Shalom magazine - The Atlantic Jewish Council

arouNd our regioN: saiNt JoHN
continued from page 37
Rotary Club.
Cohen’s memoir, A Time to Tell: the Public
Life of a Private Man, in 1998, became one
of the top 10 non-fiction hardcover bestsellers
in the country.
The Saint John Jewish
community has had two deaths
that have been very meaningful
to us in the past short while.
Jerry Koven, beloved husband of Marcia
Koven, died the end of June. Jerry
was a well known business man in
our community. He owned the Grand
Department Store on the west side of
Saint John and was very active in the
community. Jerry was also out Gabbai
Rishon for many years until his health
forced him to retire. Jerry was a small
man in stature, but a very large man in his
influence in this community. Jerry had an
infectious laugh that we will all remember.
Our sympathies go out to his family – his
wife Marcia, daughters Diane, Charlotte
and Sheri and son Andrew and their
families.
We were also saddened by the death of
Abe Davis. Abe and his wife of 68 years,
Goldie, owned the Ideal Stores on Union
An icon of the Saint John
Jewish community will be
remembered as a mensch, a
man with an infectious laugh, and one
who was upright, honest, loyal and
compassionate.
Jerry Koven passed away June 26, 2010 at
90 years of age, evoking fond memories
from family and friends.
Blessed with a sharp wit, Koven ran the
Cohen was appointed as a Member of the
Order of Canada in 1979, promoted to an
Officer in 1990 and named a Companion of
the Order in 2001.
The Order of New Brunswick was
established in 2000 to honour current
News From Saint John
by Susan Isaacs - Lubin
Street. Abe was also a vital part of the Saint
John Community throughout his lifetime.
Abe was known for his sense of humour,
his love of music and the arts, and his
generosity and charitable acts. Although
Abe and Goldie moved to Toronto after
their retirement, they remained in our
hearts as Saint Johners and he came home
to us to be buried here. Our thoughts are
with his family – his wife Goldie (Garson),
his children – Philip (Heather), Rozie
(Nordau), Susie (David) and Michael (Hyla)
and his many grandchildren.
Over the winter and spring we have done
more renovations on our new building. We
have built a new meat kitchen, which is
just about complete; and we have installed
tile on the floor in a room that we plan to
use as a multi-media room in the future.
We have been actively looking at
new immigrants to help us grow our
community. To this end, we have
entertained two groups of potential
Saint John “Mensch”
Jerry Koven Passes Away
by Joel Jacobson
Fairville Department Store in Saint John
from the late 1930s until he closed the
store in September 1994. He took over the
retail operation from his late father, who
died prematurely. Koven, a Dalhousie
University Commerce graduate at age 19
in 1938, declined to attend Yale Law School
to which he had been accepted, so he
could help his mother operate the family
business.
“Jerry was one of the most considerate
Page 38 Tishre 5771 - Vol 35 No. 2
or former longtime residents who
have reached a high level of individual
achievement in any field and contributed
to the social, cultural or economic wellbeing
of the province.
immigrants from Israel this spring. Both
groups were very interesting and are
interested in moving to Saint John. We
hope that things work out with as many as
possible.
Mazeltov to The Honourable Erminie
J. Cohen, who has received another
international award. This award is given by
the North American Council on Adoptable
Children, headquartered in New Haven,
Connecticut. Erminie is one of seven
receiving an award this year – and the only
Canadian. Her award is the Activists Award
given for her work in founding the New
Brunswick Adoption Foundation which to
date has found homes for approximately
800 children.
We are looking forward to having Cantor
Jeff Spitzer with us once again for the High
Holidays. Cantor Spitzer comes from the
Boston area and has been with us a number
of years. He has a beautiful voice and we
look forward to his services.
people I was blessed to be associated with,”
said first cousin and close friend, Norman
Holtzman, who also had a Saint John retail
background. “When he dealt with you, or
talked with you, he always made you feel
like you were the most important person
in the world. He enjoyed life and he loved
people.”
In declining health for the last two years,
Koven was Gabbai Rishon of Sharrei Zedek
Congregation which lacked a rabbi for the