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October 17, 2003
B.C. mourns Izzy Asper
Philanthropist remembered as generous, humble.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Izzy Asper died suddenly of a heart problem on Oct. 7, at the
age of 71. He was widely respected by political leaders of all stripes
and by his fellow businesspeople, a fact that was evident at Asper's
funeral in Winnipeg last Thursday, which was attended by scores
of federal, provincial and municipal politicians, as well as noted
figures from entertainment, media, business and the arts. Among
the mourners were many who had been touched, in one way or another,
by the philanthropy Asper and his family have exemplified.
Asper, who founded CanWest Communications and oversaw its growth
into one of the world's most influential media conglomerates, was
eulogized above all for the passion he exuded for his causes, which
enriched the Jewish and general communities of Manitoba, but which
went far beyond that province.
Among the British Columbians who were shocked and saddened by Asper's
sudden passing was Geoffrey Druker, Vancouver director for State
of Israel Bonds. Asper impressed Druker on a visit to this city
when he met the media magnate at his hotel. Asper gamely jumped
in Druker's family minivan for a meeting with the late Morris Wosk,
whose role in the Vancouver community was comparable to Asper's
in Winnipeg. The two men went back many years and Druker listened
as they reminisced. Druker recalls Asper telling a story of a long-ago
visit to Israel where Asper met with a number of top Israeli officials,
including Menachem Begin and other veterans of the Zionist cause.
During his meeting with those momentous figures in Jewish history,
Asper reportedly asked himself, "What did those guys do in
their lifetimes? They created a Jewish state. What have I created?"
Asper set about to make an imprint as a philanthropist, as he had
done with great success in business (and with more limited success
in politics). Asper's creations are now legend. He has been instrumental
in funding or creating institutions and organizations, not least
of which is the Asper Jewish Community Campus in Winnipeg. Among
the local beneficiaries of Asper's philanthropy has been the Vancouver
chapter of Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
(CFHU).
Asper initiated a national scholarship fund to send Canadian students
to the Rothberg School at the Hebrew University and, in May 2002,
he attended an event organized by the Vancouver chapter of CFHU,
where he announced the creation of the Vancouver Asper Scholarship
Fund. The event raised about $450,000 and Asper matched that amount
dollar-for-dollar.
Maxine Woogman, executive director of Vancouver's CFHU, said Asper's
belief was that Jewish British Columbians would return from their
time in Israel recommitted to their Judaism and take leadership
positions in their local communities.
"I was shaken," Woogman said of the news of Asper's death.
"I hadn't even met Izzy personally, but my heart broke for
Hebrew University, Canadian Friends, for Canada and for his family."
Sen. Jack Austin, a British Columbian in the upper house who is
Jewish, said Asper's death creates a vacuum.
"When it comes to Western Canadian Jewish leaders, he was it,"
said Austin. "I considered him one of the four or five most
dedicated people in Canada to the security of Israel and to the
growth of the Jewish community in Canada."
Asper has also made a permanent impression on the youngest members
of Vancouver's Jewish community by helping to fund the travel of
Vancouver Talmud Torah high school students to Washington, D.C.,
to visit the American National Holocaust Museum. Eyal Daniel, Talmud
Torah's head of school, said staff, students and board members sent
condolences in advance of the funeral "in appreciation of the
late Izzy Asper's wonderful, Jewish support, leadership and vision."
Under the program, students who travelled to the U.S. capital were
required to sign a "contract" stating that they would
use the lessons they learned to fight discrimination and advance
human rights throughout their lives. Daniel said 35 Talmud Torah
students have gone to Washington in the past two years and another
15 are planning a trip this school year.
"The Washington, D.C., program for the high schools [is] a
priceless program in terms of the values, the level of information
and the richness of the program [which] adds a lot to the students'
and teachers' understanding of the Holocaust and human rights issues,"
said Daniel. "I think it's a first-time hands-on experience
of seeing the horrors of the Holocaust, the magnitude and also the
importance of human rights and the protection of people, especially
the Jewish people. It makes them appreciate the difficulties of
the previous generations."
Asper's foundation has funded similar trips for Jewish students
from across Canada.
Nisson Goldman, chair of Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region,
called Asper a "straight-talker."
"We have lost a tremendous fighter and a person who was prepared
to go out on a limb for Israel," said Goldman. "He never
minced words and that was his great strength."
Grief across Canada
Organizations across the country, Jewish and other, issued statements
regarding Asper's contributions to civic life. Leo Adler of the
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies said in
a statement that Asper was devoted to the ideals that make Canada
great.
"His constant efforts to bring together people of all backgrounds,
to see to it that tolerance and acceptance become cornerstones of
Canadian society, is what drove him, his foundation and his dream
for a museum of human rights and understanding," said Adler.
"We will all miss him and his good works."
In the House of Commons and the Senate, members rose to pay tribute
to Asper.
John Harvard, a Winnipeg Liberal MP, called Asper's death "stunning"
and said "Izzy was a man who never forgot where he came from
and never compromised on where he was going.... He will be greatly
missed."
Sen. Sharon Carstairs, like Asper a former leader of the Manitoba
Liberal party, spoke of her long friendship with the family.
"To Babs, her children and her grandchildren, I offer my deepest
sympathy," Carstairs said in the Senate chamber last week.
"Izzy Asper was a good man. He will be missed where he touched
so many with his generosity and his love of life. He lived life
to the fullest and will be known forevermore as a man who gave his
all."
In addition to his innumerable charitable causes, perhaps Asper's
ultimate gift to the world is yet to be completed. Asper's dream
of a museum of human rights remains in the planning stages and may
yet help to define Winnipeg – architecturally and culturally
– in the way Sydney is defined by its opera house.
Asper, who was born in 1932 in Minnedosa, Man., is survived by his
wife and their three grown children.
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and
commentator.
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