Lazar looks back over the years

LAZAR

Kinderlach, after such a long time it's a fargenigen (great pleasure) to visit with you again. What would a 75th anniversary edition be without the flavor of Lazar's piquant comments?

For those whose memory of this newspaper doesn't go back a decade, when Lazar officially retired, along with the Boss and Boss-Lady, after 36 years at the helm, you may be reading the writing from this pen for the first time. If so, welcome. If you remember this nosy old gadfly's column on the Bulletin back page for decades, hope you'll stay for a short visit.

Lazar – shah, shtil (being quiet)! Not likely. Too many memories to share with Lazar's many friends. While the years between then and now have been a bissel tough health-wise for the Boss and Boss-Lady, they'll be the first to tell you they're blessed. They're together. They have devoted children and four gevaldig (sensational) grandchildren. Der Oybishter (the Almighty) has blessed them with Yiddishe naches (joy).

Crusty old Lazar is feeling sentimental, recalling all the wonderful people who shared our journey for almost four decades at this newspaper. Hearts don't forget. But we're not going to name names, because that's when someone gets left out and feelings can be hurt unnecessarily. When you come right down to it, we were all working together in this endeavor we call community.

Who remembers when?

On May 29, 1967, a mass rally of more than 2,000 people jammed Schara Tzedeck Synagogue and spilled over outside, where loudspeakers broadcast to hundreds standing on the street. It was an outpouring of support for Israel as she fought the Six Day War for her survival.

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The Bulletin was operating on the model of a daily. The Boss arranged to subscribe temporarily to Canadian Press, Reuters and AP teletype, plus news photos – altogether unheard of in publishing an Anglo-Jewish weekly newspaper. For several weeks, you read the news and saw photos that had not been carried by the dailies. An eye-opener in itself. Many pro-Israel stories and pictures were discarded by the daily media.

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And Kinderlach, the days were long before a Soviet Jewry Committee existed here to work in the struggle for the USSR to "let our people go." But every week on the front page of this newspaper we published a Gulag Record box, giving you the names and weeks of incarceration in the gulag of Soviet Jews – names like Slepak, Nudel and Sharansky. They became part of our households here in Vancouver, as you wrote to the Soviet officials whose names and addresses were also furnished in the box, appealing for freedom for our Soviet brethren.

When leading Soviet Jewry activist, historian Sir Martin Gilbert, spoke for Israel Bonds at Schara Tzedeck in 1998, he recounted how he managed in those dark days to take the Bulletin into the USSR with him to show our front-page stories and the Gulag Record box to beleaguered Refuseniks. He revealed how it gave them such hope and courage to see that their pictures and their plight were front-page news in a Jewish newspaper on the other side of the world. They were not alone.

And you, community, were in sync with the Bulletin when we held rallies and marched for their freedom. You did that with us, Kinderlach. And we'd have to write a book to include all the other times we turned out together as a community on behalf of Israel, Russian Jewry, against the United Nations "Zionism is Racism" declaration and to rally for the solemn Yom Kippur War. Or to celebrate a Jewish holiday in public. That was always such a special way to be community.

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Permit two other brief shared memories before Lazar retires nochahmol (once again).

On Oct. 24, 1971, the largest crowd ever assembled in the history of the community – some 4,000 people – gathered at the Courthouse plaza on Saturday at midnight for a massive but orderly protest under the Hotel Vancouver window of visiting Russian Premier Alexei Kosygin.

Infants in arms to octogenarians braved a dark frigid night to stage an appeal to Kosygin that began with the blowing of a dozen shofarot (ram's horns) and a prayer service, plus singing and dancing. Until dawn. Some of us just ferried hot beverages to the protesters.

You were there when a copy of the front page of this newspaper was delivered to Kosygin at the Hotel Vancouver. It featured an editorial printed in red ink – published in both English and Russian translation. Written by the Boss and Boss-Lady, it exhorted Kosygin to become the second Alexander the Great by "Letting our people go!"

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And so, let us end with yet another day to remember, friends. The one and only major parade in the community's entire history – held on Sunday, May 7, 1973, to celebrate Israel's 25th birthday. It was mounted by the Canadian Zionist Federation, but every organization in the community helped and was represented.

The unusual nature and magnitude of that parade was evident from the moment it began at Oakridge Shopping Centre early Sunday morning. The cavalcade lasted 45 minutes along a 4.5 mile route and included 1,475 marching or driving participants, Jewish and non-Jewish. Hundreds of others lined the long route, which wound up at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for a birthday party and celebration program – a special menorah from Israel was kindled to start the program.

Bus floats, convertibles, walkers, cyclists and wheelchairers. Floats atop trucks. Clowns, Clydesdale horses, magicians, three marching bands. Smith-Rite to clean up after the Clydesdales and the crowd! It was amazing. Sensational. Once in a lifetime.

A survivor of the Holocaust was tearful: "I wouldn't have missed what happened here today. I can't explain to you how beautiful and special it made me feel to walk like this with everybody."

An octogenarian said, "It's the greatest thing that ever happened in the community."

A couple with a child remarked, "We're not affiliated with anything in the community, but we wanted to march for Israel today."

A young woman declared, "I won't feel the same ever again. I feel this is such a special thing."

More than 40 local groups and organizations participated. That's community. That's the way we were.

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So Kinderlach, happy 75th anniversary. Soon there'll be a brand new newspaper name to celebrate. But Lazar and the Boss and the Boss-Lady, at least, will never forget the old one.

Good Shabbos and Shavua tov to everyone! Shabbat shalom and have a great week ahead!

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