Gerald Averback

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Gerald (Isidor) Averback, long-time Saskatoon lawyer and child Holocaust survivor. Born to Samuel and Ester Averbuch in 1930, he and his family lived in Oradea Mare, Romania until 1944, when they and other Jewish families were transported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Gerald’s parents, Samuel and Ester, both died in the camps, but Gerald survived—a fact he credited to the kindness of strangers. After being liberated, he spent almost a year in hospital before coming to Canada as a war orphan. He lived with his paternal uncle in Edmonton while finishing high school. He went on to study law at the University of Saskatchewan and articled at John Diefenbaker’s Prince Albert law firm before moving to Saskatoon, where he practiced for over 50 years.

Gerald was predeceased by his beloved partner of 47 years, Maureen (Miriam) Averback and his cousins, Irene Hochstadter (late of Montreal) and Yakov Barzakh (late of Houston). He is survived by his step-children, Doug (Kate), Bev and Val, grandchildren John (Ruth), Hope (Austin) and Tom (Sarah) as well as extended family in Ottawa, New York and Houston.

We’ll remember Gerald for his intelligence, keen sense of history and wry sense of humor. Our deepest thanks to the wonderful staff at Diamond House, Warman and to his dedicated team of caregivers from Home Instead for ensuring his final years were lived with dignity. And many thanks to the Shir Chadash community for taking such care in looking after final arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Diefenbaker Canada Centre or your local food bank.

A summary of his holocaust experience that was recorded by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum can be viewed at this link:

https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn562264