David Kirshner

David Kirshner passed away suddenly on Wednesday, January 20 at the ripe old age of 101. He was born in Lodz, Poland, a few months before the outbreak of World War I. He fought with the Polish army when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He spent most of the rest of the war in the Lodz ghetto, where he worked as a fireman. When the ghetto was liquidated in August 1944, he was transported to the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He met his beloved wife, Genya, a fellow survivor, in Germany in 1945. Their first child, Sheldon, was born in Bad Reichenhall. Their next two children, Marilyn and Shirley, were born in Montreal, where David worked as a tailor and foreman in a ladies’ garment factory. David was badly wounded when thieves robbed his dry cleaning store in a holdup in 1969. David, a fighter and a courageous soldier, recovered from his wounds in good form. In the early 1980’s, David and Genya moved to Toronto to be close to their children and grandchildren. David and Genya spent part of their retirement years in Florida. Despite suffering from a number of ailments, he enjoyed life to the fullest. A hard-working and conscientious provider, he loved his wife and family. David had a keen interest in world affairs and kept mentally active by reading newspapers and books. David will be dearly missed by his wife, Genya, his last surviving sister Helen, his children, his grandchildren Karen, Lori, Jordan, Jeffrey, Melissa, Michael, Mia and Lauren and his great grandchildren Ashley, Cameron, Oliver and Jesse. Memorial donations may be made to Canadian Holocaust Centre (416) 635-2883 ext.5153, Canadian Society for Yad Vashem (416) 785-1333 or Association for Soldiers of Israel (416) 783-3053.