Max NEMNI

On August 29, 2024, we lost our magnificent father, brother, grandfather and great-grandfather. Max, was born and lived in Alexandria, Egypt, where he met the love of his life, Monique Esther Nahman. Just prior to the Suez crisis, he left Egypt alone to start a new life as Jews were no longer welcome in Egypt. He and Monique reunited in Paris, where they married in 1956. Together they came to Canada and built a life, starting with nothing. Shortly after their arrival in Canada, Max's parents and brother immigrated here too. A better life awaited all of them. Determined to get an education, despite having been told he was not suited for school, Max attended night school and became a CGA. After a few years, as a father with two young children, he determined that this was not the career he wanted and started university as a mature student. Eventually, he got his PhD and became a political science professor, first at Laurentian, then at Laval University. Max and Monique were incredibly proud of being Canadian. Together they were the editors of Cité Libre, a well known federalist publication and they co-authored two intellectual biographies about Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Their first book won the Shaugnessy Cohen award for political writing in 2007. After Monique's death, he continued to work on the third volume of the biographies of Pierre Trudeau he had started with her and finished with his good friend and co-author, David Milne. The third volume will be published and released in 2025. Max often told his daughters that the best gift he had given them was for them to be born in Canada. Family was everything to him. He loved his daughters, Colette (Jack) and Jacqueline (Greg), and was a favourite grandparent to Julien (Stephanie), Rachel (Navin), Nicolas (Sara), Zoe and Mark (Natalie). Max was an excellent playmate to his great-grandchildren Olivia, Sydney, Henry and Cole. He adored his wife, Monique and was bereft when she died in 2022. Max was a strong, active, kind, generous and courageous man. He continued to play tennis, walk 5km each day and play bridge until his death. He was well-known at Christie Gardens, where he regularly held dinner parties in his apartment. Max leaves behind his dear youngest brother, Joe (Jane), and was predeceased by his brother, Raphael (Doreen). He will be greatly missed by all who knew him and will never be forgotten. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 2-5 p.m., at Turner & Porter Peel Chapel, 2180 Hurontario St., Mississauga. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Amnesty International or MSF.