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The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, October 13,1983 - Page 7
inion
Retires after 42 years o
service
Ziiken's stands earn Mm re^ of Winnipeg
■ .By ■ ABRAHAM ARNOLD
WINNIPEG —
When Joe Zuken announced his intention to retire from Winnipeg city council this year the Free Press ran an editorial calling him "a Winnipeg original, an expression of this city's special ethnic and political history and makeup." The editorial added Zuken is "strictly speaking, irreplaceable. But the quality of his work has ensured that the interest he has fought for cannot be brushed aside."
Councilor Zuken retires from public ojffice this month after 42 yean of oontfamoBa
service on tlie Winnipeg scliool board [20 years] and city cooncU [22 years]. The accolades he is now receiving is evidence that many people have changed their minds abbot a Commimlst serving in pobllc oCBce or at least about one Communist..
The Free Press editorial is but one example of how the people of Wmnipeg, atid particularly those in the establishment and places of authority, have changed their minds about Joe Zuken. In 1951, when Zuken had been serving on the school board for close to a decade, the Free Press declared: "He is utterly unfitted to have the slightest authority over education in this city."
More than 20 years later one of this city's institutions of higher education, the University of Winnipeg, chose Joe Zuken as one of 10 Winnipeg citizens to receive an honoraiy degree on the occasion of the city's centennial, in 1974. He received a doctorate for "particularly distinguished service to Winnipeg" and was praised for his untiring dedication, courage and forcefulness."
In an interview for The CJN, Joe recalled his own education and spoke with warm recollection of his attendance at Winnipeg's Peretz School where he was a member of the first graduating class in 1925. He recalled that Dr. Chaim Zhitlovsky, a leader among socialist Yiddishists in those days, came to Winnipeg to present the diplomas to the graduates. Among his teachers were Falek Zolf (father of Larry Zolf) and Ben Zaretsky.
' 'The education 1 got in the Peretz School ,*' Zuken said, "launched me into a continuation of the study of Yiddish with the result that I became fluent in Yiddish as well as English . . . and that became my bilingual task."
When he was at university studying law he helped to pay for his tuition by tutoring students in Yiddish. Moreover when he graduated from law school in 1936, at the height of the Depression, he couldn't afford to open a law office so he supported himself by teaching Yiddish until he saved enough to open a law office in 1941.
"I've always owed a great debt to the Peretz School for that,'' Joe said.
His political and communal activities have been based in Winnipeg's old "north end" (the city now stretches much further north). He has worked for his community in many ways — from campaigning to name a school and a playing field to reflect the ethnic character of the north end, to serving as chairman of the board of the Seven Oaks Hospital, the first hospital in north Winnipeg, duringthecrucialyears of its conception and construction.
A few years after World War II ended a new school was being opened and a name had to be chosen. "Up to that time a school was only named after an Anglo-Saxon," Zuken recalled, "and the Anglo-Saxon usually had to be a Lord."
He proposed that the new school be named for Andrew Mynarski, a Victoria Cross winner from the north end who lost his life in the fight against Nazism. The school board policy committee rejected the idea, claiming the name Mynarski didn't lend itself to the naming of a school.
This was blatant racism," JoeLsaid>=^
He gave notice of motion, repeating the propoMi forthe same name and then **a]l hell broke loose." North end ethnic^groups got very angry about the school board's attitude and "PoUsh citizens and Ukrainian citizens came in great numbers to lobby the school board, and the board reversed itself." The school was named for Andrew Mynarald.
Some years later, when Joe was serving in Winnipeg city council, he had less difficulty when he proposed that a softball park on McPhillipsSt. be named for Charlie Krupp, a popular sportsman at the Winnipeg YMHA.
Among issues of Jewish concern Ziiken recalled that years ago, in the period of the
Joe Zuken retires
Diefenbaker government, he wrote to the postmaster-general protesting the distribution of anti-semitic hate propaganda much like that uncovered recently in the Keegstra-affair in Alberta. The postmaster-general wrote back that he "resetted and deplored" this material but his hands were tied because their was no law covering it. This was before the section against hate propaganda >yas added to the Criminal Code.
He recalled protesting to city council about the sale of Nazi memorabilia in souvenir shops. He was also one of a few Jewish members of city council who refused to attend afunction at the Manitoba Club because of its ban on Jews as members.
Turning to the position of Israel and the situation of Jews in the Soviet Union, Zuken recalled and restated his views in forthright terms.
On Israel he went back to his position at the time of the Six day War in 1967 when the first charges were being heard that Israel was the "aggressor." He wrote a letter to the editor published in both Winnipeg papers in which he said that regardless of "who fired first" Israel had been threatened with extermination by Nasser and other Arab leaders and menaced by "encircling armies" and a "blockade of access to the Gulf of Aqaba."
Asserting Israel's right to defend herself, Zuken also criticized the Soviet ambassador, calling his comparison of Israel's actions with Hitler >^most unfortunate and historically objectionable [and] particularly inappropriate when applied to a state . . . buUt by survivors of a people against whom Hitler waged war with the intended ^final solution' of total exterminatidn."
By referring to his 1967 statement Zuken made it clear that he has not changed his basic position on Israel even though he has opposed the Begin government and supports the Peace Now movement. He added that he doesn't accept the view that Jews outside Israel don't have the right to express their opinion about actions of Israel's government which are a matter of public record.
In regard to Jews in the Soviet Union, Joe said, he has taken an independent positioin, and has spoken out about the right of people to emigrate from any country. When several Soviet Jews were sentenced to death for the attempted hyacldng of a plane, he sent a telegram to the Soviet embassy protesting the imposition of the death penalty on people whose motivation had been the desire to leave the country. The death ^nenalty was later revoked.
I asked Zuken about recent reports of anti-Zionist and anti-semitic propaganda in the Soviet Union. In response he said "there was no need for setting up the new anti-Zionist committee in the USSR.
"It would have been much more constructive for the Soviet government to establish a committee that would have led to the restoration of Jewish cultural Ayork in the Soviet Union."
He referred me to articles in the Morning Freiheit, the New York leftist Yiddish newspaper (now a weekly) whose editors have dissociated themselves from the Communist Party. One of these, in the English
section of the Freheit (July 24/83) was headlined "Anti-Zionist committee a threat to Soviet Jews."
Another freiheit article (July 31/83) discussing anti-Zionist propaganda from the USSR was titled: "Undisguised anti-semit-ism." The latter article ^as written by George Lewis of Toronto and Joe Zuken pointed out to me that the same writer has another article in Canadian Jewish Outlook (July-August/83) calling the Aug. 12 anniversary of the execution of Itzik Feffer and other Soviet Jewish leaders "a day of infamy in Soviet, history" and linking this with the upsurge of anti-Zionist anti-semitic material in the Soviet Union.
I asked Joe about his continued membership in the Communist Party and he said that question keeps coming up in various contexts and he Is tired of answering it. With regard to Israel and the Jewish question in the Soviet Union It Is clear that his views are different from the official Communist line.
Joe Zuken continues to practice law and he was named a Queen's Counsel more than a decade ago. The law firm he headed for many years has how been taken over by younger associates and he is counsel to the new firm, Savino & Company.
He recalls that among many law students who served with him, two later became Manitoba cabinet ministers: first, Sidney
Grreen and now Roland Penner.
He attempted to teach his law students that "more is involved than the opening of a file. They should look at the human being, in serving a client, and consider the person."
•He added that some of his former students could probably now teach him law.
Another former law student of his, Ozzie Hershfield, later became a vice-president of the Progressive Conservative Party.
Speaking about Jewish organizations, Joe recalled his longtime association with the United Jewish Peojple's Order and his lectures to the IKUF, a Yiddish cultural group, and to the Golden Age Club. In 1975
he gave an address to the Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada on The Impact of the Depression on the Jewish Community (this is included in the recently published volume of Jewish Historical Society papers: Jewish Life and Times).
He also talked about the important role of the landsmanshaft organizations during the first half of this century. They were the first credit unions and the first social assistance organizations, he said, and thousands of Jewish immigrants turned to them for help.
His own parents had come from Volin Gubernia when he was 18 months old. They became members of the Voliner organization and his father also served on the executive of the Independent B'nai Abraham, while his mother was active in the Ladies Auxiliary.
In private life Joe Zuken is a mild-mannered and modest man but in the public arena and particularly on a political platform he can be strong . . . and even dynamic.
His great helpmate throughout his public career and in his law practice has been his wife Clara. She served as his secretary for some 20 years. They have no children.
Clara Zuken does not carry a party card and perhaps she had some influence in persuading Joe to retire before his health gets the better of him. He has passed his 70th birthday and he decided that, after attending literally thousands of meetings, it is time to slow down.
"I am not prepared to say: 'free at last' about my retirement," Zuken declared. "There are still causes to fight for and unfulfilled dreams."
The city council Is now discussing plans to name a new park after Joe Zuken. When he first heard the suggestion he commented: "I hope they don't spend too much money.*'
It has also been learned that the University of Manitoba^ where he graduated In law, Is planning to honor him at its fall convocation, shortly after he attends his last city council meeting In the latter part of October.
Here are excerpts from an addressgiven by the Israel trade commissioner in Canada, Yah- Ofek, at the Sept. 20 faivestment seminar held in Montreal.
Several Canadian business people have invested successfully in Israel. More than $100 million has been invested in such sectors as breweries, food processing, aluminum fabrication, wineries, real estate development, finance, hotels and others.
All took advantage of Israel government incentives and the unique situation of Israel . . . and have made a profit.
In order to encourage bilateral trade, co-operation and investments, the governments of Israel and Canada have jointly or separately instituted a number of measures aimed at fostering such co-operation. These include:
1. A double taxation agreement ratified by the governments of both Canada and Israel to avoid duplication of taxes levied in one of the countries.
2. The Canada-Israel Institute for Indus-trail Research and Development was recently inaugurated by Israel's minister of industry and trade, Gideon Patt and by Herb Gray on behalf of Canada. This Institute was established to promote and facilitate joint research and development projects and to ^ommerciially exploit and^market the results of such projects by companies in Israel and Canada.
Under the auspices of the Canada-Israel Chamber of Commerce and funded by the government of Canada and Israel, the Institute is expected to match Israeli and Canadian companies, scientists and skills to ensure that opportunities for co-operation in R&D are fully exploited.
Furthermore, Canadian taxpayers can deduct R & D expenditures made in Israel if certain criteria are met. For example, R&D expenditures may be deducted if they are of a current nature, tf they are used for basic or applied research and if the product or process
developed can be exploited by the Canadian investors.
Numerous other benefits are available to the Canadian investor seeking to expand into international markets. Israel, as an associate member of the European Economic Community, has duty free access to the EEC, which means that Israel-based branch plants can penetrate this important market for their North American parents on a more competitive basis.
Israel also enjoys duty-free access to the U.S. on a large range of goods and preferential duties in such important markets as Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Visiting Israel you can see for yourself that, in spite of what you hear and read, Israel i^ a country at peace. A country busy constructing and building, a country that has achieved a remarkable rate of progress and development, a country that, witii all the problems fating it at this moment, is on the stage of takeoff.
The infrasfructure is there, the manpower is there, theopportunities are there, thespirit is there and surprisingly enough, even the funds are there. What we still need is an infusion of know-how from outside to help complete the locally generated funds.
I believe that it will not take long until the Middle East will become relatively quiet again, and the peace treaties with Egypt and Lebanon will dramatically affect the economy. The opportunities in the area will be unlimited. In real estate, housing, hotels, every field and every aspect will be improved and investment will be very profitable. You can invest in Israel in industry, in the stock market, in R& D ventures or in setting up an international trading company, which is entitled to special tax benefits. It is less of a risk than in many other places around the world with the added benefits of investing in a dynamic young country which needs to grow, and has the potential to do so.