RITEMAN Dr. Philip

Born February 14th 1922, Dr. Philip Riteman passed peacefully away on the morning of Wednesday August 8th. He is survived by his wife of 69 years Dorothy Fay Riteman (nee Smilestein) with sons, Larry and Robert Riteman. Funeral services will be at Chruikshank’s at 2 PM August 9th. Philip Riteman was born in Poland where he and his family fell into the hands of the Nazis. He was the sole survivor to witness their defeat in 1945. Throughout the war he was prisoner 98706 in Auschwitz, Birkeneau, Sachsenhausen, Oranineburg, Dachau, and Lansburg. Liberated by the American VIITH Army in May 1945 he made his way to surviving relatives in Newfoundland. In Newfoundland he built

up an import trading company and expanded his operations to Halifax in 1979. In 1988, recognizing the need to counter some who claimed that what the German Nazis had done was exaggerated or didn’t happen at all, he started to speak in schools to bring to a younger generation the knowledge of how humans can be betrayed and turned, depraved by the power of hate. But his message was not only focused on the cruelty he suffered, his message was always “that it is better to love than to hate” and “don’t let anyone brainwash you”. For his activities in schools, churches, and universities he was awarded an Honorary doctorate from Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. Thomas University in Fredericton and St. Mary’s University in Halifax. He was also awarded the Order of Nova Scotia, the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Queen’s service medal. In lieu of flowers donations in memoriam can be made to either the Atlantic Jewish Council Holocaust Education Fund, or the Canadian Cancer Society. The funeral will take place tomorrow, Thursday, August 9th @ 2:00 pm from Cruikshanks Funeral Home on Windsor Street with interment to follow at the Baron de Hirsch Cemetery.