Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Personal series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 2; Series 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Personal series
Level
Series
Fonds
2
Series
1
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
[192-?]-1995
Physical Description
10 cm of textual records
43 photographs
2 postcards
Scope and Content
Series consists of records documenting Ben Dunkelman’s family/private life and such hobbies as yachting and travel. Included are photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, invitations, certificates, speeches, a travel diary, a passport, and a scrapbook. The series is made up of two sub-series: 1. David and Rose Dunkelman (including biographies of those in the Dunkelman family) and 2. Theodora Dunkelman (Ben Dunkelman’s sister).
Name Access
Dunkelman, David, 1883-1978 (subject)
Dunkelman, Rose, 1889-1949 (subject)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Zionist series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 2; Series 2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Zionist series
Level
Series
Fonds
2
Series
2
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Date
1927-1996
Physical Description
6 cm of textual records
2 photographs
4 postcards : b&w and col. ; 9 x 14 cm
Admin History/Bio
Dunkelman, like his parents, was an active Zionist throughout his life. As a young man from 1930-1931, he lived in Israel and later fought in the Arab-Israeli War. Following the war in 1948-49, he wrote articles, kept correspondence, encouraged investment, and gave speeches in support of Israel. He was also on the executive committee of Israel Speaks, an American publication, and was a member of the Zionist Organization of Canada (ZOC). In 1976, Dunkelman agreed to be the deputy president of the ZOC’s Charitable Fund.
Scope and Content
The series consists of records documenting Ben Dunkelman's Zionist activities. Included are legal papers, photographs, correspondence, articles and newspaper clippings.
Notes
Herb Mowat was a Canadian Zionist who maintained a correspondence with Dunkelman during the 1950s and 1960s. Dunkelman acquired some of his records.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Second World War series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 2; Series 4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Second World War series
Level
Series
Fonds
2
Series
4
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
cartographic material
Date
1942-1995
Physical Description
6 cm of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
During the Second World War, Dunkelman served as a major in the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. After enlisting in 1940, he became a platoon commander. Dunkelman took part in the second wave of D-Day landings in 1944 and later assisted in the final Allied assault on Germany, earning the Distinguished Service Order. He left the army in 1945 after the war had ended. The Queen's Own Rifles Association and the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science organized a reception in 1976 to honour the publication of Dunkelman's autobiography, Dual Allegiance.
Scope and Content
Series consists of records documenting Ben Dunkelman's involvement in the Second World War. Included are newspaper clippings, maps, photographs, and correspondence. Some files deal with Dunkelman's experiences during the war; others relate to Dunkelman's relationship with veterans after the war and, in one case, with his memories of the war. The files cover such subjects as The Queen's Own Rifles, Veterans, the liberation of The Netherlands, Aubrey Cosens (a soldier under Dunkelman’s command who was killed in battle but later honoured with the Victoria Cross), and the prosecution of Nazi war criminals.
Notes
Physical description: Includes 85 photographs, 1 album, and 10 maps.
Name Access
Cosens, Aubrey, 1921-1945 (subject)
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Related Material
See fonds 2, series 6 for more information on Dunkelman's involvement in the Second World War.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Arab-Israeli War series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 2; Series 5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Arab-Israeli War series
Level
Series
Fonds
2
Series
5
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
cartographic material
Date
1943-1991
Physical Description
15 cm of textual records
28 photographs
20 maps
Admin History/Bio
Dunkelman joined the Machal (foreign fighters for Israel) in 1948 at the onset of the First Arab-Israeli War and was active in helping the fledgling Israeli Army break out of Jerusalem and find a road to Tel Aviv. The Burma Road—named after a Second World War Burma supply route—was a makeshift route from Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv. Israeli soldiers, including Dunkelman, drove a convoy at night along a little-used route to reconnect the two cities. Later in the war, commanding the 7th Brigade, he captured Nazareth and northern Galilee. After Dunkelman had left the Israel Defense Forces in 1949 to seek work as a businessman, he kept in contact with the armed forces of Israel through such organizations as the Jewish War Veterans of Canada, the 7th Brigade Veterans Fund, American Veterans of Israel, the Association of Jewish War Veterans, and the Mahal Association.
Scope and Content
Series consists of reports, clippings, correspondence, photographs, and maps and documents recording Ben Dunkelman's involvement in the First Arab-Israeli War. The series branches into the following topics in this order: Machal; the 7th Brigade; Operation Hiram; Operation Dekel; the Burma Road; the Israel Defence Forces; a Profile of Ben Dunkelman; and Arab-Israeli War veterans.
Subjects
Israel-Arab War, 1948-1949
Physical Condition
Some records are fragile.
Related Material
See fonds 2, series 6 for more information on the war. Dunkelman wrote an autobiography, Dual Allegiance, based on his experiences in the First Arab-Israeli War and the Second World War.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Business series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 2; Series 3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Business series
Level
Series
Fonds
2
Series
3
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
architectural drawing
Date
1898, 1941-1988
Physical Description
56 photographs and other material
Admin History/Bio
Ben Dunkelman’s involvement in business was wide-ranging. He served as president of Tip Top Tailors after his father and as president of Cloverdale Shopping Centre. Along with his wife, Yael, he also opened the Dunkelman Gallery for modern art and Dunkelman's restaurant.
Scope and Content
Series consists of photographs, correspondence, pamphlets and papers documenting Benjamin Dunkelman’s business activities. The files are organized into three sub-series: Tip-Top Tailors, Constellation Hotel, and Dunkelman Gallery.
Notes
Physical description: Includes 6 cm of textual records, 5 architectural drawings, and 1 postcard.
Subjects
Business
Physical Condition
Most photographs are warped.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Dual Allegiance series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 2; Series 6
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Dual Allegiance series
Level
Series
Fonds
2
Series
6
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
cartographic material
Date
[194-?]-1997
Physical Description
30 cm of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
Ben Dunkelman published his memoirs with MacMillan of Canada in 1976 under the title Dual Allegiance. Although nearly thirty years had passed since his involvement in the Second World War and the First Arab-Israeli War, Dunkelman began researching his memoirs in the 1950s and an early version of the book, Israel Assignment, was finished in 1959. After further research, writing and correspondence with publishers, Dunkelman finally secured publication of the manuscript with MacMillan of Canada under the title Dual Allegiance, which was published in 1976. The response to Dual Allegiance after its publication in November came quickly. MacMillan collected many of the newspaper reviews and sent them to Dunkelman. Ben Dunkelman also wrote several different screenplays based on his autobiography. These range from plot summaries to a full-length screenplay submitted to Charles Greene which includes directions for camera shots.
Scope and Content
Series consists of correspondence, research notes, novel notes, manuscripts, reviews, film/TV scripts, clippings and publicity material related to Ben Dunkelman’s autobiography, Dual Allegiance, which was published by MacMillan in 1976. The series contains drafts of Israel Assignment. It also contains some correspondence, both between Dunkelman and MacMillan about the book, and from readers commenting on it. The series is organized into several general areas in the following order: research, manuscripts, publicity, correspondence and Film/TV scripts.
Notes
Physical description note: Includes 30 maps, 4 photographs, and 2 albums.
Subjects
Authors
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Speeches series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 2; Series 7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Speeches series
Level
Series
Fonds
2
Series
7
Material Format
textual record
Date
1960-1979
Physical Description
7 cm of textual records
Admin History/Bio
Throughout much of his adult life, Dunkelman wrote and gave speeches in support of Israel. Forums for these talks ranged from synagogues and temples to the Galt Kiwanis Club, the Hadassah-Wizo Organization of Toronto, military reunions, B'Nai Brith and the Detroit Book Fair at that city's Jewish Community Centre.
Scope and Content
Series consists of speeches delivered and written by Benjamin Dunkelman on subjects such as Canadian Jewry, Machal, Hadassah, Zionism, the Arab League and the Allon Plan. The series includes correspondence related to these speeches, along with notes and brochures.
Subjects
Speeches, addresses, etc
Source
Archival Descriptions