Accession Number
2023-2-8
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-2-8
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
ca. 18 cm of textual records
207 photographs : b&w and col. ; 28 x 32 cm or semaller
Date
[ca. 1890]-2016
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records related to Clara and Sándor Rosenbaum, and their extended families. Included are documents and photographs documenting their lives in Hungary prior to the Holocaust, as well as their lives after immigrating to Tangier and, subsequently, Canada. Also includes Holocaust accounts and restitution papers, immigration documents, vital documents, correspondence, paper money, a late 19th- or early 20th-century prayer book, and a book of Shabbat songs.
Administrative History
Clara (Klára) Szabó was born in Bölcske on 28 Nov. 1920, the daughter of local lawyer Imre Szabó (born on 2 Jun. 1893 in Bölcske) and Vilma Szabó (née Stern, born in Bölcske in 1892). She had three siblings: Elizabeth (Erzsébet), born on 30 Dec. 1913; Anna, born on 10 Jan. 1915; and András, born on 5 Dec. 1916. The family lived in Paks, where she spent most of her youth. She went to elementary school in Paks, but moved to Budapest in 1935 to attend boarding school, returning to Paks in 1939. Her father committed suicide on 3 Mar. 1940. She married Sándor Rosenbaum in Paks on 14 Jan. 1941. While visiting her sister in Békéscsaba, the whole family were deported to Auschwitz: Clara, her mother, her brother, her two sisters, and her two-year-old niece. From Auschwitz, Clara and her sister Elizabeth were sent to Ravensbrück, and from there to Neustadt bei Coburg, where they worked as forced labourers at a Siemens factory. The rest of her family were killed in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. On 15 Apr. 1945, Clara and Elizabeth escaped from a forced march and headed towards the American advance. After the war, Clara and her husband reunited, and in 1946 relocated to Tangier, where Sándor's brother, Nikolas, had been living since 1940. There, they had two children: André (born on 27 Aug. 1949) and Anique (born on 1 Oct. 1950). They lived there until 1956, when the family relocated to Montreal. There, she was the president of the Dayan Chapter of Hadassah-WIZO from 1980 to 1982. She moved to Toronto in 1997 to be closer to her children. Clara died on 6 Feb. 2016 in Toronto.
Sándor (Alexander) Rosenbaum was born in Paks on 28 Jul. 1906, the son of Mihály (Michael) Rosenbaum (merchant, born on 1875 or 1876) and Regina Freund (1882-1932). He had three siblings: Hedvig (married to Oskar Barotti), Sari (married to Zoltan Barotti), and Nikolas. During the war, from May 1943 to Sep. 1943, he served at the Jewish labour service squadron No. 104/3, in Budapest, at the post office No. 70 labour service. The squadron was then moved to the Carpathians, and Sándor worked as a farm labourer in the region. He served as a yellow armband labour serviceman in the Carpathians until the end of Oct. 1944. He escaped from the labour camp with a friend, hiding in the Carpathian forests for a few weeks. After the war, Sándor changed his last name to Rostás to sound more Hungarian, later changing it back to Rosenbaum. He immigrated with his wife Clara to Tangier, and later to Montreal with their two kids, having worked most of his life as a businessman. He died in Montreal on 6 Jul. 1987 and was buried at Shaar Hashomayim Cemetery in Outremont.
Subjects
Holocaust survivors
Families
Name Access
Rosenbaum, Clara (Klára), 1920-2016
Rosenbaum, Alexander (Sándor), 1906-1987
Places
Hungary
Tangier (Morocco)
Montréal (Québec)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2013-7-8
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2013-7-8
Material Format
textual record
moving images
graphic material
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
1 optical disc (48:20 min.) : col. ; DVD
35 photographs : col. ; 16 x 11 cm
Date
2006-2012
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records related to the military career of Corporal Tamar Freeman, particularly her 6-month deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Included is postcard and email correspondence sent to her parents detailing issues of camp life, her religious observance, as well as her role as a medic; a DVD of the film "Sisters in Arms" written and directed by Tamar's sister, Beth Freeman; newspaper clippings and articles on Tamar and the film "Sisters in Arms"; photographs of Tamar receiving an award from the Canadian Jewish Congress, of her family greeting her at the airport upon return to Canada, a portrait of Tamar with another soldier and General Hillier, as well as images taken of fellow soldiers and the surroundings while in Afghanistan.
Administrative History
Corporal Tamar Freeman (1967-) is the daughter of Harvey and Gilda Freeman. She began her military career as an army reservist in 1990. As a reservist, she committed one day per week and one weekend per month to working in hospitals on board ships and in defence research facilities. In 2006, she joined the regular infantry as a medic in the Second Field Ambulance unit. She served in Kandahar for 6 months between 2006 and 2007 as a medic treating wounded soldiers, Afghan allies and civilians. She also served as part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team at a village medical clinic. She received the Alan Rose Award for International Human Dignity from the Canadian Jewish Congress in 2007. Corporal Freeman is currently stationed at Base Borden in Ontario.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
Use restrictions note: Personal emails are confidential and require the permission of Tamar Freeman before accessing.
Subjects
Afghan War, 2001-
Soldiers--Canada
Name Access
Freeman, Tamar
Places
Afghanistan
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2014-1-16
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2014-1-16
Material Format
moving images
textual record
textual record (electronic)
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
1 document (electronic)
4 DVDs
1 scrapbook
Date
1988-2001
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material relating to the Maccabees Royal Canadian Legion branch 343, including a 1998 membership register, poppy sale information, correspondence and notes regarding Ben Sussman's application for a lifetime membership, information about the ticket sales and a copy of the certificate from 1997 JNF tribute dinner that honoured Albert and Pearl Cohen, and planning notes for the 50th anniversary banquet of the Maccabees in 1995. The accession also contains the draft of Albert Cohen's speech that he presented at the 50th anniversary dinner, as well as newspaper clippings from the Hamilton Jewish News and the Canadian Jewish News relating to the Maccabees, two certificates from the Grand Order of Israel Benefit Society recognizing Albert Cohen's 40 years of membership and an award of merit, and a eulogy in Yiddish, with some translation, written by a father about the son he lost, Balinson, in the line of duty. The DVDs contain footage from the 1997 JNF dinner honouring the Cohens, including Pearl Cohen speaking about early Hamilton, one clip from 1994 of Albert Cohen telling the history of the Maccabees, and video from the 50th anniversary dinner of the Maccabees where there were various speakers including an address by the guest speaker, Commander Sam Pasternack, who spoke about the contribution of Jewish soldiers in WWII (DVD, Maccabees dinner part 3).
Custodial History
Michael Cohen is the son of Albert and Pearl Cohen, and was in possession of the records prior to donating them.
Administrative History
Albert Cohen (1918-2006) who also went by the nickname "Boomie," was born on November 12, 1918 in Hamilton, Ontario. Pearl Cohen (nee Chaunce) (1919-2008) was born in Hamilton on September 2, 1919. Albert and Pearl married in 1941. In the same year, Albert volunteered to serve in the army as a staff sargeant stationed in Hamilton. He was later discharged in May 1946 after the war. Albert then joined Hamilton's Maccabees, Branch 343 of the Royal Canadian Legion. The branch was founded in 1947 and had a membership of 150 people. The Maccabees' membership was made up of Jewish veterans of WWII, and some veterans of WWI. The branch held meetings in Hamilton's Jewish centre. Albert served as president of the branch for almost 20 years, from 1975 to around 2000. The Maccabees were quite active, and helped raise money by selling poppies for Remembrance Day. The money raised would be sent to general hospitals, veterans hospitals, and families of needy veterans. Albert passed away on August 7, 2006, and Pearl passed away April 18, 2008.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Cohen, Albert, 1918-2006
Cohen, Pearl, 1919-2008
Places
Hamilton, Ont.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-4-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-4-4
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
ca. 35 photographs : b&w and col. ; 33 x 27 cm or smaller
Date
1891-2013
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting members of Harvey Freeman's family, several of whom served in the armed forces. Included are: family photographs, a Krugel family tree, a copy of Itzik Kriegel (Harvey's grandfather)'s army discharge, an attestation paper for Louis Krugel (Harvey's uncle), a signed program for a "stag whoopee dinner and night of blissful freedom" in honour of Lou Krugel's approaching marriage, and printed images of Harvey's daughter Tamar Freeman in Afghanistan. One of the photographs depicts Louis Krugel with professional wrestler and actor Tor Johnson, aka the Swedish Angel.
Photo Caption (001): Wellesley Public School, [ca. 1915]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (002): Louis Krugel. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (003): Buba Sluva with Sara, Moe, Lou, and Harry, 1909. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (004): Berel Krugel in front of 22 Gerard Street West, Toronto, [ca. 1919]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (005): Wedding, 28 September 1926. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (006): Louis Krugel. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (007): Baba Tzluva with Harry, [189-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (008): Louis Krugel. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (009): Shabbat dinner, [ca. 1940]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (010): Norman, Buba Sluva, and Bert, [ca. 1922]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (011): Family portrait, 1909. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (012): Harry and Sara, 1916. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (013): Louis Krugel, [192-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (014): Louis Krugel and unknown man posing with boxing gloves, [1918?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (015): Louis Krugel, 1918. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (016): Harvey Freeman at Camp Borden, 1945. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (017): Unknown. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (018): Louis Krugel and unknown man, 1918. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (019): Louis Krugel with Tor Johnson, aka the Swedish Angel, [194-]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (020): Signed portrait of Louis Krugel. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Photo Caption (021): Louis Krugel, [192-]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-4-4.
Administrative History
Harvey Freeman was born on May 22, 1928. As a youth, he attended Harbord Collegiate and went on to join the militia, where he was the lone Canadian Jewish bagpiper.
Harvey made his living in business, working in different areas including furniture manufacturing and property management. As part of a change in lifestyle, he took up marathons in his early seventies.
Harvey has four children.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
ASSOCIATED MATERIALS: Records for Harvey's daughter Tamar can be found in Accession 2013-7-8.
Subjects
Afghan War, 2001-
Families
Soldiers--Canada
Name Access
Freeman, Harvey
Freeman, Tamar
Johnson, Tor, 1903-1971
Places
Afghanistan
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-7-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-7-6
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
62 photographs : b&w and col. ; 10 x 15 cm or smaller
4 cm of textual records
Date
1920-2018
Scope and Content
Accession contains material documenting Gabriella Szanto and her family. Included are family photographs, vital records, correspondence, and a 2018 Baycrest calendar that features a portrait and short biography of Gabriella.
Custodial History
Shirley Worth served as the executor of Gabriella Szanto's estate. Following Gabriella's death, Shirley donated the records that make up the accession to the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Administrative History
Gabriella "Gabi" Szanto (née Lazlo) was born in Budapest, Hungary on 26 January 1916. Gabriella's parents, Arnold and Ilonka Lazlo (née Diamenstein), were women's clothing manufacturers who employed twenty-five people. Their skills complemented each other: Arnold had studied design in Berlin for two years while Ilonka was a dressmaker. On 18 May 1919, Arnold and Ilonka had their second child, George.
During the Second World War, Gabi and her mother moved to the outskirts of Budapest where they passed as Catholics, rarely leaving their house. Miklos Szanto—the man Gabriella married after the war—was sent to the Mauthausen concentration camp. Gabriella's brother, George, was sent to a camp in Siberia and did not survive. It is not known where or how Gabriella's father survived the war.
After the war, Gabriella, her mother and father, and her husband Miklos reunited in Budapest. The four lived in the family apartment near the city opera house.
During the period of Communist rule, Gabriella and Miklos bribed their way out of Hungary and travelled to Vienna. From Vienna, they travelled to Australia, where they lived for five or six years, working as a short order cook and a seamstress respectively.
At some point, Gabriella and Miklos made the decision to immigrate to Canada. Their first stop—most likely in the 1950s—was Montreal. There, Gabriella worked for a high-end retailer before moving with her husband to Toronto one year later. In Toronto, Miklos worked again as a short order cook at the Noshery Restaurant on Eglinton, holding this job until he retried. Gabriella, meanwhile, worked as a seamstress until she was in her mid-80s.
In their retirement, Gabriella and Miklos spent two months each winter in Florida. Gabriella died in 2018.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
LANGUAGE NOTE: English, Hungarian, German.
Subjects
Families
Holocaust survivors
Immigrants--Canada
Name Access
Szanto, Gabriella, 1916-2018
Places
Australia
Austria
Canada
Hungary
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-7-22
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-7-22
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
47 photographs : b&w and col. ; 19 x 14 cm or smaller
Date
1949-2007
Scope and Content
Accession consists of forty-seven photographs documenting Lilian Rosenthal's family.
Identified in the photographs are: Emy Berman (née Rosenthal), Ella Fleischmann (née Schwarcz), Esther Fleischmann, Jack Fleischmann, Ivan Fleischmann, Joanne Howe (née Fleischmann), Livia Bitton Jackson, Leah Kedar, Allan Leibler, Mary Leibler (née Schwarcz) Bram Morrison, Ruth Raphael, Amir Rosenthal, Annette Rosenthal, Arthur Rosenthal, Eddie Rosenthal, Herschel Rosenthal, Jack Rosenthal, Keren Rosenthal, Leslie Rosenthal, Lilian Rosenthal, Miriam Rosenthal (née Schwarcz), Murray Rosenthal, Nili Rosenthal, Ron Rosenthal, Shira Rosenthal, Valerie Rosenthal, William Rosenthal, Carmelle Rutman, Serena Rutman, Tami Rutman (née Rosenthal), Yasmin Rutman, Alexander Schwarcz, Manci Schwarcz, Susan Schwarcz, Miriam Sharon (née Stern), Mr. Shoychet, Mrs. Shoychet, Rochelle Treister (née Fleischmann), and Ugo Vero.
Administrative History
Lilian Rosenthal is the daughter of Holocaust survivors Miriam Rosenthal (née Schwarcz) and Rabbi William Rosenthal. She grew up in Sudbury, Ontario with her siblings, Leslie and Murray.
Lilian's parents were born in eastern Europe and came to Canada in 1947. They lived in Timmins for a year before moving to Sudbury, where William ("Bela") served as a rabbi, cantor, and teacher for sixteen years.
In 1965, the family moved to Toronto and Miriam and William opened a Judaica store at the corner Bathurst Street and Caribou Road. Together, Lilian's parents ran the store for more than forty years until retiring in 2007. William died on 11 April 2008; Miriam died on 10 February 2018.
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.
Descriptive Notes
Availabilityusc of other formats: Digital access copies (jpg) have been created.
Finding aids: A short description including dates and identification is available for each photograph.
Associated material: The USC Shoah Foundation produced an oral history with Miriam Rosenthal, which has been digitized.
Subjects
Families
Family-owned business enterprises
Holocaust survivors
Name Access
Rosenthal (family)
Rosenthal, Lilian
Rosenthal, Miriam, 1922-2018
Rosenthal, William, 1911-2008
Places
Bathurst Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Caribou Road (Toronto, Ont.)
Sudbury (Ont.)
Timmins (Ont.)
Toronto Islands (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-5-134
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-5-134
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
15 photographs : col. ; 10 x 15 cm
Date
[ca. 1990]-[ca. 2000]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photographs of Henry Springer outside and inside his kosher meat store on Bathurst Street in Toronto. His son, Jeff Springer, appears in one of the photographs.
Administrative History
Henry Springer (1921-2014) was born on 10 November 1921 to Mordechai and Leah Springer in Szczebrzeszyn, Poland. He had two sisters, Brenda and Faigie and one brother, Charles. Seven generations of Springers in Poland were butchers. During the Second World War, the whole family survived as prisoners of Russian labour camps. Following the end of the war, they spent four years in a displaced persons camp in Austria named Steyr, then immigrated to Canada, arriving in Quebec City in 1949. They migrated to Toronto with the assistance of JIAS and the Springer family in Kingston.
After a few years of working in an upholstery factory, Henry and his brother Charles partnered to open a kosher butcher store called Springer’s Kosher Meats, on Augusta Ave. in Kensington Market. In 1958, they opened a second location at 3393 Bathurst St., following the Jewish community's move north. A year or so later they closed the location on Augusta and focused exclusively on the Bathurst St. location until its closing in 1995. Their father Mordechai also worked at the business up until his death in 1982.
The store sold fresh meat, chicken and fish and some delicatessen and was well known for its chickens.
Henry Springer was married to Shriley Springer and together had three children: Rochelle, Hannah and Jeff. He died on 3 November 2014 just shy of his 93rd birthday.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Butchers
Kosher food
Name Access
Springer's Kosher Meats
Springer, Jeff
Springer, Henry, 1921-2014
Places
Bathurst Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions