Part Of
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 14
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
14
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
object
Date
1917-2011
Physical Description
2.82 m of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
As early as 1916 the Ezras Noshem Society (a mutual benefit society for Jewish women) started to raise funds to purchase and renovate what would become The Toronto Jewish Old Folks' Home (Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care’s forerunner) after its members recognized the need for a home in Toronto where the Jewish elderly could receive kosher meals and communicate with staff in their own language. Property at 31 Cecil Street was purchased in 1917 and sometime between September 1918 and January 1920 the Home officially opened there. The Home was run by a small staff and the women of Ezras Noshem who volunteered their time to make beds, cook kosher meals, do laundry and sponsor fundraising events. By 1938 the Home had expanded into its neighboring houses at 29, 33, and 35 Cecil Street and was caring for 115 residents. It provided residents with synagogue services, a hospital ward and social activities. At this time the Home also became a member of the United Jewish Welfare Fund.
In 1946, the need for a larger and more modern building prompted a fundraising campaign, which was headed by Abe Posluns, to purchase and build a new facility. In December 1954, the new building opened at 3650 Bathurst Street and consisted of two new institutions: The Jewish Home for the Aged and Baycrest Hospital. This location continued to expand over the years, including a new building for residents in 1968, an apartment building for seniors called the Baycrest Terrace in 1976, and a community centre known as The Joseph E. and Minnie Wagman Centre in 1977. These additions enabled Baycrest to expand its programs to include a day care program, recreational programs, and a Sheltered Workshop which was run in cooperation with the Jewish Vocational Service and provided residents with employment. In 1986 a new Baycrest Hospital was erected, and in 1989, the Rotman Research Institute, which is also affiliated with the University of Toronto, opened to create a research facility where top researchers could study and find new treatment methods for the elderly.
In recent years, Baycrest’s services and programs have continued to expand. In 2000, the Apotex Centre, the Jewish Home for the Aged and the Louis and Leah Posluns Centre for Stroke and Cognition opened to help residents with progressive dementia caused by vascular disorders. In 2001 a condominium building opened at 2 Neptune Drive for seniors, and in 2003 the Sam and Ida Ross Memory Clinic was established to provide out-patient services for seniors with memory disorders. Baycrest Centre also provides numerous cultural and religious programs for the inhabitants and the greater community, including a heritage museum, art exhibits and a Holocaust program.
Custodial History
Records were donated to the OJA in a series of accessions from a variety of sources, including the Baycrest Women's Auxiliary and the Multicultural Historical Society of Ontario.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records documenting the history, governance, and activities of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. Included are meeting notices, agendas and minutes, correspondence, reports, speeches, photographs, artifacts, constitutions, publications, press releases, financial records, event invitations, programs, a scrapbook, a poster, lists, theatrical scripts, newspaper clippings, brochures and booklets, flyers, a land deed, certificates, schedules, annual calendars, cards, questionnaires, and lists.
Fonds is arranged into eleven series: 1. Board of Directors and Executive Committee; 2. Annual General Meetings and Annual Reports; 3. Committees and meetings; 4. Women's Auxiliary; 5. Men's Service Group; 6. Toronto Jewish Old Folks Home; 7. Programs and services; 8. Religious services; 9. Fundraising; 10. Publications and publicity; and, 11. Events. Records are described to the file level with some item level descriptions.
Notes
Physical description note: Includes 1102 photographs, 4 coins, 2 posters, 1 badge, 1 pin, 1 key chain, 1 postcard, and 1 pen.
Associated material note: related material at Library and Archives Canada includes a small Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care fonds, and the Eric Exton fonds. For architectural records see the Irving D. Boigon fonds 243 at the City of Toronto Archives (Boigon was an architect who designed many of Baycrest's buildings between the 1970s and 1990s). Contact Baycrest Centre's Heritage Museum for committee records from the 1930s, and consult Baycrest's website to access electronic copies of current issues of Baycrest's publications.
Name Access
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
Baycrest Hospital
Ezras Noshem Society (Toronto, Ont.)
Jewish Home for the Aged (Toronto, Ont.)
Jewish Old Folks Home (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Hospitals
Old age homes
Related Material
See Gordon Mendly Fonds 18, series 3-4; Jewish Vocational Services of Toronto fonds 75; United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds 67; accession # 2009-6-2; Dora Till Fonds 52; J. Irving Oelbaum Fonds 24; Jewish Community Centre of Toronto fonds 61, series 1-1; Gilbert Studios fonds 37; Ben Kayfetz fonds 62, series 3, file 3; JFWB fonds 87, series 6, files 5 and 6; JIAS fonds 9, series 7, file 1; Harold S. Kaplan fonds 27, series 1-4, and Morris Norman fonds 22.
Creator
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, 1917-
Accession Number
1982-11-1
1983-11-2
1988-2-7
1979-9-17
1979-9-23
1987-9-7
2004-5-50
MG 2 O 1A
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 17
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
17
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1936-1992
Physical Description
47 m of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
By 1919 the plight of post-war eastern European Jewry and the need for a united community voice for Canadian Jewry led to the creation of the Canadian Jewish Congress. Its founding meeting was held on March 16, 1919 in Montreal. Though it briefly maintained a tiny regional office in Toronto, the CJC remained inactive until 1933, when it fully reconvened by opening offices in Winnipeg, Montreal, and Toronto. Egmont L. Frankel was the first president of the new central division in Toronto. While the national office in Montreal focused on the overarching issues of the social and economic rights of European Jewry, assistance for Jewish immigrants, and combating prejudice in Canada, the Toronto office dealt with local, violent anti-Jewish demonstrations as well as continuing discrimination both in employment and in access to public recreational facilities. The structure was based on regular national biennial plenary conferences, at which policies were delineated and national and regional executives were elected. Between plenary sessions, national and regional councils were in charge. These were augmented by the following standing committees: administrative, officers, personnel, financial, publications, and educational and cultural. Special committees were created to deal with issues such as: youth, community loans, kashruth, fundraising, Israel, Russian Jewry, and various emergency issues such as refugees, immigration, and housing.
During the 1930s the central division office moved several times and occupied offices in the following locations: Yonge Street, the Bond Street Synagogue, Scheuer House, the Zionist Building, and its long-term home at 150-152 Beverley Street, where it remained until its July 1983 move to the Lipa Green Building in North York.
The CJC's activities expanded to include taking responsibility for Jewish educational standards, but by 1941 its main efforts shifted to support for Canada’s war effort. Immediately after the end of the war, the focus again shifted to Jewish immigration projects and the maintenance of Jewish identity in small communities. By 1950, the CJC’s use of the title “division” was changed to “region” to accommodate internal operational divisions within each region. Also, by then, the central region was busy expanding its programs for all Ontario Jewish communities, creating a province-wide council of youth groups, and working with the newly-created Bureau of Jewish Education (later Board of Jewish Education, now Mercaz). Standardization of kashruth rules in Ontario was implemented. As well, regular educational conferences and cultural events were held throughout the province, while province-wide fundraising efforts in support of Moess Chittin for relief projects in Israel and for local Congress activities were expanded. Many of its educational and cultural responsibilities necessitated working with other Jewish organizations such as the United Jewish Welfare Fund, Jewish Immigrant Aid Society (JIAS), Hadassah, the Canadian Legion, B’nai Brith, the World Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Congress, and the many landsmenshaften (Jewish mutual benefit societies, each formed by immigrants originating from the same Eastern European community).
During the 1960s, the central region began sending Moess Chittin relief shipments to Cuban Jews unable to acquire kosher foods for Passover. Its lobbying efforts included participation in the Royal Commissions on Hate Propaganda, and its greatest success came with the introduction and implementation of Ontario’s fair employment and fair accommodation practices legislation, an achievement in which Congress played a pivotal role.
From 1971 to 1989 the major focus became international and national lobbying for, and providing support to, Soviet Jewry. Virtually all local and Canadian efforts to assist the Soviet Jewish “refusniks” were organized and coordinated in Toronto by the Ontario region office, which provided staff and funding for the many lobbying activities and public demonstrations that characterized this successful effort.
As of November 1975, the central region’s responsibilities in Toronto were radically altered. To improve cost efficiency in Toronto, CJC educational and social service program activities were merged with similar programs already provided by Toronto’s United Jewish Appeal. The UJA assumed sole responsibility for these amalgamated programs in Toronto and was renamed Toronto Jewish Congress. The central region still retained province-wide responsibilities for Ontario’s smaller Jewish communities, and its office remained in Toronto. Also, following this reorganization, its name was changed to Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region. Although CJC no longer provided direct social and educational programs to Toronto, the TJC’s senior executive was, at the time, still obliged to continue to keep it notified about developments concerning previous Congress responsibilities.
From 1983, the Ontario Region's offices were located in the Lipa Green Building at 4600 Bathurst Street. It continued its work of financially supporting various Israeli institutions and fostering Canada-Israel relations. It also spearheaded the movement to support and protect Jews in Arab lands, especially in Syria. Funding for the CJC came from the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, which restributed a portion of the funds raised by the local Jewish federations across Canada.
The CJC dissolved in 2011. Today, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) acts as the Jewish community's primary lobby group.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the records of the Ontario Region office of the Canadian Jewish Congress. Of primary importance in documenting this organization’s history are its minutes of the Executive and Administrative Committees and the various standing, and short-term committees such as Community Organization, Finance, Fund Raising, Educational and Cultural, Research, Immigration, War Efforts, and Jewish Education. Most of these records are still managed all together within Fonds 17, Series 1. Fonds 17, Series 2 contains the general subject and correspondence files of these committees. Records in both series require further processing.
Records now found in Series 3 document the efforts of the Committee for Soviet Jewry in coordinating the activities of the many Toronto and Ontario organizations involved in assisting Soviet Jewry during the 1971 to 1989 period.
Series 4 consists of administrative and committee records of the United Jewish Refugee and War Relief Agencies in Toronto from 1938 through 1967. These document its work rescuing the survivors of European Jewish communities, settling as many as possible in Ontario, and providing assistance to those attempting to obtain restitution payments.
Series 5 consists of the records of the Community Relations Committee (1938-1976). Responding to depression-era anti-Semitism in Canada, the Canadian Jewish Congress and B’nai Brith together established in 1938 a new joint committee. Since then this Committee has documented racist threats in Canada; initiated advocacy activities to work for improved civil rights; promoted legislation combating hate; worked to ensure equality of access to employment, education and accommodation; and investigated specific incidents of discrimination. The Committee, for example, played a key role in achieving the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1944, and the Fair Employment Practices Act of 1951, key steps leading to Canada’s current Human Rights Code. Although originally named Joint Public Relations Committee in 1938, a series of name changes later occurred; s follows: Joint Community Relations Committee, Central Region (1962-1978), Joint Community Relations Committee, CJC, Ontario Region (ca. 1978-ca. 1991) Community Relations Committee, CJC, Ontario Region (ca. 1991-present) Records in this series were reorganized into 5 sub-series and a further 9 sub-sub-series during the 2009 to 2011 period. For further details please view the database records for Fonds 17, Series 5. Although this series will eventually hold all CRC records up to 1992, only those prior to 1979 are currently fully processed.
Notes
Physical description note: Includes 1839 photographs, 89 audio cassettes, 11 videocassettes, 4 drawings, and 6 microfilm reels (16 mm).
Processing note: Processing of this fonds is ongoing. Additional descriptive entries will be added in future.
Name Access
Canadian Jewish Congress. Ontario Region
Subjects
Pressure groups
Access Restriction
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the Archivist prior to accessing some of the records
Arrangement
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the Archivist prior to accessing some of the records.
Creator
Canadian Jewish Congress. Ontario Region (1919-2011)
Places
Ontario
Source
Archival Descriptions
Name
Fanny Gertzbein
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
2 Oct. 1984
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Fanny Gertzbein
Number
OH 33
Subject
Charities
Immigrants--Canada
Interview Date
2 Oct. 1984
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Morris Silbert
Total Running Time
OH 033: 27:34 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003.
Notes
Language: Fanny often speaks Yiddish with Morris Silbert providing a translation.
Related group of records external to the unit being described: accession 2019-7/2 includes comments by Gella Rothstein on this oral history.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Fanny Gurtzbein (née Goldhar) immigrated from Poland to Toronto in 1903. Fanny lived with her parents and siblings in Toronto's Ward district. Although raised in poverty, Barney, Fanny's brother, went on to become a successful furrier; Fanny's mother, Tzyerl Goldhar, became the organizer of the Mothers and Babes Summer Rest Home.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
Yiddish
English
Name Access
Goldhar, Myer
Goldhar, Tzeryl
Goldhar, Barney
Gurtzbein, Fanny
Geographic Access
St. John's Ward (Toronto, Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 33 - Gertzbein\OH33_001_Log.docx
Source
Oral Histories
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
Joe and Minna Loewith
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
3 Jun. 1984
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Joe and Minna Loewith
Number
OH 37
OH 38
Subject
Agriculture
Immigrants--Canada
Interview Date
3 Jun. 1984
Quantity
2
Interviewer
Morris Silbert
Total Running Time
OH 037_001: 31 minutes OH 037_002: 31 minutes OH 038_001 8 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
Joe and Minna Loewith immigrated to Canada in November 1938 from the Sudetenland. After arriving in Canada, they settled on the Wren Farm outside of Hamilton, Ontario, along with their family and other members of the immigration group. They got married in 1942. Afterwards, they bought a farm from their brother-in-law and then lived with their three sons on the farm.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Loewith, Joe
Loewith, Mina
Silbert, Morris
Geographic Access
Hamilton (Ont.)
Sudetenland (Czech Republic)
Burlington (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 37, OH 38 - Loewith\OH37_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 37, OH 38 - Loewith\OH37_002_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 37, OH 38 - Loewith\OH38_001_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Minna Loewith recalls the events beginning in the summer through the fall of 1938 that led her family to emigrate from Czechoslovakia to Canada.

In this clip, Minna shares some of her earliest recollections of when she and her family arrived in Canada in November 1938.

In this clip, Joe Loewith explains the conditions for Czech immigration to Canada set by the CPR and how they were met.

Name
Dr. Meyers Stitt
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
10 Oct. 1985
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Dr. Meyers Stitt
Number
OH 39
Subject
Port Arthur and Fort. William (Thunder Bay)
Family history
Interview Date
10 Oct. 1985
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Morris Silbert
Total Running Time
001: 31.20 minutes 002: 10.09 minutes
Conservation
Copied to cassette in August 2003
Copied to digital file on 9 Dec. 2014.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Dr. Meyers Lawson Stitt graduated in dentistry from the University of Toronto in 1927. A scholarship in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto was established in honour of his memory by his son, Mr. Bert Stitt, and his family. These awards are to be given to the students with the highest overall academic achievement in the work of first-year dentistry and were first awarded in 1998.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Toronto (Ont.)
Fort William (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 39 - Stitt\OH39_001_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Dr. Coleman Solursh
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
3 Jan. 1985
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Dr. Coleman Solursh
Number
OH 40
OH 41
Subject
Physicians
Societies
Occupations
Medical care
Interview Date
3 Jan. 1985
Quantity
2
Interviewer
Morris Silbert
Total Running Time
040A: 34 minutes 040B: 31 minutes 041A: 11 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
Coleman Solursh was born in Toronto in 1906. He graduated as a physician in 1932. He worked as a lodge doctor. He was involved in the Toronto Jewish Lodge Doctors Association. He worked in the field of family medicine and was appointed chief of the Department of Family Practice at Mount Sinai Hospital. He was appointed associate chief of medicine at Baycrest, Jewish Home for the Aged. He married Zelda Singer, a third-generation Canadian. Zelda's maternal grandfather was appointed colonization chairman in 1897 for Baron de Hirsch settlement for Jewish immigrants. Zelda's father, Manny Singer, was the first Jewish pharmacist in Toronto. Zelda's uncle, Fred Singer, was the first Jewish member of parliament for Ontario.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Solursh, Coleman
Silbert, Morris
Mount Sinai Hospital
Singer, Zelda
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
Geographic Access
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 40, OH 41 - Solursh\OH40_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 40, OH 41 - Solursh\OH40_002_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 40, OH 41 - Solursh\OH41_001_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Dr. Coleman Solursh describes a meeting between executives from the Toronto Jewish Lodge Doctors' Association and representatives from various Jewish Lodges. The meeting resulted in significant changes to the way medical services and payment were provided to the physicians.

In this clip, Dr. Coleman Solursh describes his role as Chief of the Department of Family Practice in the new Mount Sinai Hospital in 1953. He explains how this department pioneered the model for family practice within a hospital setting across Canada.

Name
Ethel Abramsky
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
8 Nov. 1981
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ethel Abramsky
Number
OH 42
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Women
International Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE)
Interview Date
8 Nov. 1981
Quantity
2 cassettes (1 copy)
1 CD
4 WAV files
Interviewer
M. Feldman
Total Running Time
001: 30.53 minutes 002: 30.50 minutes 003: 31.25 minutes 004: 30.42 minutes
Conservation
Copied to cassette in August 2003.
Digitized in January 2015.
Notes
Sound quality poor in many sections.
Use Restrictions
Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Ethel Abramsky (née Levin) came to live in Kingston after her marriage to Harry Abramsky in 1927. Ethel remained an active member of the Queen Esther Chapter of Hadassah throughout her life. Harry, an industrialist and business man, was a generous benefactor of Queens University and was instrumental in establishing Hillel House at Queens. Ethel and Harry had three children and eight grandchildren.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Abramsky, Ethel
Abramsky, Harry
Canadian Hadassah-WIZO
International Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE)
Geographic Access
Kingston (Ont.)
Florida
Poland
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Digital file
Audio cassette
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 42 - Abramsky\OH42_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 42 - Abramsky\OH42_002_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 42 - Abramsky\OH42_003_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 42 - Abramsky\OH42_004_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Harry Abramsky
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
6 Jul. 1982
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Harry Abramsky
Number
OH 49
OH 50
Subject
Kingston
Interview Date
6 Jul. 1982
Quantity
2
Interviewer
Stephen Speisman and Marjorie Feldman
Total Running Time
OH49_001: 31.04 minutes
OH49_002: 31.00 minutes
OH50_001: 30.59 minutes
OH50_002: 1:09 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Notes
Poor audio quality in many sections. OH50_002 started in the middle of the story; cut at 1:09.
Use Restrictions
Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Harry Abramsky was born in Kingston on 29 September 1897. He and his wife, Ethel, were highly respected by citizens and business owners in Kingston. They were also loyal friends of Queen's University. Over the years, they have made many gifts to the university, including funds for the construction of a building that was completed in 1957. In 1974, the building was renamed as Abramsky Hall in their honour. (There is also Abramsky Laboratory in Botterell Hall.) An area within the Agnes Etherington Art Centre is dedicated to the memory of the Abramsky family. The Harry Abramsky Scholarship in the School of Business at Queen's University was also given by Harry Abramsky. Harry Abramsky was a life member of the Royal Kingston Curling Club. He died in February 1988, aged ninety.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Kingston (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
CD
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH49_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH49_002_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH50_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH50_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Samuel Rothschild
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
1980
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Samuel Rothschild
Number
OH 52
OH 53
OH 54
Subject
Hockey
Interview Date
1980
Quantity
3 cassette tapes ; 2 reference CDs (# 053 and 054)
Interviewer
Darral Field
Total Running Time
OH52: 30.13 minutes OH53: 1.00.44 hour OH54: 33.54 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Notes
There is a lot of white noise interference on the first two tapes, the voices are hard to make out. The third tape is fine. Originals are fine. There is a lot of white noise in OH52 (audio file). The sound in OH53 and OH 54 (audio files) is clear.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Samuel "Sam" Rothschild was born on 16 October 1899 in Sudbury to Daniel and Annie Rothschild, the city's first Jewish settlers. Daniel Rothschild was a merchant in the city, whose retail and office property is listed on the city's register of historic properties.
Samuel was the first Jewish player in the National Hockey League (NHL) and played a total of 102 games. He played for the Montreal Maroons, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Americans. He was the last surviving member of the 1926 Stanley Cup champion Maroons.
Following his retirement from the NHL, Rothschild took up coaching and coached the junior Sudbury Wolves to the 1932 Memorial Cup championship. He married Eva Yackman in 1933. He was also a prominent supporter of curling in the city, was president of the Northern Ontario Curling Association and the Canadian Curling Association from 1957 to 1958, and secured the city's status as host city of the 1953 Brier. He was later inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame. He also served for two years on Sudbury's city council. He died on 15 April 1987, aged eighty-seven years.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Rothschild, Samuel, 1899-1987
Geographic Access
Sudbury (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
CD
Source
Oral Histories
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
Montague Raisman
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
11 Jul. 1982
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Montague Raisman
Number
OH 64
Subject
Nonprofit organizations
Human rights
Antisemitism
World War, 1939-1945
Zionism
Interview Date
11 Jul. 1982
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Jack Lipinsky
Total Running Time
39:42 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Notes
Low sound volume
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Montague Raisman came to Canada from England in 1926. He was actively involved in B'nai Brith Toronto Lodge and held positions of office. He served as the commanding officer for the B'nai Brith Air Cadet Squadron in Toronto during the Second World War. He was instrumental in the formation of the Joint Public Relations Committee, a united Jewish voice in response to pro-Nazi activity.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Raisman, Montague
B'nai Brith
Lipinsky, Jack
Canadian Jewish Congress
Geographic Access
Toronto
Calgary (Alta.)
Montréal (Québec)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 64 - Raisman\OH64_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Montague describes the formation of the B'nai Brith Air Cadet Squadron during the Second World War. He discusses the recruitment and training of the officers and cadets. He explains how this squadron was instrumental in changing recruitment qualifications to allow entry of new immigrants and Black cadets.

In this clip, Montague Raisman discusses the events leading up to an association between B

Name
Rabbi Reuben Slonim
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
23 Jul. 1982
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Rabbi Reuben Slonim
Number
OH 65
OH 66
Subject
Development of Toronto Jewish community from 1930s
Rabbis
Interview Date
23 Jul. 1982
Quantity
2
Interviewer
Jack Lipinsky
Total Running Time
OH65_001: 26.25 minutes
OH65_002: 15.07 minutes
OH66: 32.48 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Notes
Poor sound quality
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
Reuben Slonim was born on in Winnipeg in 1914 and ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 1937. That year, he became Canada’s first Canadian-born rabbi when he was hired by the McCaul Street Synagogue in downtown Toronto. After it merged with Goel Tzedec to become the Beth Tzedec Congregation, Rabbi Slonim served at the new Beth Tzedec for one year. He then served for twenty-three years as rabbi of Beth Habonim on Glen Park Avenue.
Slonim also worked as a jounalist and associate editor of the Toronto Telegram and was known for his outspoken views on the Arab-Israeli conflict and Zionism.
He married Rita Short, and they had a daughter named Rena. Rabbi Reuben Slonim died on 20 January 2000 at the age of eight-five.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
McCaul Street Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)
Beth Tzedec Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
Geographic Access
Winnipeg (Man.)
New York (N.Y.).
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ben Lappin
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
14 May 1981
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ben Lappin
Number
OH 69
Subject
A.M. Klein and S.Bronfman
Interview Date
14 May 1981
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Adam Fuerstenberg
Total Running Time
OH69_001: 31.36 minutes
OH69_002: 11.28 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Notes
Very poor sound quality; difficult to make out the content of this oral history.
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
Ben Lappin was bom in Kielce, Poland, in 1915, the son of Leibish and Sarah Lapidus. Ben moved with his family to Canada in 1924. He married Adah Auerbach, and they had four children: Shalom, David, Naomi, and Daniel.
Ben received his undergraduate degree from McMaster University and his master's and doctoral degrees in social work from the University of Toronto. He spent several years at the Training Bureau for Jewish Communal Service in New York and returned to the University of Toronto in 1958, where he was a professor in the School of Social Work until 1970. He then accepted an appointment at the School of Social Work at Bar Ilan University in Israel, later becoming its director.
In 1963, he published "The Redeemed Children: The Story of the Rescue of the War Orphans by the Jewish Community of Canada." He later wrote a number of other books, several humorous pieces for the CBC and Macleans Magazine, and served as editor of the Toronto Yiddisher Zhurnal’s English-language page.
From 1948 to 1958, he was the executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region and was involved with the national executive committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress; the Canadian Association of Social Workers; and the Farband Labour Zionist Organization of Canada.
He died in January 2001 at the age of eighty-four.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
University of Toronto
Canadian Jewish Congress. Central Region
Geographic Access
Kielce (Poland)
Toronto (Ont.)
Hamilton (Ont.)
Israel
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Rabbi Dr. David Monson
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
1 Dec. 1982
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Rabbi Dr. David Monson
Number
OH 70
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Religion
Interview Date
1 Dec. 1982
Quantity
1
Interviewer
(not stated, likely Jack Lipinsky)
Total Running Time
OH70_001: 27 minutes OH70_002: 11 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
Rabbi David Monson came to Toronto from Ottawa in June 1939 to serve as the rabbi of the Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue. He served on the board of the Brusnswick Talmud Torah. He was a member of B'nai Zion and B'nai Brith and was the long-serving rabbi of Beth Shalom.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Monson, David
Canadian Jewish Congress. Ontario Region
Shaarei Shomayim Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
Lipinsky, Jack
Geographic Access
Toronto
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 70 - Monson\OH70_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 70 - Monson\OH70_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Rabbi Monson discusses his early positive working relationships with rabbis within the Toronto Jewish community and explains how sectionalization became a post-war phenomenon.

In this clip, Rabbi Monson discusses the role and responsibilities of the Canadian Jewish Congress in Toronto from 1939 to 1948.

Name
J. B. Salsberg
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
Sep. 1985
Source
Oral Histories
Name
J. B. Salsberg
Number
OH 71
Subject
Labor movement
Labor unions
Women
Demonstrations
Interview Date
Sep. 1985
Quantity
1
Total Running Time
OH71_001: 44:50 minuets OH71_002: 35:55 minuets
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
Joseph Baruch Salsberg (1902–1998) was a labour leader, political activist, politician, newspaper columnist, and a man who dedicated his life to Yiddishkeit and the advancement of social justice. He was active in various Jewish organizations, including the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and the New Fraternal Jewish Association. In 1938, he was elected as alderman on Toronto’s City Council; in 1948, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is well remembered by contemporaries, such as Sam Lipshitz, as a "champion of the people," committed to social justice, the plight of the working-class, and the preservation of Jewish culture.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998
Geographic Access
Toronto
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 71 - Salsberg\OH71_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 71 - Salsberg\OH71_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Joseph Salsberg discusses the events that led to the birth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) in America and the ILGWU's influence on the Canadian garment industry.

In this clip, Joseph Salsberg discusses the first sit down strike by tailors in Canada in recognition of women

Name
David Cohen
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
22 Jun. 1977
Source
Oral Histories
Name
David Cohen
Number
OH 73
Subject
Synagogues
Interview Date
22 Jun. 1977
Quantity
2 cassettes (1 copy)
1 WAV file
Interviewer
Mark Verman
Total Running Time
39.45 minutes
Conservation
Copied to cassette in August 2003
Copied to digital file in January 2015
Sound inaudible
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
David's parents, Sam and Clara Cohen, were amongst the first Jewish settlers of Port Colborne. David's father was born in Lithuania and came to Port Colborne via England and South Africa. After his arrival in Port Colborne in 1914, Sam opened a scrap business. David was born in Port Colborne and likely had his bar mitzvah in the late 1920s at the Agudath Achim Synagogue. David recalls Jewish settlers of Port Colborne including the Sam Kassirer family, the Dwors, and his in-laws who arrived in 1918. At its peak thirty-two Jewish families lived in Port Colborne.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Port Colborne (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 73 - Cohen\OH73_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Fay Gardner
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
19 Nov. 1974
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Fay Gardner
Number
OH 3
Subject
Families
Interview Date
19 Nov. 1974
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Sophie Milgram
Total Running Time
Side one: 30 minutes Side two: 2 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
Fay Gardner (née Haber) was born in Toronto in December 1896. Her parents came from Austria. They met and married in New York and moved to Toronto in about 1894. As a child, Fay's family lived on King Street, LaPlante Avenue, and Walton Street. She attended Elizabeth Street School (later Hester How Public School) and Wellesley Public School. At the age of sixteen, Fay and her family moved to Margueretta Street. She got married at age eighteen.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Gardner, Fay
Temple Sinai Congregation of Toronto
Geographic Access
King Street (Toronto, Ont.)
LaPlante Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
Margueretta Street (Toronto, Ont.)
New York (N.Y.).
Walton Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 3 - Gardner\OH3_001_Log.docx
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 3 - Gardner\OH3_002_Log.docx
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Sarah Green
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
7 Jan. 1975
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Sarah Green
Number
OH 4
Subject
Families
Immigrants--Canada
Neighborhoods
Interview Date
7 Jan. 1975
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Sophie Milgram
Total Running Time
38 minutes 44 seconds
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
Sarah Green (née Patlik) grew up living in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood. The family home and scrap yard business were both located on Maria Street, which served as the centre for Jewish life in the Junction during the early 1900s. Sarah Patlik was involved with numerous charitable organizations including the Ontario Hospital School of Orilla and the Rubinoff and Naftolin Mishpocha.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Green, Sarah
Geographic Access
Kingston (Ont.)
Maria Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Portland Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Stanley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
West Toronto Junction (Toronto, Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 4 - Green\OH4_Log.docx
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Toba Fluxgold
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
1975
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Toba Fluxgold
Number
OH 8
Subject
Bakeries
Immigrants--Canada
Interview Date
1975
Quantity
1 cassette (1 copy) 2 WAV files
Interviewer
Sheldon Steinberg
Total Running Time
1:02 min.
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Digitized December 2014
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
Toba Fluxgold was born in Warsaw, Poland and immigrated to Toronto with her father, older brother, and sister. Toba's father ventured into the bakery business and, in the early 1920s, opened his own kosher bakery in Toronto. Following her father's death in 1929, Toba’s brother Morris expanded and modernized the bakery and later sold it to Carmel Bakery. After her marriage in 1925, Toba moved to Arthur, Ontario, and returned to Toronto after the birth of her first child.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Yiddish
Geographic Access
Arthur (Ont.)
Elizabeth Street (Toronto, Ont.)
St. John's Ward (Toronto, Ont.)
Warsaw (Poland)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
Transcript exists for this oral history.
Source
Oral Histories
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
Paul Abeles
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
14 Jun. 1976
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Paul Abeles
Number
OH 87
Subject
Farmers
Immigrants--Canada
Interview Date
14 Jun. 1976
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Larry Troster
Total Running Time
45.05 minutes
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Paul Abeles was born on 15 November 1906 in Czechoslovakia. He was a successful businessman and part of a group of four local businesspeople, with Leon Rotberg, Jack Rotberg, and Jack Brown, who bought and rented business properties in the city. The group were also referred to as the “Brantford Companies,” set up to own and manage warehouse properties in the City of Brantford.
Paul was active in the Brantford Jewish community and represented Brantford at the Second Regional Leadership Conference in London, Ontario on 27 March 1960, where over seventy-five representatives of regional Jewish communities gathered. At this conference, Paul was presented with an award of recognition for his volunteer endeavours.
Paul was one of thirty-nine families who immigrated to Canada in 1939 from Czechoslovakia and placed on farms. He was married to Rita Abeles (née (Glaser). He passed away in March 1989.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Brantford (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 87 - Abeles\OH87_Transcript.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
Pauline Burns
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
6 Jun. 1976
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Pauline Burns
Number
OH 92
Subject
Kosher food
Jewish youth--Religious life
Jewelry stores
Fasts and feasts--Judaism
Berit milah
Jewish day schools
Interview Date
6 Jun. 1976
Quantity
1 audio cassette (1 copy) 1 WAV file
Interviewer
Larry Troster
Total Running Time
31.54 minute
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
Pauline Burns was born in Oshawa, Ontario on 3 July 1935. She attended North Simcoe Public School and O’Neill High School (formerly OCVI) in Oshawa and studied dental nursing at the University of Toronto. Pauline married Sidney Burns in 1956 and had two children. She worked in the family business, Burns Jewellers. In her youth, Pauline was involved in Young Judaeans and BBYO. Once married, she became a member of Hadassah.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
BBYO
University of Toronto
Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada
Geographic Access
Oshawa (Ont.)
Brantford (Ont.)
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 92 - Burns\OH92_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ben Collis
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
1 Jun. 1976
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ben Collis
Number
OH 93
Subject
Musicians
Cemeteries
Synagogues
Antisemitism
Farmers
Yiddish language
Interview Date
1 Jun. 1976
Quantity
2 audio cassettes (1 copy)
2 WAV files
Interviewer
Larry Troster and Elaine Kahn
Total Running Time
OH93_001:43.50 minutes OH93_002:18.45 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Digitized 2014
Notes
poor sound quality in some sections
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Ben Collis, the son of Russian immigrants, was born in 1911. He grew up in Oshawa, Ontario. In 1944, he moved to Peterborough, Ontario. Ben's interest in music led him to form his own dance band and play gigs throughout Ontario.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Oshawa (Ont.)
Peterborough (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 93 - Collis\OH93_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 93 - Collis\OH93_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Max Enkin
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
24 Mar. 1982
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Max Enkin
Number
OH 132
Subject
Tailor project
Clothing trade
Clothing workers
Refugee camps
Legislators--Canada
Labor unions
Interview Date
24 Mar. 1982
Quantity
1 audio cassette (1 copy)
1 WAV file
Interviewer
Jack Lipinsky
Total Running Time
43.19 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Recopied March 2009 as the original copy done was inaudible.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Max Enkin was a founder and a leading member of the Jewish Vocational Services of Toronto. In 1947, as associate administrator and representative for the men's clothing sector in Ontario, Max Enkin became involved in the Tailor Project, which was designed to identify and select skilled tailors from the displaced persons camps of Europe and help to settle them in Canada. Max Enkin was awarded the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to Wartime Prices and Trade Council.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Europe
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 132 - Enkin\OH132_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ben Himel
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
24 Jan. 1983
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ben Himel
Number
OH 135
Subject
Communism
Education
Fraternal organizations
Labor unions
Zionism
Interview Date
24 Jan. 1983
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Stephen Speisman
Total Running Time
OH135_001: 26.40 minutes OH135_002: 29.20 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
Ben Himel was vice president and founder of the Borochov School and Kindergarten. Himel was affliated with the Poale Zion Jewish National Workers Alliance (Farband), the Independent Workers Circle, and the Board of Jewish Education.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Himel, Ben
Speisman, Stephen
Geographic Access
Toronto
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 135 - Himel\OH135_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 135 - Himel\OH135_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Benjamin Himel discusses the ideologies of Canada's labour Movements during the 1930s and 1940s.

In this clip, Benjamin Himel discusses the Zionist movement within the Toronto Jewish community during the 1930s and 1940s.

Name
Helen Weinzweig
Material Format
sound recording
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Helen Weinzweig
Number
OH 106
Subject
Feminists
Award winners
Authors
Quantity
2 cassettes (1 copy)
Interviewer
Miriam Beckerman
Total Running Time
OH106_001: 30.07 minutes OH106_002: 07.06 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
Helen Weinzweig was born in Poland in 1915. She married John Weinzweig, a well-known Canadian composer, and had two sons, Paul and Daniel. While she only completed four years at high school, she was an avid reader and self-educated. Weinzweig authored short stories and novels, won the Toronto Book Award in 1981, and was a shortlisted nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction in 1989. She was regarded as one of Canada's first important feminist writers, and her style was marked by experimental forms with some aspects of metafiction. Helen also wrote and produced a one-act play, and several of her short stories were adapted for stage and CBC Radio. Weinzweig died in 2010, aged ninety-four.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Weinzweig, John, 1913-2006
Geographic Access
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 106 - Weinzweig\OH106_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 106 - Weinzweig\OH106_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Morris Shankman
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
2 Jan. 1978
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Morris Shankman
Number
OH 107
Subject
Immigrants
Businessmen
Interview Date
2 Jan. 1978
Quantity
2 cassettes (1 copy)
2 WAV files
Interviewer
Miriam Beckerman
Total Running Time
31.08 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003 Digitized 2014
Notes
Most of the interview is inaudible due to the nature of Mr. Shankman's voice. Morris is aged ninety-three at the time of interview.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Morris Shankman was born in a small village near Minsk, Belarus. He immigrated to New York in 1904 and later to Toronto, where he got married and started his own business.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Russia
Toronto (Ont.)
Belarus
New York (N.Y.).
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 107 - Shankman\OH107_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Kalmen Kaplansky
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
20 Sep. 1985
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Kalmen Kaplansky
Number
OH 109
Subject
Antisemitism
Human rights
Immigrants--Canada
Labor
Labor unions
Refugees--Canada
Interview Date
20 Sep. 1985
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Phyllis Platnick
Total Running Time
109A: 60 minutes 109B: 6 minutes
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Kalmen was born on 5 January 1912 in Poland. He worked in Montreal as a typesetter and linotype operator. He was active in the labour and human rights movements in Canada. Kalmen served as the director of the Jewish Labour Committee in 1945. In collaboration with the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian government, and trade unions, the Jewish Labour Committee helped Jewish displaced persons immigrate to Canada by securing them employment. Kalman sat on the Refugee Status Advisory Committee for the federal government.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Kaplansky, Kalmen
Platnick, Phyllis
Jewish Labour Committee
Geographic Access
Toronto
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 109 - Kaplansky\OH109_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 109 - Kaplansky\OH109_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Kalmen Kaplansky discusses some of the obstacles to the relocation of displaced Jews to Canada after the Second World War. He describes a tripartite proposal involving consultation and cooperation among trade unions, management, and government, which enabled the immigration project.

In this clip, Kalmen Kaplansky explains that bribery, corruption, and perjury were a way of life after the Second World War. He relates anecdotes as an example.

Name
Al Hershkovitz
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
19 Nov. 1985
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Al Hershkovitz
Number
OH 111
Subject
Immigrants--Canada
Labor
Labor unions
Refugees--Canada
Zionists
Interview Date
19 Nov. 1985
Quantity
1 cassette (1 copy)
1 WAV file
Interviewer
Phyllis Platnick
Total Running Time
40.30 minutes
Conservation
November 2006
Digitized in 2014
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Al Hershkovitz was a fur union representative who helped organize the project that brought furriers from the displaced persons camps of Europe to Canada in the late 1940s. As a union representative, Al was granted temporary military rank in order to enter the displaced persons camps in Europe. He became part of the selection committee responsible for determining which displaced persons could come to Canada.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Hershkovitz, Al
Federman, Max
Kerbel, Joe
Silver, Harris
Jewish Labor Committee
Canadian Jewish Congress
Jewish Immigrant Aid Society
International Fur and Leather Workers Union
American Federation of Labor
Geographic Access
Toronto (Ont.)
Europe
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 111 - Hershkovitz\OH111_Log.wav
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Claire and Al Roebuck
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
9 Feb. 1986
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Claire and Al Roebuck
Number
OH 115
Subject
Tailors
Refugee camps
Immigrants--Canada
Interview Date
9 Feb. 1986
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Phyllis Platnick
Total Running Time
30.05 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
Claire and Al Roebuck were involved in the Tailor Project to bring skilled trade workers from the displaced persons camps of Europe to Canada after the Second World War. Claire worked for the Canadian Overseas Garment Worker's Commission with Thomas Aplin.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Toronto (Ont.)
Europe
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Alex Enchin
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
Jul. 1977
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Alex Enchin
Number
OH 118
Subject
Businessmen
Synagogues
Interview Date
Jul. 1977
Quantity
1 cassette (1 copy)
1 WAV file
Interviewer
David Enchin
Total Running Time
31.20 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Digitized in June 2014
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Alex Enchin emigrated from Russia to Guelph, Ontario, in 1912. Enchin was one of Guelph's earliest Jewish settlers and an active member of the Jewish community. His son, David, ran two businesses, the Arcade and the House of David, both located in downtown Guelph.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Guelph (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 118 - Enchin\OH118_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Myer Pinsky
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
31 Jul. 1978
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Myer Pinsky
Number
OH 119
OH 120
Interview Date
31 Jul. 1978
Quantity
4 cassettes (2 copies)
4 WAV file
Interviewer
Larry Troster
Total Running Time
OH119_001: 46.25 minutes OH119_002: 44.23 minutes OH120_001: 44.13 minutes OH120_002: 46.20 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.
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Lillian Gollom
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
8 Dec. 1986
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Lillian Gollom
Number
OH 122
Subject
Families
Women
Occupations
Antisemitism
Hospitals
Interview Date
8 Dec. 1986
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Morris Silbert and Nancy Draper
Total Running Time
OH122_001: 31.05 minutes
OH122_002: 17.07 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
Lillian Gollom (née Slovens) was born in Russia in 1903. She came to Toronto around 1907. She attended Ogness Public School and Canada Business College. She married Nat Gollom in 1924. They had a son and a daughter. Lillian was actively involved with the "Sinai's" and served as president of the organization in 1939. The fund-raising efforts of the the "Sinai's", Ezrat Nashim and "Twigs" assisted with the establishment of the first Mount Sinai Hospital on Yorkville Avenue. Lillian was a volunteer at the hospital. She remained active with the Sinais and involved with the establishment of the second Mount Sinai Hospital on University Avenue. Afterwards, the organization's focus shifted to fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Mount Sinai Hospital
Dworkin, Dorothy
Canadian Cancer Society
Singer, E.F.
Gollom, Lillian
Geographic Access
Toronto
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 122 - Gollom\OH122_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 122 - Gollom\OH122_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Lillian Gollom discusses the establishment and early days of the first Mount Sinai Hospital. She describes the fundraising efforts of Ezrat Nashim, the Sinais, and the Twigs.

In this clip, Lillian Gollom relates anecdotes pertaining to the impact of the Great Depression on Jewish families in the early 1930s.

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.

Name
Edna Jacobs
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
Dec. 1985, Mar. 1986
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Edna Jacobs
Number
OH 125
Subject
Families
Travel
Education
Occupations
Antisemitism
Girl Guides
Religion
Volunteers
Interview Date
Dec. 1985, Mar. 1986
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Nancy Draper
Total Running Time
Side 1: 36 minutes Side 2: 46 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
Edna Jacobs (née Frankel) was born on 20 March 1904 in Toronto. Her parents, Sigmund and Paula Frankel, were early immigrants from Germany. Edna attended Havergal from kindergarten through high school. She studied general arts for two years at the University of Toronto. She married Arthur Jacobs, the son of Rabbi Solomon Jacobs, in 1936. Together, they had one daughter, Patsy, and a baby who died during infancy. Edna was involved with the Girls Club and the Junior Council of Jewish Women.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Toronto Girl's Club
Toronto Council of Jewish Women
Geographic Access
Toronto
Germany
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 125 - Jacobs\OH125_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 125 - Jacobs\OH125_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Edna Jacobs shares memories from a trip she and her family took to Biblis, Germany to celebrate her grandparents’ golden anniversary.

In this clip, Edna Jacobs reminisces about several prominent Toronto Jewish families.

Name
Joseph Addison
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
12 May 1982
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Joseph Addison
Number
OH 128
Subject
Athletes
Sports
Associations, institutions, etc
Interview Date
12 May 1982
Quantity
1 cassette (1 copy)
1 WAV file
Total Running Time
31:21 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Digitized in November 2014 ceases to be audible at 14:03 minutes
Recording fades and is not audible at 14:03 minutes
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Joseph Addison was an active member of the Brunswick Street YMHA and its executive committee member. He also held the position of vice president and chair of the board. Addison was a handball enthusiast and was the first chair of the Canadian Handball Association. Joseph Addison was a judge.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Young Men's Hebrew Association (Toronto, Ont.)
Geographic Access
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 128 - Addison\OH128_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ralph Weber
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
3 Feb. 1987
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ralph Weber
Number
OH 190
OH 191
Subject
Cemeteries
Hevra kaddisha
Synagogues
Interview Date
3 Feb. 1987
Quantity
3 cassettes (2 copies)
3 WAV files
Interviewer
Stephen Spiesman
AccessionNumber
1987-2-8
Total Running Time
OH190_001: 31.04 minutes OH190_002: 31.05 minutes OH191_001: 25 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Digitized November 2013
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Samuel Weber was born 1875 in Vilna, Russia and immigrated to Toronto in 1899. He began his career working in real estate and clothing manufacturing. Sam became the largest real-estate owner of rental housing in Toronto and was one of first builders of roads in the city. He organized and was president of the Toronto Hebrew Burial Society (Chesed Shel Emes). In 1906, he purchased the property today known as the Roselawn Cemetery. Sam was a member of Goel Tzedec Synagogue's building committee.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Roselawn Cemetery
Weber, Ralph
Weber, Sam
Geographic Access
Toronto
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 190, OH 191 - Weber\OH190_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 190, OH 191 - Weber\OH190_002_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 190, OH 191 - Weber\OH191_001_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Edith Shields
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
21 Jan. 1988
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Edith Shields
Number
OH 192
OH 193
Subject
Printing plants
Rabbis
Synagogues
Interview Date
21 Jan. 1988
Quantity
4 cassettes (2 copies)
4 WAV files
Interviewer
Stephen Speisman
Total Running Time
OH192_001: 31.00 minutes OH192_002: 31.01 minutes OH193_001: 31.05 minutes OH193_002: 31.02 minutes
Conservation
Copied to cassestte tape in August 2003
Digitized July 2014
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Edtih Shields was born in Poland in 1906. She immigrated to Toronto in 1925. During the 1920s, her father, Rabbi Tzvi Silverstein, served as rabbi for both the Keltzer and Slipia Synagogues. Edith married Labish Shields, who was the owner of the Shield’s Printing Company and a construction company and also the financier of properties north of St. Clair Street.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Geographic Access
Palestine
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 192, OH 193 - Shields\OH192_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 192, OH 193 - Shields\OH192_002_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 192, OH 193 - Shields\OH193_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 192, OH 193 - Shields\OH193_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Abe Posluns
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
16 Feb. 1988
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Abe Posluns
Number
OH 214
Subject
Baycrest
Interview Date
16 Feb. 1988
Quantity
1
Interviewer
N. Sherman
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
Abe Posluns was born in 1908 to Sheindel and Abraham Isaac Posluns. Abe married Elsie Posluns and they had three children. Abe was a financier and was actively involved in the Toronto Jewish community. In 1946, he headed the fundraising campaign to purchase land and build a new facility to accommodate the Toronto Jewish Old Folks' Home (Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care’s forerunner). Throughout the course of his career, he was president of the United Community Fund of Greater Toronto, president of the Jewish Home for the Aged, president of Baycrest Hospital, honorary vice-president for the United Jewish Welfare Fund, director and executive of the new Mount Sinai Hospital, director of YW-YMHA, and director of Canadian Welfare Council, as well as a member of B'nai B'rith, the Primrose Club, and the Oakdale Golf and Country Club.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Posluns, Abe
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Frank Schleifer
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
29 Jun. 1976
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Frank Schleifer
Number
OH 84
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Recreation
Families
Interview Date
29 Jun. 1976
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Larry Troster
Total Running Time
OH84_001: 45.20 minutes OH84_002: 11.00 minutes
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Frank was born on 4 January 1916 in Toronto. His parents were Charles Schleifer and Mary Schleifer (née Noble). At the age of three, his family moved to Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. In 1922, the family moved to Brantford, Ontario, where his mother's family lived. Frank left school at age sixteen to work at the family Cigar and Soda Fountain store when his father became ill. He opened Frank’s Billiard Parlour from 1941 to 1946. He was drafted into the army in 1943, where he served in the artillery and infantry. He started to work in Unemployment Insurance with the federal government. Frank married Bertha (née Moldaver) in 1937. They had one son, Charles, born in 1947. As a youth, Frank was involved with AZA (B'nai Brith youth organization). He was a member of B'nai Brith and served on the executive of the synagogue in Brantford.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Schleifer, Frank
Troster, Larry
Geographic Access
Brantford
Sturgeon Falls
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 84 - Schleifer\OH84_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 84 - Schleifer\OH84_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Frank Schleifer shares some early memories of growing up in Brantford, Ontario. He mentions some of the original Jewish families who settled in Brantford.

In this clip, Frank Schleifer describes his involvement in a variety of Jewish activities and groups during his youth, including AZA, summer camp and baseball.

Name
Mary Soskin
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
15 Nov. 1974
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Mary Soskin
Number
OH 1
Subject
Neighborhoods
Schools
Synagogues
Interview Date
15 Nov. 1974
Interviewer
Sophie Milgram
Total Running Time
001: 30.41 minutes 002: 20.58 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Use Restrictions
Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Mary Soskin (née Levine), the eldest child of Moses Levine and Sarah Levine (née Cass), was born in 1896 in Midland, Ontario. Her father, Moses Joseph Levine (1864–1919), immigrated to Toronto from Minsk in 1887. Moses first worked as a peddler and later became a grocer. Mary’s mother, Sara Levine (b. 1876), emigrated from Russia to Toronto around 1892 and worked as a seamstress. Mary had six siblings: Fanny (1898–1923), Anne Thuna (1899–1964), Abraham (“Abe”) (b. 1901–1984), Harry (b. 1903), Rita (1905–1975), and Dorothy Bliss (1909–1992).
Mary’s parents, Moses Levine and Sarah Cass, met in Toronto. Following their marriage in 1895, they moved to Midland, Ontario, where they opened a store. After several years in Midland, they returned to Toronto. The family lived in several locations in Toronto including Chestnut Street, Centre Avenue, Spadina Avenue, near Dundas, and 224 Beverley Street, near College. The Levine family belonged to the Goel Tzedec Synagogue, which was located in a former church on University Avenue at Elm Street.
Mary attended both the McCaul Street School and Phoebe Street School, one of the oldest schools in Toronto. She completed her studies at the Shaw School of Business. Mary first worked as a bookkeeper for several years before joining her father in his wholesale grocery business, located at 25 Jarvis Street. Tragically, Moses died in 1919 at the age of fifty-four after accidentally falling down an elevator shaft. The family closed the business shortly thereafter and continued to live on Beverley Street.
Mary Levine married Saul Soskin (d. 1953) around 1920. They lived in Toronto and later moved to Los Angeles. They had three children: Estelle (1922–2010), Morton (“Bud”) (d. 2001), and Fred (1929–2000). In 1945, during a family visit to Toronto, Estelle met Irving Liss, the son of Morris Liss, Mary’s long-time friend. Estelle and Irving were married at the Beth Am Synagogue in Los Angeles in 1946 and settled in Toronto.
Mary Soskin returned to Toronto in 1964 and passed away in 1990.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Goel Tzedec Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)
Levine, Moses
Levine, Sarah
Soskin, Mary
Geographic Access
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Midland (Ont.)
St. John's Ward (Toronto, Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 1 - Soskin\OH1_001_Log.docx
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 1 - Soskin\OH1_002_Log.docx
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Doug Brown
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
2008
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Doug Brown
Number
OH 366
Subject
Cemeteries
Interview Date
2008
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Ellen Scheinberg
Total Running Time
1 hr. 7 min.
Use Restrictions
No release form. Permission of family required for use.
Biography
Doug Brown worked at Pape Avenue Cemetry, the first Jewish burial ground in Toronto, from 1962 and lived next door to the cemetery at 311 Pape Avenue. He was the groundskeeper for over fifty years. Doug's job was to maintain the site and provide extra care to a couple of graves for families that had set up trusts to plant fresh flowers every spring. He knew the location of every tombstone and the personal history of many of the deceased.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Brown, Doug
Scheinberg, Ellen
Geographic Access
Pape Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
Original Format
Digital file
Copy Format
Digital file
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Gail Freeman
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
24 Mar. 2015
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Gail Freeman
Number
OH 414
Subject
Canada--Emigration and immigration
Jews--South Africa
South Africa--Emigration and immigration
Interview Date
24 Mar. 2015
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Naomi Raichyk
Total Running Time
52 minutes
Biography
The middle of three siblings, Gail Freeman was born in Johannesburg in 1953. The daughter of committed Jews, she fondly remembers the beautiful seders her parents would host, sometimes having as many as forty-to-fifty people joining them for Pesach. Growing up, she attended a Jewish day school in Linksfield, a positive experience that would later influence her decision to enroll her own children in Jewish day schools in Canada. Overall, it was a happy, almost utopian childhood, which took on a slightly more complicated character when she developed a political consciousness as a teenager.
It was at a cousin’s wedding that Gail met her future husband. Years later, she would joke that they met under the chuppah. The young couple married a short time after meeting and had two children in South Africa before moving to Canada and having two more.
Upon arriving in Canada, the family received a warm welcome from Toronto’s South African community, which she describes as “out of this world.” Gail, who has a master of education degree in educational psychology, found work in the Jewish school system while her husband found work as an accountant. The family’s immigration a success, her parents followed suit, thereby ensuring that her children would grow up with grandparents nearby.
Today, Gail feels proud to be a Canadian, not least because Canada allows her to be proud of her Jewish identity. As she puts it, in Canada “everybody [is] from everywhere.”
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Freeman, Gail, 1953-
Geographic Access
Irving (Calif.)
Johannesburg (South Africa)
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Digital file
Transcript
00:19 Gail was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1953.
00:30 Gail discusses her grandparents' immigration to South Africa from Russia. Her maternal grandparents were from ?Kadam, and her paternal grandparents were from Vilna. Her mother was born in Vilna, and her father was born in South Africa.
01:17 Gail's mother is the youngest of three sisters. Her father is the eldest of three, with a younger sister and brother. Gail has an older brother, Hilton, living in New York, and a sister, Felicia, living in California.
01:55 Gail's father was born in the suburbs of Doornfontein.
02:14 Gail's parents were married in 1948. They worked in the building industry.
02:26 Gail describes her family's practice of Judaism while she was growing up.
03:39 Gail's parents originally lived in the neighbourhood called Bez Valley but moved to Linksfield, a Jewish neighbourhood where the King David Jewish day school was built.
04:25 Gail attended King David from nursery to high school. She briefly describes the school.
05:22 Gail mentions that another branch of King David later opened in Victory Park. She notes other Jewish day schools in Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria. Later Yeshiva College opened.
06:15 Gail notes that her own school experience influence how she selected schools or her own children, who attended the Associated Hebrew Day School in Toronto.
07:28 Gail notes that there is a King David alumni group on Facebook. She mentions class reunions and a fundraiser spearheaded by former schoolmaster Elliott Wolf.
08:25 Gail earned a bachelor of arts with a major in Hebrew and sociology at the University of Witwatersrand. She earned a teaching diploma at the Hebrew Seminary. She completed her practical work at King David School. She returned to university and earned a bachelor's in social work and a master of education degree in educational psychology.
09:56 Gail discusses her involvement with "Boys Town" as principal in a children's home.
11:30 Gail shares some childhood memories concerning friends and school while growing up in Linksfield.
12:40 Gail notes that she became more politically aware as an adolescent. She identifies some of the issues that challenged her morally as a Jew. She comments that her ability to protest was limited due to the restrictions imposed by the police state.
14:14 Gail describes her warm relationships with her nannies.
15:11 Gail describes Jewish life in Linksfield. She attended weekly Shabbat services with her friends at King David. She recalls fond memories attending holiday services with her family at the Jewish Hebrew Congregation in Doornfontein, where her father was chairman. (Gail has a photo of the synagogue in her home.)
16:26 Gail participated in a group bar mitzvah through school.
17:44 Gail identifies a strong commitment to Israel as a major component of her Jewish tradition. They were encouraged to volunteer in Israel, support Israel and move to Israel. She recalls David Ben-Gurion visiting her school.
18:27 Gail was married in 1977. She describes how she met her husband and where they lived after they were married (Norwood, Berea and Linksfield).
20:34 Gail worked as a social worker for Jewish Family and Child Services and for Yeshiva School. Her husband worked as an accountant.
22:30 Gail discusses how the circumstances in South Africa that contributed to their decision to emigrate. She explains how she and her husband considered applications to the United States, Canada, Australia, and Israel. She discusses the trauma involved with leaving family and moving to an unknown, new country.
27:02 Gail's parents moved to Canada two years later.
28:13 Gail describes what they were allowed to take out of South Africa and what they brought.
29:25 Gail shares some of her initial impressions upon arrival in Toronto.
30:15 Gail describes how she was able to secure work as a guidance counsellor with Associated Hebrew Day Schools of Toronto while in Washington for a Tay Sachs conference.
31:40 Gail explains how through family connections they were able to find housing in a neighbourhood with an established South African community. She recalls how she was well-received by the South African community.
34:22 Gail and her family arrived in Toronto in 1988.
34:30 Gail recollects more difficulty fitting into the Toronto Jewish community and having few Toronto friends.
36:30 Gail describes the decision to move to a new subdivision near Associated Hebrew Day Schools on Atkinson in 1993, her current home.
37:50 Gail's family joined the Chabad Flamingo synagogue after the move, but has since returned to the synagogue on Green Lane to be with her parents.
38:48 Gail describes the relative ease of adapting to Canadian society and her pride living in Canada.
40:28 Gail worked as a principal for a Jewish day school in Irvine, California for three years.
41:50 Gail discusses some differences in child-rearing between South Africa and Canada.
43:33 Gail explains that her reasons for teaching her children the values of respect and kindness stem from her personal experience living in South Africa.
44:30 Gail has returned to South Africa twice over thirty years, but her husband has not returned.
45:38 Gail discusses some of the differences, both positive and negative, she observed when she returned to South Africa.
47:00 Gail notes that her children feel a strong connection to South Africa (e.g. history, culture, accent, foods, politics).
50:00 Gail speaks with pride about the contributions made by South Africans who have immigrated to Canada.
Source
Oral Histories

Crying on Route to Canada

Like a Little Kibbutz

A Closed Door

Name
Stephen Pincus
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
26 Apr. 2015
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Stephen Pincus
Number
OH 415
Subject
Immigrants--Canada
Interview Date
26 Apr. 2015
Interviewer
Jessica Parker
Total Running Time
1 hr. 23 min.
Use Restrictions
Restriction noted by interviewee on video/oral history release form: The foregoing is subject to OJA obtaining my prior written consent prior to placing any of the interview on the internet (other than password protected communications)
Researches should be directed to the access copy created by Stephen Pincus.
Biography
Although he grew up in South Africa, Stephen was born in England where his father was studying. When they returned to South Africa in 1963, they visited Israel on the way, and five-year-old Stephen fell in love with the exotic, young Jewish state.
As a teenager, Stephen was active in Habonim, South Africa’s largest Zionist youth movement and became head of that movement in the late 1970s, running the largest Jewish youth camp in the world. Stephen was also elected chair of South Africa’s Zionist Youth Council, the umbrella body for all-Jewish youth organizations in the country. He and his wife Michelle then moved to Israel with a Habonim group that established Kibbutz Tuval in the western Galilee.
In 1982 Stephen came to study in Toronto. He served as administrator of Bialik Hebrew Day School and as camp director of Camp Shalom, while completing MBA and LLB degrees, and was awarded the Gold Medal at Osgoode Hall Law School. Stephen and Michelle started a family and both their own parents immigrated to Toronto.
Stephen is a senior partner and executive committee member at Goodmans LLP, is widely regarded as one of Canada’s leading business lawyers, and has played a pioneering role in the development of the country’s capital markets. He is is the founding chair of the Canada Africa Chamber of Business, a director of Kew Media Group, a member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, chair of the board of Makom, and founder of Kaleidoscope, a unique multi-dimensional Israel engagement program.
He and his wife Michelle; their two married children, Daniel and Lisa; granddaughter Olivia; and therapy dog Mannee all live in Toronto.
Material Format
moving images
Language
English
Name Access
Pincus, Stephen, 1958-
Geographic Access
England
Original Format
Digital file
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
00:56 Stephen discusses his family background, including notable forebears, his grandparents' immigration in the early 1900s, and the largely Lithuanian composition of the South African Jewish community.
03:04 Stephen discusses his South-African-born parents' backgrounds and how they met.
05:14 Stephen mentions that he was born in England in 1958, while his family was abroad for his father's medical studies. He lived there until they returned to South Africa in 1964.
06:25 Stephen remembers arriving in South Africa and all the family that had come to greet them who hadn't seen his parents for eight years. He mentions that all correspondence happened via mail.
08:01 Stephen describes his family's relationship to Judaism: They were Orthodox in name, but took a pragmatic approach. Stephen went to public school and received a lot of his Jewish education from Habonim.
09:27 Stephen describes his bar mitzvah celebrations. Stephen remembers preparing his speech. He enjoys public speaking and this was a starting point.
10:49 Stephen talks about the Habonim youth movement. Stephen's involvement began in his early teens. He became the head of the movement in the late 1970s and ran the camp for a couple of years. Stephen is organizing a trip this summer to Israel for alumni of Habonim.
14:50 Stephen explains that he has a foot in South Africa, Canada, and Israel.
15:43 Stephen talks about the unique environment in South Africa that contributed to Zionism. He talks about the Soweto Uprising in 1976. Israel was a place where South African Jews could create something better. Stephen finds it ironic that some see in Israel a continuation of apartheid.
19:53 Stephen talks about his parents' view of his involvement in Habonim. He relates a story where his father became upset when Stephen participated in a march protesting a United Nations resolution instead of studying for an exam.
21:37 Stephen's father was risk-averse and practical. He wasn't keen on Stephen moving to Israel and would discourage his son indirectly. Stephen went to Israel anyway.
22:20 Stephen's parents did not give voice to strong political views. Stephen remembers being at a poetry reading at a friend's parents' house when he was eight. It was his first mixed-race experience. Stephen and his friends were politically active in high school and as undergraduate students.
24:27 Stephen explains how Zionism and Israel were his major focus while the South African situation was secondary. Stephen remembers visiting Soweto a number of times.
26:00 Stephen discusses the paradox of under apartheid while opposing it. He sees this as a central issue that white South Africans of his generation faced. He discusses the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings of the 1990s.
28:24 Stephen recounts how Israel fell into the arms of South Africa after being pushed away by various African states in the 1970s.
29:03 Stephen describes his involvement in resuscitating Machon Le'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz, a year-long leadership course for youth leaders in Israel. South African Jews would defer their army service to participate. In 1975, the South African government determined it would not let Jewish students defer for this purpose.
31:16 Stephen discusses his decision to leave South Africa.
32:51 Stephen discusses how not going on Machon is one of his regrets.
33:28 Stephen discusses the places he considered immigrating to. He was focused on going to Israel and was part of a group that went to live on a kibbutz in the western Galilee.
37:24 Stephen discusses previous trips to Israel. The first time he went to the country was when his family went from England to South Africa. This was before the Six-Day War and he remembers barbed wire in Jerusalem. Stephen thinks he probably fell in love with Israel at this time.
38:32 Stephen explains the meaning of the words machon and garin.
39:23 Stephen describes the kupah meshutefet ("common treasury box") economic system. The system didn't last very long.
40:16 Stephen describes how his family and friends reacted to the news that he was making aliyah.
41:09 Stephen discusses a car trip he and his wife took throughout South Africa. He relates how they were caught in a flood and ended up being taken in by a Black family. Stephen reflects on the irony of their situation.
44:07 Stephen discusses he and his wife's arrival in Israel. Stephen was accepted by Hebrew University to study law. Ultimately, he and his wife chose to move to Toronto at the beginning of 1982.
45:06 Stephen shares what he brought with him to Toronto from South Africa.
47:20 Stephen discusses his initial trip to Canada in January 1982. He thinks that it was the coldest winter Toronto experienced until 2014. He discusses some of the hurdles he faced adjusting to the new climate.
51:33 Stephen discusses settling in Canada and going to school.
56:25 Stephen discusses opening an issue of the Canadian Jewish News and seeing that a summer camp was looking for a director. He was director for a couple of years and he and his wife would spend their summer at the camp.
57:05 Stephen discusses how Habonim was different from Camp Shalom, the camp he worked at in Canada.
58:24 Stephen discusses his transition from being involved in a Zionist and socialist youth movement to ending up in business and corporate law. He notes that he has shifted in a number of respects in terms of his perspective on economic values, social values, and religious values.
1:02:55 Stephen discusses his experience integrating into Canadian society.
1:05:20 Stephen contrasts his parents' experience coming later in life with his own experience. They had a wonderful time when they came because there was a large community of retired South African expatriates by then.
1:09:54 Stephen discusses the role of the local Jewish community, and local South African Jewish community, played in his acclimatization.
1:11:59 Stephen discusses how he came to work for Goodmans.
1:14:17 Stephen discusses the differences he has noticed between Canadians and South Africans. He feels that South Africans as a group tend to be more direct than Canadians. In his opinion, South Africans lie somewhere between Israelis and Canadians in terms of directness.
1:17:51 Stephen discusses his journey, coming from a secular Zionist background and starting a program of Jewish learning later in life.
1:20:40 Stephen discusses his own approach to keeping Jewish traditions and customs. He is observant, but not dogmatic.
1:26:11 Stephen discusses his two children. His son is a medical resident and his daughter is finishing up a law/business administration program.
1:27:09 Stephen discusses synagogues he is involved with.
1:29:10 Stephen discusses cultural differences he has experienced raising his children in Canada.
1:33:04 Stephen explains the decisions he and his wife made regarding their children's education.
1:35:15 Stephen describes his children's relationships with their grandparents.
1:37:31 Stephen answers the question, "Do you feel Canadian?"
1:41:55 Stephen discusses his involvement with the Canada-South Africa Chamber of Business.
1:42:42 Stephen discusses the differences in being involved with the ex-South African community more broadly and the ex-South African Jewish community.
1:44:58 Stephen discusses his children's connections to South Africa, which he says are quite limited.
1:46:37 Stephen shares food words and expressions that he shared with his children and which they now use.
1:47:55 Stephen offers a few final remarks about his decision to immigrate to Canada and the relationship between Canadian identity, Jewish/Israeli identity, and South African identity.
Source
Oral Histories

Israel, the Opportunity for New Beginnings

An Indoor Life

Name
Percy Skuy
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
12 May 2015
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Percy Skuy
Number
OH 416
Subject
Canada--Emigration and immigration
Jews--South Africa
South Africa--Emigration and immigration
Interview Date
12 May 2015
Interviewer
Naomi Raichyk
Total Running Time
1 hr. 19 min.
Use Restrictions
NONE
Biography
The child of Latvian immigrants to South Africa, Percy grew up in the small town of Vryheid, South Africa with his parents and two siblings. Years later, when asked what the population of Vryheid was, Percy’s mother replied, “Forty Jewish families.” Those families formed a tight-knit community that was able to support not only a synagogue and a rabbi, but a Talmud Torah school and a butcher’s shop with a kosher section.
At seventeen years old, Percy began an apprenticeship to become a pharmacist. He qualified in 1954 and worked for a year before leaving South Africa to travel the world. He never planned on visiting Canada, but found himself in Toronto for a stopover and ended up liking the city so much he decided to stay. In 1959, Percy became the first South African pharmacist registered in Ontario.
Percy met his first wife, Frances Goodman, in 1960 on a blind date and married her that same year. Together, they had two children: Beth (born in 1961) and David (born in 1963). In 1961, Percy began his thirty-four-year career with Johnson and Johnson Corporation, taking on a number of roles in the company during that time. In 1977, Frances passed away. Two years later, he married his second wife, Elsa Ruth Snider.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Percy is the founder of the only museum devoted exclusively to the history of contraception. The museum is located at the Dittrick Medical History Centre in Cleveland, Ohio.
Material Format
moving images
Language
English
Name Access
Skuy, Percy, 1932-
Geographic Access
Canada
Europe
Israel
South Africa
United States
Original Format
Digital file
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
00:30 Percy was born in 1932 in Vryheid in northern Natal, South Africa.
00:41 Percy's parents emigrated from Latvia to South Africa in 1929.
00:53 Percy discusses his parents and their early lives in South Africa and the Jewish community in Vryheid.
04:10 Percy discusses his family's practice of Judaism while growing up.
05:02 Percy's father ran a small business. Later he worked with his brother-in-law to run a mill. At age fifty-nine, his father was killed in an automobile accident.
06:00 Percy discusses his mother. Percy has two siblings: an older brother, Max, and a younger sister, Rita.
07:19 Percy shares some of his childhood memories.
09:29 Percy was involved in the Habonim youth movement.
11:27 Percy reminisces about the establishment of the State of Israel.
13:23 Percy discusses his impressions of apartheid. He discusses his relationships with Black men and women.
15:15 Percy discusses his involvement with an anti-apartheid group.
17:19 Percy shares a story that illustrates his opposition to apartheid. His parents were not politically active.
19:06 Percy discusses how he became interested in pharmacy and the training for pharmacists.
21:21 Percy describes his two years of travel following graduation from pharmacy.
26:58 Percy relates how, en route to a pre-arranged job in the Arctic, he serendipitously secured a job with Glaxo as a medical sales representative on a stop-over in Toronto.
29:49 Percy describes his sales route.
30:46 Percy explains how he became the first South African registered pharmacist in Ontario.
32:31 Percy describes some of his early social/business pursuits in Canada.
34:12 Percy married his wife, Francis, originally from Sudbury. She graduated from the University of Toronto in nursing.
34:26 Following travel to Europe, Israel and South Africa, Percy and Francis decided to return to live in Canada.
35:35 Percy discusses the importance of maintaining family connection despite distance.
36:41 Percy describes the slow trickle of relatives who emigrated from South Africa. He notes that he has no close relatives remaining in South Africa and comments on the disappearance of the Jewish community in Vryheid.
38:39 Percy discusses some of the challenges he faced integrating socially into the Jewish community.
40:36 Percy explains how he became involved with working for the company Ortho.
45:15 Percy explains the factors that guided his integration into Canada.
47:08 Percy discusses his involvement in the Jewish community in Toronto.
48:30 Percy contrasts his own upbringing with how he raised his own children in Toronto.
52:00 Percy discusses his grandchildren.
52:26 Percy is the founder of a museum of the history of contraception. He explains how he developed an interest in the history of contraception and how he collected artifacts.
58:18 Percy describes his work history, his involvement in professional committee work, and his pursuits following his retirement in 1995.
1:00:11 Percy explains how he found a permanent location for the museum at the Dittrick Museum at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
1:02:50 Percy married Elsa in 1979. He discusses their range of hobbies.
1:03:38 Percy discusses the three documentaries he created. The topics included the formation of the Jewish pharmacy fraternity, the history of Jewish pharmacists in Canada, and the extracurricular involvement of Jewish pharmacists in Canada.
1:06:47 Percy addresses some of the issues faced by South African Jewish pharmacists who integrated to Canada.
1:09:20 Percy lists the languages he speaks.
1:10:00 Percy reminisces about his mother. He recalls his mother's relationship with their family servant.
1:13:14 Percy describes his training in pharmacy in South Africa.
1:15:27 Percy shares stories about their family's Black servants.
1:17:40 Percy reminisces about the opportunities that came his way since his arrival in Canada.
Source
Oral Histories

Becoming Canadian

The History of Contraception

40 Jewish Families

Not Long Before the Police Arrived

Name
Darrel Hotz
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
25 Jun. 2015
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Darrel Hotz
Number
OH 417
Subject
Canada--Emigration and immigration
Jews--South Africa
South Africa--Emigration and immigration
Interview Date
25 Jun. 2015
Quantity
6 files
Interviewer
Naomi Raichyk
Total Running Time
1 hr. 36 min.
Biography
Born in 1959, Darrel grew up in Victory Park, a predominantly Jewish suburb of Johannesburg. The family—made up of Darrel, his parents, and his young brother—occupied a four-bedroom house on a half-acre of land just a short walk from the local Jewish day school. For Darrel, “Everything was pretty easy . . . growing up.” Although the family was not particularly religious, Darrel’s mother lit candles on Friday night and he attended a Zionist camp every summer. In his final year of high school, he won a Bible quiz sponsored by the South African Zionist Federation, for which he was awarded a trip to Israel to compete against other Jewish students from all over the world. Unfortunately, he did not perform as well in this second competition: Israeli yeshiva students took first, second, and third place.
Darrel’s family moved to Canada when Darrel was in his second year of university. Because there were no direct flights to Toronto from South Africa, the family flew first to Zurich and then to New York. From New York, they made their way to Buffalo, where they stocked up on goods prior to arriving in Canada. Unhappily for the Hotzes, North America was experiencing a terrible year in terms of weather and the winter jackets they had purchased in South Africa (said to be sufficient for surviving Arctic temperatures) proved inadequate. They immediately purchased a new batch of winter coats appropriate for Canada.
The Hotz family’s first few years in Canada were not easy ones. The dental credentials of Darrel’s father, an orthodontist, were not recognized and he was unable to practice for several years as a result. Darrel’s mother, who had not been in the labour force for twenty-odd years, had to return to work in order to help make ends meet. Eventually though, the family got itself settled and Darrel was able to complete his university education, going on to attend Osgoode Hall Law School and pass the bar. He worked for two law firms, one Jewish and one not, before starting his own practice.
Material Format
moving images
Language
English
Name Access
Hotz, Darrel, 1959-
Geographic Access
Johannesburg (South Africa)
Original Format
Digital file
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
00:30 Darrel was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1959.
00:47 Darrel provides a brief family history. His paternal grandfather came to South Africa from Shavl, Lithuania in 1917. His paternal grandmother came from Riga, Latvia with her family in about 1910. His father was born in a suburb of Johannesburg. His maternal grandparents were born in South Africa. His grandfather's family came from Lithuania at the turn of the century. His grandmother's family moved to England in the 1870s. His maternal great-grandfather fought in the Boer War and remained in South Africa.
03:08 Darrel discusses his grandparents' education. His maternal grandmother was educated in a convent.
04:44 Darrel explains how his mother adopted more Jewish practice following her marriage to his father.
05:15 Darrel's father was born in Johannesburg and his mother was born in Benoni.
05:32 Darrel describes how his parents met.
06:00 Darrel's father studied dentistry and specialized in orthodontics.
07:18 Darrel discusses the role of Judaism in his home. Darrel attended King David. Darrel describes his bar mitzvah.
09:03 Darrel describes his family's neighbourhood, Victoria Park.
10:12 Darrel describes his home and home life.
11:48 Darrel discusses the security situation and political leanings of the Jewish community in South Africa during his youth.
14:45 Darrel describes his minor personal involvement in politics.
15:44 Darrel discusses the good relationship between Israel and South Africa.
17:18 Darrel discusses his involvement at Habonim summer camp and the Habonim youth movement.
20:53 Darrel discusses his experience of competing in a Bible quiz in Israel after having won the contest in South Africa.
25:48 Darrel describes three subsequent trips to Israel: in 1984, in 2006, and in 2008.
28:08 Darrel explains his parents' decision to leave South Africa.
29:09 Darrel discusses conscription to the South African army.
30:40 Darrel's maternal uncle immigrated to Canada before his parents.
32:19 Darrel addresses some of the challenges faced by him and other members of his family with starting again in a new country.
36:50 Darrel discusses some of the factors and considerations that contributed to the decision to select Canada as their immigration destination.
38:49 Darrel describes his parents' look-see visit to Toronto before the family moved.
40:37 Darrel describes the application process for immigration to Canada and monetary restrictions imposed by South African government.
42:53 Darrel describes his family's journey to Canada via Buffalo, New York.
44:40 Darrel describes his family's arrival in Canada on 9 March 1979.
46:20 Darrel lists the various places his parents have lived since their arrival.
47:05 Darrel discusses some of the challenges faced by his mother when she arrived.
50:11 Darrel describes his education in Canada.
52:06 Darrel shares his views concerning the differences between Canadian and South African Jews.
55:26 Darrel discusses his son's social circle and religious and secular education history.
1:00:43 Darrel discusses how his family connected with the established South African community in Toronto.
1:03:41 Darrel describes his parents' involvement in the Jewish community.
1:09:14 Darrel discusses his career in law.
1:15:02 Darrel discusses meeting and marrying his wife, Barbara, in 2000 and their early years together. They have one son, Joey.
1:19:14 Darrel discusses Barbara and his involvement in Jewish communal work.
1:23:07 Darrel reminisces about Jewish foods eaten in South Africa.
1:24:24 Darrel explains how they chose Camp Gesher, affiliated with Habonim Dror, for Joey.
1:27:24 Darrel contemplates a return visit to South Africa.
1:31:20 Darrel mentions a few South African expressions and words.
1:32:34 Darrel offers his impressions of the differences between South Africans and Canadians.
1:33:44 Darrel reflects on his family's decision to come to Canada.
Source
Oral Histories

Being raised in South Africa

Name
Denise Rootenberg
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
25 Jun. 2015
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Denise Rootenberg
Number
OH 418
Subject
Canada--Emigration and immigration
Jews--Zimbabwe
South Africa--Emigration and immigration
Interview Date
25 Jun. 2015
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Lisa Newman
Total Running Time
OH 418 part 1: 16 min.
OH 418 part 2: 16 min.
OH 418 part 3: 16 min.
OH 418 part 4: 4 min.
Biography
Denise Rootenberg (née Abrahamson) was born in Harare, Zimbabwe (then Salisbury, Rhodesia). One of four sisters, she grew up in a warm Jewish community that was able to sustain an Ashkenazi synagogue, a Sephardic synagogue, and a small Reform synagogue. One of her aunts ran the local chapter of the Women’s International Zionist Organization with her sister. The aunt’s sister, meanwhile, made costumes for the repertory theatre company. Denise’s aunts also did kosher catering for simchas.
Because the Jewish community in Zimbabwe was so small, Jewish parents encouraged their children to attend university in South Africa, where they were less likely to marry outside the faith. Consequently, Denise attended university in Cape Town, living in residence for three years with one of her sisters. Ultimately, the sisters decided Cape Town was not for them and moved to Johannesburg. It was in Johannesburg that Denise met her husband, with whom she had a son. In 1989, they left South Africa to come to Canada.
The couple’s first few years in Canada were difficult ones as Denise and her husband struggled to find work and adjust to Canadian society. Eventually, however, things began to fall into place. Denise found work as an editorial assistant and then became a research analyst. Her husband, meanwhile, secured a job that enabled the couple to send their son to Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto and the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT).
Denise belonged to Aish Toronto with her husband. Their son married his wife at the synagogue. Denise passed away on Monday, February 21, 2022.
Material Format
moving images
Language
English
Name Access
Rootenberg, Denise
Geographic Access
Cape Town (South Africa)
Harare (Zimbabwe)
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Digital file
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
Part 1:
00:00 Denise was born in Zimbabwe. At age eighteen, she moved to Cape Town to attend University. At the age of thirty-one, she immigrated to Toronto.
00:23 Denise’s maiden name was Abramson. She tells the history of the family name.
00:55 Denise's grandparents came to Zimbabwe from Poland via Sweden before the First World War.
01:16 Denise describes the jobs of her maternal and paternal grandfathers.
02:09 Describes immediate family.
02:46 Denise discusses the Jewish community of her youth in Salisbury, Rhodesia (today Harare, Zimbabwe) comprised of three synagogues. Denise's father was president of the Ashkenazi synagogue several times.
04:24 Denise shares memories about celebrating the Jewish holidays and the involvement of her aunts in the Jewish community.
06:06 Denise attended a small Jewish day school until grade seven. She attended a public high school. She recalls the bar mitzvah party from her youth.
07:26 Denise explains why she left Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). She attended university in Cape Town, South Africa following her older sister. Other Jewish students attended university in Johannesburg.
08:40 After university, Denise and her sister moved to Johannesburg. Her sister later moved to Israel, where she married, and they later moved to the United States.
09:00 Denise discusses her husband's family. Her father-in-law grew up in Lithuania and came to South Africa, where he lived with his aunt and later married his younger cousin. Denise recounts a colourful story about her father-in-law's journey to South Africa. Denise describes her faith-in-law's various business ventures and his dealing with white and Black businesses that were segregated at the time.
12:15 There were three sons in her husband's family: David, Allan, and Lennie (Denise's husband). David, the eldest, was adopted. Denise relates stories involving David and his involvement with a racist, right-wing Afrikaans movement.
15:11 Denise and her family immigrated to Toronto in 1989.
Part 2:
01:00 Denise discusses her relationships with Black people while growing up. She attributes her more liberal views to her mother's kindness. She recalls (with shame) the poor living conditions of Black people.
02:30 Denise discusses mandatory military service in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
03:29 Denise's husband joined the police force as a way of avoiding military service. She relates a frightening incident during the Soweto riots in 1976 involving her husband while he served in the police force.
05:52 Denise recounts her husband's constant fear that he would be required to arrest someone he knew.
06:05 Denise explains why she did not get directly involved with anti-apartheid groups and politics. Her first strong awareness of apartheid rose when she entered university.
06:57 Denise moved to Johannesburg after earning degrees in English and French at university. She describes her jobs in psychometric testing and as a proofreader for manuals for military equipment.
07:41 Denise recounts a story about the father of a boyfriend who was arrested for entering the townships without a permit and was represented by Nelson Mandela.
08:33 Denise describes how she met and eventually married her husband. Their son Mark was born in South Africa.
08:56 Denise's brother Allan and his family had already moved to Toronto.
09:37 Denise reports taht her husband's family in South Africa had the tradition similar to her own of having large holiday meals and seders.
10:00 A large contigent of her husband's family immigrated to Australia and a small segment immigrated to Canada.
10:07 Denise explains her reasons for coming to Canada. She considered Australia. She discusses early regrets for having chosen Canada rather than Australia. She discusses how in hindsight, and for a variety of reasons, she made the best choice.
13:19 Denise discusses her worries stemming from being a much pampered child growing up.
14:30 Denise describes how unsettled they felt when they first moved to Canada. She recounts a story about returning to South Africa to visit family after they had been in Canada for eighteen months. Her relatives' home was vandalized.
Part 3:
00:00 As a result of this traumatic incident, Denise and her sisters made a decision not to return to South Africa.
01:28 Denise describes some of the struggles she encountered when she initially moved to Toronto and she discusses some of the factors that contributed to feeling more settled and welcomed. Specifically, she shares a story about the efforts made by a Canadian family whose son was in her child's daycare.
04:40 Denise identifies some of the differences in religious observance between South Africa and Toronto.
06:50 Denise explains her choice of education for her son.
07:35 Denise discusses her husband's educational training and lists his work history in Toronto.
08:49 Denise explains that other than education subsidies she was unaware of other services offered by Jewish agencies to assist new immigrants and those struggling financially.
09:28 Denise outlines her work experience in Toronto and some of her work experience in South Africa.
11:19 Denise expresses appreciation for the benefits and treatment she received at her workplace. Specifically, she notes how she was accomodated after returning to work following cancer treatments.
12:18 Denise discusses the evolution of her religious observance.
15:00 Denise discusses her husband's mental health. She addresses associated issues and impact of his mental health on work and family. She identifies his experience with the police in Soweto as a factory contributing to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Part 4:
02:25 Denise identifies some of the factors that have enabled her to deal with the many life challenges she has encountered.
Source
Oral Histories

We Thought we were Orthodox