A screenshot of Shaya’s portion of my family tree…
SOME HISTORY:
Born July 15, 1897 in Brusilov (Russia/Ukraine) near Kiev (Kyiv)
He was called Sasha in Russia.
Had 4 brothers:
David (Yankel) Polsky (Memphis and Little Rock)
Grisha (Hershel) Lipovrovsky (Russia)
Avrohom (Avremchik) Polsky (Chicago)
Boruch Lipovrovsky (Russia)
3 sisters:
Freda Brenner (Rovno, USSR)
Idassia (Edith) Greenspon (Chicago)
Kuhntzya Kleidman (Kiev, USSR)
Occupation : Tailor (as was his father)
Joined Russian army Sept 1916, age 19
Engaged in battles at:
Moshuriv, Ukraine
Olyzanka, Ukraine
Zaboika, Ukraine
Tarnopol, Ukraine
Badly injured in WW I at Tarnapol Aug 25, 1917
Expanding (dum-dum) bullet shattered the thigh bone in his leg.
He spent a year in Crimean hospital on the Black Sea
Doctors wanted to amputate his leg but he wouldn’t let them.
It did heal (some shrapnel was never removed), but one leg remained shorter than the other. He himself modified his boot (built up inside) so he could walk without too much of a limp.
Married Freda Shusterman Mar 2, 1921 (age 24)
They had a son, Leon (Aryeh Leib, my father) born Jan 5, 1923:
They left Kiev Oct 22, 1925 by rail, passing through Latvian border at Zilupe Oct 23, 1925; Stopped in Riga, Latvia Oct 26, 1925. Continued via ship to Liepaja on the Latvian coast, arriving Oct 29, 1925. Then traveled by ship to Southampton, England, arriving Nov 4, 1925.
When they arrived in England there was some issue with their son Leon’s eyes. No one remembers exactly what it was, but this is why they were delayed in England for 2 years as they treated him.
They stayed in an open dormitory called Atlantic Park Hostel, Eastleigh, England (near Southampton.) It was a huge, crowded open dorm with no privacy, stone floors, damp and depressing. Shaya said it was a terrible place to be trapped in transit, but they wouldn’t let them continue until Leon was ok.
It seems that while in England he managed to work as a street tailor…
The following two photos show them in Russia just before they left, and in England. Note the similar, classic portrait poses, but also the great contrast in clothing — from Russian peasant to modern.
Another portrait they took in England:
They were finally allowed to leave England Sept 24, 1927
Freda was pregnant with Max when they left; Leon was 4 years old.
They arrived at the port city of Montreal, Canada Oct 2, 1927. Soon after went to Ottawa. (They may have briefly stayed in Toronto first)
Freda gave birth to Max two weeks (!!) after they arrived in Canada… she had to hide her pregnancy with a bulky coat during the voyage or they might not have let them leave England.
Shaya, or Samuel (Sam) as he called himself professionally, opened a small tailor shop in a rented apartment on Bank Street in Ottawa’s Glebe area. The shop was in front, and they shared two rooms in back. After a few years, they managed to save enough to buy a 3-flat house nearby, at 15 Arlington.
Here is a portrait taken in Ottawa (date unknown):
A photo of my Uncle Mac horsing around with his father in front of the 15 Arlington tailor shop (and home). Shaya appears to be holding a shovel, probably clearing snow from the walkway…
Shaya Died: Nov 2, 1977 Ottawa, Canada of lung cancer (smoked all his life)
Having a son in the media business (Mac, Radio personality and writer) helped get some newspaper articles about Shaya… this one has some great anecdotes!
As mentioned in the newspaper article, the British tailor Hicks & Sons often referred clients to Sam Lipson to have their high-end suits worked on. After his passing, my grandmother received this letter from them:
Also received was this brief note from the Governor General of Canada, Jules Leger…
A condolence letter from one of his regular customers from Rockliffe, the wealthiest section of Ottawa…
SELECTED PHOTOS and observations:
My zaidy Shaya had a wonderful sense of humor. He was always joking, tickling kids, making fun of TV ads… As kids, my sister (Robyn) and I loved to visit and play in his tailor shop at the front of his house. He would give us boxes of exotic buttons to play with, which he dubbed “kikis” for us (pronounced key-keys).
He played a very simple life. Most thought he was illiterate as he had no real schooling to speak of after elementary school. However, just before he passed I visited him in the hospital, where my friend Rabbi Berger blew shofar for him (it was just before Rosh Hashanah). He cried a bit, and said “I think that might have helped more than the doctors.” He then asked for a tehillim. My grandmother mocked him, saying “what do you want it for? You can’t read it!”
He then shocked us all by reading beautifully! I asked him where he learned, and he said that when he was little there was a Rabbi who used to walk to all the small villages to teach kids. His father paid this Rabbi something like a quarter a month to teach my grandfather.
Shaya was always interested in outer space. He believed that there were other civilizations — in fact, he thought there were beings on the moon! Again, though, because of his perceived illiteracy, we all thought he didn’t know much about it. However just before he passed he gave me some magazine clippings all about space and the solar system. He had made some notes on them. He even had in his tailor shop a mounted “picture” he made, depicting the planets of the solar system including all the distances between the planets!
He was a very avid fisherman; fishing was one of his biggest passions. He went often, in later years friends would take him. He never failed to come back with a catch! He would take them to the basement to clean them, then my Bubby Freda would wrap them in newspaper and freeze them. Her pan-fried fish was delicious! He once took me on a fishing trip with him… I observed how he loved the quiet of nature. He pointed out various birds, frogs, and fish. If he snagged a catfish he would promptly unhook it and throw it back. Sometimes he would even go ice fishing with some friends — they would go out on a frozen lake, cut a hole in the ice, and drop their lines in.
Shaya was also very inventive. There seemed to be no challenge that he couldn’t find a solution to! He had a device that he claimed to have built (unverified) that allowed him to quickly thread a needle by dropping it into a cone and moving a lever which would pull the thread through the eye of the needle instantly. Although I watched him use that device, I cannot prove that he invented it.