Elder statesman

Lawyer, philanthropist had a fierce sense of social justice

By: Janine LeGal

A luminary in human rights advocacy, Canadian lawyer Yude Henteleff was a natural explorer both in his travels and in his daily life. Henteleff lived 97 years with passion and dynamism.

He died Dec. 8, 2024.

Henteleff’s accomplishments and list of awards and accolades began at age 16 when he was elected president of the Jewish Youth Council and then to the youth division of the Canadian Jewish Congress. His activities in the Jewish community were extensive and lifelong.

The father, grandfather and partner lived life to the fullest, propelled by a fierce sense of social justice and belief in “tikkun olam,” a Hebrew phrase meaning “to repair the world.”

Henteleff was born in Winnipeg in 1927, to parents who came to Canada to start over as pioneers; his father from Chernigov, his mother from Odessa. He attended the University of Manitoba, obtaining his bachelor of science in agriculture before joining the faculty of law in 1951.

“Dad grew up in St. Vital on St. Mary’s Road. They had the farm, a drive to survive and the belief in doing good things,” Saul Henteleff said, referring to his father and grandparents. “They were men and women inspired to really make the world a better place and they had this work ethic that came along with it.”

Henteleff began his legal career at Walsh Micay before moving on to Shinbane, Dorfman, Kanee, Henteleff. In 1965, he partnered with Harold Buchwald, then with Izzy Asper in 1970, and with Simkin Gallagher in 1993, forming Buchwald Asper Gallagher Henteleff, where he focused on corporate and commercial law, estate planning, mediation and conciliation. When the firm became Pitblado Buchwald Asper in 1998, Henteleff practised as senior counsel until his retirement.

In 1982, the provincial government recognized Henteleff’s exceptional accomplishments as a lawyer by appointing him as a Queen’s Counsel. In 1997, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada for his more than two decades of advocacy for children and adults living with mental and physical disabilities and his contribution of hundreds of hours of free legal work to combat discrimination.

Henteleff received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Manitoba, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Manitoba Bar Association.

His dedication to service led him to co-found the Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba and serve as the Honorary Solicitor for the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada. He helped establish the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and received a certificate of honour. Henteleff’s advocacy extended to special needs children and women, palliative care and Indigenous Peoples, impacting communities in Canada and internationally.

Traveling the world, pushing for social change, his was a thriving life, which included many family adventures.

“We had a cottage at the Whiteshell,” said Saul. “In the summertime, he would take us on canoe trips. He loved the cottage, paddling, backwoods exploring. We did a bunch of epic trips — these great road trips to Minnesota, Banff, Yellowstone Park, Montreal. They jammed us into the station wagon,” he said of his parents, who divorced in 1987.

“My dad introduced us to downhill skiing. He was very much an outdoorsman. We all just started to love skiing so much.”

Henteleff continued skiing and canoeing into his 90s.

In the mid-1960s, Henteleff and his wife took two of their children to Purdue University, the only school in North America doing research on ADHD at the time.

“Once those things were assessed, that’s when my mom and dad began to advocate for my brother and sister,” said Saul of his siblings with learning disabilities.

“There were conversations with teachers and principals, administrators, superintendents. Dad would say, ‘We’ve got to talk to the Province, the curriculum has to change.’ The conversation began to expand to other families. They were the pioneers for that work in Manitoba, eventually connecting with folks across Canada.”

Even with countless community affiliations, including the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties and the Manitoba Children’s Museum, Henteleff maintained a work-life balance.

“During the week, he had a law practice,” said Saul. “He’d come home, cut himself a big chunk of cheddar, have a glass of sherry, and put his feet up. He was very organized.”

Saul’s relationship with his father grew as they began to talk at Henteleff Park, the 30-acre public green space that was once part of the Henteleff family farm.

“I was interested in the family history and spending time with my dad,” said Saul. “I took over as chair of the Henteleff Park Foundation (a charitable organization dedicated to caring for Henteleff Park), then he and I began talking about things. We’d never done that before. We developed a conversation based on mutual interest and trust,” Saul continued, grateful for opportunities to spend time with this father.

With similar interests involving parallel activities, human rights lawyer David Matas knew Henteleff throughout most of his working life.

Matas remembers his time as a member of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights advisory committee, with Henteleff as Chair.

“What struck me about Yude in that context was basically that within this diverse community, where the issues themselves were controversial, he was able to negotiate that. We got along very well together. The museum today is a success and hasn’t got mired in every unending human rights controversy, in large measure to Yude Henteleff,” Matas said.

“One of the things that we did which I think was useful was having hearings, where we heard from people across the country to hear their perspectives,” he added, noting that every committee member learned something they didn’t know.

“He was a remarkable individual. He was very approachable, amenable. I never heard him lose his temper. He had an inherent diplomatic personality which served him well.”

Henteleff’s likability wasn’t restricted to the boardroom.

When Joy Winchell met Henteleff in 1988, “it was pretty fast and furious,” she said, describing their connection.

“At our first meeting we noticed each other. I looked up and my knees started to shake. I squeaked out, ‘Glad to meet you’,” she recalled fondly.

While working together on the same committee, Winchell had to call him.

“We started flirting on the phone. The next day he called me for a date,” she said.

Their evolving love story involved excursions to countless countries around the world, exploring galleries, museums, restaurants, architecture and appreciating history. There was hiking, driving, skiing, horseback-riding and volunteer work in South America and Central Asia.

“Besides that very strong connection, we had a really vibrant intellectual, cultural and outdoorsy kind of life,” Winchell said.

Winchell appreciated Henteleff’s limitless support of their life together and everything included within it.

“One of my friends called us lovebirds: holding hands, arms around each other. We were expressive that way,” Winchell said.

“It was such a broad life, a fulfilled life both personally and professionally. He lived a fabulous life.”

city@freepress.mb.ca