Zelman Neudorf

Zelman with his lovely wife, Helen

The definition of a hero according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary is a man admired for his achievements and qualities. My grandfather, Zelman Neudorf, was an ordinary man with extraordinary abilities.

He was born May 20, 1931 in Warsaw, Poland. He had a brother named Peter and a little sister named Susie. They remained in Poland for two years during the war and then he and his family fled to Russia. Life in Russia was very difficult. One year after their arrival, his father fell ill and passed away, and one year later his younger sister also fell ill and passed away. The three remaining were sent to Siberia and they managed to survive with the help of Russian families who gave them a place to live. He was fortunate enough to be allowed to attend school and somehow managed to work in the market buying and selling. This enabled him to save some money for his family.

When the war ended they decided to return to Poland to search for any remaining family members. Unfortunately, they had all been killed during the war. They then headed to Germany hoping to eventually get to Israel, but remained in a D.P. (displaced person) camp for a couple of years. Zelman attended a Chasidic school and was a policeman for part of the time, patrolling the streets of Germany.

Soon enough, an opportunity arose to immigrate to Canada and they took it. They arrived in Canada in 1949. Zelman, his brother, Peter, and my great-grandmother went to work in the garment trade. One year later, my grandfather went into business with Peter and founded Atlantic Sportswear, our family company, which today is very successful. He soon met Helen (Siemietycki), my grandmother, the love of his life. They were married in 1956. My Uncle Irwin was born in 1958 and my mother, Francine, in 1960. He went on to have a wonderful life full of traveling and art collecting, and eventually had six grandsons, Noah, Mikey, Andrew, Spencer, Ryan and Jesse. I believe we are his greatest legacy.

My grandfather isn’t my hero because he was rich and famous. It’s because of the values he taught me. He didn’t have a formal education, but he had a Ph.D. in life. My grandfather is extremely important to me because of the huge difference he has made in my life. He taught me lessons and values that I know will guide me and will have a great influence in my future. I find it amazing that even after all the pain and suffering he and his family endured during the Holocaust, he still had positive hopes and dreams for the future. He showed me that I should always follow my dreams and never give up. I continue to do this in school and in life. I don’t know how he did it, but he always had a way of making me feel special and knew how to make me feel confident in all of my decisions.

I never knew how important family was until I heard all of my grandfather’s tales. It wasn’t only what he said, but also the way he said it. Zelman was a great storyteller. He would tell us stories about our family and instilled in us the importance of family and how we should always stick together. He committed his entire adult life to us, his family, and set a tremendous example for the rest of us to follow.

He instilled in my brothers and me our Jewish values and heritage, bringing us to synagogue with him every now and then. Although he wasn’t religious, on Shabbat he wouldn’t drive or work in front of his house, because a religious family lived across the street from him. This has taught me to always respect others even if it conflicts with your way of living. My grandpa was the true leader of our family. He was always there to listen to us and to give us great advice whenever we needed him. I like to look at it as if our family is a beautiful painting, and my grandfather was the artist, able to correct any mistakes made, bringing the painting to perfection. A beautiful image.

My grandfather passed away very suddenly on December 18, 2003. He is greatly missed, but he will always live on in our thoughts and in our hearts. No matter what, he has always been there for me, my brothers and my mom, and wherever he is right now, I would like him to know that he continues to be my hero.