Name

Arthur Gelber

Number

OH 241

Subject

Antisemitism

Arts

Charities

Interview Date

28 Nov. 1990

Quantity

2 cassettes (1 copy)

Total Running Time

1:6 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Digitized 2014

Use Restrictions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Biography

Arthur Gelber was born on 22 June 1915 in Toronto. He was educated at Upper Canada College. He married Esther Salomon and had four daughters. Arthur was actively involved in Jewish and general community activity. Among his accomplishments, Arthur served as chair of the National Arts Centre Corporation, chair of the Advisory Council Ontario Cabinet, past president of the Canadian Conference of the Arts, past president of the National Ballet, Board of Directors of the American Council for the Arts, Ballet Opera House, National Ballet, Stratford Festival, life director of the National Theatre School of Canada, governor of National Theatre School of Canada, former honorary chair of the Performing Arts Development Fund, and former governor of York University, trustee of the AGO, decorated with the Order of Canada, recipient of the Centennial medal in 1967, Diploma D’honneur 1978, Queen’s Jubilee Medal, vice-president of America-Israel Cultural Foundation, executive of Canadian Jewish Congress, president of Toronto Zionist Council, president of United Jewish Welfare Fund, second chair of the UJA in 1949, chair of the United Jewish Relief Agency, and chair of the United Jewish Appeal.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

United Jewish Relief Agency

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Ontario Arts Council

Geographic Access

Toronto

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Neville and Ruth Sischy

Number

OH 439

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

17 Nov. 2016

Interviewer

Miriam Borden

Total Running Time

OH 439 part 1: 37 min.

OH 439 part 2: 7 min.

OH 439 part 3: 7 min.

Biography

Neville and Ruth were born toward the beginning of apartheid rule in South Africa. Indeed, Neville was born the same year the National Party returned to power and formalized the system of apartheid. Because of their young age, Neville and Ruth were largely unaware of the political developments taking place in their country. By the time they left South Africa in the mid-1970s, the government had devolved into a police state. For them, the Canada of Pierre Elliott Trudeau was a welcome contrast to the injustice of apartheid South Africa.

Neville and Ruth grew up in traditional Jewish homes, in which their grandparents spoke Yiddish and were treated with deference. Neville met Ruth while attending medical school in Johannesburg. He was twenty-one at the time; she was eighteen. The two married on the condition that they leave South Africa and, after a positive look-see, came to Canada in 1975. Initially, Neville had trouble finding work as a general practitioner but was eventually able to open a clinic, where he has worked for forty years. Ruth, meanwhile, quickly found work in the nursery department of Holy Blossom Temple, the latter serving as a launching pad for their integration into Canadian society.

Although there were challenges along the way, Neville and Ruth have never regretted their decision to immigrate to Canada. They have four children, all of whom have made friends with the children of their Holy Blossom friends, and hope to see those friendships continue into the third generation.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Sischy, Neville

Sischy, Ruth

Geographic Access

Benoni (South Africa)

Cape Town (South Africa)

Germiston (South Africa)

Toronto (Ont.)

Vancouver (B.C.)

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part 1:

00:35 Ruth discusses her parents' immigration history. Her father came to Benoni, South Africa from Lithuania and Latvia at age fifteen. Her mother came to Cape Town from Lithuania as an infant with her mother.

03:40 Ruth discusses her Jewish home life growing up. Yiddish was the primary language spoken by her grandmothers and between her grandparents and her parents. She describes her parents' home as traditional but not religious.

05:04 Ruth discusses her education. She attended a public school. She describes her brothers' Jewish education. She did not have any formal Jewish education.

05:42 Ruth continues to describe her home life.

06:55 Neville discusses his family's immigration history. His father came from Sveskna, Lithuania to live with an aunt in South Africa at age sixteen in 1927. He eventually bought a men's clothing business in Germiston, where Neville was born. His mother was born in South Africa. His maternal grandfather came to South Africa from Lithuania at the turn of the twentieth century, leaving behind a wife and child. He was able to bring them to Johannesburg, South Africa thirteen years later.

09:23 Neville explains that he lived in Germiston until 1971, when he moved to Johannesburg to go to medical school. He met Ruth while he was attending medical school. He explains that he and Ruth were married knowing they would leave South Africa.

10:29 Neville discusses the factors that contributed to his decision to leave South Africa.

11:49 Neville considered moving to England after he did an elective there during medical school. He explains why he decided to come to Canada instead. Neville discusses the circumstances that led to two of his father's cousins to leave South Africa and come to Canada.

13:24 Neville and Ruth explain why they decided to settle in Toronto rather than Vancouver, their initial destination. Ruth discusses the challenges of leaving her family. She recalls her first Rosh Hashanah in Toronto and how she found comfort from a sense of community.

17:23 Ruth notes that she chose Toronto over Vancouver thinking she would have a greater chance of seeing family. Paradoxically, her family immigrated to Oregon.

18:21 Ruth discusses the reaction of friends and family to their decision to emigrate.

19:12 Neville and Ruth discuss a look-see visit to Canada in 1974. They relate a humorous incident involving trying to get to the Canadian embassy in Rome.

21:04 Ruth describes the homesickness she felt as a new immigrant to Canada. She highlights the poor communication at the time: slow mail; postal strikes; sending mail via Buffalo, New York; expensive and complicated long-distance phone calls.

23:06 Neville discusses some of the challenges he encountered when he first arrived.

24:38 Neville and Ruth discuss the support they received from the Jewish community. They identify support from their colleagues.

26:10 Neville and Ruth explain the factors that directed them to choose their first neighbourhood.

27:12 Ruth discusses her adjustment to Canadian winter.

28:31 Ruth comments on her surprise of being able to practice Judaism openly in Toronto.

30:44 Ruth contrasts open conversations about the Holocaust in Canada with minimal discussion in Johannesburg. Neville discusses the impact of the Holocaust on his family.

32:25 Ruth discusses the role their household staff played in her life in South Africa.

33:11 Neville recounts an anecdote demonstrating the prevalence of domestic help in white South Africa.

34:08 Neville contrasts the oppressive society of South Africa with the open, welcoming Canadian governance and society.

35:11 Neville discusses why the military was glorified in South Africa.

36:02 Ruth discusses her professional career.

Part 2:

00:47 Neville's sister and family and parents immigrated to Canada a year-and-a-half after their arrival. Ruth's family immigrated to the United States.

01:25 Neville and Ruth have four children, all born in Canada.

02:01 Both Neville and Ruth strongly identify as Canadian. Neville recalls he felt Canadian when she took his children to school. Ruth distinguishes between her "childhood life" in Africa and her "adult life" in Canada.

04:16 Ruth explains when and why she returned to South Africa for visits.

05:07 Neville discusses a desire to help young children and families in South Africa.

07:17 Neville notes the similarities between Ruth and his backgrounds (e.g. living with a grandmother, Yiddish spoken in the home).

Part 3:

00:22 Ruth explains why she is grateful for coming to Toronto.

00:47 Neville discusses a social group in Toronto comprised of former Jewish residents from Germiston. He notes that he has a large extended family in Toronto.

01:38 Ruth notes that most of their close friends tend to be South African.

02:01 Neville discusses his cousin, Ben Sischy, who had been a political activist in South Africa.

02:30 Ruth notes her awareness of South African politics became stronger after she immigrated to Canada.

03:15 Neville relates stories about Black medical students in his medical school class.

04:24 Neville and Ruth explain that they visited Israel but did not consider moving there.

04:57 Neville and Ruth discuss their limited involvement with Zionist youth movements and reminisce about fundraising as children for Jewish organizations.

Source

Oral Histories

Loneliness

Basic Human Needs

Two Very Distinct Lives

Name

Dr. Vivian Rakoff

Number

OH 440

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

24 Nov. 2016

Interviewer

Naomi Raichyk

Total Running Time

OH 440 part 1: 31 min.

OH 440 part 2: 3 min.

OH 440 part 3: 2 min.

OH 440 part 4: 21 min.

Biography

Vivian Morris Rakoff was born on 28 April 1928 in Cape Town but was quickly whisked off to Port Nolloth, a small town on the northwest coast of South Africa, where he spent his earliest years. And while Port Nolloth was home to less than a dozen Jewish families, his mother would still braid challah every Friday night.

The family moved to Cape Town when Vivian was six. At age eleven, he had a bruising encounter with apartheid that left a strong impression on him. Having innocently boarded a bus set aside for Black South Africans, he was thrown off by the conductor who told him, “You can’t come here!” Afterwards, he told his aunt he was not going to live in South Africa.

After completing a degree at the University of Cape Town, Vivian set sail for England, where he was planning to study English at Oxford. Instead, he followed friends down to Marseilles where he met Yiddish-speaking Holocaust survivors waiting to set sail for Israel. The encounter was a pivotal one and led Vivian to journey to Israel, where he lived on kibbutz for a year.

After losing his passport, Vivian returned to South Africa, where he completed a master’s degree in psychology. He then travelled to England, this time staying for more than eight years. He studied medicine at University College London and enjoyed the city’s theatres and museums. After completing his degree, he decided it was time to see his parents so he returned once more to South Africa.

While in South Africa, Vivian met a friend who suggested he enroll in McGill University’s psychiatry program. Vivian thus set sail yet again, this time with wife and ten-month-old baby. After an eighteen-day journey, the family arrived in Montreal, where Vivian did his residency. Residency complete, he accepted a job offer in Toronto, where he stayed for the rest of his career, serving as chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and as the namesake for the Rakoff Centre for Positron Emission Tomography. In 2015, the Government of Canada appointed him a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to psychiatry as well as for his role in founding the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Vivian died on 1 October 2020. He was survived by his wife Gina Shochat-Rakoff, son Simon, daughter Ruth, and grandchildren Micah, Amit, Sasaf, and Zoe.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Rakoff, Vivian Morris, 1928-2020

Geographic Access

Cape Town (South Africa)

Montréal (Québec)

Port Nolloth (South Africa)

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part 1:

00:29 Vivian discusses the immigration of his father's family to South Africa. His grandfather left Lithuania around the turn of the twentieth century. His grandmother and her children joined him in South Africa. Vivian lists the members of the family.

04:24 Vivian discusses the immigration of his mother's family. His mother, who was born in Chicago, came to South Africa in 1914.

05:00 Vivian's family settled in Port Nolloth. Vivian discusses the economy of the region. He discusses his father's businesses and marriage to his mother, Bertha. Vivian is one of four children.

06:48 Vivian was born on 28 April 1928 and lived in Port Nolloth for his first six years.

07:35 Vivian shares memories of growing up Jewish in Port Nolloth. He recounts anecdotes concerning his father's Zionist leanings.

09:40 Vivian describes his family's Jewish observance and shares memories from his youth.

12:30 Vivian discusses the impact of Zionism in his personal life. He describes his involvement with HaShomer HaTzair and travelling to Israel.

13:13 Vivian describes synagogues in Cape Town. He discusses his Jewish education after his family moved to Cape Town when he was six.

14:26 Vivian discusses the Jewish lives of his grandparents in Lithuania. He discusses the influence of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) and the rise of Zionism.

17:17 Vivian discusses the impact of South African politics on his life. He recalls a poem he wrote for his Zionist youth magazine. He recalls how an incident from his childhood that highlights the oppressive nature of the apartheid regime. The incident influenced his decision to leave South Africa.

21:04 Vivian describes the circumstances that triggered his decision to go to Palestine in 1947. His plan to study in England was interrupted when he decided to join a group of displaced persons in Marseilles who were travelling to Palestine. He remained there for a year.

24:26 Vivian describes his educational studies in South Africa and England.

25:27 Vivian expounds on living in London for eight years.

28:15 Vivian discusses his decision to come to Canada to study Psychiatry at McGill University.

29:18 Vivian describes his journey by steamship to Canada with his wife and ten-month-old baby.

30:13 Vivian discusses his impressions of South Africa when he returned from England.

Part 2:

00:13 Vivian discusses early memories of living in Montreal and how reality differed from expectations. He worked as a psychiatry resident at the Jewish General Hospital, but his wife, also a doctor, was unable to work. He describes a feeling of disappointment when they were not invited for High Holidays.

Part 3:

00:00 Vivian explains that he had decided to leave Montreal in 1967. He discusses Expo 67 and their many visitors.

Part 4:

00:00 Vivian discusses how his first job offer in Toronto at St. Michael's Hospital in 1967 was retracted due to antisemitism. He was then offered a position as director of postgraduate education in the psychiatry department.

01:00 Vivian describes some of the early challenges faced by his family when they arrived in Canada such as financial challenges and antisemitism.

02:28 Vivian and family move to a home on Ridgewood Road where they remain for twenty-three years.

03:00 Vivian contrasts his early experiences in Toronto with those in Montreal.

04:07 Vivian's children attended Bialik Hebrew Day School.

04:16 Vivian describes his family's Jewish observance.

04:52 Vivian explains that his primary connection to the South African Jewish community in Toronto is through relatives.

05:25 Vivian continues to discuss his Jewish observance.

06:25 Vivian discusses some of his family members who came to Toronto.

08:00 Vivian discusses his research concerning the challenges faced by children of Holocaust survivors. He continues to discuss his professional and literary writing.

09:5 Vivian outlines his professional positions: director of postgraduate education, chief of psychiatry at St. Michael's Hospital, chief of psychiatry and professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

10:25 Vivian highlights a personal achievement concerning bringing a positron emission scanner to the Clark Institute (CAMH).

11:50 Vivian discusses his interest in art.

13:17 Vivian discusses some of the challenges encountered by new immigrants.

14:30 Vivian addresses his own decision to immigrate to Canada.

15:41 Vivian addresses his Canadian identity.

15:58 Vivian describes a trip with his grandchildren to Port Nolloth.

17:36 Vivian shares some of his lasting memories of Cape Town.

19:08 Vivian discusses the common destinations for South African Jewish immigration.

20:12 Vivian discusses his experience as an immigrant of Canada.

Source

Oral Histories

Braiding challah with my mother

Montreal was Hostile

On Survivors

Receiving the Order of Canada

Name

Bess Maltinsky Shockett

Number

OH 288

Subject

Committees

Labor

Labor unions

Interview Date

8 Nov. 2004, 7 Dec. 2004

Quantity

4

Interviewer

Jillian Gould

Total Running Time

OH 288A: 31 minutes

OH 288B: 31 minutes

Conservation

Copies made for Bess' son Michael on four ninety-minute tapes

Use Restrictions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Biography

Bess was born in the Ukraine in 1920. She immigrated to Montreal in 1925 with her parents and two brothers. She married Barry Shockett in 1952 and had three children. As an adolescent, Bess became very active in the Jewish community and joined the United Jewish People's Order. She helped organize a union for workers in the knitting industry and later did the same for fur workers. She also travelled to Winnipeg to organize a laundry workers union. She helped found the New Fraternal Jewish Association in 1960 and was actively involved in the organization. She became very active in the Toronto Jewish community, particularly in regards to supporting and launching several innovative Yiddish programs. She staffed the office of the Canadian Jewish Congress' Committee for Yiddish in its early years and was director from 1974 to 1989.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

United Jewish People's Order

New Fraternal Jewish Association

Committee for Yiddish

Geographic Access

Montreal

Toronto

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

Bess became president of the Youth Division of the United Jewish People’s Order in Montreal in 1946. In this clip, Bess shares some of her memories and experiences as a representative to the First International Conference of Youth held in Prague in 1947.

In this clip, Bess discusses the events that led up to the formation of a new left-leaning organization, the New Fraternal Jewish Association, which broke away from the United Jewish People’s Order in 1960.