Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Gevertz family and childhood photos file

Portrait of Phil Givens, Canadian Officers' Training Corps item

Level

Item

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

2

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1943

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 16 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a portrait of Phil Givens taken during his time at Canadian Officers' Training Corps.

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Gevertz family and childhood photos file

Graduating from University of Toronto item

Level

Item

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

2

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1945

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 13 x 11 cm

Scope and Content

Item is Phil's University of Toronto graduation photograph.

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Legal career series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

8

File

1

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1945

Physical Description

1 photograph : sepia toned ; 19 x 43 cm mounted on board 24 x 48 cm

Scope and Content

File consists of one photograph documenting Phil Givens' enrollment at Osgoode Hall.

Physical Condition

Some minor emulsion flaking

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Legal career series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

8

File

2

Material Format

textual record

Date

16 Sept. 1949

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of two certificates affirming Phil Givens' status as a notary and as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ontario.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Jewish communal series

B'nai B'rith sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

9-1

File

1

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1946]

Physical Description

4 photographs : b&w ; 25 x 20 cm and 20 x 25 cm

Admin History/Bio

The Upper Canada lodge of B'nai Brith was started by Phil Givens and Leon Weinstein, with Phil serving as the first and founding president

Scope and Content

File consists of four photographs of the first meeting of the Upper Canada lodge of B'nai Brith. Identified in the photographs are Lon Enchin, Phil Givens, Louis Herman, Cyril Houser, Harold Mador, Signey Midanik, J.Irving Oelbaum, Bobbie Rotenberg, Sidney Roth, Arthur Siggner, Morris Vigoda, and Leon Weinstein.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Jewish communal series

B'nai Brith sub-series

Level

Sub-series

Fonds

51

Series

9-1

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1946]-1986

Physical Description

2 cm of textual records (1 vol.)

22 photographs : b&w ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Sub-series consists of textual records, photographs and a scrapbook documenting Phil Givens tenure as founding president and member of the Upper Canada Lodge of B’nai B’rith. Included are: a B’nai Brith newspaper, a Phil Givens tribute scrapbook, and numerous photographs of various official functions.

Notes

Photographers and photography studios are identified on the photographs.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Jewish communal series

United Jewish Welfare Fund / United Jewish Appeal sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

9-7

File

1

Material Format

textual record

Date

[ca. 1943]

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of two copies of a newspaper clipping discussing Phil Givens' and Ruth Tobias' election as co-chairs of a University of Toronto campaign in support of the United Jewish Welfare Fund.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Jewish communal series

United Jewish Welfare Fund / United Jewish Appeal sub-series

Level

Sub-series

Fonds

51

Series

9-7

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1943]-1974

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

38 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 25 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Sub-series consists of newspaper clippings and photographs documenting Phil Givens’ participation in United Jewish Welfare Fund / United Jewish Appeal events and activities both in Canada and in Israel.

Notes

Photographers and photography studios are identified on the photographs.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Level

File

Fonds

51

File

1

Material Format

graphic material

Date

19 Feb.1949

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 25 cm

1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 23 cm (sight) in matte 28 x 36 cm

Scope and Content

File consists of two photographs of Phil Givens conversing with Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent. One of the photographs is surrounded by a matte that has been signed by St. Laurent.

Name Access

Canada. Prime Minister (1948-1957 : St-Laurent)

Subjects

Prime ministers--Canada

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Physical Condition

The matte surrounding the one photograph is ripped on the top left corner.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Phil, Min and family file

Level

Item

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

9

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1947

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of Phil and Min Givens attending a seder at the Rubin House. Phil and Min Givens are standing in the back row. Seated in the front row are their parents (left to right): Hyman Givens, Mary Givens, Fanny Rubin, and Paul Rubin

Subjects

Seder

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Jewish communal series

B'nai B'rith sub-series

Inaugural meeting of Upper Canada Lodge B'nai B'rith file

Level

Item

Fonds

51

Series

9-1

File

1

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1946]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 20 x 25 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of inaugural members of the Upper Canada Lodge B'nai Brith. Identified in the photograph are back row (left to right): Arthur Siggner, Harold Mador, Bobbie Rotenberg, [?], Signey Midanik, Sidney Roth, Morris Vigoda, Cyril Houser; front row (left to right): Leon Weinstein, Lon Enchin, [?], Phil Givens, and Arthir Siggner's brother.

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Level

File

Fonds

51

File

2

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1949-1953

Physical Description

4 cm of textual records (1 vol.) and other material

Scope and Content

File consists of one scrapbook documenting Phil Givens’ tenure as a City of Toronto Alderman and his ongoing work with Jewish organizations. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, photographs, pins, and flyers.

Notes

Includes photographs, pins, and flyers.

Subjects

Scrapbooks

Physical Condition

The clippings have been glued or taped onto highly acidic paper. The paper pages are browning and brittle, as are the clippings themselves. Some of the adhesive tape is failing.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

Series

Fonds

64

Series

5

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

architectural drawing

Date

1859-1980

Physical Description

35 cm of textual records

10 photographs

41 architectural drawings

Scope and Content

Series contains reference materials created by and written about the synagogues. Primary records include commemorative booklets, a small number of newsletters, brochures, and programs from special events. There are also newspaper clippings and copied articles providing histories of synagogues. There is a small number of photograph prints and negatives, but many of the files also include photographs from books, magazines or photocopies. The series is arranged in alphabetical order by city, then by synagogue. Not every synagogue the project team researched has a reference file, and there may be reference files for shuls for which no photographs survive.

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

64

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1859-1980, predominant 1977-1979

Physical Description

ca. 5178 photographs and other material

Admin History/Bio

The “Shuls Project” was the work of three University of Toronto architecture students, who in 1977 wrote a research paper on the eight Toronto synagogues built before World War II. Concerned at the lack of resources on these synagogues, Sidney Tenenbaum, Lynn Milstone and Sheldon Levitt foresaw the loss of communities’ recorded history as membership dwindled and elders passed on. The students conceived a project that would photograph and document every synagogue in Canada, gathering visual evidence, memorabilia, plaques and stories before they disappeared and history was lost. The students’ goal was to document synagogues’ architecture, art, and historical development through research, interviews and site visits.

The students secured a large portion of the required funding for the project from the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation in Montreal, funding which was matched by the Canadian Jewish Congress. This financial support enabled Levitt, Milstone and Tenenbaum to begin their study, named “Shuls… A Study of Canadian Synagogue Architecture.” They began in the summer of 1977, traveling through the Western provinces. The next summer, they visited eight Maritime cities, Montreal and other Quebec communities. Financial support in the project’s second year was again provided by the Bronfman Family Foundation, along with the Canadian government and donations in kind from businesses, including Benjamin Photo Finishers in Toronto, and Polaroid. The summer of 1979 was spent in Ontario, with an added grant from Wintario. In total, the Shuls project team traveled over 24,000 kilometres, taking thousands of photographs and conducting several hundred interviews. Photographs were taken by Tenenbaum, with Levitt and Milstone assuming primary responsibility for researching synagogues’ history and gathering historic records. Interviews were conducted by all three researchers, in both English and Yiddish.

With no handy index of every shul in Canada, the researchers located small shuls by word of mouth. They spread word of their project and solicited assistance using press releases, letters to known communities, and slideshow presentations as they traveled. They would first examine a building to get an idea of a community’s character and heritage, then conduct interviews with designers, architects, rabbis and other prominent community members.

With the research and photographs created, the team compiled three catalogues of the Western, Eastern/Quebec, and Ontario phases of the project. These catalogues have entries on each synagogue that include historical summaries highlighting the founding, growth, mergers and decline of Jewish communities, their changing needs, changing architectural expressions and trends, and the evolving uses of synagogues over the course of the twentieth century. There are also building descriptions, some with critical comments by the authors, and lists of the photographs and slides produced.

The compilation of materials and preparation of these catalogues took place at the Project’s offices at 26 Ava Road in Toronto, and continued through the summer of 1980 when the Ontario catalogue was completed. In 1985, Tenenbaum, Milstone and Levitt published a book highlighting their work, called Treasures of a People: The Synagogues of Canada.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of the records created and collected by the team of students conducting the Shuls study from 1977 to 1980. The majority of the fonds is made up of graphic material, in the form of 35mm colour slides and black-and-white Polaroid prints and (print-size) negatives. There are approximately 5110 photographs in the fonds. Fonds also consists of notes and inventory forms of buildings' architectural features. There are no interview transcripts, but the fonds does include three audio cassettes with recorded interviews and shul tours. Reference materials used in researching the history of the shuls include dedication and anniversary commemorative books and programmes, newsletters, articles and newspaper clippings. In addition the fonds contains 47 blueprints, the majority from Montreal synagogues. The fonds is arranged in the following series: 1. Quebec synagogues; 2. Ontario synagogues; 3. Western Canada synagogues; 4. Eastern Canada synagogues; 5. Reference.

Notes

Physical description note: includes 92 cm of textual records, 42 architectural drawings, 3 audio cassettes, and 1 drawing.

Physical extent note: many of the slides were culled because they were felt to be reproductions. Some of the synagogue images in the research book may therefore not be included in the fonds.

Name Access

Shuls Project

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Creator

Levitt, Sheldon

Milstone, Lynn

Tenenbaum, Sidney T.

Places

Canada

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

12

Material Format

textual record

Date

1949

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains photocopied pages from the synagogue's 1949 Dedication program.

Name Access

Beth Isaiah Congregation (Guelph, Ont.)

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Guelph (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

23

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Date

[ca. 1910]-1978

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

4 photographs : b&w prints (2 negatives) ; 12 x cm

Scope and Content

File contains notes, lists, clippings, copied pages from directories and 4 unidentified photographs (2 negatives).

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Montréal (Québec)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

33

Material Format

architectural drawing

Date

1947

Physical Description

7 architectural drawings

Scope and Content

File contains 7 blueprints for the 1947 extension and alterations to the shul.

Name Access

Congregation Ahavath Shalom

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Montréal (Québec)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

41

Material Format

textual record

architectural drawing

Date

1859-1978

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

4 architectural drawings

Scope and Content

File contains photocopied articles, a newspaper clipping, photocopied photographs, a greeting card with photograph on cover, copies of the 1859 contract commissioning the erection of the synagogue as well as a list of specifications for the masons, and blueprints for the 1967 extension.

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Montréal (Québec)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

45

Material Format

textual record

Date

1932-[ca. 1965]

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains dedication book for new building (1960), copied articles, assorted pamphlets and programmes.

Name Access

Temple Emanu-El (Montréal, Quebec)

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Montréal (Québec)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

48

Material Format

textual record

architectural drawing

Date

1949, 1978

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

1 architectural drawing

Scope and Content

File contains a form letter from the congregation regarding High Holiday services (17 July 1978), and a blueprint for the auditorium building (1949).

Name Access

Young Israel of Montreal

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Montréal (Québec)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

49

Material Format

textual record

Date

1925, 1945

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains one copied newspaper article and several other transcribed newspaper articles.

Name Access

House of Israel

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Moose Jaw (Sask.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

54

Material Format

textual record

Date

1944, [1975?]

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains two short historical overviews.

Name Access

Temple Israel

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Ottawa (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

66

Material Format

textual record

architectural drawing

Date

1920-1977

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

1 architectural drawing

Scope and Content

File contains a copied photograph from The Jewish Post, the congregation's constitution adopted in 1920, and a blueprint from 1955.

Name Access

Agudas Israel

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Saskatoon (Sask.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

75

Material Format

textual record

Date

1935-1979

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains a 1979 newsletter, "Voice of Radom," and copies from the 10th and 30th anniversary booklets.

Name Access

Beth Radom Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

96

Material Format

textual record

Date

1930-1978

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains the shul's dedication programme from 1930, the 25th (1954) and 49th anniversary programmes (1978).

Name Access

Congregation Shaar Hashomayim

Subjects

Anniversaries

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Windsor (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

51

Material Format

multiple media

Date

[192-]-1990

Physical Description

1.35 metres of textual records (20 vols.) and other material

Admin History/Bio

Philip (Phil) Gerald Givens, QC, (1922–1995) was a Canadian politician, judge, police commissioner, and active Jewish communal leader. He is is largely remembered as the fifty-fourth mayor of Toronto.

Phil Givens was born in Toronto, the only son of Hyman and Mary Gevertz (Gewercz). As a youth, he attended Harbord Collegiate and graduated from the University of Toronto in political science and economics in 1945. In 1947, he married the former Minnie “Min” Rubin. They had two children together: Eleanor and Michael.

Givens graduated as a lawyer from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1949; however, shortly thereafter, he decided to enter politics, running as a municipal school board trustee in 1950. In 1951, he was elected as alderman for Ward 5, serving in this capacity until 1960, when he was subsequently elected as a controller.

Givens was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1962.

Following the sudden death of Mayor David Summerville in 1963, Givens was appointed by City Council as the mayor of Toronto and was officially elected to the position in 1964, winning a close race against Allan Lamport. As mayor, Givens was automatically a member of the Metropolitan Toronto Executive and Council, the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission, the Consumer’s Gas Company Executive, the Toronto Hydro Commission and the governing boards of Toronto’s major hospitals.

Givens was publicly seen as an affable and populist mayor, but his tenure was not without controversy. His support for the construction of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and his decision to acquire Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture The Archer for the new Nathan Phillips Square were both highly controversial during his term in office. In particular, the Moore sculpture sparked intense controversy and public debate amongst council members and citizens alike, because traditional and representational public art pieces were the norm in Toronto at the time and The Archer sculpture was considered expensive, bold, and unrelatable. The controversy surrounding the statue’s purchase was still partly to blame for Givens’ 1966 election defeat to William Dennison. Ultimately, the sculpture was purchased with privately solicited donations and has become one of Toronto’s beloved and recognized landmarks.

Givens ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1957 and 1958 federal elections but was defeated in his bid to become member of Parliament for Spadina. In 1967, Givens entered national politics for the second time, winning a seat as a Liberal in Toronto’s York West riding. In 1971, he stepped down before the end of his term to campaign for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Again, running under the Liberal banner, Givens won his seat in York-Forest Hill. In the 1975 provincial election, he was re-elected as a member of Provincial Parliament in the Armourdale constituency.

In 1977, Givens retired from politics and was appointed as a provincial court judge and chair of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission, serving in both capacities until 1985, when he left the Commission but continued in the judiciary as a civil trial judge until officially retired from public life in 1988.

In addition to his political career, Givens also worked briefly as a current affairs commentator for local radio broadcaster CHUM 1050 AM.

Givens was an ardent Zionist and a prominent leader of several Jewish communal organizations. He was the founder and first president of the Upper Canada Lodge of B’nai Brith and sat on the executives of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the United Jewish Welfare Fund, the Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim, the Zionist Organization of Canada, the Toronto Zionist Council, Jewish National Fund, State of Israel Bonds, and the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. He was chair of the United Israel Appeal-Israel Emergency Fund in 1967 and the United Jewish Appeal-Israel Special Fund in 1968. From 1973 to 1985, he was the national president of the Canadian Zionist Federation. In the 1990s, he served as the national chairman of the Committee for Yiddish of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

Givens was the honouree of the Jewish National Fund’s Negev Dinner in 1968. He received the Human Relations Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews in 1969 and the Award of Honour from the Toronto Regional Council of B’nai Brith in 1972.

Givens was also known to be a passionate sailor and was a member of both the Royal Canadian and the Island Yacht Clubs in Toronto.

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of Phil Givens until they were donated to the Archives in September 1990 by his wife.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting the personal, professional and communal activities of Phil Givens. The bulk of the material is graphic and most of the photographs relate to his tenure as Mayor of Toronto and to his Jewish communal work. The records also include general correspondence, speeches, campaign material, scrapbooks, cartoons, certificates and awards, biographical writings, audio and visual materials and artifacts. The records have been arranged into nine series representing Givens’ various roles and activities and have been described to the file level and item level when necessary. These series are: 1. Personal life; 2. City of Toronto Alderman; 3. City of Toronto Controller; 4. City of Toronto Mayor; 5. Metropolitan Toronto Police Commissioner; 6. Provincial politics; 7. National politics; 8. Legal career; 9. Jewish communal service.

Notes

Physical Description Note: Includes ca. 915 photographs, 14 drawings, 1 print, 1 presentation piece, 27 objects, 4 DVD’s, 4 videocassettes and 1 audiocassette.

Physical Extent Note: Fonds was reduced from 5.5 m of records to 2.6 m of records. Please see accession record for further details regarding the records that were culled.

General Note: Previously cited as MG6 B

Associated material note: City of Toronto Archives: “Philip Givens fonds” (fonds 1301) and Series 363, Sub-series 2 “Mayor' Office journals” (fonds 200). Library and Archives Canada: “Correspondence and subjects” series (R4942-1-1-E) in the Stuart E. Rosenberg fonds (R4942-0-X-E); Henry S. Rosenberg fonds (R3946-0-9-E); Jewish National Fund of Canada fonds (R4347-0-1-E), “Subject series: Givens, Judge Philip G. – Toronto” (R4347-7-4-E); “Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports” series (MG31-H67), Zdzislaw Przygoda fonds (R6257-0-0-E) [Sir Casimir Gzowski monument committee records –chaired by Phil Givens]; B'nai Brith Canada fonds (R6348-0-9-E); Canadian Zionist Federation fonds (R9377-0-6-E).

Name Access

Givens, Phillip, 1922-1995

Givens (nee Rubin), Min

Subjects

Law

Politicians

Related Material

See Fonds 2: Benjamin Dunkelman fonds

See Fonds 18: Gordon Mendly fonds

See Fonds 28: Zionist Organization of Canada fonds

See Fonds 37: Gilbert Studios fonds (Negev dinners series, Zionist Building series, Portraits series).

Creator

Givens, Philip, 1922-1995

Accession Number

1990-9-7

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal life series

Level

Series

Fonds

51

Series

1

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

graphic material (electronic)

Date

[192-]-1988

Physical Description

3 cm of textual records

74 photographs : b&w and col. (8 negatives) ; 36 x 26 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Series consists of textual records and graphic material related to the personal life of Phil Givens. This includes general correspondence, family portraits and personal snapshots, school materials and biographical writings.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Legal career series

Level

Series

Fonds

51

Series

8

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

1945-1985

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

5 photographs : b&w, sepia toned and col. ; 19 x 43 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

Series consists of textual records and photographs documenting Phil Givens' activities in his roles as a lawyer and judge. In particular, the records include general legal correspondence, letters to and from representatives of the provincial courts and the attorney general, letters of reference for fellow judges, a master case file list and event photographs. Also included are two certificates presented to Givens affirming his status as a notary and as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ontario.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Jewish communal service series

Level

Series

Fonds

51

Series

9

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Date

[194-]-1988

Physical Description

323 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller and other material

Scope and Content

Series consists of textual records and graphic material documenting Phil Givens' involvement with the Jewish community. In particular, the textual records include general correspondence, speeches and convention materials documenting his role as national president of the Canadian Zionist Federation and his involvement with many other Jewish organizations. The records also consist of certificates, scrapbooks, objects, photographs of various events within the community as well as photographic albums presented to Givens on the occasion of his 1968 Jewish National Fund Negev dinner and his 1985 Canadian Zionist Federation testimonial dinner.

The majority of the records has been arranged into nine sub-series: 9-1. B’nai Brith; 9-2. Canadian Zionist Federation; 9-3. Jewish National Fund; 9-4. Keren Hayesod; 9-5. Rho Pi Phi fraternity; 9-6. State of Israel Bonds; 9-7. United Jewish Welfare Fund / United Jewish Appeal; and 9-8. Other Jewish organizations.

Notes

Includes 12.15 cm of textual records, 2 objects and 1 presentation piece.

Arrangement

Any files not clearly associated with a specific Jewish organization were attached to the Jewish communal service series itself.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

8

Material Format

textual record

Date

17 Dec. 1943

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains one essay written by Phil Givens for a political science course at the University of Toronto entitled "The Press and Radio as Creators of Public Opinion on Unions".

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

7

Material Format

textual record

Date

[194-]

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains one essay written by Phil Givens entitled "Yiddish in America".

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

6

Material Format

textual record

Date

1944

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains one copy of the 1943-44 winter issue of University College's magazine "The Undergraduate". Phil Givens co-authored the article "Free Enterprise".

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

2

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1922-1945

Physical Description

16 photographs : b&w (6 negatives) ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller

1 photograph : hand col. ; 13 x 8 cm (sight) in frame 19 x 12 cm

Scope and Content

File consists of family portraits of the Gevertz family, portraits of Phil Givens as a young child, a military portrait of Givens taken while he was serving in the Canadian Officer Training Corps., a portrait of Givens as a young man, and graduation portraits of Givens from the University of Toronto. Several of the early family portraits are copy prints made from the negatives in this file.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

4

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1927-1941

Physical Description

7 photographs : b&w (2 negatives) ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

File consists of Phil Givens's school photographs. Included are Givens's grade-one class photograph from Charles G. Fraser Public School, a group photograph of the cast of a Parkdale Collegiate school play, photographs of Givens in his Harbord Collegiate football uniform, and a photograph of Givens in the Harbord Cadet Corps. The photographs of Givens in his football uniform are copy prints made from the negatives in this file.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

5

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1937-[194-]

Physical Description

3 photographs : b&w and sepia toned ; 7 x 12 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

File consists of photographs of Phil Givens with his friends. Included is a photograph of Givens posing in a car and in a field with friends, as well as a photograph of Givens with friends during track and field day at the CNE stadium. Identified in the CNE photograph are (left to right): Max Rosenfeld (holding the megaphone), Morris Gay (?), [unidentified], [unidentified], [unidentified], Phil Givens (on the bike), and Markus (?). The CNE photograph is signed by Max Rosenfeld.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

9

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1947-1988

Physical Description

25 photographs : b&w ; 36 x 26 cm or smaller

5 photographs : b&w and col. ; mounted on board 33 x 36 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

File consists of photographs of Phil, Min, and family. Included are photographs of Phil and Min at parties or family celebrations, such as a costume New Year's Eve party, Passover dinner, and a bar mitzvah, Phil with his daughter and grandson at work as a judge, portraits of Min around their home and out at the theatre, and family portraits of Phil, Min and their children, Eleanor, and Michael. Some photographs were used for Givens's 1957 federal election campaign.

Subjects

Families

Repro Restriction

Photography studios and photographers are identified on most of the photographs.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Personal series

Level

File

Fonds

51

Series

1

File

3

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

Date

[ca. 1925] - [ca. 1963]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w and col. (tiff)

Admin History/Bio

Fanny Rubin (née Machtinger) immigrated to Toronto with her family from Drildz, Poland in 1909. Prior to immigrating, Fanny had begun dating Paul Rubin. In 1910, Paul immigrated to Toronto from Lodz, Poland to be with Fanny and they married soon after in 1911. Paul worked as a ladies coat and suit designer and had a "Twix-teen" clothing line for petite women.

Paul and Fanny had four daughters: Nelly (b. Aug. 1913), Sarah (b. 10 Aug. 1915), Pauline "Peppy" (b. 21 Feb. 1920), and Minnie "Min" (b. 17 Feb. 1924). Nelly later married Joe Allen, Sarah married Gordon Donsky, Minnie married Phil Givens and Pauline married Sol Mandlsohn, the founder of Bay Bloor Radio.

Scope and Content

File consists of two family portraits of the Rubin family. Included is one early portrait [ca. 1925] and one later portrait [ca. 1963] that includes grandchildren and spouses.

Source

Archival Descriptions