Samuel Freedman: Man of Law - a tribute

Tuesday evening this week, I attended an evening to remember Samuel Freedman and an exhibition entitled Samuel Freedman: Man of Law at the Marion and Ed Vickar Jewish Museum of Western Canada which is located in the Asper Jewish Community Campus.

Jack London, Dr. Bryan Schwartz, Harold Buchwald, Dr. Arnold Naimark and Martin Freedman each spoke of their memories of Samuel Feedman, the first Jewish judge in Manitoba starting in 1952, and from 1971 to 1983, the Chief Justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeals.

Harold Buchwald emphasized Fredman's sense of humour and his ability to tell stories. Fredman was also very good at writing reference letters. As Jack London noted, once, when asked to write a letter of reference for a person who was rather lazy, Freedman wrote - "I will say that you will do exceedingly well if you can get him to work for you."

Jack London and Bryan Schwartz talked of former Chief Justice Freedman's career as a lawyer and as a judge. Freedman believed in the liberalism of the Enlightenment. His focus was on substance more than on style. He had a love of learning, and was sought after as a speaker.

Arnold Naimark, spoke of his getting to know Samuel Freedman at Clear Lake in the 1960s. He also touched on Freedman's time as Chancellor of the University of Manitoba from 1959-1968, and mentioned that Freedman was a champion of reforming the way universities are governed. As Naimark noted: "Freedman had a rock solid core of principle and a very strong commitment to high standards and excellence."

Martin Freedman, Samuel Freedman's son, paid homage to his father - but managed to slip in a little humour too. Once at the end of a golf game, Samuel Freedman commented to his golfing partner "I hope one day people will say he (referring to himself - Samuel Freedman) was a son of a bitch of a judge, but he was one hell of a golfer." Well, Freedman never achieved what he hoped as a golfer, but he certainly was an incredible and talented jurist.

To capture a little bit of Samuel Freedman, here is a short excerpt from a speech given by Samuel Freedman during his time as a judge. This is from one of the articles featured in the exhibition Samuel Freedman: Man of Law so ably curated by Susan Turner.

"Nowhere more than on the judicial Bench must a man cease to be a member of any group. In the exercise of his office, a Judge is not a Jew, a Roman Catholic, an Anglican, or a member of the United or any other Church; he is not a Canadian of French or English or any other descent, he is the impartial and fearless Speaker of the Law."