Accession Number
2004-5-54
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-5-54
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
23 photographs : b&w (11 negatives) 13 x 18 cm or smaller
Date
1915-[ca. 1966]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of copy photographs documenting the military career of Jack Aarons in England, Egypt, and Palestine during the First World War and at military parades in Toronto after the Second World War. There is also a photograph of the inerior of the Murray House catering kitchen on Steeles Avenue about 1966.
Subjects
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1939-1945
Places
Egypt
England
Palestine
Source
Archival Accessions
Name
Harold Wolfman
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Harold Wolfman
Number
OH 377
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Shayla Howell
Total Running Time
30:36
Notes
Harold was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Harold served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1941 to 1945 as an air frame mechanic. He was stationed in England, France, Holland, Belgium, and Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Belgium
England
France
Germany
Netherlands
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
David Green
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
10 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
David Green
Number
OH 383
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
10 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Marie Eve Deleris
Total Running Time
26:10
Notes
David was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
David served in the Royal Canadian Army from 1940 to 1945 and was stationed in Jamaica, England, and France. He was in charge of the rations.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
England
France
Jamaica
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Wilfred Abraham Yaphe
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
10 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Wilfred Abraham Yaphe
Number
OH 381
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
10 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Sam Gojonovich
Total Running Time
16:18
Notes
Wilfred was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Wilfred served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a wireless operator and navigator. He was stationed in England.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
England
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Harold Kates
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
14 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Harold Kates
Number
OH 391
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
Interview Date
14 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file)
1 archival DVD (WAV file
Interviewer
Marie Eve Deleris
Total Running Time
24:30 seconds
Notes
This interview was part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/1647:herald-katz/
Biography
Herald was born in Toronto in 1921. He served as a test flight mechanic with the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1939 to 1945. Herald was stationed in North Africa, Scotland, Ireland, and England and was involved in various bombing campaigns throughout Europe, including the bombing of Berlin. In 1948, Herald volunteered and fought in Israel’s War of Independence with the 101 Fighter Squadron assembling aircraft in Herzlia. Today, he goes by the name Harold Kates.
Material Format
moving images
Name Access
Jewish Defense League
Geographic Access
Africa, North
England
Ireland
Scotland
Original Format
DVD
Transcript
00:00: Herald was born in Toronto. His parents emigrated in 1904 from Poland. He grew up in the Spadina/College area. 1:32: Herald was not affiliated with a synagogue. 1:50: Herald explains that he initially enlisted with the Queen’s Rangers in 1939 but that he learned they were not going overseas, so he enlisted with the RCAF, because he had taken a course in aeronautics at technical school. 3:30: Herald reports that there were few Jews in his regiment. There was no observance of kashrut and minimal opportunity to observe kashrut. 4:49: Herald discusses chaplains. He recalls that Rabbi Monson was active in the army but not in the air force. 6:15: Herald did not receive assistance, packages, etc. from any Jewish organizations. 7:03: Herald explains that he went overseas in 1942, landing in Liverpool, but that he was stationed in Hastings. He shares an anecdote about the hotel where he lodged. 8:53: Herald describes his role as a test flight mechanic. He lists the aircrafts that he flew in and checked out. 10:43: Herald explains that his squadron, sent to North Africa in 1943, was involved in the bombing of Italy before the invasion of Italy. 11:18: Herald contracted malaria while in North Africa. He recalls that the doctor he saw also had malaria and did not record the illness. 12:28: Herald shares an anecdote about meeting a Jewish girl while on leave in a small town in North Africa. 14:16: Herald’s squadron returned to England in 1944, where he remained until the war ended. 14:48: Herald recalls the disbelief at his station at the end of the war. 15:57: Herald returned to Canada on the Samaria steamship. 16:10: Herald recalls the danger from U-boats while crossing the English Channel en route to England. 17:37: Herald shares memories from his time serving in North Africa. 19:43: Following the war, Herald studied and was licensed in auto-mechanics. 21:04: Herald joined the Jewish Legion after the war to stay in touch with other Jews. 21:23: Herald reports that he did not encounter any antisemitism during his service. 21:55: Herald explains that he was proud to be Jewish. He discusses that he volunteered in 1948 to fight in Israel’s War of Independence. Initially, he volunteered with the army, but he was shifted to 101 Fighter Squadron assembling aircraft in Herzlia. 23:30: Herald discusses his post-war affiliation with Jewish War Veterans, the Jewish Legion, and the Jewish Defense League.
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Max Moskoske
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
29 Jul. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Max Moskoske
Number
OH 401
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
29 Jul. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Sam Gojonovich
Total Running Time
14:33
Notes
Max was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Max served in the Royal Canadian Army from 1941 to 1945 as an engineer. He was involved in building roads and bridges in England, Holland, and the border of Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
England
Germany
Netherlands
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Clifton Pezim
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
30 Jul. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Clifton Pezim
Number
OH 404
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
30 Jul. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (2 WAV fies) ; 1 archival DVD (2 WAV files)
Interviewer
Shayla Howell
Total Running Time
File 1 : 32:18
File 2 : 2:33
Notes
Clifton was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Clifton served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942 to 1946 as part of the groundcrew that worked on heavy bombers. He was stationed in England and Scotland. After D-Day, he was stationed in Belgium.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Belgium
England
Scotland
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
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
Ivor Simmons
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
9 Feb. 2016
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Ivor Simmons
Number
OH 425
Subject
Canada--Emigration and immigration
Jews--South Africa
South Africa--Emigration and immigration
Interview Date
9 Feb. 2016
Interviewer
Naomi Raichyk
Total Running Time
OH 425 part 1: 21 min.
OH 425 part 2: 20 min.
OH 425 part 3: 21 min.
OH 425 part 4: 1 min.
OH 425 part 5: 2 min.
OH 425 part 6: 4 min.
Biography
Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa’s judicial capital, in 1937, Ivor had a pleasant childhood alongside his two brothers. Because his family lived on the “wrong side” of Naval Hill (the other side was considerably more Jewish), he counted both Jews and non-Jews among his friends. This did not mean he lacked for Jewish culture: Ivor participated in a Jewish youth movement and was sent to a nearby cheder ahead of his bar mitzvah, which he celebrated in the communal hall. Unfortunately, the cheder teacher, a European immigrant who spoke halting English, was not the best teacher and Ivor finished his education with only a partial ability to read Hebrew.
As a young man, Ivor studied chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town. He worked in South Africa for a time before leaving to go to London. At the time he left, he did not have plans to live outside South Africa, but he ended up meeting several Canadians in England who encouraged him to give Canada a try. Obtaining work without any great difficulty and finding the locals friendlier than those in England, he decided to make Canada home.
Ivor worked in marketing for a time before coming to the conclusion that he wanted to be his own boss. With a loan from his father-in-law, he purchased a small company, which he ran for twenty-seven years. He looks back on those years fondly on account of having overcome a number of obstacles along the way and treated his employees fairly. In 1997, he sold his business and decided to devote his time to travel and volunteering.
Ivor and his wife have three children, all of whom live in Canada. They also have several grandchildren.
Material Format
moving images
Language
English
Name Access
Simmons, Ivor, 1937-
Geographic Access
Bloemfontein (South Africa)
Cape Town (South Africa)
England
Sasolburg (South Africa)
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Digital file
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
Part 1:
00:25 Ivor was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1937. His maternal grandparents' birthplace was Russia. His paternal grandfather was born near the Lithuanian/Latvian border. His paternal grandfather travelled to England and in 1886 moved to South Africa. His paternal grandmother came to South Africa from Cardiff.
02:24 Ivor's maternal grandfather was a jeweller in Cape Town. He remarried after Ivor's maternal grandmother died. The grandfather and second wife died in a vehicular accident in the 1920s.
03:45 Ivor discusses his parents: how they met and married. Ivor's father ran a printing company and his mother was a music teacher with an interest in the arts. Ivor's mother was involved in Jewish communal affairs.
05:55 Ivor discusses his two younger brother, both of whom moved to Sydney, Australia.
09:20 Ivor describes his youth in Bloemfontein.
10:34 Ivor participated in a B'nai Brith youth movement and attended cheder until age thirteen.
12:05 Ivor had a bar mitzvah in the communal hall.
13:24 Ivor discusses his education and extracurricular activities while he attended Grey College, a boys' school in Bloemfontein. Although Afrikaans was taught in school, Ivor did not gain fluency in Afrikaans until he worked in an oil refinery in Sasolburg.
15:40 Ivor describes his Jewish education.
16:20 Ivor discusses his family's religious and cultural observance.
17:47 Ivor shares his perspective on the impact of politics in South Africa on the Jewish community and on him personally.
19:40 Ivor discusses his reasons for leaving South Africa and how he decided to move to Canada. He found a job with Union Carbide in Toronto and decided to stay.
Part 2:
00:20 Ivor shares his first impressions of living in Toronto and addresses the ease of transition for him.
02:57 Ivor arrived in Toronto on 2 June 1963 after having spent one month in Montreal.
03:40 Ivor discusses the small South African community in Toronto at that time.
05:40 Ivor discusses his family's reaction to his decision to move to Toronto. His parents remained in South Africa. Ivor describes his parents' lifestyle.
08:45 Ivor describes his professional education and career. He studied chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town. He discusses his work history in South Africa, England, and Canada.
13:20 Ivor discusses how he met his wife. He discusses his family: his two sons and one daughter. Ivor discusses his daughter's career.
Part 3:
01:15 Ivor discusses the adoption of his two sons. Ivor discusses the children's education.
06:15 Ivor's mother came to visit regularly. His father came for several visits. Ivor and his family visited South Africa.
07:35 Ivor discusses how his family celebrated Jewish holidays.
08:24 Ivor discusses his wife, Renee.
09:08 Ivor discusses the similarities between Renee's family and his family with regards to Jewish practice and values and their Jewish practice in their home.
11:10 Ivor discusses his limited participation with any organizations within the South African Jewish community in Canada.
12:10 Ivor offers reasons why it would have been difficult to raise his children had they been living in South Africa.
13:40 Ivor discusses some of his family visits to South Africa and the impressions of the children.
15:36 Ivor offers his impressions of current day South Africa.
18:16 Ivor comments on the ease with which he integrated into Canada.
19:06 Ivor discusses his volunteer involvement following his retirement and his personal interests.
Part 4:
00:00 Ivor continues to discuss his personal interests.
Part 5:
00:00 Ivor fondly reminisces about his extended family in Cape Town: his mother's sister and her husband, his mother's brothers, their wives and children, and his father's twin cousins.
Part 6:
00:00 Ivor continues to reminisce about extended family.
02:42 Ivor discusses his pleasure in travel since his retirement.
Source
Oral Histories

What was planned as just a short trip...

Watching What you Say in South Africa

Name
Richard Stern
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
23 Feb. 2016
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Richard Stern
Number
OH 426
Subject
Immigrants--Canada
Occupations
Interview Date
23 Feb. 2016
Interviewer
Lisa Newman
Total Running Time
OH 426 part 1: 22 min.
OH 426 part 2: 22 min.
OH 426 part 3: 21 min.
OH 426 part 4: 1 min.
OH 426 part 5: 4 min.
OH 426 part 6: 3 min.
OH 427 part 7: 10 min.
OH 428 part 8: 2 min.
Use Restrictions
Waiting for Richard to sign waiver.
Biography
The firstborn twin (he insists he and his brother are not competitive), Richard grew up in the small town of Muizenberg in an old house on the seafront with his parents and four siblings. Born in 1937, Richard’s childhood was untainted by apartheid, which came into effect eleven years later in 1948. As a child, he played with children of colour on his grandfather’s farm; by adolescence, those same childhood friends were obliged to call him "Boss" on account of his race.
After completing high school at Kingswood College, a Methodist boarding school five hundred miles from where he grew up, Richard returned to Muizenburg where he worked on a farm before going back to school to obtain a diploma in agriculture. Around this time, he had a small mishap working at a winery. He had been warned not to fall asleep while the grapes were fermenting; sure enough, he did just that and the next morning the winery found itself with ten thousand gallons of vinegar.
Richard gained more experience in different wineries after completing a tour of Europe with the National Union of South African Students. He stayed in England and worked at a winery located under the Tower of London and later at wine farms in Bordeaux and the Champagne region of France. While in Europe, his twin brother told him about agriculture in Israel, which prompted him to go there. It was in Israel that he met his first wife with whom he had three children.
Richard worked at several jobs in Israel and opened three of the first Supersol supermarkets there. He also served in the Israel Defense Forces. Eventually though, he decided to come to Canada, which he did with his family in 1963. In Ottawa, he operated a supermarket for a short time before going to work for the head office of Loeb. Through this position, he got to see a good deal of Canada and developed a sense of its geography and a feel for its people.
In the early 1970s, Richard made a living as his own boss in a brokerage business before the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce recruited him to market Canadian grocery and alcohol products. It was while working for the department that he became a Canadian citizen.
Today, Richard is retired and married to Doris. They have four children and eight grandchildren. He considers himself a Canadian Jew, but retains a strong affection for South Africa and its natural beauty. Since leaving, he has been back to South Africa between twenty and thirty times with Doris.
Material Format
moving images
Language
English
Name Access
Stern, Richard, 1937-
Geographic Access
Cape Town (South Africa)
England
France
Israel
Muizenberg (South Africa)
Ottawa (Ont.)
Original Format
Digital file
Transcript
0Part 1:
00:00 Richard was born in Muizenberg, South Africa on 5 January 1937. He was the first of a set of twins.
00:57 Richard discusses his grandfather's business in Cape Town.
01:38 Richard reminisces about his childhood in Muizenberg. He shares memories about school, after-school activities, and his school performance.
04:06 Richard discusses his siblings: Robert, Maxwell, Peter, and Jean.
06:11 Richard studied viticulture. He describes the challenges he faced realizing his dreams after leaving his country and support system.
08:37 Richard reminisces about growing up in Muizenberg.
09:30 Richard discusses Jewish life and education in Muizenberg.
10:23 Richard discusses his bar mitzvah.
11:11 Richard describes the history of his parents' home.
12:07 Richard recalls his family celebrating Jewish holidays.
12:42 Richard discusses his affiliation with the Second Muizenberg Jewish Boy Scout group and camp.
13:15 Richard notes that his father was a leader in the Habonim youth movement, but did not want his children to participate in Habonim.
14:18 Richard discusses his father's involvement with the scouting movement in Cape Town. His father was involved in Jewish communal affairs. He describes his father's involvement with an entertainment group.
15:59 Richard discusses the make-up of the Jewish community in Muizenberg.
16:30 Richard shares stories involving his personal relationships with Black or "coloured" Africans. He relates an incident that occurred during his first work experience.
19:40 Richard discusses the changes that arose with the introduction of apartheid in 1948. He refers to the risks associated with political involvement against the government.
22:09 Richard discusses Klingswood College, the boarding school he attended.
Part 2:
00:00 Richard continues to reminisce about attending boarding school. There were about twelve Jewish students.
03:42 Richard mentions the Sharpeville massacre.
04:12 Richard describes the student mix at Kingswood College. He describes exemptions made for Jewish students as well as mandatory church services.
06:33 Richard describes his pursuits after graduating from Kingswood College. He describes working on farms and vineyards. He earned a diploma in agricultural science from the College of Agriculture at the University of Stellenbosch. He relates stories from his college years.
11:44 Richard speaks of his travels and work experience in England, France, and Israel after graduating from college.
14:19 Richard speaks of his contact with Israel's first ambassador to Canada, Michael Comay, and his first marriage to Michael's daughter, Jill. They had two children.
15:49 Richard discusses his decision to remain in Israel and his early work experience in Israel.
17:22 Richard describes suffering from jaundice while completing his army training in Israel.
18:14 Richard was in Canada for six months and then returned to Israel.
18:18 Richard describes some of the challenges he encountered as manager of some of the newly-opened chain of Supersol supermarkets in Israel.
21:26 Richard discusses his decision to apply for immigration to Canada.
Part 3:
00:00 Richard discusses the breakup between the Bronfsmans and Bert Loeb.
00:58 Richard describes his ten years of work for Loeb's in Ottawa.
02:50 Richard opens up a brokerage business in 1971.
03:11 Richard describes how and why he was approached by the government of Canada to work in industry, trade, and commerce.
03:57 Richard explains how he became a Canadian citizen.
04:45 Richard describes his involvement in marketing alcoholic beverages and grocery products on behalf of the government of Canada.
06:01 Richard discusses his post chairing Canada-Israel agreements.
06:29 Richard describes the events that led to his wife and children returning to Israel in 1967. He notes the likelihood of his moving back to South Africa had his wife not decided to return to Canada.
07:06 Richard discusses his attachment to South Africa and offers his impressions of the country.
11:37 Richard praises the liberal political position taken by Jews in South Africa.
12:30 Richard discusses his ancestry. His paternal and maternal grandfathers came from Germany to South Africa. His paternal grandmother came from New York. He tells some stories about his grandparents.
14:42 Richard muses about his lack of awareness of different Jewish groups while growing up.
16:50 Richard discusses his identity as a Canadian Jew.
18:30 Richard discusses some of his philanthropic support.
19:55 Richard recalls memories about his grandparents.
Part 4:
00:00 Richard displays and describes two photographs of himself and his siblings.
Part 5:
00:00 Richard displays a photograph of the opening of the Voortrekker monument commemorating the Afrikaner scouting movement. Richard discusses his involvement with the movement and his attendance at the opening of the monument.
01:45 Richard displays and discusses a photograph of his school cadets band.
03:03 Richard displays and discusses a photograph of his rugby team.
03:49 Richard displays a photograph of himself and his brother-in-law, Yochanan, while serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Richard discusses how Yochanan was killed in the Golan Heights in 1967.
Part 6:
00:00 Richard displays and discusses a plaque that was present to his grandfather, Max Sonnenberg, for his service in parliament for twenty years.
01:38 Richard displays and discusses a book that was written by his grandfather.
Part 7:
00:00 Richard discusses his work with Agriculture Canada as director of processed food and later director of international marketing. He took early retirement in 1990.
01:23 Richard displays and discusses a photograph from the International Dairy Congress in 1994. He shares a story about Stephen Lewis, who was a guest speaker.
03:14 Richard displays and discusses a photograph of Richard presenting a cheque to the deputy minister of agriculture repaying the grant for the Dairy Congress.
04:12 Richard displays and discusses a photograph that related to his work with the sheep council in 1997.
05:44 Richard displays and discusses a photograph that related to his work with the cervidae industry.
06:50 Richard displays and discusses a trophy honouring his father for his contributions to the Community Chest Carnival. Richard shares some stories related to the Masque Theatre in Muizenberg that was started by his father.
09:56 Richard displays and discusses a program relating to the re-opening of the Masque Theatre in 1999.
Part 8:
00:00 Richard displays and discusses a photograph from his parents' wedding.
Source
Oral Histories

Scouting

Racism?

Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 33; Series 2; Item 22
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
Fonds
33
Series
2
Item
22
Material Format
graphic material
Date
June 1945
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 5 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of Bill Stern and Maxie Lieberman in London, England. They are both in uniform and are standing in the street.
Subjects
Military uniforms
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.
Places
England
Accession Number
2004-5-96
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 33; Series 2; Item 11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
Fonds
33
Series
2
Item
11
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1942 and 1945]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 9 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of a group of uniformed soldiers in London, England. The man on the far right is Sammy Kwinter who died in the war in 1944.
Subjects
Military uniforms
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.
Places
England
Accession Number
2004-5-96
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 33; Series 2; Item 9
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
Fonds
33
Series
2
Item
9
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1942 and 1945]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of a group of men and women, including several uniformed soldiers, in London, England, during the Second World War. The people in the photo are standing in front of a brick house. Pictured are:
Back row, left to right: [unidentified], [unidentified], Dave Solomon, [unidentified], [unidentified], [unidentified], Corporal Mike Atkins.
Front row, left to right: L.A.C. Meyer Atkins, [unidentified], [unidentified], [unidentified].
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.
Places
England
Accession Number
2004-5-96
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 33; Series 2; Item 16
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
Fonds
33
Series
2
Item
16
Material Format
graphic material
Date
April 1944
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 9 x 6 cm and 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of Bill Stern and his friends during Passover at Piccadilly Circus in London, England. All four men are in their airforce uniforms, standing on the street in front of several storefronts and billboards. Pictured from left to right are: Nicky Gluskin (Jack Gluskin's cousin), Bill Stern, Charlie "Chuck" Appel, and David Burman.
Subjects
Bands (Music)
Passover
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.
Places
England
Accession Number
2004-5-96
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 33; Series 2; Item 19
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
Fonds
33
Series
2
Item
19
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1945
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 13 x 18 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of Bill Stern and [Maxie Lieberman?], taken in London, England, during the Second World War. Both men are wearing their military uniforms.
Subjects
Military uniforms
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.
Places
England
Accession Number
2004-5-96
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2017-2-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-2-12
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
45 cm of textual records and other material
230 photographs : sepia and b&w ; 23 x 30 cm and smaller
8 sound recordings (50 wav files; 1 microcassette)
1 artifact
Date
1937-2004
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual records, photographs and audio recordings documenting the lives of Dick Steele, his wife Esther, and friend Bill Walsh. The materials are mostly correspondences between Dick and Esther during his internment at the Don Jail and Ontario Reformatory in Guelph, and from Dick and Bill's military service overseas during the Second World War. They also include correspondences between Esther and Bill, Bill and Anne Walsh, "Jack" and Esther, and other family and friends. Some of the letters show evidence of being censored. There are news clippings in English and Yiddish about the family from various newspapers including the Canadian Tribune (a Communist Party paper). There is a letter Esther wrote to campaign for Dick's release from internment, part of women's activism in this period. There is also a photocopy of a memoir written by Moses Kosowatsky and Moses Wolofsky "From the Land of Despair to the Land of Promise" ca. 1930s.
The photographs include Dick and Bill in the army during the Second World War, a signed picture of Tim Buck addressed to Esther and the twins and a photo of Dick delivering a speech related to the Steel Workers. Also included is a recording of edited sound clips of Bill and Esther talking about Dick, Esther speaking about the letters, (how she received letters and flowers from Dick after he had already been killed), Bill reading a letter Dick wrote to Esther that he left with friends in England to send her in the case that he was killed (which he was), recordings of "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2 compiled by Leib Wolofsky's (Bill's nephew), and 5 audio recordings by Adrianna Steele-Card with her grandparents Bill and Esther. There is also a microcassette labelled "Joe Levitt."
The accession also includes the stripe of a German corporal that Bill captured as a prisoner, peace stamps and an early copy of Cy Gonick's A Very Red Life: The Story of Bill Walsh, edited by Bill.
Administrative History
Richard "Dick" Kennilworth Steele is the name adopted by Moses Kosowatsky. He was born in 1909 in Montreal to Samuel Kosowatsky and Fanny Held. He lived in a laneway off Clark Street, below Sherbrooke, where his father collected and recycled bottles. He grew up with his siblings, Joseph, Mortimer, Matthew, Gertrude, and Edward.
Bill Walsh (birth name Moishe Wolofsky) was born in 1910, to Sarah and Herschel Wolofsky, the editor of the Keneder Adler (Montreal's prominent Yiddish newspaper). He attended Baron Byng and then Commercial High School, where he met Dick Steele. Bill recalled that Dick denounced militarism in the school when a teacher tried to recruit students to be cadets.
Bill moved to New York City in 1927. His brother, who was living there, helped him get a job as a messenger on Wall Street. He also worked in the drug department at Macy's while attending courses at Columbia University in the evening. Dick worked on a ship for a year and then joined Bill in New York City in 1928. Dick worked at a chemical plant called Linde Air Products while also studying in the evenings at Columbia University.
In 1931, Dick and Bill boarded a ship together in New York bound for Copenhagen. Together, they travelled across Europe, witnessed a Nazi demonstration in Breslau, Germany, and found work in Minsk and Moscow, Russia. This trip inspired them to become Communists. In 1933, Bill's father was on a Canadian trade mission to Poland, which he left to "rescue" his son from the Bolsheviks. Bill agreed to return to Canada after being advised to do so by the Comintern. He then changed his name to Bill Walsh to protect his family.
In 1934, Bill moved to Toronto. He worked as the educational director for the Industrial Union of Needle Trade Workers and the Communist Party, where he met Esther Slominsky/Silver, the organization's office manager. Dick joined Bill in Toronto soon after. Bill introduced Dick and Esther, who then married. In 1940, Esther gave birth to twin sons, Michael and John Steele. Esther was born in Toronto in 1914 to Joseph Slominsky and Fanny (Blackersany?). Her siblings were Bella, Eileen, Morris, and step-sister Eva. Her father, Joseph, was a cloak maker and Esther also worked in the garment industry. Her mother Fanny passed away in 1920 at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis.
Dick was a metal worker and became a union organizer in the east end of Toronto. He was the head organizer of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee of Canada (SWOC) until 1940, when he was dismissed for being a Communist. Bill helped organize Kitchener's rubber workers into an industrial union and was also an organizer for the United Auto Workers of Windsor, Ontario.
Jack Steele, an alias for Dick's brother Mortimer, fought with the Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Jack Steele was recalled to Canada in October 1937 to rally support for the efforts in Spain, returned to the front in June 1938, and was killed in action in August. Some of Dick's letters to his wife, Esther, are signed "Salud, Jack" and were likely written in 1940 when the Communist Party (CP) was banned by the Canadian government under the War Measures Act.
In November 1941, after Mackenzie King's call for enlistment, Dick wrote to the Department of Justice to ask permission to join the army. He never received a reply. On 1 April 1942, Dick's home was raided and he was interned at the Don Jail until September 1942, when he was moved to the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph. Esther wrote a letter to the minister of justice, Louis St. Laurent, to appeal on his behalf.
Major public campaigning by Communists and the wartime alliance with the USSR after 1941 shifted public opinion toward the CP, and the Canadian government slowly began releasing internees in January 1942. Dick was released in October 1942 and enlisted at the end of the month. Dick died on 17 August 1944 in Normandy, France. He was a tank driver in the Canadian Army.
Bill was similarly arrested in 1941, spending time in jail and then an internment camp with other members of the CP. He joined the Canadian Army in 1943 and fought in Holland and Belgium. Bill was first married to Anne Weir who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1943, just before he enlisted. The family believes this may have been due to drinking unpasteurized milk. Encouraged by Dick Steele to take care of his family should he pass in the war, Bill married Esther Steele in 1946. They had a daughter named Sheri and were members of the United Jewish People's Order. For twenty years, Walsh worked for the Hamilton region of the United Electrical Workers (UE). Bill remained a member of the CP until 1967, when we was expelled for criticizing another union leader. He died in 2004. Esther passed away in 2010 at age ninety-six.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: Library and Archives Canada has the William Walsh fonds and MG 28, ser. I 268, USWA, vol.4, SWOC Correspondence, has various letters from Dick Steele ca. 1938. Museum of Jewish Montreal has an oral history with Leila Mustachi (daughter of Max Wolofsky, Bill's brother) where she speaks about Bill, Dick and Esther. USE CONDITION NOTES: For "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2, some contributors stipulate that recordings are restricted to personal use only and must not be used for any commercial purpose.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Politics and government
Labour and unions
Name Access
Steele, Michael
Steele, Dick
Walsh, Bill
Walsh, Esther Steele
Places
England
Fort William (Ont.)
Germany
Guelph (Ont.)
Hamilton (Ont.)
Montréal (Québec)
Netherlands
Oshawa (Ont.)
Ottawa (Ont.)
Thunder Bay (Ont.)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-2-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-2-1
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1946
Scope and Content
Accession consists of pages from the Jewish Chronicle dated Friday January 18, 1946. The front page reported the death of British Empire's Chief Rabbi Rev. Dr. J. H. Hertz, C.H.
Custodial History
Clipping was discovered while processing CJC (Fonds 17) holdings.
Administrative History
The Jewish Chronicle is a London, England based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world.
Subjects
Newspapers
Places
England
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-4-15
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-4-15
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
8 photographs : b&w and col. (hand-tinted) ; 21 x 26 or smaller
Date
1885-2003
Scope and Content
Accession consists of the records of Pearl "Pesh" and Solly Zucker. Included is Jennie Davis' birth certificate (1885), the invitation to the marriage of Jennie Davis and Simon Sidman (1910), Jennie and Simon's ketubah from the New Synagogue and Beth-Hamidrash, Cheetham Hill Rd (1910), Simon Sidman's burial card (1928), Pearl's birth certificate (1914), Solly's birth certificate (1908), Pearl and Solly's ketubah from the United Synagogue in Manchester (1934), marriage certificate of Jennie Sidman and Myer Cohen (1956), British passports for both Jennie Cohen and Pearl and Solly Zucker, Canadian citizenship certificates for Solly and Pearl, and photos of Simon Sidman, Solly and Pearl, Solly, Gerald and Simon, Pearl's wedding portrait, and two portraits of Esther and Isaac Sugar. Also included are writings by Pearl, mostly written after the passing of Solly in 2001, and typed by her daughter-in-law, Jan Zucker.
Administrative History
Pearl Miller Zucker (née Sidman) was born on 18 Jan. 1914 in Manchester, England to Jennie Sidman Cohen (née Davis) (b. 5 May 1885, Russia-d. 31 Dec. 1983, Toronto) and Simon Sidman. Miller was the middle name given to Pearl at birth by her father. Pearl's mother Jennie had married Simon Sidman on 21 Aug. 1910. Simon died on 10 Dec. 1928 at age 45. Jennie then married Myer Cohen on Feb. 15, 1956 in Manchester, who died sometime between 1956 and 1959. Jennie became a landed immigrant in Canada in 1959.
Moses Solomon "Solly" Zucker (Sugar) (b. 6 Feb. 1908, County of Gateshead, England-d. 22 Jan. 2001, Toronto) was born to Isaac and Esther Sugar (née Greenbaum). He married Pearl "Pesh" Sidman on 20 June 1934. Miller was Pearl's given middle name. The couple had two sons: Gerald Zucker (b. 5 July 1936) and Simon Zucker (b. 15 Nov. 1937). Solly served with the fire brigade in Manchester during the Second World War.
The couple immigrated to Canada from England in June 1952 for economic reasons. Pearl had a cousin named Mark Gilbert already living in Canada. The couple and their two sons first landed in Montreal, but only stayed a year before moving to Toronto. Upon arrival in Canada, Solly got a job with the Canadian Government, possibly with the RCAF at Downsview. Pearl worked for Bell Canada. The family belonged to Shaarei Tefillah Synagogue and lived in the Bathurst and Eglinton area.
Pearl died on 20 February 2018 at the age of 104.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Families
Name Access
Zucker, Pearl, 1914-2018
Places
England
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-10-5
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-10-5
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
7 cm of graphic material and textual records
1 folder (oversize) of graphic material and textual records
1 scrapbook ; 37 x 31 cm
Date
1916-2008, predominant 1940-1998
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting the Rother family, in particular Irving and Florence Rother. Included are: three of Irving Rother's Second World War letters; professional and educational certificates for Irving Rother; service records for Irving Rother; records documenting the sale of the family's Rother Cigar Store; a letter to Dr. and Mrs. Rother from Lester C. Sugarman welcoming the couple and their family to Holy Blossom Temple; records (including group portraits) of Hadassah-WIZO Rishon Chapter, which Florence Rother belonged to; and an Alpha Phi Pi scrapbook.
Administrative History
Florence Rother (née Warshavsky) was born in 1919. In 1998, she was honoured for her service to the Rishon Chapter of Toronto Hadassah-WIZO. She died at home on 9 July 2016.
Dr. Irving Rother was born in 1919. He studied at the University of Toronto, where he was part of the Phi Delta Epislon Fraternity. He graduated in January 1943 with a Doctor of Medicine degree. During the Second World War, he held the rank of captain in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) and served in Canada, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe. After the war, Rother moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he served on the house staff of Sinai Hospital first as assistant resident on the pathology service and then as intern and assistant resident on the medical service.
In 1953, Dr. and Mrs. Rother and their family became members of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Families
Physicians
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Rother (family)
Rother, Florence
Rother, Irving, 1919-2018
Places
Baltimore (Md.)
England
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-8-14
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-8-14
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
multiple media
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records ca. 2cm of textual records
12 photographs : b&w and col ; 30 x 35 cm or smaller
1 scrapbook
Date
1900-1950, [196?], 1970-1995
Scope and Content
Accession consists of 12 photographs (ca. 1900-1930, 196?) of members of the Schönberger family, including family portraits, class portraits, and a group photograph of the United Cloth Hat & Cap Makers Union Local No. 41. Accession also contains a scrapbook (ca.1937-1945) kept by Walter Schoenberger consisting of ca. 90 photographs and other graphic materials (eg. cigarette cards, photographic postcards) documenting his life in Vienna, England, Quebec and Toronto. This scrapbook includes photographs of Schoenberger's internment at a Kitchener Camp in Kent, England, as well as photographs of a parade at Old City Hall in Toronto.
Accession also consists of 1 folder of textual records, including Canadian citizenship and naturalization documents, a Vienna drivers license, one postcard, wedding invitations and certificates, newspaper clippings, personal writings, and a death certificate. There are also a number of documents ca. 1939-1942 relating to Walter Schoenberger's time at the Kitchener Camp in England, including letters from the Red Cross, the American Embassy to Vienna, the American Consulate General in London, the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society, the Central Council for Jewish Refugees Agricultural Committee, and Tip Top Tailors.
Accession also includes Victory Bonds certificates (1943-1945), an issue of the Toronto Star from December 3, 1992, a Toronto Transit Commission map, a program for a "Life Begins at 65" celebration for George Burns, and a book entitled "Collective Poems - The Terrace Holocaust Survivors Group" consisting of poetry by Holocaust survivors. Also included are documents relating to the Schwab family.
Ancestor chart of Mindy Schönberger
Custodial History
Collection of Walter Schoenberger, donated by daughter Mindy Pollishuke.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Tailors
Immigrants--Canada
Labor unions
Clothing workers
Postcards
Refugee camps
Refugees
World War, 1939-1945
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
England
Austria
Germany
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2019-11-8
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2019-11-8
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1912-2013
Scope and Content
Accession consists of copies of immigration and naturalization records related to the Granovsky (Granowski/Grainer) and Avrutsky families. Included are: naturalization information for Sam Granovsky (Gloria's maternal grandfather) obtained from the Citizenship and Immigration Department of the Government of Canada; a ship's manifest copied from a microfiche retrieved from the Toronto Public Library showing the Granovsky family travelled on the ship Ausonia from Southampton to Quebec City in 1912; and copies of correspondence between the Russian Embassy and Gloria's uncle, Mordko Granowski, obtained from Library and Archives Canada. Also included is a family memoir written by Gloria Geller entitled "Threading My Grandmother's Needle."
Administrative History
Shaya Ber Shlema Leibov Granovsky (Sam Granovsky) (1871–1945) was born in Zvenigorodka, Ukraine, and was the only son of Shlioma Leib Vigdorovich Granovsky and Kreinya (?) Granovsky. He married Hinda Avrutsky (1873–1959), born to Gedalia Ber Avrutsky and Riva (Rifka, family name unkown), in the mid-1890s and moved to her town, Tal'noe, where he worked as a businessman. They had six children between 1896 and 1907: Mordkho (Max, 1896–1984); Aaron (Harry, 1899–1974); Victor (1901–1982); Rochel (Rose, 1903–1945); Lisa (Lillian, 1905–1996); and Sura (Sally, 1907–1972). Sam and Hinda immigrated to Canada in around 1912. In 1913, Hinda gave birth to their seventh child, Louis Leib (Lou, 1913–2006). The family run a bicycle repair business at 75 Chestnut Street between 1914 and 1918, then moved to 507 1/2 Yonge Street, where Sam had a second hand goods business. From the early 1920s to the mid-1940s, Sam and Hinda owned a used tire business, United Tire Exchange, at 751 Queen Street West. In the early 1920s, Max graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Later, Lou attended university and became a pharmacist. He owned Grainer Drugs for many years. Sam and Hinda's fourth child, Rose Geller (née Granovsky), married Sam Geller in the mid-to-late 1920s. She gave birth to Saul in 1929 and Gloria in 1938. She died at the age of 42 in 1945 due to a hospital error. Gloria lived with her grandmother, Hinda, for a period of time after her mother died and for a longer time after her father Sam's death in 1948.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Immigrants
Ukrainians--Canada
Places
Ukraine
England
Québec (Province)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3060
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3060
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1877
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Notes
Original photograph by Symonds & Co., 39 High St., Portsmouth.
Name Access
Jacobs, Rabbi Solomon
Subjects
Portraits
Rabbis
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.
Places
England
Accession Number
1981-7-5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sylvia Schwartz fonds
European Visits and Events series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 80; Series 6; File 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sylvia Schwartz fonds
European Visits and Events series
Level
File
Fonds
80
Series
6
File
1
Material Format
graphic material
Date
May 1959
Physical Description
10 photographs : b&w and col. (10 negatives) ; 6 x 6 cm or smaller
Admin History/Bio
Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson was born April 9, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey. He was an internationally renowned American bass-baritone concert singer, actor of film and stage, All-American and professional athlete, writer, multi-lingual orator, scholar and lawyer who was also noted for his wide-ranging social justice activism. Robeson was a trade unionist, peace activist, Phi Beta Kappa Society laureate, and a recipient of the Spingarn Medal and Stalin Peace Prize. Robeson achieved worldwide fame during his life for his artistic accomplishments, and his outspoken, radical beliefs which largely clashed with the Jim Crow climate of the pre-civil rights United States. He became a prime target of the right during the McCarthyist era.
Robeson was the first major concert star to popularize the performance of Negro spirituals and was the first black actor of the 20th century to portray Shakespeare's Othello on Broadway. He originated the role of Joe in Show Boat in 1928 and appeared in 11 films.
At the height of his fame, Paul Robeson chose to become a primarily political artist, speaking out against fascism and racism in the US and abroad as the United States government and many Western European powers failed after World War II to end racial segregation and guarantee civil rights for people of colour. His passport was revoked from 1950 to 1958 under the McCarran Act and he was under surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency and by the British MI5 for well over three decades until his death.
In 1959, after his passport was reinstated, Robeson was asked to reprise his role in Othello on the stage in Stratford-Upon-Avon in the United Kingdom. The production was directed by Tony Richardson and despite some criticism, Robeson performance was praised unanimously. However, this production proved to be Robeson's last appearance on the stage. During this time, he also attended speaking engagements and performed concerts throughout Europe and the USSR.
Despite persecution and limited activity resulting from ailing health in his later years, Paul Robeson remained, throughout his life, committed to socialism and anti-colonialism as a means to world peace and was unapologetic about his political views. He died in 1976 in Philadelphia, PA at the age of 77.
Scope and Content
Photographs included in this file consist of images taken of Paul Robeson and friends in 1959. Robeson was 62 at the time and appearing in Othello. Images were taken in the period immediately following the ban of his passport.
Images consist of candid and relaxed photographs taken of Robeson and his companions in Robeson's apartment in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK.
Notes
Paul Robeson was close friends with Sylvia Schwartz because of their similar political views and outspoken activism. Whenever he was in Toronto for a concert or speaking engagement he stayed with Sylvia.
Name Access
Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976
Places
England
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Levine and Cass family fonds
Bliss family series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 25; Series 8; Item 3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Levine and Cass family fonds
Bliss family series
Level
Item
Fonds
25
Series
8
Item
3
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[193-?]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond in London, England.
Notes
Mounted in card frame
Photographer: Mayfair Portraits
Name Access
Raymond family
Subjects
Married people
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.
Places
England
Source
Archival Descriptions