Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 103
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Fonds
Fonds
103
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
[192-?]-1993
Physical Description
45.9 m of textual records
35 photographs
Admin History/Bio
Nachman Shemen, a rabbinic scholar, author, and Jewish civil servant, was born Nachman Boimoil in Chodel, Poland on 15 March 1912. His great-grandfather was a disciple of the founder of Hasidism in Poland, known as the “Seer of Lublin,” and both of his parents were descendants of Hasids and scholars. Shemen was ordained in Warsaw in 1929 at age seventeen by the chief rabbi of Warsaw, Rabbi Eliezer Ezra Kershenbaum of Lublin, and the famous scholar Rabbi Pinchas Eliezer Grosfershtand. In 1930, he settled in Toronto with his family, becoming a teacher at the Eitz Chaim Talmud Torah until 1965. He was also a disciple of Rabbi Yehuda Lieb Graubart, spiritual leader of the city’s Polish Jewish community and an internationally respected rabbinic authority and author. In 1936, he married Toby Rosenberg and they had a son and three daughters.
From 1940 until his death in 1993, Shemen was a secretary of the Canadian Federation of Polish Jews, later known as the Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel, serving as secretary of the Toronto branch and executive secretary of the national executive. From 1954 to 1993, he was director of the Orthodox Division of the Canadian Jewish Congress, now known as the Kashruth Council of Canada.
Shemen was a prolific writer, contributing articles to periodicals not only in Canada, but also in the United States, Europe, South America, and Israel. Shortly after his arrival to Canada, Shemen began a journalistic career with the Toronto Hebrew Journal. Writing under seven pen names, his works appeared in numerous Yiddish dailies, weeklies, and periodicals around the world. From the mid-1950s, he served as the editor of Yidishe Nayes for a decade, a monthly bulletin published jointly by the Canadian Jewish Congress and the United Jewish Welfare Fund of Toronto. He edited commemorative volumes for many Toronto Jewish organizations and wrote more than twenty books ranging from biographies of rabbis to works on fascism, Chasidism, and labour issues. He was also a founder and volunteer rabbi for the Torah V’Avodah Congregation.
Custodial History
The records of this fonds were housed in the basement study of Rabbi Shemen's home on Lonsmount Drive in Toronto until 1987, when a flood prompted an emergency effort by his family to rescue the collection. Material was not packed carefully, and was transferred to dry boxes without regard to size or subject. The flood also encouraged Shemen to offer the collection to the archives.
It was Shemen's intention to donate the material piecemeal as he reordered it, and to assist in its processing at the archives following his retirement; however, illness prevented him from doing so. The collection was instead transferred to the Ontario Jewish Archives in a state of disarray in several accessions between 1987 and 1991. Processing began in May of 1996 when funds were made available from the Canadian Council of Archives and other sources.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records that provide insight into the career and thought of Rabbi Nachman Shemen, an influential figure in Canadian Orthodox Jewry. It consists primarily of textual records, both in English and Yiddish, and includes minutes and correspondence related to Canadian Jewish Congress, the Kashruth Council of Toronto, the Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel, and the Kehilla of Toronto, as well as Shemen's own articles and monographs together with research material for his writings. Also included are Shemen's private correspondence with scholars and literary figures throughout the Jewish world. Of special interest is the plethora of ephemera collected over a half-century.
Notes
Associated material: For related material, refer to records at the Archives of Religious Zionism at Bar Ilan University in Israel.
Name Access
Shemen, Nachman, 1912-1993
Torah V'Avodah Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Authors
Orthodox Judaism
Rabbis
Access Restriction
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
Related Material
For related material at the OJA, refer to the Eitz Chaim Talmud Torah fonds, Canadian Jewish Congress fonds, United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds, United Jewish Refugee and War Relief series and the Rabbi David Kirshenbaum accession.
Arrangement
Attempts were made to restore the collection as much as possible to its original order, which required educated guesswork. Duplicate and irrelevant material were culled, and the remainder cleaned as required. Records were arranged into a preliminary series. Further rearrangement of the series and rehousing of material have been carried out by archivists to improve accessibility and address conservation needs.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Jewish communal series
Jewish National Fund Sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; Series 9-3; File 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Jewish communal series
Jewish National Fund Sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
51
Series
9-3
File
1
Material Format
textual record
Date
1965-1968
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of two 35 x 46 cm certificates presented to Phil Givens by the Jewish National Fund commemorating the planting of trees in the B’nai B’rith Martyrs Forest and the establishment of a Nachla in Israel.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; File 3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
File
Fonds
51
File
3
Material Format
textual record
Date
1950
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of one blotter produced by Phil Givens in support of his candidacy for School Trustee in Ward 5 (Toronto Board of Education).
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; File 2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
File
Fonds
51
File
2
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1949-1953
Physical Description
4 cm of textual records (1 vol.) and other material
Scope and Content
File consists of one scrapbook documenting Phil Givens’ tenure as a City of Toronto Alderman and his ongoing work with Jewish organizations. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, photographs, pins, and flyers.
Notes
Includes photographs, pins, and flyers.
Subjects
Scrapbooks
Physical Condition
The clippings have been glued or taped onto highly acidic paper. The paper pages are browning and brittle, as are the clippings themselves. Some of the adhesive tape is failing.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; File 4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
File
Fonds
51
File
4
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1954-1956
Physical Description
4 cm of textual records (1 vol.) and other material
Scope and Content
File consists of one scrapbook documenting Phil Givens’ tenure as a City of Toronto Alderman and his ongoing work with Jewish organizations. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, photographs, and ephemera such as balloons, flyers, and matchbook covers.
Notes
Includes photographs and ephemera.
Subjects
Scrapbooks
Physical Condition
The clippings have been glued or taped onto highly acidic paper. The paper pages are browning and brittle, as are the clippings themselves. Some of the adhesive tape is failing.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; File 6
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
File
Fonds
51
File
6
Material Format
textual record
Date
1959
Physical Description
4 cm of textual records (1 vol.)
Scope and Content
File consists of one scrapbook documenting Phil Givens’ tenure as a City of Toronto Alderman, his work with the Liberal Riding Association, and his ongoing work with Jewish organizations. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings and political cartoons.
Subjects
Scrapbooks
Physical Condition
The clippings have been glued or taped onto highly acidic paper. The paper pages are browning and brittle, as are the clippings themselves. Some of the adhesive tape is failing.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds
Reports series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 9; Series 3; File 41
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds
Reports series
Level
File
Fonds
9
Series
3
File
41
Material Format
textual record
Date
[between 1940 and 1956]
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of an Executive Secretary's report, an unidentified report following the reorganization of UJRA and an unidentified report in Yiddish.
Notes
Title based on contents of the file.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Solomon Edell fonds
Shomrai Shabbos Synagogue series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 4; Series 7; File 28
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Solomon Edell fonds
Shomrai Shabbos Synagogue series
Level
File
Fonds
4
Series
7
File
28
Material Format
textual record
Date
1923-1935
Physical Description
4 cm of textual records
Admin History/Bio
Shomrai Shabbos was an orthodox congregation that was founded by Galician Jews in 1896. They originally met in a room on Richmond Street in Toronto. They purchased a building in 1899 on Chestnut Street which was once a mission church. The first rabbi was Rabbi Yosef Weinreb, who was hired in 1899 when the synagogue opened. He was the grandfather of Sol Edell. The synagogue was in several downtown locations until it moved to Glengrove Avenue in North York in 1966. The congregation has its own cemetery located on Jones Avenue in the east end of Toronto.
Scope and Content
File consists of a Shomrai Shabbos ledger listing membership dues and donations for the years 1923 to 1935. The ledger begins with a list of members whose names are written in Englsh and Yiddish. Each member is assigned a number. The ledger includes entries for close to 400 individuals. Each page is assigned a number which corresponds to the names listed in the front of the ledger. Each entry includes the name of the individual, address, as well as the dates of each payment made by the individual to the synagogue.
Physical Condition
Ledger is in very poor condition and requires conservation attention. The spine cover is missing and thread binding is disintegrating, there is some mould damage to the cover and likely some of the pages, the leather corners on the cover are rotting, and there is considerable water damage to the cover and interior pages.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 6064
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
6064
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1945
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 18 x 13 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Admin History/Bio
Rev. Goldbloom was a respected Zionist leader in the United Kingdom, who was sent to Canada for protection during the Second World War.
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of Rev. J. K. Goldbloom giving a speech at the head of a table at Camp Hagshama. The camp was located on Otty Lake near Perth, Ontario, and was run by Young Judaea. Behind him is a sign which reads: welcome delegates, in both Yiddish and English.
Name Access
Goldbloom, Rev. J. K.
Subjects
Camps
Speeches, addresses, etc
Zionists
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
Perth (Ont.)
Accession Number
1992-9-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 6065
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
6065
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1945
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 18 x 13 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Admin History/Bio
Rev. J. K. Goldbloom was a respected Zionist from the United Kingdom, who was sent to Canada for protection during the Second World War.
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of a group of people at Camp Hagshama on Otty Lake near Perth, Ontario. The camp was a Zionist youth camp run by Young Judaea. Pictured left to right are:
Chaim Kirshenbaum (later Dr. Hyman Kirshenbaum, the son of Rabbi David Kirshenbaum), Anne Brown, Max Bookman (from Ottawa), Mrs. J. K. Goldbloom (from England), Nathan Sheister (national president of Canadian Young Judaea), Rev. J. K. Goldbloom (Zionist from England), Martin Stoler, Harry Geffen (camp director and national executive director of Young Judaea). Hanging on the wall behind the group is a sign which reads: welcome delegates, in both Yiddish and English.
Name Access
Bookman, Max
Brown, Anne
Camp Hagshama
Geffen, Harry
Goldbloom, Jacob Koppel, 1872-1961
Goldbloom, Mrs. J. K.
Kirshenbaum, Chaim
Kirshenbaum, Dr. Hyman
Sheister, Nathan
Stoler, Martin
Subjects
Camps
Portraits, Group
Zionists
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
Perth (Ont.)
Accession Number
1992-9-4
Source
Archival Descriptions