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       Date Last Updated: 18-May-2012

Vitebsk Families Stories and Pictures

 
  VITEBSK FAMILIES STORIES AND PICTURES  
 


The Zaretsky Family

This information was donated by AJL

My great-grandfather, Ben (Benyamin HaLevi ben Velvel) Zaretsky was the son of Vulf Zaretsky and Doba Shur. He was, born 1893 in Vitebsk, and immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, about 1915. He had a younger brother, Chaim, who is believed to have stayed in Vitebsk.

In 1918 in Winnipeg he married Chana Adas, originally of Talnoe, Ukraine. They lived for a while in Toronto's Kensington Market before returning to Winnipeg. There he was co-owner of the Cambridge Knitwear Mills in Winnipeg, and was active in the Jewish community, giving much to charity and sitting on the board of the Winnipeg Jewish Music Club. They had two daughters, and adopted a son from Ukraine who was orphaned by the Holocaust. He died on 22 Apr 1951 in Winnipeg of complications of Buerger's disease.

Here are two photos: The photo of him alone is from the 1940s; the other photo is from 1913 and shows him with his friend Chaim Oman, also of Vitebsk. Unfortunately this photo has been damaged by mildew, probably from a flood here in Winnipeg.

BenZ 1940

 

Ben Chaim