- Name
- Morris Fishman
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Interview Date
- 12 Jul. 1977
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Morris Fishman
- Number
- OH 36
- Subject
- Antisemitism
- Communities
- Synagogues
- Interview Date
- 12 Jul. 1977
- Quantity
- 1
- Interviewer
- Richard Menkis
- Total Running Time
- Side 1 46 minutes Side 2 17 minutes
- Conservation
- Copied August 2003
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- Morris Fishman was born on 29 September 1916 in New Jersey. His family moved to Welland, Ontario when he was an infant. He attended elementary and high school in Welland and completed two years at the University of Toronto. He worked in a family menswear business in Welland. Morris was actively involved in the Jewish community including participation in the Anshe Yosher Congregation, the Jewish Cultural Society, and the Jacob Goldblatt B'nai Brith Lodge. He was married and had two daughters.
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Language
- English
- Name Access
- Fishman, Morris
- Geographic Access
- Welland (Ont.)
- Original Format
- Audio cassette
- Copy Format
- Audio cassette
- Digital file
- Transcript
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 36 - Fishman\OH36_001_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 36 - Fishman\OH36_002_Log.pdf
- Source
- Oral Histories
In this clip, Morris Fishman praises the efforts of the non-Jewish community in Welland, Ontario to support the building of a new synagogue following a fire that destroyed the old synagogue in 1954.
In this clip, Morris Fishman discusses the Jacob Goldblatt B’nai Brith Lodge in Welland, Ontario.
- Name
- Cyrus Coppel
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Interview Date
- 21 Jul. 1976
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Cyrus Coppel
- Number
- OH 61
- OH 62
- Subject
- Communities
- Families
- Interview Date
- 21 Jul. 1976
- Quantity
- 2
- Interviewer
- Larry Troster
- Total Running Time
- 061A: 46:22 minuets 061B: 45:27 minuets 062A: 45:55 minuets 062B: 28:58 minuets
- Conservation
- Copied August 2003
- Cassette tapes were digitized in 2012
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- Cyrus Coppel, son of Aaron Coppel and Chaya (Gertrude) Seigel, was born in 1911 in Galt, Ontario. Cyrus remained in Galt throughout his life and became a central figure within its Jewish community. Cyrus initially worked as a mechanic and later worked in the office of an auto shop trading in auto parts. Cyrus also traded in livestock as a hobby. Cyrus Coppel was one of the founders of the B'nai Israel Synagogue in Galt.
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Language
- English
- Name Access
- Coppel, Cyrus
- Troster, Larry
- B'nai Israel Synagogue (Galt, Ont.)
- Geographic Access
- Galt (Cambridge, Ont.)
- Original Format
- Audio cassette
- Copy Format
- Audio cassette
- Digital file
- Transcript
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 61, OH 62 - Coppel\OH61_001_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 61, OH 62 - Coppel\OH61_002_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 61, OH 62 - Coppel\OH62_001_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 61, OH 62 - Coppel\OH62_002_Log.pdf
- Source
- Oral Histories
In this clip, Cyrus Coppel discusses the growth of Galt's Jewish community following the Second World War and the need to purchase a new and larger synagogue to accommodate the growing population.
In this clip, Cyrus Coppel discusses the difficulties of raising Jewish children in a small town.
- Name
- John Furedi
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Interview Date
- 29 Jul. 1976
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- John Furedi
- Number
- OH 78
- OH 79
- Subject
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
- Immigrants--Canada
- Farmers
- Communities
- Synagogues
- Interview Date
- 29 Jul. 1976
- Quantity
- 4 cassettes (2 copies)
- 3 WAV files
- Interviewer
- Larry Troster
- Total Running Time
- OH78_001: 45.20 minutes OH78_002: 45.30 minutes
- Conservation
- Copied to cassette in August 2003
- Copied to digital file in December 2013
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- John Furedi was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1925. During the Second World War, John was drafted into the Hungarian Labour Service System (Munkaszolgalat). After the Nazi occupation of Hungary in March 1944, John was deported to the Kistarcsa transit camp. Between 1945 and 1948, John travelled throughout Europe and returned to Budapest during the takeover of Hungary by the Communists. The revolution and anti-Jewish sentiment forced many Jews, including John and his wife Stephanie, to flee Hungary. In 1956, they immigrated to Canada and lived in Montreal for one year. In 1958, with the aid of a six-thousand-dollar loan provided by the Jewish Colonization Association, John became the first Jewish chicken farmer to settle in Beamsville, Ontario. John went on to become an active member of Beamsville's Jewish community and participated in the establishment of the community’s first congregation in 1966.
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Language
- English
- Name Access
- Furedi, John
- Jewish Colonization Association
- Geographic Access
- Beamsville (Ont.)
- Hungary
- Original Format
- Audio cassette
- Copy Format
- Audio cassette
- Digital file
- Transcript
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 78 - Furedi\OH78_001_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 78 - Furedi\OH78_002_Log.pdf
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Paul Szasz
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Interview Date
- 29 Jul. 1976
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Paul Szasz
- Number
- OH 80
- OH 81
- Subject
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
- Concentration camps
- Communism
- Farmers
- Communities
- Synagogues
- Interview Date
- 29 Jul. 1976
- Quantity
- 4 cassettes (2 copies)
- 2 WAV files
- Interviewer
- Larry Troster
- Total Running Time
- OH80_001: 45.29 minutes OH80_002: 44.23 minutes OH81: 44.20 minutes
- Conservation
- OH 080 and 081 were both damaged (tape snapped). They were sent out and were repaired and digitized in 2014.
- Copied to cassette in August 2003
- Digitzed in June 2014
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- Paul Szasz was born in 1926 in Tiszakeszi, Hungary, and was a Holocaust survivor. He came from a family of traditonal farmers. During the Second World War, he was drafted into the Hungarian Labor Service System (Munkaszolgalat) and was liberated from Auschwitz in 1945. Paul escaped Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and immigrated to Canada. With the aid of a loan from the Jewish Colonization Association, Paul purchased a farm in Beamsville, Ontario. Paul went on to become an active member of Beamsville's Jewish community and particpated in the establishment of the community's first congregation in 1966.
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Language
- English
- Geographic Access
- Beamsville (Ont.)
- Hungary
- Original Format
- Audio cassette
- Copy Format
- Audio cassette
- Digital file
- Transcript
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 80, OH 81 - Szasz\OH80_001_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 80, OH 81 - Szasz\OH80_002_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 80, OH 81 - Szasz\OH81_Log.pdf
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Sadie Stren
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Interview Date
- 14 Jun. 1976
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Sadie Stren
- Number
- OH 91
- Subject
- Communities
- Education
- Interview Date
- 14 Jun. 1976
- Quantity
- 2 cassettes (1 copy) 2 WAV files
- Interviewer
- Larry Troster
- Total Running Time
- OH91_001:44.37 minutes OH91_002:37.34 minutes
- Conservation
- Copied November 2006
- Digitized 2010
- Sound distorted on side 1 and side 2
- Notes
- Significant sound distortion.
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.
- Biography
- Sadie Stren was born 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. Stren graduated from Wayne State University and worked as a social studies teacher. Following her marriage to Maurice Strenkovsky in 1947, she moved to Brantford, Ontario. In Brantford, Sadie was actively involved in both Jewish and non-Jewish community organizations including Haddassah, the Family Service Bureau, and the University Women’s Club. She was also a board member of the YM-YWCA. In Toronto, Sadie was a member of the Baycrest Women's Auxillary and also authored the History of the Brantford community.
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Language
- English
- Name Access
- Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada
- B’nai Brith Youth Organization. Lake Ontario Region
- Hadassah
- Geographic Access
- Brantford (Ont.)
- Original Format
- Audio cassette
- Copy Format
- Audio cassette
- Digital file
- Transcript
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 91 - Stren\OH91_001_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 91 - Stren\OH91_002_Log.pdf
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Morris Silbert
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Interview Date
- 1986
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Morris Silbert
- Number
- OH 123
- OH 124
- Subject
- Agriculture
- Immigrants--Canada
- Nonprofit organizations
- Communities
- Interview Date
- 1986
- Quantity
- 2
- Interviewer
- Brooky Robins
- Total Running Time
- OH123_001: 30 minutes OH123_002: 31 minutes OH124_001: 46 minutes OH124_002: 44 minutes
- Conservation
- Copied August 2003
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- Morris Silbert was born in 1912 on a farm outside of Hamilton. His parents came from Lithuania. His father arrived in Canada in 1905, and his mother and three older siblings joined him in 1906. Morris spent his youth growing up on farms. At the age of sixteen in 1928, he and his family moved to Hamilton. In his youth, Morris was involved in several Jewish organizations, including Young Judaea, AZA, and Hashomer Hatzair. He was married in 1938. He served in the army in 1943 during the Second World War. Morris was the second vice president of the Council of Jewish Organizations. He also served on the executive board as chair of the nursery school board and participated in several committees.
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Language
- English
- Name Access
- Silbert, Morris
- Robins, Brooky
- Geographic Access
- Hamilton
- Wentworth
- Original Format
- Audio cassette
- Copy Format
- Audio cassette
- Digital file
- Transcript
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 123, OH 124 - Silbert\OH123_001_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 123, OH 124 - Silbert\OH123_002_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 123, OH 124 - Silbert\OH124_001_Log.pdf
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 123, OH 124 - Silbert\OH124_002_Log.pdf
- Source
- Oral Histories
In this clip, Morris Silbert shares memories about Jewish peddlers who were welcomed on his family's farm in southern Ontario. He includes names of peddlers with descriptions of their wares and their carts.
In this clip, Morris Silbert shares memories about Jewish peddlers who were welcomed on his family
In this clip, Morris Silbert describes the restructuring of the Hamilton Jewish community as a result of the Depression in the 1930s. He explains how the Council of Jewish Organizations was formed to replace United Hebrew Association.
- Part Of
- Congregation Beth David fonds
- Level
- Fonds
- Fonds
- 88
- Material Format
- multiple media
- Date
- [ca. 1916]-1996, predominant 1940-1996
- Physical Description
- 38 cm of textual records (9v.) and other material
- Admin History/Bio
- The Brantford Hebrew Association, Congregation Beth David’s precursor, was founded in 1907 when Rabbi Backer officiated Brantford’s first public Jewish religious service in an upper hall on George Street. Services had previously taken place in the homes of Jewish families, who had begun settling in the area around the turn of the century. By 1911, services had moved to the old Conservative Hall at Dalhousie and King Street. In 1915, the congregation purchased a building at 33 Palace Street and remodeled it into a synagogue. This building was also used as a community centre and for the Congregation’s Hebrew school.
- On October 13th, 1911 the congregation was incorporated, and the following year it purchased land for a cemetery in the northeast corner of Mount Hope Cemetery. Due to increasing membership, a new synagogue was built at 50 Waterloo Street in 1948. In January 1950, the congregation changed its name to Beth David in honour of member David Axler, who died during the Second World War while training as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
- The congregation was at its peak in the 1960s with 150 member families. However, membership drastically fell after the children of this generation moved to larger cities and their parents followed after retirement. By 1999, only 28 families remained as members and services were reduced to being held on the High Holidays and special occasions, such as, b'nai mitzvah. Dwindling resources and membership forced the congregation to close around 2001. Throughout its existence, over 30 rabbis served the congregation, including Rabbi Saul Wolfe Gringorten (ca. 1910-1923). Its cemetery continues to be looked after by Allan Norris, a past president of the congregation.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of records documenting the acitivities, religious programs and services, membership, and finances of Congregation Beth David, as well as the recognition and honours awarded by and to Brantford's Jewish community. Included are meeting minutes, photographs, plaques, a key, a marriage register, general ledgers, ledgers and lists of membership dues and receipts, audited financial statements, budgets, correspondece, bulletins, office stationary, newsclippings, certificates, library book cards, bookplates, rabbi contracts, and surveys.
- Fonds has been arranged into the following six series: 1. Meetings ; 2. Religious programs and services; 3. Finances & accounting ; 4. Administrative functions ; 5. Bulletins ; and, 6. Events.
- Notes
- Includes 10 microfiches of textual records, 5 architectural drawings, 11 photographs (4 negatives), 3 plaques, 1 mounted letter and 1 key.
- Fonds was reduced from ca. 1 metre to ca. 45 cm. See accession 2001-10-3 for further information about the culled material.
- Name Access
- Congregation Beth David (Brantford, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Communities
- Synagogues
- Physical Condition
- The binding on some of the general ledgers is fragile and coming apart. They have been stored flat to reduce any strain.
- The architectural drawings have some tears and should be flattened.
- Related Material
- Please see the Sadie Stren fonds 78 for other records documenting Brantford's Jewish community and the Beth David Congregation, including the synagogue's original letters of incorporation.
- For other photographs documenting Congregation Beth David, see: accesssion 1976-6-5 (photo # 1133); accession 1976-6-6 (photos # 1138, 1137, 1136); accession 1976-6-13; accession 1986-2-2 (photos #3593-3595, 3856, 3889-3894), photo #918; and, photo #578.
- For records related to Beth David's namesake, David Axler, and photographs of its cemetery, please see accession #2004-5-71.
- For records of Rabbi Gringorten, see accession #2009-2-5 and 2008-11-3
- For additional records related to Brantford families and other Jewish organizations, such as the Hadassah chapter and B'nai Brith lodge, please see accession #2001-10-3; MG 2J29a, #2009-7-1, 1978-11-4, 1977-8-16, 1992-8-3, 1980-1-14, 1978-1-2, 2008-7-1, photo# 109, photo# 755, and photo #758.
- Arrangement
- Fonds is arranged to the file-level, but only described to the series-level. Three file-level descriptions exist for files attached directly to the fonds. Photographs with existing item-level descriptions were also attached to the fonds.
- Creator
- Congregation Beth David (Brantford, Ont.)
- Places
- Brantford (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 2001-10-3
- 1978-11-4
- 1981-12-2 / MG3 B16
- 1976-6-8
- Source
- Archival Descriptions