As we celebrate the late Coun. Ruth Kovac's life, let's look back on where she came from. At the bottom of this blog post, you will find a link to a free audio documentary that includes the voices of Ruth and her mother.
Some 70,000 people died in that Nazi concentration camp, but Ilse survived because of her mother’s bravery and selflessness.
Lutta kept her children alive by combining risky survival tricks with a glimmer of hope.
And her drive to protect her children inadvertently helped shape the future of a small Canadian community many decades later.
Sitting in her colourfully decorated Côte Saint-Luc condo with her eldest of four at her side, Ilse told me her remarkable story in the spring of 2014.
She told me how she bumped into an old friend in Bergen-Belsen and tried to feed her despite having near nothing to eat.
There was little else she could do to help and that old friend, Anne Frank, became one of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust.
Anne's story is widely shared, but it's important to remember stories like Ilse's as well.
Her story tells of how one strong, generous woman, Lutta, set the tone for generations to come.
There was little else she could do to help and that old friend, Anne Frank, became one of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust.
Anne's story is widely shared, but it's important to remember stories like Ilse's as well.
Her story tells of how one strong, generous woman, Lutta, set the tone for generations to come.
Lutta’s devotion to her family passed down to Ilse and then to Ilse's daughter, Ruth Kovac.
Zilversmit died in 2016 at the age of 89 and Ruth died on Tuesday at the age of 69.
Zilversmit died in 2016 at the age of 89 and Ruth died on Tuesday at the age of 69.
Kovac, a city councillor in Côte Saint-Luc for 29 years, is remembered as a generous woman who never stopped giving. She worked tirelessly to make her city, province and country a better place.
And she succeeded. To read more about that success, read my CBC article here.
That success never would have been possible were it not for her grandmother, Lutta, whose devotion was passed down over seas and time.
About 18 months ago, I made an audio documentary with Ruth’s help. She ensured my facts were straight and my pronunciation was accurate. And she encouraged me to share it with the world.
This audio documentary was also made with the help of my friend and gifted sound engineer, Martin Boisselle.
Sharing it now is my way of remembering Ruth Kovac and thanking her for always taking my calls, replying to my emails and making me feel welcome in Côte Saint-Luc.
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