A Legacy of Resilience and Unity

The Centre was founded in 2001 by George Reinitz and Victor Zilberman. Victor took on the role of coach, while George provided the financing. George, a Holocaust survivor, found solace and purpose in wrestling. Born in Szkiszo, Hungary, in 1932, he became a world-class wrestler, securing the Quebec championship titles in 1952, 1953, and 1954, and becoming Canada’s national champion in 1957. Remarkably, he remains the only Holocaust survivor to have won a national championship in any sport in Canada. Reinitz also proudly represented Canada at the Maccabiah Games in Israel in 1957 and 1961, carrying the flag for the Canadian team during the opening ceremonies of the 1957 games.

Wrestling played a crucial role in helping Reinitz cope with his traumatic past by providing him with a sense of family and community. This profound impact inspired him to create the George and Eleanor Reinitz Wrestling Centre at the Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA. His goal was to offer others the same opportunity to find strength and solidarity through sport. Reinitz’s vision has cultivated an inclusive environment where athletes from diverse nationalities, ethnicities, and religious denominations train together harmoniously, united by their shared passion for wrestling.

Born in Moldova, Soviet Union, Victor Zilberman arrived in Canada in 1974. Since he arrived in Quebec, Victor has transformed Quebec wrestling from one of the weakest in the country to a powerhouse of Canadian wrestling, ranking among the top two in Canada. In March 2024, the Reinitz Wrestling Centre Club won both the Junior and Senior National Championship divisions in Ottawa. For over 40 years, Victor Zilberman has been at the forefront of Olympic and inter-university wrestling. Since becoming the coach of the Concordia University Wrestling program in 1977, he has led the team to six national championships.

Victor, who has been coaching at the Y for 25 years since the establishment of the Reinitz Wrestling Centre, has been a member of the Canadian coaching staff at six Olympic Games. He has coached Canadian athletes at the world championships, the Olympics, and at the national and provincial levels. His accomplishments include coaching over 40 World and Olympic medalists, including his son David, a 2008 Olympian. David will be coaching at his second Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and has coached Paris Olympian and three-time World medalist Linda Morais. Victor and David, along with a group of highly experienced and accomplished coaches, successfully train wrestlers of all ages and ethnic backgrounds at the Reinitz Wrestling Centre.

Commitment to Excellence and Community

George Reinitz’s dedication to the sport extends beyond his own achievements. As a former wrestler and coach, he expresses immense pride in the accomplishments of the Y Wrestling Program and the supportive atmosphere fostered by its coaching staff. “The Y Wrestling Program has consistently developed exemplary citizens who become accomplished members of Canadian society,” Reinitz states. “I invite everyone to witness our practices, appreciate the hard work and dedication involved, and perhaps even join the greatest sport for lifelong benefits.”

The Centre, established through the generous contributions of George and his late wife Eleanor, continues to thrive under the ongoing involvement of George and Victor. Reinitz’s mission to leave a lasting legacy while enriching the lives of children through wrestling remains central to the Centre’s philosophy. Over 100 people train at the Reinitz Wrestling Centre, including kids from across Canada and around the world who attend school in Montreal specifically to train there. For the past 25 years, one of George and Victor’s major efforts in building the Reinitz Wrestling Centre program has been to ensure that wrestling, a sport with a century-long history at the Y, remains a major program for the next 100 years.

Linda Morais – Paris Olympian, and George Reintz