Born Julius Fleischer in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighbourhood, he would eventually be known and loved as Jay, Azik, Uncle Aschie and Zaidy Jay, among other names. In 1968, he married Stephanie Gottlieb and they took the bold step of moving to Canada where he could teach at the brand new York University. In Toronto they started a family, with the arrival of David and Leslie. They grew up in a house filled with love, music, books, humour and yiddeshkeit (even though he had, several times, been expelled from the prestigious Torah Vodas yeshiva). His career ultimately took him to the Ontario Public Service where he worked primarily in the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. He was able to take early retirement, allowing him to spend more time buying records and gadgets, travel, and spend time with his beloved grandchildren, Noa, Abigail and Zachary.