BEN POTASH

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BEN POTASH On May 22, 2005, after a long illness, Ben Potash passed away at age 85 surrounded by his loving family. Ben was born on February 17, 1920 in Szczurowice, Poland, son of Rubin Zailik and Gela Potash. Ben came to Canada in 1948, with the help of the Gladstone and Rotstein families in Winnipeg. He met his wife Sara, of 56 years, in a displaced persons camp in Austria after the Second World War. She arrived from Austria six months after him and they were married May 17, 1949 in Winnipeg. Ben was a Holocaust survivor. He was the youngest of seven brothers. It was thought that only he and his brother, Jacob, survived the war. Many years after the war, however, another brother, Avrum, was located in Israel. Ben was among the few who escaped the liquidation of the Brody ghetto by the Nazis in 1941. He then survived much of the rest of the war in hiding with the help of a Righteous Gentile . In 1944 he was liberated by the Russian army and served in it in Finland until the end of the war. In Canada, Ben went on to successful careers, first in the grocery business, and then in the construction and property management business. He started his construction company, Active Builders Limited, in 1960 and over the course of the next 45 years built many houses and apartment buildings throughout the city of Winnipeg. He was fair and kind to his employees, many of whom worked for him for their entire working lives. His needs were not great. He really only wanted to run a successful business and to provide for his family. Ben was a natural optimist. He enjoyed the new life that he created for himself and his family in Winnipeg and was especially proud of all of his grandchildren. Ben was predeceased by his parents and four brothers in the Holocaust. He was also predeceased by his brother, Jacob, in Winnipeg, his brother, Avrum, in Israel and his grandson, Adam. He is survived by his loving wife Sara; his son Reuben, his wife Gail, and their daughters, Talia and Leah; son Jack and his wife Marlene, and their sons, Ari and Cory; daughter Gayle and her husband Ira, and their daughters, Miran and Orielle; son Mark and his wife Darena, and their children, Levin and Lily. Also surviving are Ben's two nephews, Morley Potash of Toronto and Martin Potash of Montreal. Funeral services were held at the Shaarey Zedek synagogue on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 with Rabbi Green officiating and Cantor Annibal Mas conducting the service. Pallbearers were Ira Marcus, Ari Potash, Ron Yurman, Yaniv Zohar, Jack Raizman and Ed Rotstein. Shiva was observed at 302-141 Wellington Cres. Donations may be made to Ben Potash Memorial Fund at the Winnipeg Jewish Foundation. The family would like to thank everyone involved in the Palliative care program, especially Dr. Jan Mulder, nurses Kris and Jo, and Lala, Mark and Rani, longtime care givers. They all displayed not only professionalism and skill in their jobs but also kindness and attentiveness to Ben's every need throughout his illness.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 04, 2005