Introduction
The relationships that create community are forged in many ways, in informal contexts as well as more formal, organized ones. One community tradition was for the men to gather at Sarah Cadesky’s. When they came from shul they all stopped there for schnapps and homemade chopped liver. Coffee would be served from a big Corning Ware coffee pot. Sarah would put out cheese and bagels. Phil Cadesky, Mike Rabovsky, Hy Fromstein and the Oretskys were among the men who would gather there. Often there would be as many as fifteen people. She was also known to host lunch for the women when Rosh Hashanah services were held. These traditions continued up until about 1990, when Sarah was no longer well enough to host these affairs.
During the summers, Sauble Beach was a favourite recreational spot for the Jewish families of Owen Sound. In the early years, Jews were not allowed to buy cottages there. Samuel Fishman got around this by buying land and building his own cottage. After that time, on Wednesdays, when businesses closed early, or on holidays, the Jewish families would drive to the beach. As many as twenty cars would be parked side by side. Often the women would adjourn to the Beachcomber Café, to have a coffee and visit together while the men stayed on the beach and watched the children. People had a good time. They enjoyed the sense of closeness and family that came from being together as Jews, as friends and as family.
