By Michael Regenstreif
I wish I’d had the chance to have known Barry Fishman before his health was compromised. The editor emeritus of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, my predecessor at the Bulletin editor’s desk, passed away, October 22, after a courageous and dignified three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig’s Disease after the legendary New York Yankees slugger who was diagnosed with ALS in 1939.
Barry and I first met on July 3, 2007, when I came to Ottawa to be interviewed for the position of assistant editor of the Bulletin. He was then the editor of this newspaper and I was a Montreal-based freelance journalist and broadcaster. I had seen an ad for the job in the Canadian Jewish News and the required qualifications seemed tailor-made for me.
When I came to Ottawa for that interview, I didn’t know that Barry had ALS, or that the job had been created with the idea that an assistant editor would work with Barry for as long as he could keep working, and then, possibly, take over the reins as editor of the Bulletin.
I started working as Barry’s assistant editor on July 30, 2007 and liked him immediately. I quickly found out that everybody liked Barry immediately. He was that kind of guy.
So, when he told me he had ALS, I was deeply saddened knowing what he would face in the too-short months and years ahead.
ALS is a terrible, fatal disease that, over a period of a few short years, progressively robs a person of all voluntary muscle control and the ability to function physically, all the while leaving the mind intact. A few years ago, I saw the effects ALS had on one of my uncles.
Barry and I worked closely together over the next seven months. I brought the requisite skills and experience needed to do the job when I was hired, but something very important I got from Barry as his assistant editor was an invaluable understanding of what the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin is, of what the Bulletin means to the Jewish community of Ottawa, and of how this newspaper serves the community. As I came to learn from Barry, the Bulletin is a community newspaper for which community is its very essence.
The progression of Barry’s illness was all too obvious. Two summers ago, when we began working together, he could still drive his car and move around using a walker. Within a few months, though, he was confined to a wheelchair. That winter was the snowiest in many years, which meant Barry couldn’t get out much. He continued to work from home. I’d meet with him there once a week or so and we consulted several times a day by phone and email. By February 2008, as ALS continued to rob him of his ability to function independently, Barry stepped down as editor of the Bulletin. Appointed editor emeritus, he stayed involved as long as he could, offering his always-valued advice, editing my columns and, most impressively, overseeing the special Israel at 60 section we published on May 5, 2008.
And, even when it got past the point when he could maintain his involvement, Barry’s interest in the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin never wavered.
I watched Barry face the progression of his illness with a determination that was truly awe-inspiring. I never heard him complain about the rotten hand he was dealt. His concern for others, and for his community, remained paramount. He was a great friend and will always be missed.
On behalf of all of us at the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, I extend our deepest condolences to Barry’s wife, Phyllis, to his sister, Susan, to his extended family and to his many friends.
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