metals of honour. -
Re-training after the war
After leaving the military, veterans were re-trained by the government to do new jobs. My grandpa, Max Shubinsky, learned how to sew and worked as a tailors assistant making suits. -
Zaidy Ralph in the British Army
Zaidy Ralph was an orthodox Jew in Glasgow studying to be a Rabbi. When he was drafted he could have had an exemption but his father Aaron felt so much debt and gratitude to Britain after settling there he insisted that Ralph do his part. He became a Paratrooper and marksman and an officer. He served in Italy, Venice, Austria, Germany and Holland. He left the army in 1949 to live in London to complete his Rabbinical studies. -
Max and Tillie Get Married
My grandmother Tillie was born and raised in Penetang, Ontario. She was the youngest of 5 children. It was an unusual place for an orthodox Jewish family to settle. In order for her to meet Jewish boys for marriage, she moved in with her eldest sister in Toronto who was already married. She had many offers of marriage but none seemed right. At the age of 27 she met my grandfather and fell in love. They were married 2 months later and stayed married for 62 years until his death in late 2012 -
Empire Office Equipment on Church Street Toronto
A year after getting married, Max opened his first Office Equipment store on Church Street in Toronto. It was a rented space. He used the name Harry Shore, not Max Shubinsky in business because it sounded less Jewish and was easier to do business. He overcame obsticles and with my Grandma's help started to earn a small income. -
Ralph and Lillian Fen get Married in London, England
Lillian Corper was my Bubby. She was born in 1932 in London, England. Her family was quite poor. She lived in London during the bombings of WWll. Those memories never left her. In 1952 she met Ralph, my Zaidy. He took her out several times and they knew they were a match. After marrying, Ralph decided to not become a Rabbi but to get a degree at teachers college. They wanted a new start so they moved to Toronto, Canada in 1960. -
Zaidy Ralph in Canada
Upon arriving in Toronto, my Zaidy Ralph started working at Toronto Jewish Day School. He taught English to grade 4,5 and 6 students. He loved literature and enjoyed sharing that with students. He found his true teaching passion later on. He started teaching adult night school. Many, were mature people coming back to get a high school diploma. It was then that he really felt valued. He always continued his own education and eventually got his PHD in literature at the age of 70. -
Empire Office Equipment on Queen St. West Toronto
In 1955 my grandpa, Max, moved his business to Queen Street West. He was able to buy a small building so he didn't rent anymore. He continued to grow his business and continued to buy buildings. Because he started off so poor, it was very important to him to own physical property. It gave him comfort and pride. He ended up owning 4 buildings next to each other. He was a great success.
