Jack Leve

Jack Leve was born in Russia. In 1904, after his brother was murdered in a pogrom, his parents put Jack - who was only nine at the time -- on a ship to Montreal, where he lived with relatives. He did very well at Hebrew school, but one day he dipped a snowball in water to freeze it and hit the rabbi with it on his walk home, knocking him out. When he was caught, he decided to move to New York City and found a factory job, skinning skunks for fur coats.

After serving with the Canadian forces in World War I, Jack decided to trade furs, working in James Bay. He spent most of his time with Native Canadians, making many connections and even befriending Grey Owl. In 1938, Jack married Sarah Rives. When Judy was born in Montreal, the family had to send out a dog sled to notify Jack, who was in an igloo on Baffin Island.

Jack eventually settled in Sudbury around 1944. He had a base office just above Wolfe's book store where he kept two baby bears which he fed with baby bottles. He spent a great deal of time in the bush where he met with Natives, trapped, hunted, fished and purchased furs. Despite his rugged lifestyle, he was a staunch Zionist. In 1948, he relied on his contacts and skills as a fur trader to ship bullets hidden in mink, muskrat and otter furs to Israel to help the cause during the War of Independence. He was also an active member of the Jewish community in Sudbury. His wife kept a Kosher home and Jack served on the executive of the synagogue and B'nai Brith.

The 6 things to know to survive
Judy Feld Carr describes the advice that her father gave her as he was driving her to the University of Toronto.

Interview with Judy Feld Carr, 1 August, 2007, Sharon Gubbay Helfer. OJA, Oral History #320

Judy Feld-Carr

Judy Feld Carr speaking at a rally to bring attention to the plight of Syrian Jews in Mel Lastman Square, North York, Ontario, ca. 1990
Troper, Harold. The Rescuer: The Amazing Story of How One Woman Helped Save the Jews of Syria.Toronto: Lester, Mason & Begg Limtied, 2007.
Reproduced with permission from Judy Feld Carr

Judy was born in 1939 to Sarah Rives and Jack Leve in Montreal. Her family moved to Sudbury when she was five years of age. Although her father was an fur trader who spent most of his time in the bush, she was raised in a traditional home where her mother kept Kosher and they went to synagogue every Shabbat. She was educated at the local Catholic school and was the only Jew in her class. As a result, she experienced a great deal of anti-Semitism as a youngster. She attended Hebrew school, belonged to Young Judaea and went to Camp Shalom. On the whole, she found the Jewish community to be very close and supportive, attending one another's simchas and celebrating holidays like Chanukah and Purim together. In her interview she described it as a "yenta community, where everyone knew everything about what you were doing."

After completing her high school education in Sudbury, Judy accepted a scholarship at the University of Toronto where she studied music and completed her B.Ed. She later taught music in Toronto for many years. In 1960 she married Rubin Feld, who was a doctor. He passed away at the age of 40 in 1973. She later married Donald Carr, who was a lawyer. Together they raised their three children in Toronto.

Beginning in early 1970s, Judy took up the cause of helping Syrian Jews. She conducted her first rescue operation in 1977. By the time she completed her last rescue in 2001, she was able to bring 3,228 people - including individuals who were imprisoned and tortured for being Jewish - out of Syria. As a result of her work, she has received numerous awards, including the Order of Canada, the Simon Wiesenthal Award of Tolerance, Justice and Human Rights, the Haifa University Merit Award as well as an Honourary degree from Laurentian University. In 1999, Toronto historian Harold Troper published a book documenting her life entitled The Rescuer: The Amazing, True Story of How One Woman Helped Save the Jews of Syria. The book was re-released in 2007 in paperback with an updated preface.

The inspiration for the rescue of the Syrian Jews
Judy Feld Carr recounts how her neighbour Sophie, who was a Holocaust survivor, inspired her to pursue her mission to help save the Syrian Jews.

Interview with Judy Feld Carr, 1 August, 2007, Sharon Gubbay Helfer. OJA, Oral History #320