The only ski resort in the world to have been founded and built by Holocaust survivors is in Val-Morin in Quebec, Canada in the Laurentian Mountains.
Belle Neige (French for “beautiful snow”) was founded in 1963 by brothers Henry and Saul Fenster, growing from its initial eight runs to 20 runs today.
It is known for its family-friendly atmosphere, offering features like a snow park, a ridercross course and a special “doggie trail” for young children.
Born in Poland, Henry and Saul Fenster survived a half-dozen death camps, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald, during WW II. After the war, Saul was sent to Davos, Switzerland to be treated for tuberculosis, where he learned to ski and fell in love with the sport.
Saul was the youngest of 10 children and Henry was six years old. They lost both of their parents and three siblings in the Holocaust, but, remarkably, seven of the children survived.
Henry, Saul and the surviving brothers immigrated to Canada, where they went into the purse making business. They even made purses for the wives of the Apollo 7 astronauts.
In 1961, Saul and Henry purchased a swampy plot of land an hour north of Montreal for $53,000 with the dream of opening a ski resort for families. Belle Neige opened two years later in 1963.
Saul, who died in 2022 at age 94, was known for his gentle kindness, even after the horrific experiences he endured during the war.
He provided testimony about his saga to the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation in a 1998 interview.
The Fenster family retains a small stake in Belle Neige. In 2023, the majority ownership and management company named a new $4 million quadruple chairlift “Le Fenster” in memory of Henry and Saul Fenster.
For that occasion, two of Saul’s sons, Mark and Elie Fenster joined Ellie Bessner on CJN Daily, a podcast produced by the Canadian Jewish News.
Elie and Mark now live in Montreal and Vancouver, respectively. For them, visiting Belle Neige for the dedication of the new life in memory of their father and uncle was like visiting a childhood home.
Mark said, “I’ve lived in a lot of homes in my life, and for those people lucky enough to go back to their childhood home, and go into every corner, every room and just be flooded with memories and go back to your earlier days, Belle Neige is very much like that for my family.
“Every run, every corner, every tree is filled with memories for us.
Elie called Belle Neige his father’s “field of dreams,” referencing the 1989 baseball movie. “They made a dream come true. It was just a place where people went to be happy.”
