1. Camp Fundale – Our kids’ first camp.
It was the summer of 1979 in Toronto. Time for kids to go to a holiday camp. We chose to send our two, age 4 & 6, to Camp Fundale, a day camp on Bathurst St. about 8 kms north of us at the North YMHA or North Y as we called it. Camp Fundale had two camps; a daily camp and three times a week camp.
This was our kids’ first time at camp and so we chose the three times a week camp. We received our camp application and hurriedly filled it out, excited to see that the pick-up point for the campers’ bus was next door our house at the Holy Blossom Synagogue. In went the app’ with our deposit and we waited for the positive response.
Well the response came back. Positive for camp, negative for bus.
Apparently, the bus was only available to daily campers. Bummer.
My wife phoned to see if there was any leeway as we lived right next door the pick-up point. No leeway. So now the task fell to me, with eight Dale Carnegie sessions under my belt, to use my “How To Win Friends & Influence People” skills to change their minds. The challenge was on.
I phoned the North Y and spoke to the camp manager. After a few minutes I could see that I wasn’t getting anywhere using my skills with this lady. Time to change players. I asked to be put through to her manager. A moment later I was talking to Michael Silverman a guy with a British accent, moreover a London accent. “What part of London are you from?”, I asked hopefully. “Dalston”, came the reply. “Are you any relation to Danny Silverman?”, I asked, even more hopefully. “Yeah, he’s my brother. How do you know him?”, he asked. I told him how I knew Danny from Stamford Hill Club and that Danny was known as “Little Danny”. Little Danny was a great kid, funny and athletic and a good dancer as I recalled. Now, even more hopeful, I pressed on. “What school did you go to?”. “Grocer’s”, he replied. I was on a roll. “Did you know Gerald Caiden?”. “Know him? He’s my cousin. How do you know him?”. I’m rounding third base and heading for home plate. “He’s my uncle Joe’s nephew”, I answered, trying to conceal my anticipation. “You’re related to Joe Caiden? I love uncle Joe.”. I’m at home plate and safe. “Oh, er, Michael, is there, er, going to be any problem getting my kids on the bus three times a week?”. “Nah, consider it done.”. Who says playing Jewish Geography is a long shot?
Jewish Geography, part 2
2. Apartment Hunting
In 1990 I was promoted to GM of the new North York Brokerage Office of The Paul Revere Life.
By 1990 the house we sold on Ava Road in 1983 for $225,000 was now around $600K while our house in London had only gone up only $20,000. So we decided that I would work in Toronto and come home on Fridays for the weekend. The challenge was finding suitable accommodation.
While my new office was being built, I worked at the downtown brokerage office and stayed with my brother-in-law, Charles. During this time, I tried to find accommodation.
Eventually I found a sublet in a very nice block very close to my new office. But there was a hitch. The current occupant was, himself, a subletee. So I agreed to take over the rent for the rest of the sublet term providing I got assurance that the apartment owner was ok with that.
He gave me the verbal assurance and I moved in.
Some weeks later I got a phone call early in the morning. It was the apartment owner and she was quite irate. Turns out the previous guy didn’t get an agreement from her to allow me to take over the sublet.
The owner wanted me out immediately or she would call the police. I explained my situation and who I worked for, but she was not interested in the least. I told her that I had just moved in from London, Ontario and asked if she knew anyone there who could vouch for me. She told me she was from Windsor, Ontario and didn’t know anyone from London. “Windsor?”. I asked, “maybe you know Howard and Esther Borer?”. “Yes I do”, she replied, enthusiastically. “Well, call them and they will vouch for me”, I urged.
10 minutes later I got a call from the lady, who was now sounding like my best friend. “I spoke to Howard and you can stay”. “Thank you”, I said and that was that. It’s good to play Jewish Geography.
While I was there I managed to rent a two-bedroom apartment in the same building and on April 30th I moved in and, of course, that is another story.