Accession Number

2022-3-12

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

13 cm of textual records

Date

1997-[ca. 2012]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the Ashkenaz Foundation. Included are memorandums of understanding between UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Ashkenaz Foundation (2004–2010), a copy of the original letters patent that was issued on 21 July 1997, brochures and flyers, and Ashkenaz records for the years 2004–2012.

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

Festivals

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

Ashkenaz Festival

Ashkenaz Foundation

Places

Canada

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2023-2-1

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

1 photograph : b&w ; 34 x 29 cm

Date

[19--]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material that belonged to the late Gilbert Seltzer. Included are handwritten copies of a Camp Yungvelt paper, the Whoosis, and a photograph of a Yiddish youth group, the Yiddisher Kunst-Tsenter (Yiddish/Jewish Art Centre). The Whoosis issues are undated, while the photograph is from 1929/30.

Custodial History

Richard Seltzer discovered the material after his father's death and donated it to the Ontario Jewish Archives.

Administrative History

Gilbert Seltzer was born on 11 October 1914 in Toronto, Ontario, to Julius Seltzer and Marion Seltzer (née Liss). Gilbert's parents were both Russian immigrants. Julius owned a knitting mill, and Marion was a homemaker. Julius was also an anarchist, and he and Marion had a cottage in the Workmen's Circle Colony in Pickering, Ontario. As a child, Gilbert attended Camp Yungvelt, a Yiddish summer camp for Jewish children. His son, Richard, would later recall that Gilbert "sang songs from there and vaguely spoke of the Whosis," the camp's publication.

Gilbert studied architecture at the University of Toronto, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1937. After graduating, he worked for an architectural firm in Manhattan. During the Second World War, he served with the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, a secret army unit that would become known as the Ghost Army. According to Gilbert's obituary in the New York Times, "The unit fooled German forces with inflatable tanks, dummy airplanes, fake radio transmissions and sound effects." In later years, Gilbert would serve as an ambassador for the unit's veterans.

After the war, Gilbert resumed work as an architect. His projects included the Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, New York; buildings at West Point and the US Merchant Marine Academy; and the East Coast Memorial in Battery Park, Lower Manhattan. He worked as an architect until January 2020.

Gilbert met his future spouse, Molly Gold (m. Seltzer), in New Jersey. The couple had two children together: Joan Seltzer and Richard Seltzer. Molly died in 1994, and Gilbert died on 14 August 2021. He was 106.

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

Architects

Camps

Portraits, Group

Name Access

Camp Yungvelt

Seltzer, Gilbert, 1914-2021

Places

Ontario

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

1997-11-3

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm

1 folder of textual records

Date

[ca. 1925]-1986

Scope and Content

Accession consists of one black-and-white photograph taken of a group of campers at Camp Kindervelt in Rouge Hill. Identified in the photograph is Rae Watson (standing at the far left).

Also included were several newspaper clippings from 1976–1986, which have been integrated into the clipping files.

Administrative History

Camp Kindervelt was a Labour Zionist League camp in Rough Hill, in the east end of Toronto in the Rouge Valley.

Subjects

Camps

Labor Zionism

Name Access

Camp Kindervelt

Shiner, Sol

Places

Toronto, Ont.

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

1997-4-2

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

50 photographs : b&w and col. (24 negatives)

Date

1916-1988

Scope and Content

Accession consists of photographs and newspaper clippings documenting the life of the Levine Family. Photographs include class pictures from Port Whitby's Brock School, Purim celebrations at Oshawa's Beth Zion Synagogue, Camp Ogama staff and camper photos, Camp Winnibagoe cabin photos and Royal Winter Fair prize winning photos.

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

Camp counselors

Camps

Farms

Farm tractors

Purim

Name Access

Camp Winnebagoe

Places

Oshawa (Ont.)

Whitby (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Accession Number

2007-12-2

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

90 cm of textual records

1000 photographs [approx.]

Date

1919-2007

Scope and Content

This accession consists of textual and graphic records documenting the programs and activities of Canadian Young Judaea. The records include newsletters and publications, photographs, anniversary books, and program books. There are also two compact discs containing scanned copies of the photographs from this accession.

Custodial History

These records were gathered together for an anniversary celebration held in November 2007. Most of the records were found in the basement of the office building on Marlee Avenue, before being donated to the archives.

Administrative History

Canadian Young Judaea was founded in 1909 as a Zionist movement for Canadian youth by members of the Herzl Zion Club. As a Zionist organization, Young Judaea continues to be committed to fostering a sense of Jewish identity and values in today's Jewish youth and to encouraging a lifelong commitment to Israel.

In order to foster a closer connection to Israel, Canadian Young Judaea employs educational Shlichim from Israel who are posted at various Jewish communities throughout Canada and offices at the national level. In Toronto, Young Judaea also operates several Zionist summer camps located in each region of Canada, and a summer leadership institute called Camp Biluim in Quebec. In addition to the social programme of the organization, Young Judaea also offers educational seminars and conferences.

Young Judaea's national structure includes a National Executive Board and an Administrative Council. Conventions are held regularly, as are regional conferences. In the past, Young Judaea operated as an associated, but distinct, organization from the Zionist Organization of Canada. However, Young Judaea operations were overseen by the ZOC executive, and Young Judaea received their budget from the ZOC Treasury. In addition, ZOC and Young Judaea worked in conjunction with one another on many projects and programmes, such as with the operation of the Zionist camps. They were therefore dependent on ZOC.

Subjects

Camps

Youth

Zionism

Name Access

Canadian Young Judaea

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2009-11-4

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

2 photographs : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm and 9 X7 cm

1 matchbook

Date

1928-2009

Scope and Content

Accession consists of mementos, family documents and clippings from Nancy Draper (née Frankel). The records include a birth announcement card for Nancy in 1928 and a matchbook party favour from her wedding to Darrell Draper in 1949. There is also a scholarship application letter from the donor's granddaughter, Haley Draper, to UJA. Other records include a staff list from Camp Wabi-Kon in 1946; a Globe and Mail obituary of Dr. Martin Wolfish, a past volunteer of OJA; a photograph of David Steinhauer; a clipping about an Inuit sculpture inspired by the experience of Holocaust survivor Leon Kahn; and three eulogies for Patricia Drevnig Goldstein (1940-2005) (née Jacobs). Patricia was the granddaughter of Rabbi Solomon Jacobs of Holy Blossom, and her mother, Edna, was a Frankel. Finally, the accession includes a photocopy of a photograph of members of the Siglen family of Meaford with Maurice Frankel, the great-uncle of the donor, and Irwin Rosen, ca. 1928.

Administrative History

Nancy Frankel (b. 1928) is the daughter of Carl and Dorothy Jacobs Frankel, past prominent members of the Toronto Jewish community and members of Holy Blossom Temple. Nancy attended Camp Wabi-Kon, a Jewish camp in northern Ontario near Temagami, and then worked there as a teenager. She married Darrell Draper on December 10th, 1949. Nancy is a longtime volunteer at the OJA.

Subjects

Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)

Camps

Families

Letters

Obituaries

Name Access

Draper, Nancy

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2013-12-4

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

moving images

Physical Description

11.1 m of textual records and other material

Date

[ca. 2000]-[ca. 2010]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to the operations of the CJC Ontario Region. Included are records related to the activities of the Community Relations Committee, reports, correspondence, political affairs records, communications, meeting minutes and agendas, photographs, and moving images of various events.

Descriptive Notes

Physical description note: Includes graphic material and audio-visual records

Subjects

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2014-1-15

Material Format

textual record

moving images

sound recording

Physical Description

ca. 3 m of textual records

ca. 20 video cassettes

ca. 5 audio cassettes

Date

[ca. 1970]-[ca. 2010]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of textual records, and audio-visual material documenting the operations of Hillel and its predecessor organization, the Jewish Students Federation.

Subjects

Education

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

Hillel of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto, Ont.

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2014-8-10

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

5 cm of textual records

Date

1988-2014

Scope and Content

Accession consists of textual records documenting Cyrel Troster's Jewish communal involvement, particularly with cultural planning for UJA Federation. Included are event inviations, program books, brochures, a postcard, meeting minutes, reports, and flyers. Records relate to the following agencies and projects: UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, the Tomorrow Campaign, Anshei Minsk Synagogue, Holy Blossom Temple, Shareeh Haim Synagogue, the Jewish Museum in Toronto, reports on Jewish education in Toronto, the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, the Holocaust Centre of Toronto, and the Koffler Centre. Of note is a copy of a study commissioned by UJA Federation for Frank Gehry, who was originally approached to design the Koffler Gallery.

Subjects

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

Troster, Cyrel

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2014-10-1

Material Format

multiple media

Physical Description

10 cm textual records

ca. 70 photographs: b&w and col. ; 10 cm x 15 cm or smaller

1 scrapbook

Date

1963-2013

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting the activities of "Council '63", a branch of the Toronto Section of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada (NCJWC). Types of records include a photograph album, a scrapbook, correspondence, souvenirs, meeting minutes, membership lists, program materials and budgets.

Administrative History

The "Council '63" Branch of the Toronto Section of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada (NCJWC) was formed in 1963. Currently consisting of 20 members, the group was initially spearheaded by Barbara Norwich (d. 2011), and they met regularly in homes in the Cedarvale area. The group primarily did volunteer work, although it later evolved into a study group and book club.

Subjects

Women

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

National Council of Jewish Women (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2014-10-3

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

40 cm textual records

ca. 50 photographs

Date

1940-2012

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records of Canadian Young Judaea. Records include correspondence, camp committee meeting minutes, camp committee and staff lists, the CYJ constitution, organizational newsletters, donation lists, flyers and camp reunion ephemera. Records also include clippings and reproductions from the Zionist Archives, and Camp Solelim photographs, as well as publications from other Jewish organizations.

Administrative History

Canadian Young Judaea was founded in 1909 as a Zionist movement for Canadian youth by members of the Herzl Zion Club. As a Zionist organization, Young Judaea continues to be committed to fostering a sense of Jewish identity and values in today's Jewish youth and to encouraging a lifelong commitment to Israel. In order to foster a closer connection to Israel, Canadian Young Judaea employs educational Shlichim from Israel who are posted to various Jewish communities throughout Canada and to offices at the national level in Toronto Young Judaea also operates several Zionist summer camps located in each region of Canada, and a summer leadership institute called Camp Biluim in Quebec. In addition to the social programme of the organization, Young Judaea also offers educational seminars and conferences.

Use Conditions

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.

Descriptive Notes

Access restriction note: Files contain personal information of donors, campers, committee members and applicants for subsidies.

Subjects

Camps

Youth

Zionism

Name Access

Canadian Young Judaea

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2015-2-1

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

45 cm of textual records

Date

2006-2011

Scope and Content

Accession consists of Executive Committee and Board of Director packages distributed to members prior to meetings. Included in the packages are previous meeting minutes, agendas, and ancillary reports. The Executive Committee packages are from 2006-2008 and 2010-2011 and the Board of Director packages are from 2006-2008.

Use Conditions

UJA Federation meeting minutes and general correspondence are closed for 10 years from date of creation. Contracts and donor agreements are permanently closed.

Subjects

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto, Ont.

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2015-1-6

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

11 m of textual records

Date

[195-]-2012

Scope and Content

Accession consists of United Restitution Organization (URO), Toronto Office case files for the following funds: Hardship Fund; Hardship Fund, Pre-1965 Austrian; German Social Security (EB); German Social Security (DE); Article 2 Fund; Ghetto Lodz; and the immidiate post-Second World War Wiedergutmachung reparations. There is also a small amount of general operational files.

Custodial History

These records were left in the URO office following the departure of the URO staff person. They were boxed and moved by archives staff.

Administrative History

In Canada, the United Restitution Organization (URO) was founded in 1953 under the aegis of the Canadian Jewish Congress. The funds advanced by the Claims Conference were administered by the CJC which also gave support by providing the URO with office space and clerical staff. Offices were set up in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The Winnipeg and Vancouver offices closed in the 1970s and the Montreal office remained open until 2002, after which time the active cases were sent to the Toronto office. The Toronto office officially closed on April 1, 2007. There was one case worker, however, who contintued to tend to any active claims that were left. Her position was transfered to Jewish Family and Child in 2013. The URO dealt with a variety of different types of claims. The first and largest were the BEG cases (Bundesentschaedigungsgesetz), which translates as Federal Indemnification Law for the Compensation of Victims of National Socialist Persecution. This program provided compensation for individuals persecuted for political, racial, religious, or ideological reasons who suffered long-term damage to their health, imprisonment, death of family members, loss of property, reduced income, or reduced professional advancement. The other two major programs or cases covered by the URO were the Hardship Fund and Article 2. The Hardship Fund was established during the 1960s and was open to Jews who emigrated from the former Soviet Union who were not eligible for compensation under the BEG program. The Article 2 program, in turn, arose during the 1990s, after the unification of the German government. It is still operating today and is open to Jewish victims of Nazi persecution who met a certain critiera, and those who are eligible, are provided with a pension paid out in installments every three months each year.

Use Conditions

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing the records.

Subjects

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

United Restitution Organization (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2015-8-7

Material Format

multiple media

Physical Description

ca. 70 cm of textual records and other material

Date

1928-2013

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the activities of Ben Zion Shapiro and his family. The bulk of the records document the Shapiro family's involvement in Young Judaea. The Young Judaea material includes: yearbooks, photographs, correspondence, meeting minutes, event programmes, song books, newsletters, and two Camp Biluim flags made by Bunny Shapiro. One flag contains Camp Biluim's crest (1951) and the other one was created for Camp Biluim's colour war and contains the text "We will try and we will succeed Camp Biluim" (1954?). Also included is a VHS tape containing a copy of the Toronto Zionist Council's video about Camp Shalom (1991?). Of note are minute books maintained by Roy Shapiro for the Toronto Young Judaea Administrative Board (1928-1934) and for the Leadership Club (1940-1948).

Accession also contains material relating to Roy and Ben Zion's involvement with the following organizations: the Coordinated Services to the Jewish Elderly (Circle of Care), B'nai Israel Beth David Congregation, Beth Tzedec's Mispacha Program, Beth Tzedec's Israel Action Program, Congregation Beth Haminyan, and Holy Blossom Temple's Department for Jewish Living. These records include, minutes, correspondence, newsletters and publications, evaluation reports and other reports. Also included is a demographic report entitied "Rapid Growth and Transformation: Demographic Challenges Facing the Jewish Community of Greater Toronto" (1995), material from a conference at the University of Toronto on the university's partnership with Israel, CHAT alumni directories, and a CHAT book entitled, "Voices: Jewish Teens of the 90's". Of note are buttons, photographs, reports and correspondence documenting Bunny and Ben Zion's trip to the Soviet Union on behalf of the CJC's Committee for Soviet Jewry.

Finally accession includes material documenting family activities of the Shapiro and Sherman family. Included is a transcript of Bessie Sherman telling her life story (1978), haggadot, PowerPoint presentations created by Ben Zion for his grandchildren and for a family reunion outlining the family history of his family and Bunny's family. There is also a video of Ben Zion presenting his PowerPoint at the Michalski / Cohen family reunion. Also included are family films and videos containing footage of Bunny and Ben Zion's wedding and honeymoon, Camp Biluim, Young Judaea events, Bunny on Machon, family wedding anniversaries and birthday parties, trips to Israel, the United States, and Europe as well as footage of the Cousin's Club. Also included is a VHS tape containing a recorded segment from CityPulse News featuring the family's Pesach festivities in 1995.

Photo identification: Back row, left to right: Ray Markus, Michelle Landsberg, Menachem ?, Frank Narrol. Front row, left to right: Gilda Mitchell, Bunny Shapiro, BenZion Shapiro, Malka Rabinowitz.

Administrative History

Ben Zion Shapiro was born in Toronto in 1931 to Roy Shapiro and Beck Shapiro (née Cohen). He has a younger brother, Morden "Mort" Shapiro (b. 1940). His father worked as an office manager at Rotstein Furniture and Maple Leaf Cleaners, and his mother worked as a legal secretary until marriage. Roy was active in a number of organizations including: Young Judaea, Sons of Jacob Society, Toronto Camera Club, a founding member of Beth David Synagogue, Coordinated Services to the Jewish Elderly (Circle of Care) and president of the Association of Jewish Seniors. Beck was active in Young Judaea and Pioneer Women (president of the Golda Meir Club).

Ben Zion received a master of social work degree from the University of Toronto and attended the Jewish Agency Institute for Youth Leaders from Abroad in Jerusalem (1951-1952). He has worked for a number of organizations throughout his career, including: Young Judaea (he was director of both Camp Shalom [1962-1969] and Camp Biluim [1954-1956]), B'nai Brith Youth Organization, University Settlement, St. Christopher's House and director of the Novomeysky Centre in Jerusalem (1957-1961). He was also professor and associate dean of social work at the University of Toronto and three times visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Ben married Bunny "Bernice" Shaprio in 1955. Bunny was born in 1934 in Noranda, Quebec to Irving Sherman and Bessie (née Consky). Bunny attended public school in Noranda, Noranda High School and Forest Hill Collegiate in Toronto, University of Toronto (BA), the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (M.Ed. in special education), and the Jewish Agency Institute for Jewish Leaders from Abroad (1952-1953).

Bunny graduated from the first Camp Biluim Institute for leadership training in 1951 and worked with Ben Zion at Camp Shalom as Camp Mother in 1962 and from 1964-1969. She also worked at Camp Biluim from 1955-1956. In 1983, Bunny and Ben Zion went to the Soviet Union to visit refuseniks on behalf of the Soviet Jewry Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region.

Bunny and Ben have two children: Ayala and Ilan. Since Ben Zion's retirement in 1996, he and Bunny have been living in Jerusalem for half of each year. In 2015, they moved full-time to Jerusalem.

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Descriptive Notes

Physical description note: includes ca. 300 photographs (256 tiff), 2 PowerPoint presentations, 1 textual record (doc), 4 buttons, 2 flags, 5 VHS tapes, and 18 film reels (8 mm).

Subjects

Camps

Youth

Zionism

Name Access

Shapiro, Ben Zion, 1931-

Source

Archival Accessions

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Accession Number

2015-12-7

Material Format

multiple media

Physical Description

ca. 10 cm of textual records and other material

Date

1986, 1991-2015

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the personal and professional activities of Janice Benatar. Personal records include a family tree, speeches Janice delivered at the Lipa Lippers Toastmaster's Group meetings, a Sephardic cookbook, immigration papers, and a Sharon School Reunion invitation for alumni living in Toronto. Also included are photographs of Janice with her family, performing in a ballet production with the Academy of Ballet and Jazz, with her newborn son, at her son's bar mitzvah at Chabad Flamingo, and with the keys to her first home in Thornhill. Also identified in photographs are: Elan Levitan, Viviane Benatar, Michael Benatar, Claudia Benatar, Rachel Pasternak, and Samuel Pasternak.

Also included are speeches, invitations, event programs, and video recordings of Book Of Life events as well as a bookmark that was designed by artist Enya Keshet for Book of Life honourees. Finally, accession also includes Professional Advisory Committee meeting minutes (2009-2015) and breakfast seminar presentations (2014-2015).

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Descriptive Notes

Physical description note: includes 7 photographs, 4 DVDs, 200 KB of textual records, and 1 bookmark.

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Nonprofit organizations

Philanthropy and fundraising

Women

Name Access

Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2017-7-1

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

ca. 10 m of textual records and graphic material

Date

1973-2017

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to the operation of Reena including executive materials, committee records, general correspondence, policy documents, promotional materials and photographs.

Administrative History

Reena was established in 1973 by a small group of parents of children with developmental disabilities as a practical alternative to institutions. In 1977 Reena began to receive funding from the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services. Reena is also funded by the community through the Reena Foundation and by the United Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto. Reena today provides programs and support to close to 1,000 persons in a variety of residential locations. The Toby and Henry Battle Developmental Centre was opened in 1999 for day and evening programs for children and adults with a developmental disability. Located in Vaughan, this unique building features a wellness and health centre, sports centre, creative arts workshop, computer lab, greenhouse and library, all with activities tailored to the individual skills and interests of its members. The Battle Centre is also the site of Reena’s administrative offices. Recognising the increasing needs of individuals with developmental disabilities as they age, Reena opened its first home dedicated to seniors in 2000, followed by another such home in 2007. An innovative new housing alternative, the Reena Community Residence, was officially opened in September 2012 in the heart of the Lebovic Jewish Community Campus in Vaughan. It provides apartments for 84 adults with developmental, cognitive, physical or mental health needs. Designed as an Intentional Community for individuals with special needs, the residents will be truly integrated into the community as they access all the facilities and programs the campus has to offer.

(from http://www/about/history-Reena/ accessed 27 July 2017)

Use Conditions

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Subjects

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

Reena (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-7-20

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

120 cm of textual records (4 boxes)

Date

1987-2011

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material involving Shoel Silver's involvement with various Jewish organizations including B'nai Brith Canada (BBC), the Canada-Israel Committee (CIC), the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), UJA Federation of Greater Toronto (UJA), and the United Israel Appeal (UIA). Included are meeting minutes, reports, memoranda, correspondence, budgets, discussion documents, resource material, newspaper clippings, photocopies of newspaper articles, briefing papers, resolutions.

Custodial History

Records remained in the custody of Shoel Silver until 27 July 2018 when the OJA acquired the records from the former.

Administrative History

Shoel Silver is a Toronto businessman. He formerly co-chaired the Unity of the Jewish People Committee with Natan Sharansky. Prior to that, he was the scholar in residence for the first Federation Shabbaton.

Use Conditions

Accession is closed for 25 years from date of donation.

Subjects

Israel

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

B'nai Brith Canada

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

Jewish Agency for Israel

Silver, Shoel

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

United Israel Appeal

Places

Canada

Israel

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-9-1

Material Format

textual record (electronic)

graphic material (electronic)

moving images (electronic)

Physical Description

ca. 2.26 GB of textual records and other material

Date

2007-2018

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Kulanu Toronto. Included are: meeting minutes, budgets, photographs, videos, Pride materials, and a copy of the letters patent incorporating Kulanu Toronto.

Custodial History

Former executive director Justine Apple kept the records on a USB flash drive. In September 2018, she transferred copies of the records to a computer belonging to the Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre.

Administrative History

Kulanu Toronto was founded in 2000. It incorporated as a not-for-profit in 2014. Following its dissolution in 2018, some of its functions were taken over by the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre LGBTQ Initiative.

Use Conditions

Conditional Access. Researchers must receive permission from the donor prior to accessing the records. Please contact the OJA for more information.

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

Subjects

Gay pride parades

Nonprofit organizations

Sexual minorities

Name Access

Kulanu Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-9-3

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

moving images

Physical Description

ca. 30 cm of textual records and graphic material

2 optical discs

1 scrapbook : 62 x 47 cm

1 videocassette

Date

1975-2018

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Alvin Abram, the Jewish National Fund of Toronto (JNF Toronto), and the Leonard Mayzel Ontario Lodge (LMOL).

LMOL records include certificates (1975-1977); issues of the Observer (1978-1979), Planet Observer (2016-2018), and the Bulletin (2017-2018); a VHS tape made on the occasion of the lodge's fiftieth anniversary (1998); a DVD made on the occasion of the lodge's sixtieth anniversary (2008); and a scrapbook commemorating the lodge's community volunteer services (1977-1978).

JNF records include annual reports for the years 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008; copies of the Roots newsletter for the years 2000-2008; and Negev Dinner tribute books for the years 2003, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015.

Other records include a Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue Yakir Hakahal gala tribute dinner book honouring Sir Nicholas Winton (2010), a Temple Har Zion gala dinner book honouring Rabbi Michael S. Stroh (2005), a Wiesenthal Award book honouring Judy Feld Carr (2002), and a DVD-R with 34 photographs (jpg) taken at an Unto Every Person There is a Name event on 5 May 2016 that was attended by Andi Reti, Councillor James Pasternak, and Daniel G. Lovell.

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

Authors

Clubs

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

Abram, Alvin

Jewish National Fund of Toronto

Leonard Mayzel Ontario Lodge

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Accession Number

2019-3-8

Material Format

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

21.1 MB of textual records

Date

2016-2019

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Kulanu Toronto. Included are minutes, agendas, information on upcoming events, posters, and instructions for volunteers.

Custodial History

Former executive director Sheri Krell emailed records in electronic format to an OJA archivist in March 2019.

Administrative History

Kulanu Toronto was founded in 2000. It incorporated as a not-for-profit in 2014. Following its dissolution in 2018, some of its functions were taken over by the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre LGBTQ Initiative.

Subjects

Nonprofit organizations

Sexual minorities

Name Access

Kulanu Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Level

Item

Item

3965

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1927

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm

Admin History/Bio

Founded in the 1920s, Camp Yungvelt was originally situated on Lake Wilcox. It later moved to Pickering, where it operated until it closed in the 1950s. It was established by the Workmen's Circle, as a Yiddish summer camp for Jewish children. Camp Yungvelt was known for accepting the children of poor immigrants for a small fraction of the regular fee.

Scope and Content

This item is an original postcard that features an image of a clean-up day at Camp Yungvelt in Pickering, Ontario. The image depicts a row of tents being inspected by two young girls. There is Yiddish type on the postcard which reads: the cleaning committee controlling the cleanliness of the sleeping quarters and beds in Arbeiter Ring Camp Yungvelt.

Name Access

Camp Yungvelt

Subjects

Camps

Postcards

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

Pickering (Ont.)

Accession Number

1986-4-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

3966

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1928

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm

Admin History/Bio

Founded in the 1920s, Camp Yungvelt was originally situated on Lake Wilcox. It later moved to Pickering, where it operated until it closed in the 1950s. It was established by the Workmen's Circle, as a Yiddish summer camp for Jewish children. Camp Yungvelt was known for accepting the children of poor immigrants for a small fraction of the regular fee.

Scope and Content

This item is an original postcard that features an image of the children's bungalow at Camp Yungvelt in Pickering, Ontario. The image depicts a few children standing on the front porch. There is Yiddish type on the postcard that reads: a bungalow for small children in the Arbeiter Ring Camp Yungvelt.

Name Access

Camp Yungvelt

Subjects

Camps

Postcards

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

Pickering (Ont.)

Accession Number

1986-4-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

3967

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1929

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm

Admin History/Bio

Founded in the 1920s, Camp Yungvelt was originally situated on Lake Wilcox. It later moved to Pickering, where it operated until it closed in the 1950s. It was established by the Workmen's Circle, as a Yiddish summer camp for Jewish children. Camp Yungvelt was known for accepting the children of poor immigrants for a small fraction of the regular fee.

Scope and Content

This item is an original postcard that features an image of the swimming area in Duffins Creek at Camp Yungvelt in Pickering, Ontario. The image depicts a large group gathered on the shore of the creek as well as several swimmers in the water and standing on the docks. There is Yiddish type on the postcard which reads: the swimming pool in the Arbeiter Ring Camp Yungvelt where the children bathe.

Name Access

Camp Yungvelt

Subjects

Camps

Postcards

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

Pickering (Ont.)

Accession Number

1986-4-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

David Vanek fonds

Personal records series

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

1

Series

1

File

9

Item

1

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1928

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm

Admin History/Bio

Ida Olidart was a second cousin of Vanek's mother. She was a member of the Winer family of Buffalo, New York and was married to Ben Olidart, who was a physician.

Scope and Content

Item consists of a photograph of Ida Olidart in front of a sign at "Cedarholm Camp Athletic and Picnic Grounds", which was located on Lake Wilcox.

Subjects

Camps

Repro Restriction

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

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

9

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

1925-1989

Physical Description

31.8 m of textual records

319 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

The Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada was established in 1920 by the newly-formed Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC). A Toronto branch was established in a storefront office on Spadina Avenue, but the organization was rudimentary. As the enthusiasm that spurred the founding of CJC died out, JIAS soon faltered. Then in 1922 it was taken over and reactivated under the cooperative support of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto, B'nai B'rith, and the Council of Jewish Women. JIAS was legally incorporated on 30 August 1922. It also operated under the moniker of the Emergency Jewish Immigrant Aid Committee, and it changed its name to Jewish Immigrant Aid Services in 1954.

Charged with organizing emergency relief for European Jews in distress, JIAS became the central agency of the Jewish community to facilitate the lawful entry of Jewish immigrants into Canada, and provided them with welfare services, transportation, and assistance with accommodation and employment after their arrival. In addition, JIAS offered consultation services for sponsors of potential immigrants, ran a competitive foreign remittance service, and campaigned to counter the activities of unscrupulous steamboat agents, lawyers, and influence peddlers, or “shtadlanim,” who often victimized immigrants and sponsors alike.

In conjunction with similar efforts by the CJC, JIAS was also actively engaged in negotiating for the increased admission of Jewish immigrants to Canada. In 1923, the federal government instituted a permit-based immigration program and JIAS competed with travel agents and solicitors in the private sector for these limited quota permits. After combating the anti-immigration policies of the Depression era, the outbreak of war in 1939 virtually closed the already limited avenues for immigration.

JIAS Canada was organized into a national office in Montreal and regional offices in Winnipeg (Western Region), Toronto (Central Region), and Halifax (Eastern Region). The Central Region covered Ontario, and established a full-time head office in 1935 at 399 Spadina Avenue in Toronto (hence the Central Region was sometimes called simply the Toronto Office). The office later moved to 265 Spadina Avenue. JIAS Toronto’s board of directors met on a regular basis at different locations in Toronto, including 206 Beverley Street and in the Talmud Torah building at 9 Brunswick Avenue. The first JIAS Toronto board included notable Toronto residents such as Henry Dworkin, Mrs. Draiman, Mr. Kronick, Dr. Brodey and Mrs. Willinsky. The role of the board was to oversee the operations of the Central Region. It rendered decisions on issues relating to finances, procedures and policies, negotiations with the federal Immigration Branch, as well as individual cases that required their attention.

General meetings of the Central Region membership were held annually. The 1943 JIAS constitution states that regional annual meetings were to be held for “receiving and considering reports,” holding nominations and elections for the executive, and discussing JIAS’s program and policies.

In the post-war era, JIAS shifted its focus to renewed efforts on behalf of individual claimants and community support, while the focus for lobbying for a reversal of Canada's immigration policy fell increasingly under the jurisdiction of the CJC. A boom in immigration between 1947 and 1952 saw the arrival of large numbers of Jewish immigrants to all parts of Canada and the Toronto Office of JIAS renewed its efforts to meet the needs of this new influx. Major world events also sparked other waves of immigration from Hungary, Czechoslovakia, North Africa, and Russia, to which JIAS responded in turn. JIAS worked in conjunction with other immigrant aid societies such as HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, in the United States, to facilitate immigration to the United States, and later to Israel, where many of the immigrants and refugees coming to Canada had family and ultimately settled.

Custodial History

Custody of these records was transferred to the Ontario Jewish Archives by JIAS in 1983, as preparations were under way for the move to a new facility in North York. Much of the material was in four-cubic-foot boxes and in file cabinets.

The accession was divided into three sections: files which were at the JIAS office and had been retained in their original order; files which had been retrieved from a flood in the basement of 152 Beverley St. and consequently had been thrown into dry boxes without regard to order; files discovered in the furnace rooms at 150 and 152 Beverley St., intact but covered in coal dust. The bulk of the records were stored off-site, with dirty files being isolated from the rest.

The dust-covered materials were cleaned at an off-site location, placed in temporary boxes and transferred to the Archives and restored, as far as was possible, to their original order.

Clips were removed and replaced as appropriate with archivally acceptable ones. All materials were transferred to acid-free folders and boxes.

Scope and Content

Fonds contains the records of the Toronto Office (Central region) of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada. The fonds consists primarily of textual records: minutes, correspondence, financial records, reports, immigration files, naturalization case files, social service case files and the records of attempts to trace missing individuals. There are also photographs of special events, speakers and arriving immigrants.

The fonds represents an important resource for the study of Canadian Jewry, especially when taken in conjunction with the JIAS National Office records at the Canadian Jewish Congress National Archives in Montreal, and those of the Western Office at the Library and Archives of Canada. It documents the means by which a particular Canadian ethnic community has dealt with the problems of rescue, settlement and government relations. These records also offer insight into the relationship between the Toronto Office and the other branches of JIAS, and invite comparison with similar agencies in the United States, as well as those of other ethnic groups in Canada.

The material collected includes information about the countries of origin, transportation routes, settlement and employment patterns of Jewish immigrants to Canada in the twentieth century. The documents also touch upon important related issues such as advocacy, sponsorship, admission processes, health and social problems.

These records cover several waves of immigration following the Second World War: Holocaust survivors in the late 1940s, Sephardic (North African) and Hungarian Jews in the 1950s, Russian and Czechoslovakian Jews in the 1960s, and additional Russians in the 1970s.

The records also contain significant information for those researchers looking to conduct genealogical research into Jewish immigrants and their descendents.

The fonds has been arranged with one sous-fonds, which contains the records of the National JIAS office in Montreal. In total there are 17 series. The Toronto office (main fonds) series are: 1. Board of Directors and Executive Committee Minutes; 2. Annual meeting proceedings; 3. Reports; 4. Legal ; 5. Administration; 6. JIAS Committees; 7. External committees; 8. Financial ; 9. Arrivals; 10. Immigration case files; 11. Social service assistance case files; 12. Photographs; 13. Miscellaneous. The National Office sous-fonds is divided into the following series: 1. National executive meeting minutes; 2. National annual meeting proceedings; 3. National annual reports; 4. Publications; and Photographs.

Notes

Physical description note: Physical extent is based on fully processed records. Additional accessions are not included (see Related Material note below).

Associated material note: The CJC National Archive, in Montreal, has additional JIAS records from 1920-1989 including 275 m of textual records and graphic materials (3250 photos): collection number I0037; alpha-numeric designation MA 4. The National Archives of Canada, Manitoba branch, in Winnipeg, has Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada JIAS textual records from 1923-1950 on 18 microfilm reels: Former archival reference number MG28-V114 (no replacement listed). The originals of these records are maintained by the Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada.

Name Access

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.

Related Material

Other OJA records relating to JIAS may be found in the following accessions: 1979-9-5; 1988-5-2; 1991-10-5; 2006-3-11.

Creator

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto

Accession Number

1983-8-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

Level

Sous-fonds

Fonds

9-1

Material Format

textual record

Date

1926-1982

Physical Description

51 cm of textual records

14 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

The Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada was organized into a national office in Montreal and regional offices in Winnipeg (Western Region), Toronto (Central Region) and Halifax (Eastern Region). The national office was responsible for directing and managing all the affairs of the organization, including defining national and international policy; administration of regional offices; national budget; fundraising; external relations with other organizations, such as the United Jewish Relief Agencies (UJRA) and Jewish Family & Child Services (JF&CS); and publicity. It also organized the annual meeting, special events and conventions.

Membership in JIAS was open to individuals, organizations or companies who paid an annual fee. General meetings of the membership were held at least once every two years, where reports were presented and considered, nominations and elections held for national officers and the national executive committee, policies, programs and problems discussed, and decisions taken.

The National Executive Committee of JIAS was composed of the following members: national president; three vice-presidents (the presidents of the Western, Central and Eastern regions), with the addition in the 1950s of a vice-president at large; three regional treasurers, eventually reduced to one national treasurer; secretary; and twelve members comprising four representatives from each region. In 1929 the ‘executive secretary’ position was renamed ‘executive director.’ According to the 1943 constitution, the executive was required to hold meetings at least three times a year, in alternate cities. In 1954 this was amended to twice a year.

During the early stages of JIAS's operations, it had to face the difficulty of being overstretched financially, as it sought to respond to and to change the often oppressive living conditions of new immigrants and the situation of those held in federal detention centres. The organization’s principled approach to immigrant welfare won JIAS much of its early success, as it became the preferred contact for government officials who had formerly dealt with numerous independent agencies, many of which had profited from the exploitation of desperate immigrants. This situation also profited the government, however, as the responsibility for establishing the priority of applications reverted increasingly to JIAS as it had to limit its appeals by the quotas imposed by the federal government.

JIAS was one of the founding organizations responsible for the establishment of the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) in 1978, which has since operated as a non-profit umbrella organization to coordinate the efforts of immigrant and refugee advocacy groups. JIAS continues to operate offices across Canada in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton, London, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor and Winnipeg. The JIAS National Office moved from Montreal to Toronto in 1989, with the appointment of Susan Davis to National Director, and is now located at 4580 Dufferin St., Suite 306, Toronto, Ontario.

Scope and Content

Sous-fonds consists of National Office records retained by the Toronto JIAS office as reference copies. Records include meeting minutes, speeches and reports from annual meetings, and the published annual reports produced from the annual meetings. The sous-fonds covers the years 1926 to 1982 and is divided into the following series: 1. National Executive meeting minutes; 2. National annual meeting proceedings; 3. National annual reports; 4. Publications; and 5. Photographs.

Name Access

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada (creator)

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

79

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1933-2011

Physical Description

ca. 4.8 m of texutal records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Jewish Family & Child was established in 1943 from the amalgamation of a variety of different social agencies formed as early as 1868. These included the Ladies Benevolent Fund, the Free Burial Society, Jewish Family Welfare Bureau, Jewish Children’s Bureau, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and the Ladies Maternal Aid Society. Much of its funding and support after its inception came from the United Jewish Welfare Fund.

The first executive director of the agency was Dora Wilensky. She was a trained social worker who served for twenty-eight years, until her untimely death from cancer in 1959. Jerome Diamond took over in 1960 and Gordon Wolfe succeeded him in 1981. Ron Levin briefly replaced Wolfe after his retirement in 2003, and was succeeded in 2006 by Dr. Richard Cummings who then retired in 2015. As of 2017, Brian Prousky is the organization’s current executive director.

During the early years, fees were established, but the agency never refused to assist clients because of their inability to pay. JF&CS became one of the first agencies to rely on trained social workers. It was also the first social agency in Canada to become unionized.

Over the years the agency’s role has changed and it has expanded significantly, in terms of its staff and services. After the Second World War it played a pivotal role supporting the Holocaust orphans who came to Canada as refugees, particularly in the area of locating foster parents for these children. By 1957, the agency hired its first counsellor and became a member of the United Community Fund of Greater Toronto. The year 1968 marked the start of JF&CS’ new program involving the use of a mobile treatment centre to reach out to Jewish street kids and in 1974 they established the Jerome D. Diamond Adolescent Centre.

In 1981, JF&CS was mandated by the Province of Ontario as a Jewish children’s aid society responsible for the care and protection of all Jewish youth in the GTA. In 1983 they established the Just-A-Second Shop at 3101 Bathurst Street, which took in used goods from the community to pass on to needy families. Two years later they established the Henry G. Goodman Home for developmentally challenged children on Wilmington Avenue. The following year marked the opening of the Elm Ridge Group Living Residence for elderly people. In 1988, they opened a special shelter for abused women and children, and in 1994, they introduced their Homework Club for kids.

The current mission of Jewish Family & Child is to support the healthy development of individuals, children, families, and communities through prevention, protection, counselling, education, and advocacy services, within the context of Jewish values. Their services include counselling, rehabilitation and support, foster care, family services, and community services. These services are offered in a host of different languages including Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, French, and English.

JF&CS is an independent organization that receives its funding from a variety of different sources such as UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, United Way Toronto and York Region, the Government of Ontario, and individual donations.

As of 2017, JF&CS has nearly 130 staff providing more than thirty community services with a budget of almost $20 million. Their main office is located in the Lipa Green Centre for Community Services at 4600 Bathurst Street. They also maintain offices and run services out of their downtown branch at 35 Madison Avenue, their York Region branch inside UJA’s 1 Open Door at the Lebovic JCC, and their Jerome D. Diamond Adolescent Centre in midtown Toronto.

Name Access

Jewish Family and Child

Wilensky, Dora, 1902-1959

Wolfe, Gordon

Diamond, Jerome D.

Subjects

Charities

Children

Families

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the records.

Related Material

See also: Jewish Child Welfare Association fonds (fonds 86); Jewish Family Welfare Bureau fonds (fonds 87); Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto fonds (fonds 66); and, United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds (fonds 67).

Creator

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2004-5-101

2004-1-8

2002-10-38

2006-6-7 (Shelf 03-6,Orphan index cards)

2009-12-9

2010-4-1 (Shelf 34-1)

2010-10-5

2015-8/11

2015-9/1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Family Welfare Bureau fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

87

Material Format

textual record

architectural drawing

Date

1928-1943

Physical Description

67 cm of textual records

1 architectural drawing

Admin History/Bio

Sometime around 1919, the Family Welfare Committee was set up within the newly created Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto (FJPT) to perform social welfare work with Jewish families. Around 1931, the Committee was reorganized as an independent member agency of the FJPT and renamed the Jewish Family Welfare Bureau (JFWB). At the same time, Dora Wilensky (1902-1959), a professionally-trained social worker, was hired as the agency’s executive director. Throughout its existence, most of its funding came from the FJPT (later the United Jewish Welfare Fund).

Located at 179 Beverley Street, the JFWB’s core activities included: relief provision; helping families meet basic needs, such as medical care, heating and clothing; housekeeping assistance; counseling; and case work. The JFWB’s major concerns shifted over time from a rise of immigration and desertion cases in the 1920s to the dramatic increase of wife abuse, suicide, and unemployment cases during the Great Depression of the 1930s. After the outbreak of the Second World War, the JFWB sought ways of assisting soldiers and their families, such as, investigating special government grants to soldiers.

In an attempt to meet community needs, the JFWB initiated various programs, such as a Homemaking Club to teach women house management skills, and a Clothing Centre to provide families with inexpensive household goods. It also partnered with other local Jewish organizations in the early 1940s in the Liaison Project for troubled Jewish youth. In the 1930s, the Jewish Employment Service and Hebrew Free Burial Society became departments of the JFWB and, in 1941, the JFWB began guaranteeing loans for clients through the Hebrew Free Loan Association. In the same year, the Jewish Big Sister Committee became affiliated with the agency and the Jewish Big Brother Movement followed soon after.

In 1936, the JFWB became one of the first unionized social agencies in Canada when it formed the Staff Association with the Jewish Child Welfare Association (JCWA), another member of the FJPT. Although the JFWB’s focus was work with families and the JCWA’s focus was work with children, both agencies found it necessary at times to work with both children and families. In order to prevent service duplication and reduce confusion over casework responsibility, the Joint Application Bureau was set up within the FJPT to review all case work applications and determine the appropriate agency to provide assistance. However, a merger between the agencies was still believed necessary to improve service to the community and ease confusion. Discussions regarding the co-ordination of services between the JCWA and the JFWB began as early as 1935 and in February 1943, the JCWA and JFWB merged to form the Jewish Family and Child Services (JF & CS).

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of textual records and one architectural drawing documenting the programs, operation, finances, and special studies of the Jewish Family Welfare Bureau as well as its relationships with other organizations. Included are reports, meeting notices, agendas and minutes, correspondence, memos, budgets, statistics, theatrical scripts, newsclippings, and one architectural blueprint. A number of the records relate to special short-lived committees and projects that the JFWB participated in with other agencies, such as the Jewish Big Sister Committee, Jewish Big Brother Committee, Jewish Child Welfare Association, the Jewish Community Centre Association, the Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association, and the Jewish Old Folks' Home.

Records have been arranged into the following 19 series: 1. Board of Directors; 2. Executive Director; 3. Jewish Federation Communal Council; 4. United Jewish Welfare Fund Men's and Women's Service Council; 5. Case Committe; 6. Joint Meetings and Committees; 7. Joint Application Bureau; 8. Homemaking Club; 9. Clothing Centre; 10. Liaison Project; 11. Operational statistics; 12. Finance and accounting; 13. Human Resources; 14. Special projects and studies; 15. Publicity; 16. Liaison with other social welfare organizations; 17. Canadian Association of Social Workers; 18. Welfare Council of Toronto; and, 19. Conferences.

Notes

Associated material note: for related records held at the City of Toronto Archives, see also: Welfare Council of Toronto records in the University Settlement House fonds (fonds 1024, series 658); and, Department of Public Welfare records in the Former City of Toronto fonds (fonds 200).

Name Access

Jewish Family Welfare Bureau

Jewish Community Centre Association

Young Men's-Young Women's Hebrew Athletic Association (Toronto, Ont.) (subject)

Jewish Old Folks Home (Toronto, Ont.)

United Jewish Welfare Fund (Toronto, Ont.) (subject)

Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto (subject)

Wilensky, Dora, 1902-1959

Subjects

Charities

Children

Families

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and the head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing some of the records.

Related Material

See also: Jewish Child Welfare Association fonds (fonds 86); Jewish Family and Child Services fonds (fonds 79); Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto fonds (fonds 66); and, United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds (fonds 67).

Arrangement

Records relating to programs, committees and liaison with other organizations that continued after the formation of JF & CS are arranged with that fonds.

Source

Archival Descriptions