Saving Henny Zill

Albert and Henny Zill left Nazi Germany with the clothes on their back and were happy to be alive. They landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia and then took a train to Montreal and from Montreal they were met by members of the Canadian Jewish Congress who took them to a hotel. After a night of solid sleep they took the final leg of their trip to Toronto.

A representative of the Congress was assigned to them and went with them in the country to find a farm. They found a dairy operation and with the help of the Canadian Jewish Congress they bought it. Albert got to work right away. He started milking cows and took different jobs from people to supplement their income. Henny never missed a morning of milking the cattle, and prepared meals in her spare time. She knitted sweaters and hats which she sold at the Farmer’s Market.

After a couple of years on the farm they were approached by a man and his wife from Toronto who wanted to buy their property. Albert asked double what they paid for it, and was amazed when they got their price. They immediately paid off the loan and bought another farm ten miles east of where they had been located.

Albert worked very hard to expand his herd and made deals with the local dairy to ship more milk. In the meantime, he delivered oil for a local company and helped construct new barns. He worked nineteen to twenty hours a day. He explained…