Accession Number
2007-9-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2007-9-2
Material Format
graphic material (electronic)
textual record (electronic)
architectural drawing (electronic)
Physical Description
37 photographs : b&w and col. (jpg) + 2 identification keys
16 documents (28 jpgs)
2 architectural drawings (jpg)
Date
[189-]-2004
Scope and Content
Accession consists of scanned copies of original records documenting the Jewish community in Cornwall. The records relate to various individuals in the community, including the donor, as well as organizations such as B'nai Brith, Hebrew Ladies' Aid Society, and the Beth-El Congregation. The items include scans of cemetery plans, burial certificates, photographs, meeting minutes, memorial books and various legal documents.
Photographs are as follows:
01. Sixtieth anniversary of D-Day program.
02. Abe and Rose Goldhamer, Long Sault Rapids before the seaway, ca. 1941.
03. Al Burnes in uniform. Al lived in Cornwall and moved to Toronto, [between 1939 and 1945].
04. Archie Dover, first person buried in the new cemetery, pg. 1, 1962.
05. Archie Dover, first person buried in the new cemetery, pg. 2, 1962.
06. Beth El Synagogue, exterior, nd.
07. Beth El Synagogue, interior, nd.
08. Birdie Phillips Miller.
09. B’nai Brith, ca. 1961. [obverse]
10. B’nai Brith, ca. 1961. [reverse]
11. B’nai Brith entertaining seniors from Glen Stor Dun Lodge, 1964.
12. B’nai Brith girls temporary charter, 1967.
13. B’nai Brith Youth Organization temporary charter, 1967.
14. Boys playing hockey behind the shul, 1930s. Back row, left to right: unidentified, Jack Abrugov, Murray Berns, Julius Kolomier. Front row, left to right: unidentified, Jack Goldhamer, unidentified, unidentified, unidentified.
15. Braham Goldhamer on piano.
16. Cemetery plan from office of LP Stidwill, civil engineer and Ontario land surveyor, April 18 1958.
17. Cemetery plan, nd.
18. Construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, Robert Saunders Dam, 1957.
19. B’nai Brith emergency meeting minutes, 1967.
20. Entertainer, Helen Goldhamer and her father, Julius Miller.
21. General meeting regarding building of the synagogue, pg. 1, Oct. 5, 1924.
22. General meeting regarding building of the synagogue, pg. 2, Oct. 5, 1924.
23. B’nai Brith Cornwall Lodge, 1961. [obverse] Pictured are, Standing left to right: Moe Helperin, Peter Solway, Oscar Niduvitch, Louis Dubinsky, Alex Abugor, Sam Nyman, Moe Schulman, Bernard Miller, I. Martin, Saul Schulman. Seated left to right: Mark Goldhamer, Sam Smolkin, Saul Kaye, Mrs. Eddie Cantor (guest speaker), Rabbi Matts, Julius Miller.
24. B’nai Brith Cornwall Lodge, 1961. [reverse]
25. Hebrew School, ca. 1958.
26. Helen, Mark and Brham Goldhamer, ca. 1958.
27. Helen Goldhamer on the St. Lawrence just west of Cornwall.
28. Helen Goldhamer speaking.
29. Helen Goldhamer thanking guest speaker.
30. Joel Horovitz, bar mitzvah programme, 1954.
31. Julius Miller and daughter Helen Goldhamer with father Moses Miller (seated) and grandson Braham Goldhamer at age 2.
32. Julius Miller and wife Birdie in front of their furniture company’s first truck, ca. 1946.
33. Julius Miller Grove invitation to ceremony, 1969.
34. Julius Miller Grove letter, 1969.
35. Julius Miller Grove plaque, ca. 1969.
36. [Phillips family?], ca. 1900.
37. Annette Phillips and Mary Phillips, ca. 1948.
38. Julius Miller presented with a pin by Mrs. Eddie Cantor at an Israel Bonds drive, 1961.
39. Nathan Phillips with unidentified boy.
40. Left to right: Annette Phillips, Mary Phillips, Birdie Phillips Miller and Riva Phillips, 1940s.
41. Left to right: Archie Dover, Julius Miller and Rabbi Lewin at the Memory Board dedication.
42. Left to right: Helen Goldhamer, Sarah Vineberg, Mrs. M. Phillips, Birdie Phillips Miller, Annette Phillips, ca. 1938.
43. Succot. Left to right: Margot Miller, Jack Miller and Braham Goldhamer, ca. 1956.
44. Left to right: Mark Goldhamer, Iruim Thaw, Saul Schulman and guest speaker, ca. 1961.
45. Nathan and Sam Phillips, ca. 1920.
46. Legal letter regarding the deed to the cemetery, pg. 1, 1929.
47. Legal letter regarding the deed to the cemetery, pg. 2, 1929.
48. Markus Goldhamer RCAF discharge papers, pg. 1, 1945.
49. Markus Goldhamer RCAF discharge papers, pg. 2, 1945.
50. Markus Goldhamer RCAF photo, Second World War.
51. Mary Phillips, life member of Hadassah-WIZO card, April 5, 1954.
52. Memorial book, pg. 1, 1926.
53. Memorial book, pg. 2, 1926.
54. Memorial book, pg. 3, 1926.
55. Memorial book, pg. 4, 1926.
56. Memory board.
57. Moses Miller.
58. Original minutes forming the B’nai Brith chapter in Cornwall, pg. 1, 1934.
59. Original minutes forming the B’nai Brith chapter in Cornwall, pg. 2, 1934.
60. Original minutes forming the B’nai Brith chapter in Cornwall, pg. 3, 1934.
61. Original minutes forming the B’nai Brith chapter in Cornwall, pg. 4, 1934.
62. Part of crowd at the annual dinner in Beth El Synagogue hall.
63. Photocopy of Hebrew Ladies’ Aid meeting minutes, pg. 1, Nov. 29, 1922.
64. Photocopy of Hebrew Ladies’ Aid meeting minutes, pg. 2, Nov. 29, 1922.
65. President of B’nai Brith Mark Goldhamer speaking. Helen Goldhamer seated to his left.
66. Riva Phillips beside Julius Miller Furniture shop, 1950s.
67. Thank you card to Mark Goldhamer, pg. 1.
68. Thank you card to Mark Goldhamer, pg. 2.
69. [Phillips family?], ca. 1900.
Custodial History
The original records are in the possession of the donor. The OJA was granted permission to scan the records in September 2007, as part of the Ontario Small Jewish Communities initiative. These copies were then donated to the Archives on 2007-09-04.
Subjects
Communities
Cemeteries
Name Access
Goldhamer, Mark
Places
Cornwall (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Level
Collection
ID
Fonds 22
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Level
Collection
Fonds
22
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1856-1995
Physical Description
1.1 m of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
Morris Norman (b. 1946) is a chartered accountant living and working in Toronto. He is an avid collector of Canadiana, specifically Judaica. He purchases lots at auction and donates them to the Ontario Jewish Archives, as well as other institutions.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of the individual items collected at auction by Morris Norman. The records relate to the Toronto Jewish community and Ontario Jewry and include textual documents, photographs, near-prints, publications, artifacts, posters and broadsheets, sound recordings, and ephemera. Most of the items relate to various Jewish organizations, businesses, synagogues and individuals, and to Christian missionary work in Toronto. The material has been described at the file level, or where appropriate, the item level.
There are also four distinct series of records which document Berul Sugarman, who was a concert violinist and orchestral leader; the Franklin family, who owned a large amount of property in Toronto in the late 1800s and early 1900s; radio and television scripts written by Wayne and Shuster, Henry Karpus and Russell Bradley; and a collection of Turofsky photographs.
Notes
Physical description note: Includes 49 objects, 25 photographs, 7 audio recordings and 4 prints.
Name Access
Norman, Morris
Norman, Jessie
Creator
Norman, Morris (1946-)
Accession Number
1995-9-3
1995-9-4
1995-9-8
1996-6-3
1996-7-3
1996-9-1
1997-7-1
1998-1-1
1998-3-44
1998-7-2
1999-10-1
2000-7-4
2000-12-3
2001-3-3
2001-4-3
2001-8-5
2001-10-6
2001-11-1
2002-4-1
2002-5-1
2002-7-1
2002-9-1
2002-10-5
2002-10-58
2002-12-3
2003-5-3
2003-10-6
2004-7-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2012-8-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2012-8-1
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
ca. 18 cm of textual records and other material
Date
1884-1985
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the Coppel and Cooper families of Galt (now Cambridge) and Toronto respectively. Coppel family records include family correspondence, photocopies of Moses Kappel's discharge papers from the Austro-Hungarian military (1884), B'nai Israel Synagogue sisterhood meeting minutes, financial records, photographs, Hadassah booklets and programmes, and a photo album documenting the closing of B'nai Israel Synagogue in 1985. Also included are records relating to Elizabeth Cooper (née Coppel)'s involvement in Canadian Young Judaea and her work as a camp counselor at a Jewish day camp near Kitchener-Waterloo (Judaean Day Camp/Camp Ruach). These records include correspondence, publications, activity schedules, lists of camp counselors, and a Young Judaean scarf. Coppel family records also include marriage and burial records of Aaron Coppel, audio cassettes of an oral history interview conducted with Cy Coppel in 1976, and military records documenting Max David Simonoff's service in the Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Finally, included is a Farband Shule (Folks School) program book (1927) and class photo (ca. 1931). Identified in the photograph is Ethel Raicus (first row, third from the right).
Cooper family records include digital photographs of Sam Cooper and the weightlifting club at the YMHA in Toronto (1930s), portraits of Jacob Cooper (Cooperberg), a school photo of Sam and Max Cooper, and a photo of Hilda Cooper.
Finally accession consists of program books for various events, including a Canadian Jewish Congress song book, an Israel Dance Theatre at the Royal Alexandra, and a Queen Esther Purim play.
Administrative History
Aaron Selig (Archie Aaron) Coppel (Kappel / Koppel / Cappell / Kappele) was born to Moses Kappel and Perl (nee Pistenfeld) in Galicia in 1882. He came to Canada in 1903 and lived with a landsmen family, the Siegels. Mr. Siegel was a horse dealer who took Aaron under his wing and taught him the horse trade. Aaron married Mr. Siegel's daughter, Chaya Geitel (Gertrude) Seigel, in 1905. Aaron and Geitel had seven children: Helen, Rose, Newt, Cyrus ("Cy," born in 1911), Les, George, and Harry. After marrying, Aaron and Geitel remained in Galt, and Aaron continued dealing in livestock. Although he was eager to assimilate into Canadian society (he gave his children British names and spoke with no accent), the family kept kosher and Aaron hired itinerant Hebrew teachers for the children.
Cyrus Coppel married Channa "Anna" Simonoff on 25 August1946. Anna was born in Russia to Avraham Dov and Chashe Bryna Tzaitzeck. Anna had three siblings: Sarah Merle, Faigle (died en route to Canada), and Mordecai Doved. She immigrated to Ottawa in 1914 with her family. An uncle already living in Ottawa had changed his last name to Simonoff and the family decided to change their name to Simonoff as well. Avraham worked as a tailor in Russia and likely continued in this profession in Canada. The family moved to Toronto sometime after 1919 and was actively involved in the Labour Zionist movement. Anna was in the milliner's union and two of her aunts, Slaava Raicus and Esther Cohen, were members of Club One (Pioneer Women). Anna and Cyrus had two children together: Bryna (24 February 1949-12 January 2006) and Elizabeth (b. 16 Dec. 1950). Cyrus initially worked as a mechanic, but later worked in the office of an auto shop and traded in auto parts. He also traded in livestock as a hobby. Cyrus was one of the founders of the B'nai Israel Synagogue in Galt. Initially, synagogue services were held in the homes of local residents, such as the Spring family; however, a building was finally purchased in 1946. After the synagogue closed, the Torahs and plaques went to the synagogue in Kitchener. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Cooperberg (Kupferberg, Cooper) came to Canada around 1910 from Kielce, Poland. His wife and children (Max, Sam, and Aidel or Ida) remained in Poland, waiting for Jacob to earn enough money for them to come to Canada as well. His family was unable to join him until after the First World War had ended, arriving in 1920. Jacob and Sarah had three more children in Canada: Irving, Joey, and Hilda. Jacob worked as a peddler in Toronto and later opened a scrap yard, Cooper Iron and Medal. The family lived on Oxford Street in the Kensington Market area.
Sam Cooper married Kay Gernstein in 1948. They had two children together: Neil and Donna (married name is Speigel). Sam initially worked as a tailor, but later worked as a scrap dealer. Neil married Donna Coppel and also works in the scrap trade. Donna is a librarian.
Use Conditions
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.
Descriptive Notes
Includes 1 photo album, 7 photographs (tiff), 3 photographs, 2 audio cassettes, and 1 scarf.
Subjects
Families
Places
Galt (Cambridge, Ont.)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-3-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-3-6
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
5 cm textual records and other material
Date
[ca.1890]-[ca. 1940]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of personal records of Hyman (Ben) Benjamin, and records documenting Arthur Benjamin's military service. Records include ca. 30 photographs of three generations of the Benjamin family, Rosh Hashanah greeting cards, Hyman Benjamin's birth certificate and first aid certificate. Records also include correspondence between several branches of the Canadian government and Arthur's mother, Annie, regarding the circumstances of Arthur's death; his grave site and his army pension.
Custodial History
The records were donated to the Archives by Nancy Rose, daughter of the great-nephew of Hyman (Ben) Benjamin.
Administrative History
Hyman "Ben" Benjamin (ca. 1884-1969) was born in Leeds, England to Lazuras and Annie Benjamin. He married Hilda (Holds) Benjamin, and they immigrated to Canada in 1911. He worked as a car mechanic. They had two daughters, Laura (b. 1911) and Florence (b. 1912).
Arthur "Abraham" Benjamin (ca. 1882-1917) was Hyman Benjamin's brother. He immigrated to Toronto from Leeds some time after 1911 and worked with Hyman as a car cleaner. He joined the 198th Battalion of the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in 1916, and was killed in the First World War.
Use Conditions
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.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1914-1918
Name Access
Benjamin, Arthur, 1882-1917
Benjamin, Hyman, 1884-1969
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Frankel and Draper family fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 104
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Frankel and Draper family fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
104
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1895-2009
Physical Description
21 cm of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
Gottschall Frankel (1832–1918) and his wife Mina Meyer (1841–1921) were born in Biblis (Hessen) and Aschaffenburg, Germany, respectively. Gottschall died in Biblis and is buried in Alsbach, Germany. Mina passed away in Toronto and is interred in the old Holy Blossom Cemetery.
Leo Frankel (1864–1933) was one of nine children born in Biblis, Germany, to Gottschall and Mina. His siblings were Salmon (1874–1906), Benno (d. 1921), Ike (d. 1950), Louis (1879–1952), Maurice (1865–1935), Sigmund (1866–1936), Ida (1870–1952) (m. Levy) and Herman (1871–1939). Three of the siblings are buried in Montreal, and the rest are buried in Toronto.
Leo immigrated to Canada in 1881 at the age of seventeen. In 1886, he established Frankel Brothers (scrap metal and processing) in association with his brothers. The siblings were eventually succeeded by several sons of the original partners. The company subsequently became Frankel Steel Ltd. and Steel Structures Corporation.
Leo married Helena "Lena" Mayer of Florsheim, Germany, on 2 July 1890 in New York City. They had three sons: Egmont Leo (1891–1964), Carl Milford (1894–1984), and Roy Hecker (1896–1983). The family lived at 504 Jarvis Street, the former Goodman residence in Toronto, from 1908.
Carl married Dorothy Jacobs (1903–1987), who was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents were Bernard Jacobs of Texas and Henrietta Altheimer of Arkansas. Carl and Dorothy had two daughters: Nancy Jean Frankel (b. 1928) and Carol Nina Frankel (1930–1999).
Carl was a prominent member of the Toronto Jewish community, active in Holy Blossom Temple, several Masonic lodges, and was a founder of the North Toronto YM-YWHA.
His daughter Nancy attended Jarvis Collegiate Institute and was confirmed at Holy Blossom Temple. She married Darrell (Drapkin) Draper (1922–1992) of Fort William/Port Arthur in 1949. Darrell had studied at the University of Toronto and became a lawyer and judge. The couple's three children are Dr. Paula Jean Draper (b. 1953), a historian; Phillip Jacobs (b. 1954), a real estate lawyer; and Kenneth Lewis (b. 1957). Collectively, the siblings have six children and several grandchildren. Nancy Draper has been a longtime volunteer at the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Nancy's sister Carol married Mandel Sprachman (1925–2002), the son of a renowned architect Abraham Sprachman of the firm Kaplan and Sprachman. Mandel followed his father into the profession, specializing in cinemas and theatres, including the award-winning restoration of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres (1985–1989).
The Frankel family genealogy is wide in scope, extending from Germany and England to the United States and Canada. One notable ancestor with German lineage is Israel Beer Josephat, who changed his name to Paul Julius Reuter and founded the Reuters News Agency.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records documenting the Frankel and Draper (Drapkin) families and their connected branches, such as the Jacobs (English in origin), Josephat, Meyer, and Altheimer (all German in origin) families. Records include: photographs of the exterior and interior of the Frankel home at 504 Jarvis Street, Toronto; formal individual and group photographs taken in Toronto and other cities of family members at various gatherings and of Nancy Frankel's confirmation class at Holy Blossom; pictures of Darrell Drapkin (later Draper) and his Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity brothers at the University of Toronto; group photographs of members of the Palestine Lodge of Masons, of which Carl and his brother Egmont were members; and a variety of candid shots in many locations including outside the Frankel family home in Biblis, Germany.
Textual records include: essays and programs concerning Holy Blossom, publications from Camp Wabi-Kon and Jarvis Collegiate yearbooks, and material from the Ulyssean Society at Hart House, the Oakdale Golf and Country Club, and the Carmel Chapter of Hadassah documenting Nancy's involvement with these organizations.
Objects include a souvenir matchbook from the wedding of Darrell Draper and Nancy Frankel and a membership coin and badge in a leather case documenting Carl Frankel's involvement with Masonic lodges.
Notes
Physical description note: Includes 250 photographs, 3 objects,1 CD, and 1 video cassette.
Name Access
Draper (family)
Draper, Nancy (1928-)
Frankel (family)
Subjects
Families
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
The Shuls Project fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 64
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
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
2
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1898, [192-?]-1997
Physical Description
80 cm of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
Benjamin Dunkelman (1913–1997) was a successful businessman and president of Tip Top Tailors. He had a distinguished military career in both the Canadian Army during the Second World War and in the Haganah during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Benjamin was born in Toronto to David Dunkelman (1883–1978) and Rose (née Miller, 1889–1949). He had three sisters and two brothers: Joseph, a movie executive; Ernest, a manufacturer; Zelda; Veronica; and Theodora. His father, David, was a successful entrepreneur who established Tip Top Tailors in 1910. Both David and his wife Rose were fervent Zionists.
Benjamin attended Upper Canada College and, at the age of eighteen, visited Palestine for the first time. While in Palestine, he worked for a year on a kibbutz, mostly as a guard. During the Second World War, he served as a major in the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada; as major, he gained respect for his knowledge of mortars. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1945 for his role in the final Allied assault on Germany. Two years later, Benjamin returned to Palestine to join the Haganah in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. As a commander, he captured Nazareth and brought northern Galilee under Jewish control. Near the end of the war, he met and married Yael Lifshitz (m. Dunkelman), a corporal in the Israeli army. Benjamin was elected national commander of the Jewish War Veterans of Canada in 1977.
In addition to his work as a soldier, Benjamin was a successful businessman. He served as president of Tip Top Tailors after his father stepped down; he was also director of Colonial Finance Corporation, president of Cloverdale Shopping Centre, and president of Renforth Developments. Besides operating the Dunkelman Gallery, Benjamin and his wife, Yael, ran the Constellation Hotel and Dunkelman’s Restaurant.
Dunkelman later wrote of his experiences in both wars in his autobiography "Dual Allegiance" (published by MacMIllan). As well as the DSO, Dunkelman was awarded the Fighter’s Decoration of the State of Israel (1970), and an Israel Bonds Award Dinner in Tribute to Ben Dunkelman (1977). He was a guest of honour both at a reception hosted by the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science and the veterans of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada (1976) and at a 7th Brigade Reunion in Israel (1991).
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records documenting Benjamin Dunkelman's personal, business, and military activities. Included is personal and business correspondence and other records, maps, photographs, news clippings, and scrapbooks assembled by Dunkelman. The bulk of the records relate both to Dunkelman’s autobiography Dual allegiance and to his military career in the Second World War and in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Other records relate to his business work with Tip Top Tailors, the Constellation Hotel, Dunkelman’s Restaurant, and the Dunkelman Gallery, as well as to his Zionist actvities, his writing and public speeches, and his personal life.
The fonds is organized into the following series: Personal records and correspondence, Zionist materials, Businesses, Second World War, Arab-Israeli War, Dual Allegiance, and Speeches.
Notes
Physical description note: Includes 218 photographs, 60 maps, 7 postcards, 5 architectural drawings, and 3 albums.
Associated material note: see the Ben Dunkelman fonds at Library and Archives Canada.
Name Access
Dunkelman, Benjamin, 1913-1997
Subjects
Authors
Israel-Arab War, 1948-1949
World War, 1939-1945
Related Material
See fonds #39 (Rose Dunkelman fonds).
Creator
Dunkelman, Benjamin, 1913-1997
Accession Number
2000-3-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Ida Lewis Siegel fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 15
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Ida Lewis Siegel fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
15
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1892-1980
Physical Description
60 cm of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
Ida Lewis Siegel (1885-1982) was instrumental in the founding and development of several prominent Jewish organizations, such as the Daughters of Zion, Hadassah-Wizo Organization of Canada, the Hebrew Ladies' Maternity Aid Society and the YM-YWHA She was also particularly active in the educational sector and in campaigning for the rights of female educators. She was internationally known for her devotion to Jewish learning and for her contributions to the development of the Toronto Jewish community.
Ida was born to Samuel Lewis (b. 1859) and Hannah Ruth (Ticktin) Lewis (b. 1864) on 14 February 1885 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was the first child to be born in the United States after her parents immigrated from Lithuania. She had two brothers, Abe Lewis (b. 1880) and Charles S. Lewis (b. 1883). She attended elementary school in Pittsburgh, and in 1894, she and her family moved to Toronto.
On 14 February 1905, Ida married Isidore Hirsch Siegel at the Elm Street Synagogue. Isidore was a travelling peddler, and later, owner of a store in Cochrane, Ontario. Together, they had six children: Rohama Lee (1905-?), Leah Gittel (Labovitz) (1907-2004), David Isar (1909-2004), Sarah (Sontag) (1912-1942), Avrom Fichel (1916-2010), and Rivka Hadassah (Gurau) (1923-2001).
Ida is credited with helping to found a large number of Jewish philanthropic and social organizations including the Daughters of Zion, the first ladies' Zionist society in Canada (1899); the Herzl Girls' Club (1904); Hadassah-Wizo Organization of Canada (1916); the Hebrew Ladies' Sewing Circle, which developed into the Hebrew Ladies' Maternity Aid Society (1907); the YM-YWHA (1919); the Women’s League of the United Synagogues of America in Toronto (192-); the Goel Tzedec Sunday School (1914); and the Goel Tzedec Sisterhood (192-). She was also named honorary president of the Beth Tzedec Sisterhood in 1953. With the help of her brother Abe, Ida formed the first free Jewish Dispensary in Toronto, located on Elizabeth Street in the Ward, which was the forerunner to the Mount Sinai Hospital.
Ida also helped form a unified fundraising body for the Jewish community known as the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies (1917), which would become the current UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. However, Ida was denied a seat on the executive after campaigning for a female representative.
Always involved in the field of education, Ida was one of the original founders of the Home and School Association in 1919. In 1930, she became the first Jewish woman to be elected to the Toronto Board of Education, a post which she held for six years. She was later named honorary secretary of the Toronto Board of Jewish Education. In 1937, she ran unsuccessfully for alderman in Toronto, but remained politically active with the Association of Women's Electors. She was active in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom from 1915 onward and was an outspoken opponent of both world wars. Throughout her lifetime, Ida held the position of national vice-president of the Zionist Organization of Canada, sat on the executive board of the Canadian Jewish Congress and was a member of the Jewish Historical Society.
Her religious affiliations were with Goel Tzedec, Beth Tzedec, Shaar Shomayim and the Beach Hebrew Institute.
Custodial History
The records were created by Ida Siegel and were in her possession until 1982. After her death, her son Avrom and daughter Rivka took possession of the records until they were donated to the archives in 1998 and 2004.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the records created and accumulated by Ida Siegel, documenting her personal and professional life, along with her philanthropic work. The types of records include personal reminiscences, diaries and memoirs, family correspondence, professional correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, newsclippings, oral histories and photographs.
Notes
Includes 30 photographs, 2 scrapbooks, 13 audio cassettes and 7 audio reels.
Name Access
Siegel, Ida Lewis, 1885-1982
Siegel, Isidore Hirsch
Siegel, Leah Gittel (Labovitz) (Sadker)
Siegel, Rohama Lee
Siegel, David Isar
Siegel, Sarah (Sontag)
Siegel, Avrom Fichel
Siegel, Rivka Hadassah (Gurau)
Access Restriction
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
Related Material
1979-1-3
1980-3-4
MG2 O1l
MG2 O1m
National Council of Jewish Women fonds 38
Arrangement
Records had previously been placed in acid free boxes and file folders and labeled according to their contents.
Creator
Siegel, Ida Lewis, 1885-1982
Accession Number
1988-2-13
2004-5-129
2004-5-163
2005-5-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2022-8-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-3
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
6 cm of textual records and other material
Date
1890-2002, predomintant 1956-1977
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the Bendahan and Corcos families, specifically Sydney and Miriam Bendahan (née Corcos), including immigration documents, Corcos family history, Corcos family tree, Sydney's CV and letters of recommendation written on his behalf, among others. Includes records documenting the Magen David Sephardic Congregation, speeches and reference material documenting Sephardic history and the Sephardic community in Canada, oral history tapes recorded by Sydney and Raphael Bendahan for the Multicultural History Society of Ontario (including reports of the interviews), records related to Miriam's career as a fashion designer, and a CBC interview from "Identities".
Interviewees include: A. Bechetrit; Corcos; Bitton; Arnold Oro; Sol Hamouth; Mr. and Mrs. J. Benaim; Benzacar; De Pinto; J. Cohen; Perez; Nahman; Kuessous; and Moryoussef.
Administrative History
Sydney David Bendahan was born on 1 Nov. 1919 in Gibraltar, the son of Raphael and Esther (née Benabu). He was a descendant of a distinguished Sephardic family who immigrated to Gibraltar from Spain over 300 years ago. His father was a civil servant with the British government for many years. Sydney was fluent in English, French, and Spanish, having received formal education in the three languages. He served with the security services of the British armed forces during the Second World War. After the war, he served with the International Police in Tangier and later was a Special Investigator for the United States Air Force in North Africa. He married Miriam in Tangier, and the couple relocated to Casablanca. They had two sons: Raphael and Mark. The family immigrated to Toronto in Mar. 1957, and for a number of years Sydney headed Dominion Furniture Ltd. He was a member of the board of the Canadian Jewish Congress - Central Region, president of the Association sépharade in Toronto, president of Magen David Sephardic Congregation, and one of the founders of the Canadian Sephardic Federation. He died on 18 Dec. 1979 and was buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, in North York.
Miriam (Mimi) Bendahan (née Corcos) was born on 25 Oct. 1923 in Mogador, French Morocco (present-day Essaouira, Morocco), the daughter of Albert and Oro (née Hamouth).
Use Conditions
Conditional Use. Researchers must receive permission from the donor prior to publication. Please contact the OJA for more information.
Descriptive Notes
Physical Description note: Contains 6 cm of textual records, 27 audio cassettes (ca. 24 hr., 34 min.), 1 photograph (b&w ; 8 x 12 cm), 1 family tree (60 x 90 cm), and 4.28 GB of electronic records.
Subjects
Sephardim
Jews, Moroccan
Name Access
Bendahan, Sydney, 1919-1979
Bendahan, Miriam, 1923-
Magen David Sephardic Congregation
Places
Morocco
Tangier (Morocco)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions