MEET THE BAIGS: A PANDEMIC FRIENDSHIP

Separated by half a century, COVID has brought these newfound cousins closer than ever.

BY JONATHAN WERBITT

Four years ago, a group of Jewish women in Halifax who had recently returned from a trip to Israel with the AJC were assembling and delivering Purim baskets to local senior members of the community. Jennifer Jacobson noticed a familiar name on her list—Baig.

“It was my grandmother’s maiden name,” Jennifer says with a euphoric expression on her face. “It’s my middle name!”

Jennifer dropped off the basket and met Jack Baig.

It didn’t take long for the two to connect the dots. They traced the branches of a family tree with both of their names on it, and at 95, Jack became Jennifer’s newest relative.

The cousins continued to meet over the next few years. When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, the community decided to reach out to older people. Jennifer made sure Jack was on her list.

“He loves to get Wendy’s. So, I’d go get him Wendy’s and pick him up groceries,” she said.

Shortly thereafter, two weeks became the new normal and Jen started visiting Jack every couple of days.

Jack was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia to Max and Minnie Baig—both Lithuanian immigrants. His father, a scrap metal dealer (like so many Jewish immigrants), had come to Canada alongside nine siblings who splintered off upon arrival in Saint John, Jennifer’s great grandfather—Harry—was one of them.

Though there wasn’t a single synagogue in Amherst, Jack’s family preserved their Jewish traditions. He studied engineering at Mount Allison University and moved to Halifax in 1946, when he began putting his skills to use for the federal government. He retired in the mid-80’s.

There aren’t many Baigs here in Atlantic Canada. Neither Jack nor any of his three siblings had children. Finding a new relative has been a gift for both the retired engineer and the middle-aged mom.

“It’s such a nice thing for me because I don’t have any family on that side,” said Jennifer, a fourth-generation shop owner who runs Studio 14 in Halifax.

She is more than happy to give Jack a hand, who in turn tells her stories about their family history and of life in Nova Scotia throughout most of the 20th century.

At 95, Jack’s memory is crystal clear. From seventy-year-old bus schedules to the opening of the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in 1955, he chronicles stories of times long passed in stunning, vivid detail. Naturally, he remembers the countless Bar Mitzvahs he’s been to and the thirteen-year-old boys who are now all grown up.

Jack’s house hasn’t changed a bit since he first bought it in 1948. Back in September, the electricity started browning out. When the electrician flipped the archaic main power switch, it recoiled and triggered a huge power surge which blew out the water main and the hot water tank. The electrician was spooked, but Jack wouldn’t budge.

For three days, a contractor—one of Jennifer’s Camp Kadimah friends’ fathers— and his crew worked tirelessly to get Jack’s home back into livable condition. They had to dig up the lawn. The city installed a new power line. The house needed a new electrical panel. It was a hefty undertaking, but they got it done over the course of a weekend.

The best part? It turned out Jack had attended the contractor’s Bar Mitzvah.

Jews have a knack for making connections, especially in strange places and circumstances. Whether you find a Goldberg in common or a brisket recipe, there is almost always something that links two members of the “tribe.” The general rule is six degrees of separation, but in the Jewish community it rarely takes more than two or three. In the Atlantic, the circle is even tighter.

It has been a tough year for families all over the world. The news seems to be permanently plastered with stories of separation, longing and heartbreak. Though Jack and Jennifer met four years back, it was the pandemic that truly brought them together.

In hindsight, Jennifer is just grateful for the name she now sees as a beacon.

“There’s no question, I was given that middle name to find him,” she said.

Jon is a student at the King’s School of Journalism. As a writer and musician, he is constantly on the search for new stories and sounds.