On Sunday, May 13 I attended VE Day Ceremonies at the new Veteran’s Park next to Côte Saint-Luc City Hall. Veteran’s Park is situated in District 2. It is a wonderful tribute to the many war veterans who reside in our city. The weather was beautiful and we attracted our biggest attendance in many years. One of the first people to greet me was Isadore “Kek” Rosenblatt, a veteran in his 80s who for years lobbied tirelessy for this park to become a reality. “Isn’t it beautiful!” he beamed. As a resident of District 2, he was among the first individuals to contact me when I announced I would run for city council. In addition to Veteran’s Park, he was also very much concerned with traffic on Kildare Road and Marc Chagall Avenue, where Bialik High School is. After stopping me on the street to talk about Veteran’s Park he called me a few days later, asking if I could meet with him and Sam Rapaport, a resident of a neighbouring condo on Rembrandt Avenue. We sat for an hour discussing ideas of how to resolve the problem. When it came time for me to do my door to door campaigning I called Kek and asked if he would help me out. He was not in the best of health so I suggested he just let me in the building, knock on a few doors and then go home and rest. Not Kek. He spent three consecutive hours with me. When I was elected, I formed a District 2 Council. A few times a year, I began inviting residents to meetings to discuss their concerns. Kek was front and centre each session, making his point on traffic and other matters. The local media ate it up. On May 13, Kek waved his hand lovingly at me. “I will be at your June 4 District meeting and I want an update on the Bialik traffic,” he stated. That was the last time I saw Kek. A week and a half later he died of a heart attack. At his funeral, members of the Brigadier Frederick Kisch Branch #97 saluted Kek like a war hero. I will miss my dear friend Kek. He was a very good man. I am thankful that Kek did live to see the day that Veteran’s Park came to be.
