- by Aly Boltman

I called my locksmith Tom McKay this morning, and after we do our business, I wish him Merry Christmas, and he says "isn't it your holiday right now?" And then he mentions he heard this story about a pair of candlesticks saved from a synagogue that had been burned to the ground by the Nazis. He can't remember where he heard it, so I Google it and find this incredible story.

So here is what I am thinking:

I have known Tom McKay a long time. He was The Roxy's locksmith for years and had he not been, our paths would likely not have crossed. I think it's pretty lovely that he took the time to tell me about this story, and it affirms my feeling that this community is pretty spectacular. If it was my local synagogue the Nazis had tried to burn down, people like Tom McKay (and so many of my local non-Jewish friends and neighbours) would have been the ones trying to put that fire out to save it. I do not doubt this for one fraction of a second.

I am also thinking that this is a timely story, because just about two years ago, Lorne Rich passed away. With his multi-generational storefront on 2nd Ave. East and an overtly Jewish-sounding last name (Kornblum), Lorne was the recipient of numerous artifacts over the years, things that had once belonged to Jews that were entrusted to their gentile friends and neighbours to save from the Nazis, or to return to their friends if they survived the Holocaust. Most of them did not. And those people, just like the man in this article, traveled across the ocean to start a new life in Canada, and couldn't stand the thought of throwing these things away.  These people held on to the artifacts for years until they began to fear no one would look after them after they were gone, and they needed somewhere to put them that felt right. So they brought them to Lorne, who then entrusted them to our tiny synagogue.

I love these stories, and the kind of people who share them or make sure I don't miss them. Miracles and signs of the best of people are all around us if you look for them. Always look for the helpers.

PS.  I've linked the letter I wrote about Lorne that was in The Hub and The Sun Times, in case you haven't read it before.

PPS. It turns out that my dearest friend, Sharon Berlin, appraised these candle sticks. Of course she would have, because she's the best at what she does. And she missed the dedication ceremony of the candlesticks in their new home because she was here in Owen Sound with me last weekend!