JNF IS 100% GRATEFUL Limmud Ottawa THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE BARBARA AND LEN FARBER FAMILY Limmud Ottawa returns Nov. 20 SCIENCE & SPORTS CENTRE with exciting program VISIT ISRAEL WITH JNF: JNFOTTAWA.CA [email protected] 613.798.2411 of Jewish learning > page 3 Ottawa Jewish Bulletin OCTOBER 31, 2016 | 29 TISHREI 5777 ESTABLISHED 1937 OTTAWAJEWISHBULLETIN.COM | $2 Tour de France winner’s heroic acts saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust Author Aili McConnon will tell the fascinating story of Italian cyclist Gino Bartali at a Holocaust Education Month event. Louise Rachlis reports. magine if you discovered that Wayne Committee of the Jewish Federation of Gretsky had “a secret chapter.” Ottawa, Aili McConnon will present an That’s what journalist Aili author’s talk on Monday, November 14, 7 IMcConnon said it was like painstak- pm, at the Soloway Jewish Community ingly unearthing the story of cyclist Gino Centre, describing the process of uncov- Bartali, who made the greatest comeback ering Bartali’s amazing history and in Tour de France history, and who, writing the book – the 2013 Canadian between his Tour victories, secretly aided Jewish Book Award recipient for the Italian resistance during the Second biography. World War. “My brother and I were cycling fans and An Italian Catholic, married with a son, often watched together,” said McConnon, Bartali had the courage to help save Jews, who grew up in Brampton, Ontario. “He McConnon told the Ottawa Jewish was watching the Tour de France the year Bulletin in a telephone interview. before Lance Armstrong was disgraced. “If it had been discovered he was Armstrong was competing in his 30s and helping the Jewish community, he would there was a discussion of how old one can have been killed. Yet he stood up for what be and still win in this sport. In that he believed in.” context, we learned about Gino Bartali, McConnon, a Canadian freelance who won at age 24 and again at age 34.” journalist now based in New York, and Knowing the Italian experience in the WIKIPEDIA her brother, Andres, a historical Second World War, they decided to look Italian Tour de France winner Gino Bartali, researcher, are the co-authors of Road to into Bartali further. Aili McConnon, co-author of Road to Valour¸ seen in a circa 1945 photo, used his training routes to smuggle documents, hidden in his Valour, which tells Bartali’s epic story. “We wanted to fi gure out whether he which tells the story of an Italian cyclist who helped save Jewish lives during the Holo- bicycle seat post, which helped save Jews At a Holocaust Education Month event helped the Fascists,” she said. “We found caust, will speak, November 14, at the SJCC. from the Holocaust. presented by the Shoah (Holocaust) See Cyclist on page 2 Powerful fi lm depicts the largest rescue of the Holocaust BY LOUISE RACHLIS With many thousands of refugees This heroic feat was characterized by the world. would rather stand with God outside the Portuguese consulate Holocaust historian Yehuda Bauer as This story is told in the powerful fi lm against Man than with Man attempting to escape Nazi horrors, Sousa “the largest rescue action by a single “Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes against God,’ declared Aristides Mendes defi ed his own government’s individual during the Holocaust.” The Story,” which will be shown Sunday, ‘I de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese orders and issued some 30,000 visas, visas allowed the refugees safe passage November 27, 3 pm, at Ben Franklin consul in Bordeaux, France, in June of including about 10,000 to Jews, over the through Spain to Lisbon, Portugal, from Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, at a 1940. period of a few days. where they could travel to other parts of See Disobedience on page 2 Chief Rabbi of U.K. to speak Stephanie Shefrin on new Barbara Crook on inside: at Machzikei Hadas > p. 5 meaning to “l’dor v’dor” > p. 22 Palestinian leadership > p. 23 The Perfect Mover Since 1947 Customized service to meet your specifi c needs Publication Mail Agreement No. 40018822 613.244.4444 • www.boydmoving.com 2 October 31, 2016 OTTAWAJEWISHBULLETIN.COM Disobedience: Consul had ‘vision of helping others’ Continued from page 1 university or fi nding meaningful work. Holocaust Education Month program “There is a long line of suffering presented by the Shoah (Holocaust) behind this story,” said Louis-Philippe. Committee of the Jewish Federation of “I was able to witness the sorrow within Ottawa. my father’s heart and that of his brothers The event will include a ques- and sisters. They were never able to get tion-and-answer session with Sousa over it.” Mendes’ grandson, Louis-Philippe When people see the fi lm, “they are Mendes, who learned of his grandfather’s very touched and emotional, including heroism when he was six years old in me,” said Louis-Philippe, an engineer, 1966 when Yad Vashem declared Sousa who lives in Montreal. “I’ve seen it more Mendes to be Righteous Among the than 15 times, and I am still emotional.” Nations. While Sousa Mendes and his wife “My father went to New York City for Angelina “never wanted to leave Portugal that occasion, and I saw that picture with because he said he did nothing wrong,” Rabbi Kruger,” Louis-Philippe told the they did encourage their children to leave Ottawa Jewish Bulletin in a telephone because they were blacklisted and had no interview. future there. Frédéric Quiring as Rabbi Chaim Kruger (left) and Bernard Le Coq as Aristides de Sousa Mendes Rabbi Chaim Kruger was a Chasidic “My father kept in touch with his in a scene from “Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story.” rabbi who refused to accept the visa father until the end, and he was the last offered to him until all of the Jewish to leave Portugal. My grandfather’s would my grandparents say about what is heads or we can look into these scary refugees in Bordeaux were able to escape. message was ‘I don’t leave you much, but going on in the world today,” said situations where you need to take a For his act of defi ance, Sousa Mendes I leave you my name,’” said Louis-Philippe. “They would ask, ‘How stand, and become an activist.” was stripped of his diplomatic position Louis-Philippe. can we help people?’ … He had that The “Disobedience” event is free of and forbidden from earning a living. He Aristides de Sousa Mendes died April vision of helping others, and that’s what charge, but RSVP is required to Elana had 15 children, who were themselves 3rd, 1954 in poverty in Lisbon. he did. Moscoe at [email protected] or blacklisted and prevented from attending “Screening the movie, I wonder what “Personally, I think we can turn our 613-798-4696, ext. 355. Cyclist recognized as Righteous Among the Nations Continued from page 1 It immediately intrigued us that there was the documents there. The inspectors who was saved as a young boy because an Italian Jewish newspaper published in this secret chapter of a cycling hero. It didn’t know enough to take the bike Bartali had sheltered a family in a small Florence that said he’d helped during the started us on the journey.” apart. apartment he fi nanced with his cycling War. I did a bit more digging; his son was The siblings spent nearly 10 years “Bartali would jump on his bike in winnings. still alive and said his father was part of a tracking down the story. Florence, and then cycle a few hours to After the book came out, Yad Vashem network distributing false identity cards. “One of the interesting challenges was where the printing press was,” she said. contacted the McConnons and obtained the network he was a part of,” she said. “It “He would drop off the details for new material that helped to recognize Bartali, was critical that any single person didn’t immigrants and then come back to pick who died in 2000, as Righteous Among Correction know about the others so they couldn’t up the forged documents and deliver the Nations. The article “Jewish geography from the give the network up if they were tortured. them to where the immigrants were “I hope people are inspired by Bartali,” pages of faded Yiddish magazines What that meant was that, if we were hiding. He was in a unique position to she said. “We need these stories in what (September 26),” incorrectly referred to lucky, we could fi nd a few different eye travel around, because his excuse was can be a violent and scary world.” the “Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1942.” witnesses to bring that to life.” always that he was out training.” McConnon’s talk is free of charge, The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising took place A priest who, as a young boy, had seen McConnon spoke to many Italian Jews but RSVP to Elana Moscoe at in 1943. Bartali in action, told her Bartali would who had been in the War. Someone in [email protected] or 613-798- take off the seat post of his bike and hide London led her to her brother in Tel Aviv 4696, ext. 355, is appreciated. 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