AJDELBAUM o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-29 published
Ben HOCHMAN
By Marilyn
HERBERT,
Monday,
December 29, 2003 - Page A20
Born in Wierzbice, Poland, in 1908, 1910, or 1912 -- depending
on the document consulted. Died November 4, in Toronto, of general decline, aged (about) 95.
Ben HOCHMAN lived a very long, healthy (and unmedicated) life
to the end. In his prime, his first 90 years, he could out-walk,
out-carry and out-smile any of us. He loved being in his garden,
or at his sewing machine, caring for his grandchildren or simply
reciting aloud all the street signs while riding in the car.
He cherished life and always faced it with a positive outlook.
He was born in Wierzbice, Poland in 1908, 1910, or 1912 - --
depending on which government document you were looking at. Birth
certificates were expensive and especially difficult to come
by. On my father's 75th birthday, he laughed and said he was
sorry but he could not accept our gift because he was not yet
75. He had been drafted into the Polish Army at 19 instead of
the obligatory 21. The only way he had of pinpointing the accurate
date, was to recall the celebration of his bar-mitzvah.
Born to Naftali and Rivka
HOCHMAN,
Ben was one of a family of
four boys and one girl. After their father had an accident that
claimed the use of his hands, Ben and his brothers took up tailoring.
In time, Ben married Hennele
GREENBERG and they had two small boys, each born while he was away in the army.
War brought bitter times to the Jews of Europe, but Ben had always
enjoyed good relations with his Polish neighbours. In the end,
it was a good Polish family who saved Ben and his surviving brother,
Yosef, by keeping them hidden in their barn for two years. During
this time, two of the family's children were arrested and detained,
but never gave up Ben and Yosef; the brothers, protected by the
family dog, slept each night in the fields far from detection, returning to hiding at sunrise.
The war cost Ben the lives of his parents, his remaining brothers,
sister and sister-in-law, his wife and young sons, but not his
dauntless spirit. Ben and Yosef left Poland in search of a way
to rebuild their shattered lives. When they arrived at the displaced
persons camp in Feldafing, Germany, Ben met and married Fanny
AJDELBAUM, a young woman he had previously known from his old neighbourhood.
Desperate to leave Europe's destruction and mayhem, Ben put his
name on every emigration list he could find. Salvation came from
Canada: Jews with experience and skills in the garment industry
were able to enter Canada. An uncle, Mendel
HOFFMAN, sponsored
him, and so while his only surviving brother finally arrived
in Israel, Benny, Fanny and Marilyn disembarked at Pier 21 in
Halifax and moved on to Toronto, where six years later, Harry was born.
Life was never easy but, by working extremely hard, Ben made
a good living, first as a tailor and, finally, as a smoke-shop
proprietor. Ben never minded working 14 hours a day, seven days
a week and 51 weeks a year, because he was in Canada. Although
he missed his brother, he was forever grateful for the opportunities and Friendships he made here.
He raised two children, Marilyn and Harry, who gave him the loves
of his life -- his six grandchildren: Jenny, David, Adina, Laura,
Mark and Steven. He was a proud and doting grandfather who babysat,
drove them to their Friends and enjoyed watching them in their various activities.
Everyone's life is unique, but survivors of any of history's
atrocities will always have a special place. Regretfully, Ben
and his brother, Yosef, both passed away this same year. Despite
living half a world apart for more than half a century, their bond continues to be unbreakable.
Marilyn HERBERT is Ben's daughter.
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