"We can never forget our humble beginnings and the help we received from HFL and their supporters."

That humble little sewing machine, powered by hard-working, determined legs, immigrated from war-torn Europe with my Holocaust survivor parents and little me, to a new beginning in Canada.

I heard my father pedalling away on the Singer through all hours of the night so he could pay; rent, the necessities of life, my tuition at Talmud Torah and he never forgot to leave a little for Tzedaka.

He needed to attach a motor, to no longer work on pedal power, but that was a small fortune we couldn’t afford. A family friend told my dad about HFLA. He borrowed the money to install the motor and the rest is history.

The loan, the little Singer and my father’s determination paved the way for two sons to get university educations, purchase homes for their families and provide even for great-grandchildren.

The business, Boutique Jacques, is today managed by my nephew, my dad’s grandson. That little Singer is proudly exhibited in our window at the new boutique Jacques at Decarie near Van Horne. It sits as a tribute to my dad and his generation.