Torontonian turns 90, plans his 46th annual Walk With Israel
Sam Hershenhorn emigrated from Poland, where just being Jewish was cause for a beating, in 1935. Feeling blessed to live in Canada, he and his family raise money — and awareness — for Israel in annual 8-km. walk
TORONTO — Growing up in 1930s Poland amid persecution, pogroms and Hitler’s rise to power, Sam Hershenhorn could never have imagined being allowed – let alone encouraged – to publically display his love of Judaism alongside 20,000 other proud Jews. But that’s exactly what life in Toronto is like for Hershenhorn, who turned 90 on February 25.
While there are many who “talk the talk” about helping their fellow Jews and the people of Israel, Hershenhorn is busy “walking the walk.”
Literally.
Every year since its inception in 1970, Hershenhorn has laced up his favorite sneakers to take part in United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto’s annual 8-km Walk with Israel, a one-day Israel solidarity-fundraiser through downtown Toronto that transforms its main streets into a sea of blue and white. Funds raised by this year’s event will support a number of vital initiatives throughout Israel, particularly in UJA Federation’s partner cities of Bat Yam, Sderot and the Eilat/Eilot region.
And this May 29, Hershenhorn will again walk with Israel in what has evolved to be a true family affair. His children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews, intend to join the nonagenarian.
“Well, actually, some of my great-grandchildren are too young to Walk with Israel, so it’ll be more like ‘Schlepping with Israel,’ but one way or another, they’ll be with me on that day when the Jews of Toronto show Israel – and the world – that we are proud to be Jewish and that we will never again be silenced,” says Hershenhorn.
Today’s reality in a city known for its diversity is a far cry from life in Hershenhorn’s native Tarnow, Poland, which he left in 1935, along with his mother, two brothers and a sister. His father, David, had arrived at the shores of the Great White North a few years earlier and, after establishing himself as a tailor, his family followed suit.
David Hershenhorn had long dreamed of a life free of anti-Semitism, where he and his family could flourish as Jews, and begin a new life free of the senseless hatred that many Jews of Eastern Europe had accepted as a part of life.
“My father came to Toronto when the trade unions of the tailoring industry needed more tailors,” says Hershenhorn. “They opened up the gates to allow entry to 160 lucky tailors from Europe. And, remember, this was Canada, where they once said, ‘None is Too Many.’ It was such a strange but wonderful experience being in this new city, this new world, really, where I wasn’t being attacked or called names simply because I was Jewish.
“Back in Poland, the anti-Semites didn’t need an excuse to attack us; the fact that we were born as Jews was enough for them to justify their hatred and ignorance. In Toronto, I never really sensed that hatred,” says Hershenhorn.
While schools in Toronto were challenging for Hershenhorn since his first – and only – language was Yiddish, he managed to get by using his smarts, outgoing personality and a sense of humor that would give Henny Youngman a run for his money.
‘Boy oh boy, were there ever some interesting word combinations going on during recess’
“I learned all the really important and colorful phrases I needed to survive in a new country with the help of my new buddies in the playground,” says Hershenhorn. “I had never heard words like that before, at least not in English, but, boy oh boy, were there ever some interesting word combinations going on during recess.”
But despite the relative freedom from persecution that Hershenhorn and his family experienced in their new home, there were still a number of harsh realities that the family faced on a daily basis, as did the majority of new immigrants.
“Unfortunately, despite the fact that my father worked long and hard days as a tailor, we still had to pack up and move from place to place as he couldn’t afford to pay the first and last month’s rent,” says Hershenhorn.
So, always looking to do what he could to help out, the young Sam took on his first job at the age of nine or ten to help his father pay the rent.
‘I suppose I was one of the original “Newsies,” like that Broadway play’
“I suppose I was one of the original ‘Newsies,’ like that Broadway play,” says Hershenhorn. “I would leave school at 3:30 and take to the streets downtown where I sold newspapers until it was dark and nobody could see me anymore. I used to buy the papers at wholesale for two cents, and people would give me a nickel, and I almost always got to keep the change, making three cents per paper.
“I would get home around 7:30 pm where my mother always had a wonderful dinner waiting for me and the rest of my family. We always ate together as a family. That was very important to my father. And the best thing about eating dinner together back in those days was that there was never even one iPad at the table. They hadn’t been invented yet, so people actually looked at each other and conversed. Could you imagine?”
Hershenhorn would go on to hold several interesting jobs — including that of a draftsman at age 16 and, in 1943, as a radio operator with the Canadian Air Force. He married the love of his life, Gertrude Granatstein in 1951.
“Oy, can you imagine if Gertrude had wanted to hyphenate her name,” jokes Sam. “It would have been Gertrude Granatstein-Hershenhorn. Could you imagine the size of her business cards? It would have been like, ‘see you next week!’”
The couple had two children, and today they are the proud grandparents of three, and the great-grandparents of three.
Hershenhorn worked most of his adult life as a woman’s clothing sales rep and retired in 1994 at the age of 69. But retirement didn’t “take” so well, and almost immediately he returned to the work force with Tom’s Place, a men’s fashion emporium. He finally retired for good in October at the tender age of 89.
Unlike many of his contemporaries who are fine with spending their golden years in Florida, or other more temperate climes than the unforgiving Canadian winters, Hershenhorn is eager to get back to work.
“I’m not sure this retirement thing is for me, to be honest,” he says. “I had a few months off, and I think I’m ready to get back to work. In fact, maybe I’ll apply for a job as a WalMart Greeter.”
‘Toronto is about as far away as one can get from 1930s Poland, and I feel truly blessed’
In truth, Hershenhorn has never stopped working, especially when it comes to his tireless and strategic drive to raising money for Israel; an approach that begins months before the May event.
“This will be my 46th consecutive Walk with Israel, and I can’t wait to get out there with my family,” he says. “You can’t imagine what it’s like to see thousands and thousands of Jewish people, with their Canadian and their Israeli flags, walk through this city, all for the people of the Jewish state. It fills my heart with such joy, to show our love of Israel, while raising money for Israel — especially these days with so many innocent Israelis being killed.”
“Trust me: Toronto is about as far away as one can get from 1930s Poland, and I feel truly blessed,” says Hershenhorn.
And feeling blessed is something he never takes for granted, which is why, for the last 45 years, he has been one of the top fundraisers for ‘Walk with Israel.’
“I learned a lot from selling women’s clothing, and I use my sales experience in my fundraising which is basically, don’t take no for an answer. I got thrown out of plenty of stores when I was selling clothes, and I guess I just never got the message because as soon as they threw me out, I’d come right back in until they gave me an order,” says Hershenhorn.
“In raising money for the Walk, I always do my research, and begin by sending a Rosh Hashanah card to everyone who gave me a donation the previous year. In sales, you always want to make sure people remember you. I’ve also been to Israel countless times since 1971, and every time I’m there, I see that the country has certain needs, so I always let prospective donors know what the UJA Walk does with the money it raises.
“Whether it’s infrastructure, social services, or education, I knew that by letting donors perform a mitzvah, they would feel good, I get their sponsorship, and the people of Israel benefit. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
While there’s no telling exactly how much Hershenhorn has raised for the Walk over the last 45 years, consider this: Last year, he raised $45,000, and his track record does indicate that each year he raises more than the year before. Multiply that over four-and-a-half decades, and you get the idea.
‘We must make sure Israel continues to grow and strengthen so that we always have a Jewish state; a Jewish home’
“While I do receive some smaller donations, I regularly receive sponsors as much as $500, $1,000, even $3,600. The truth is, I tell my donors how I really feel — that Israel has been there for the Jews of the world since 1948, and it’s going to be there tomorrow, despite what some of these lunatics who want to destroy her say.”
And so on May 29, undoubtedly with the memories of Tarnow, Poland, and his love for Israel spurring him on, Hershenhorn will, at the age of 90, “schlep” his descendants through downtown Toronto, flags in hand.
“When I was in Tarnow, there were around 60,000 people living there; about half of whom were Jewish,” says Hershenhorn. “Today, there are 120,000 people living there, and almost no Jews.
“We must make sure Israel continues to grow and strengthen so that we always have a Jewish state; a Jewish home. While my great-grandchildren may be too young to visit Israel today, they’re going to want to in the future, so we have to make sure they have that option. In fact, maybe I’ll go with them; after all, they’ll need someone to schlep them around,” laughs Hershenhorn.
The Times of Israel Community.