Apr 27, 2021
Despite being underage, Alex Polowin joined the navy after hearing about his mother’s family being murdered in the Holocaust.
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
Alex Polowin of Ottawa still wasn’t 18 when he joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942, determined to do something and fight back after learning that his mother’s family had been murdered in the Holocaust, the
Canadian Jewish News reported Monday.
While Polowin already has a chestful of military medals, the 96-year-old retired insurance agent was awarded Canada’s highest honor for his volunteer work, which as fate would have it started long after he took off his wartime navy uniform for good.