??About four years ago my airbrushing studio was located at Yonge st. and Temperence ave., but the superintendent of the building, Victor Fraser the sidewalk chalk artist, turned into a complete fucking psycho tweaker, and so i decided to move out ASAP.
Anyways…
I was not able to find anything so I asked my Rabbi, Rav Shmuel Spiro, in Kensington Market if he knew anyone who had space to lease for my airbrushing business and it just so happened that he took me straight to Max Fischer’s office where Max and his bro, Gus were sitting doing business.
Max and Gus Fischer own 3/4 of Kensington Market and the surrounding area and they acquired it all from hard work and smarts!
In their office, we spoke a lil yiddish, kibbitzed a bit and spoke some Jewish nostalgia, and then I rented a unit from them, and that is how it all started about four years ago.
Almost everyday Max came by my unit to say hello and to see me paint. Max LOVED meeting my students and seeing my business grow. He always marveled at the array of creative posibilities that the airbrush afforded. Max worked his buildings every day, cleaning, sweeping, fixing things.
Max and I chatted often.
Max had a very tough life until he finally arrived to Canada 40 or 50 years ago. Like pretty much every Jew in their 80′s, Max and his brother fled from the Christian/Catholic/Nazi Jew hatred in Europe and travelled until they arrived in Canada, only to find rampant Jew hatred here in Canada as well, but just not as violent or professed. But regardless, Max and Gus worked hard and outsmarted the multitudes of Canadian anti-semites, and nutbar Christians and Catholics who abound in Canada.
Max and Gus built an empire of properties and I was and am one of their many, many tenants.
When my business almost went under last winter, Max personally carried my rent for 3 months until I was able to pay it off and get ahead! I do not know of a single commercial landlord in downtown toronto who would let more than 30 days slide, but Max believed in me and my business, and here I am today.
According to the news, Max was murdered in his home by blunt force trauma the other day, possibly perpetrated by his son, but it may have been an accident, so the court will determine what happened.
http://www.thestar.com/GTA/Crime/article/542386
I’ll miss Max.
Miksa Fischer ZT”L