On Dec. 16, while most Montrealers were in their homes, securely sheltered from a major snow blizzard, Max Slutsky, a 72-year-old Jewish homeless man froze to death.
At 6:30 that evening, Max left a soup kitchen and began his final journey in the bitter cold to reach shelter. En route, he fell over snow banks many times. As he tried getting back on his feet, the roaring winds forced him to collapse again. Somehow he managed to crawl under a SUV for shelter. He called for help, but no one heard his cries.
Hours later, the coroner’s office determined that his death was caused by hypothermia.
This tragic and unnecessary death reflects shamefully on our Montreal Jewish community, for we were all aware of Max’s dire situation. When Max was evicted from his apartment three years ago, he persistently turned to Jewish organizations, synagogues and individuals from our community, for assistance. Although he received constructive gestures and contributions, no one took a vested interest in Max to ensure that a long-term plan was arranged that would shelter and care for him in a Jewish environment. Anyone who met Max can testify that he was unable to care for himself. For this reason, the Jewish community was obliged to help him. Unfortunately, his horrific death proves that we failed him.
Max was a proud Jew and walked the streets of Montreal wearing his signature Magen David necklace. He participated in Jewish community events, was a regular at synagogues and the Cummings Centre, and could often be seen at the Cavendish Mall. Most of us knew his face, but few knew his name.
Max had a cheerful disposition. Even when people rejected him, he assured those individuals they should not feel guilty. The little he had, he shared with others. He distributed CDs and DVDs of cantorial and contemporary music, and gifted stuffed animals to many neighbourhood children – items he collected from garage sales.
Max cared for his elderly parents and ailing sister. When they passed away, he remained the only surviving member of his family. At his funeral, there were no mourners – it was almost as if he had lived alone and died alone.
Jewish law dictates that charity begins at home. With all our blessed Montreal Jewish organizations, more must be channelled towards sheltering and feeding the poor and abandoned of our community. “Somebody must have heard my cries. Why doesn’t anybody stop to help?” Those were Max’s last whispers. Let us now hear his cry and assure that such a tragedy never again happens in our backyard.
May God have mercy on all of us.
The following individuals ought to be acknowledged for the generosity and devotion they showed to Max: Marianna, a righteous gentile woman who our Jewish community can learn from – she generously opened her home to Max for several months; Ross Paperman and the Paperman family for underwriting and arranging Max’s funeral and burial in a most dignified manner; Aaron Schmeltzer for being his shomer; and the unknown religious Jewish man who, at Max’s burial, came forward and volunteered to say Kaddish for the year to honour Max.
A meeting was planned for rabbis and lay leaders last month, to discuss the possibility of establishing a Jewish hachnassat orchim (as exists in other large Jewish communities), a home geared to shelter the abandoned Jewish men and women of Montreal who do not have a place to go.
Rabbi Asher Jacobson is the president of the Rabbinical Council of Canada and the spiritual leader of the Chevra Kadisha B’nai Jacob Beit Hazikaron. He can be reached by phone at 514-482-3366 or by e-mail at [email protected].