Karsh’s ‘Roaring Lion’ celebrates 80th anniversary
Today we live in yet another era of innocent people caught in the crosshairs. When I see heart-wrenching images of refugees caught between borders or in lands hostile to them, I sometimes despair. In contrast, some stories show the reverse – how a stranger travels to a strange land and rises to opportunity. These stories show how in essence people are much more similar than they are different. The question: do they get the opportunities needed to move ahead? The story of Yousuf Karsh is truly inspiring. He came to Canada in 1923, alone, as a 15-year old, fleeing the Armenian genocide. His family had been living as refugees in Aleppo, Syria and sent him to live with a maternal uncle in Canada. He spoke little French, and less English. As an adult, Karsh never brought up his childhood, which, by any standard, was horrifying. He was four years old
