Accession Number

2021-4-3

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

object

philatelic record

Physical Description

3153 photographs : b&w and col. (3133 negatives) ; 41 x 51 cm or smaller

13 sheets of postage stamps

1 folder of textual records

2 presentation pieces : 23 x 34 x 2 cm

Date

[1945?]-2006

Scope and Content

Accession consists of Negev Dinner negatives for the years of 1969, 1975-1977, and 1979-2006. Also included are several presentation pieces comprised of portraits that Gilbert took for presidents and prime ministers of Israel and Israeli Prime Ministerial postage stamps produced from those portraits. Some of the presentation pieces are accompanied by thank-you letters address to Gilbert and signatures of Gilbert and presidents and prime ministers of Israel being featured. Accession also includes six portraits featuring Robert Sterling, Elliotte Friedman’s grandmother, [Sydney Sugarman?], and one unidentified person; two unidentified group photographs; one unidentified wedding photograph; and one photograph depicting Al Gilbert at an event. Also included is an oversized group photograph of Greenfild’s Jewish Radio Hour of CKOC featuring Max Mandel and his colleagues.

Negev Dinner honourees include Mark Levy and Harry Gorman (1969); Rabbi Gunther Plaut (1975); James Kay (1976); Premier Bill Davis (1977); Murray Koffler (1979); Rose Wolfe (1980); Theodore Richmond (1981); Arnold Epstein and Madeline Epstein (1982); Kurt Rothschild and Edith Rothschild (1983); Abe Posluns (1984); Donald Carr and Judy Feld Carr (1985); Dr. Gerald Halbert (1986); Edwin Goodman (1987); Douglas Bassett (1988); Max Sharp and Isadore Sharp (1989); Bernard Weinstein (1990); Harry Gorman (1991); Albert Mandel, Nathan Hurwich, and Lewis Moses (1992); George Cohen (1993); Joey Tanenbaum (1994); Leslie Dan (1995); Henry Newton Rowell “Hal” Jackman (1996); Edward Bronfman (1997); Allan Silber (1998); Dr. Anne Golden (1999); Avie Bennett (2000); Alex Grossman (2001); Toby Feldberg and Saul Feldberg (2002); Eli Rubinstein and Renée Rubinstein (2003); Ronald Appleby (2004); Joseph Lebovic and Wolf Lebovic (2005); Ed and Fran Sonshine (2006).

Presidents and prime ministers of Israel being featured include Levi Eshkol, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Shimon Peres, and Chaim Herzog.

Custodial History

Accession donated by Nina Gilbert, Al Gilbert's daughter, on behalf of the Estate of Al Gilbert.

Administrative History

Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898 to Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish community events. Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth. During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business. It thrived under his management. To accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today. Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events, and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. He was also paid to produce portraits for local entrepreneurs. Moreover, his multi-year contract with the city gave him sole responsibility of producing portraits for the mayors and council members. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community and began to produce images for businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto. In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national, and international celebrities, artists, and leaders, such as Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers, Prince Charles, and the last Pope. He also produced portraits for all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into postage stamps by the Israeli government. Gilbert’s work, therefore, captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary brides to extraordinary world leaders. Throughout his career, Al has won many professional awards and accolades from his peers. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Photographer of the Year award of the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain, and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honour that PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Photographers

Name Access

Gilbert, Al, 1922-2019

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-7-1

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

sound recording

Physical Description

ca. 8 cm textual records

6 posters : col. ; 66 x 51 cm or smaller

2 photographs : b&w and col. ; 12 x 17 cm and 10 x 15 cm

3 audio discs : vinyl

Date

[1960?]-2021

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records created and collected by Cyrel Troster, which document Cyrel and her parents Jack Troster and Lillian Troster's involvement in the Jewish community. Records include three vinyl records documenting the music of William Lion Mackenzie High School orchestra and Camp Manitou-Wabing (1961-1965); six oversized posters (1960-2008); programmes, flyers, brochures, cards, and other small, printed items relating to Jewish cultural events that Cyrel attended ([197-]-2019); booklets and magazines (1977-2016); newspaper clippings documenting cultural events and activities of the Ontario Jewish community (1973-2021); and two photographs depicting a B’nai B’rith event and the 2nd women’s conference panel in Toronto. Also included are other assorted documents such as Cyrel Troster’s essay on the Workmen’s Circle (1974); certificates; listing of Board of Jewish Education (BJE) members (2000-2001 and 2004); a proposal for Yiddish Education and Cultural Centre [1998?]; an application for a film grant (1992); correspondence (1978 and 2012); and documents pertaining to Jewish Arts Directory (1992-1994), Second Encounter (bibliography for annual programs, registration cards, meeting minutes; 1977-1979), Cultural Services Planning and Allocations Committee (CSPAC) (member list, proposal, meeting minutes, strategic plan; 1994-2004), and Tzedakah Box Project (2005). Topics and events documented other than those mentioned above are Bathurst Manor, downtown synagogues, Kensington Market, the Sense of Spadina tour, Holy Blossom Synagogue, the Journey into Our Heritage exhibit, and the first Toronto Jewish Film Festival.

Administrative History

Cyrel Troster was an active member on the Cultural Services Planning and Allocation Committee and the Archives Committee and a former board member of the Ontario Jewish Archives Foundation. She is a recently retired schoolteacher and an active member of the Jewish community.

Descriptive Notes

Availability of other formats: digital preservation copies for some documents have been created and are available in PDF, JPG, and TIF formats.

Name Access

Troster, Cyrel

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-10-1

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Physical Description

30 cm of textual records

5 photographs : b&w & col. ; 30 x 20 cm or smaller

2 metal award certificates : 28 x 21 cm

1 key : framed in a wooden box

Date

1913-2013

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to the Kiever Synagogue or had been stored at the synagogue. Included are certificates (1930-[1961?]); a print of the 1913 Officers and Members of the Grand Order of Israel of Canada; a poster of Yitzhak Ben-Zvi (president of Israel) presented by National Committee for Labour Israel for Israel Histadrut campaign; National Synagogue Directory issued by Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee (2011-2012); The Jewish Magazine (2006); Baycrest Men's Service Group Honour Roll books (1993-1997, 1999); shabbat, wedding, and bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah benchers (1965-2013); newspaper clippings; blessing guides; and administrative material such as receipt books (1933-1934), Synagogue Laws and Customs (1976), and a memorandum of agreement (1920). Also included are photographs featuring David Pinkus, Nate Leipciger, students of Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim (1936), and the top view of bimah and chuppah of the Kiever Synagogue, which was taken at Samara Kaplan’s wedding (2004); and miscellaneous material such as raffle tickets (1928), invitation tickets from Chevra Kadisha (1928), and record books of Toronto Free Loan Association. This accession also includes the following artifacts: two metal certificates of Recognition of Service Award granted by State of Israel Bond and Canada-Israel Securities Limited (1964 and 1965) and a skeleton key framed in a wooden shadow box, which is possibly the original key to the building. People identified in the photograph of students of Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim (1936) are: Solly Speisman (second row, fourth from left), Myer Orzench (second row, far right), Hymie Reingewietz (second row, sixth from left), Mr. Hoffman (teacher, left-hand side), and Mr. Nobleman (teacher, right-hand side). Myer Orzench was the second vice-president of the Kiever Synagogue; Mr. Nobleman was father of Ben Nobleman, the municipal politician of York Region.

Custodial History

Records deposited by David Moyal of the Kiever Synagogue.

Administrative History

The Kiever synagogue, also known as the Kiever Shul, is a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Toronto. It was founded in 1912 by a small congregation of Jewish immigrants from the Kiev Gubernia of the Russian Empire (now Ukraine) and formally incorporated in 1914 by the granting of the Letters Patent by the Provincial Secretary. The congregation’s formal name is "The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev." According to the earliest congregational records, Max Bossin was president in 1912. At first, services were held in members’ homes and later in a rented house on Centre Avenue in the Ward. Not being able to afford a rabbi, services were led by members, including Cantor Herschel Litvak. In 1917, sufficient funds were raised to mortgage a house at 25 Bellevue Avenue on the outskirts of Kensington Market. The congregation relocated there and the facilities were enlarged in 1921 with the acquisition of a second house. In 1927, a new synagogue, which was built on the site of the two houses and designed by a Jewish architect named Benjamin Swartz in the Byzantine Revival style, was completed to accommodate increasing number of congregants. During the construction from 1924 to 1927, religious services were conducted at the home of Mr. Silverman at 29 Wales Avenue. Equipped with a rabbi and a proper synagogue, the Kiever was able to play a larger role in the Toronto Jewish community. The shul offered Yiddish and bar-mitzvah lessons, a youth minyan led by Fischel Cooper, a credit society, as well as a women’s auxiliary. Several decades later, the Kiever’s membership declined in the 1950s and 1960s due to demographic changes—Jews began leaving the downtown core for the north end of town. The synagogue building deteriorated. In 1973, the Archives Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress Central Region decided to help preserve it, and by 1982, sufficient funds had been raised to restore the building. In 1979, the Kiever Synagogue became the first building of Jewish significance to be designated a historical site by the province of Ontario and has been protected under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act since then. Some of the founders included: B. B. Smith, Yehudah Leib "Louis" Bossin, Isaac Mosten, Jake Dubin, Harry Cohen, and Wolf Ganz. The congregation's first and longest-tenured rabbi was Solomon Langner, who served from around 1929 until his death in 1973. Sheldon Steinberg served as rabbi from the time of Langner's death until the mid-1990s. David Pinkus served as president of the Kiever Shul from the late 1970s to 2011. His parents, Molly and Isadore Pinkus, were co-founders of the shul. As of 2022, the synagogue president is Adam S. Cohen.

Descriptive Notes

LANGUAGE NOTE: material is in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English.

Availability of other formats: digital preservation copies for some documents have been created and are available in PDF, JPG, and TIF formats.

Subjects

Synagogues

Name Access

Kiever Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-11-12

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 box

Date

1968-2004

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the Toronto Grand Order of Israel. Included are financial statements, memoranda, and other records.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Fraternal organizations

Name Access

Toronto Grand Order Of Israel

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-11-26

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

36 photographs : col. and b&w ; 21 x 25 cm or smaller

Date

[ca. 1934]-2015

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to John Arthur (Jack) Geller's life and career. Of note are 36 colour and b&w photographs dated from ca. 1934 to 1984 documenting Geller's life and career; Spring Issue 1955 of Obiter Dicta magazine; a small poster with photos of the 1955 graduating class of Osgoode Hall Law School, when Geller was awarded the Gold Key Award; a Certificate of Honor awarded to Geller by the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation for the year of 1949-1950; the May 1999 issue of Fasken Link containing an interview with Geller; a draft of a speech delivered by Geller during a debate at Hart House with the presence of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent as well as an invitation to and newspaper clippings about the debate; newspaper clippings about Geller's participation in several debates; correspondence relating to Geller's licensing examination and call to the Bar; the March 2015 issue of Holy Blossom Temple Bulletin containing a tribute to Geller; the section of the 18 May 1963 issue of Maclean's dealing with the Hal Banks case and the Norris commission, of which Geller was part representing Upper Lakes Shipping; awards given to Geller; and correspondence addressed to him.

Custodial History

Records were donated by Jack's daughter, Dana.

Administrative History

John Arthur Geller was born in 1930 in Toronto, Ontario, to Polish immigrants Kalman and Katy Geller (née Ladowsky). He attended Forest Hill Collegiate and University College at the University of Toronto, where he graduated with a BA degree in 1951. He met his wife, Sybil Gangbar (daughter of Phil and Sarah Gangbar), in 1948, during his second week at U of T, where she was also studying, and they were married two weeks after graduating. They had four children: Lawrence (b. 1955), Dana (b. 1957), Jan (b. 1960), and Harold (b. 1964). After enrolling at Osgoode Hall Law School later that year, and articling at the firm Campbell, Godfrey & Lewtas, he was called to the Bar in 1955. Geller began his legal practice with Campbell, Godfrey & Lewtas, where he remained for the entirety of his career. He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1966. In 1993, Geller retired from legal practice and was appointed Vice-Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission. He served in different capacities with the Commission until his 2001 retirement. In addition to his work as a lawyer and for the Ontario Securities Commission, Geller served as a director on the board of Leitch Transport Limited and Ford Glass Limited. He was also a member of the Canadian Jewish Congress, served as president of B'nai Brith, Central Region, and was the National President of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada (JIAS), and a member and Honorary President for Life of Holy Blossom Temple. After suffering a stroke in 2002, Geller developed aphasia and spent five years working tirelessly to regain his reading abilities. He passed away on 7 January 2015. His funeral was held at Holy Blossom Temple, which he never stopped attending.

Subjects

Lawyers

Name Access

Geller, John Arthur (Jack), 1930-2015

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-12-1

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

ca. 25 cm of textual records

15 photographs : b&w and col. ; 20 x 26 cm and smaller

Date

1832-2017

Scope and Content

Accession consists of the research files of Bill Gladstone. The materials document Bill’s research on various aspects of the Jewish history of Toronto and Canada and are sourced from a variety of newspapers, books, and archival repositories. Most of the newspaper clippings and copies of clippings are from the Canadian Jewish News, Toronto Star, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail; and the copies of archival documents are mainly from the Archives of Ontario, the City of Toronto Archives, and the Ontario Jewish Archives.

Included are Bill’s newspaper articles; documents relating to Bill’s books and a publishing house that Bill established in 2008 named Now and Then Books; genealogy research materials and notes; copies of early Toronto maps; copies of articles written by Ben Kayfetz; research materials documenting Toronto local synagogues such as the Holy Blossom Temple, Goel Tzedec Synagogue, First Narayever Congregation, and McCaul St. Synagogue (Beth Hamidrash Hagadol); copies of Canadian Moving Picture Digest and Canadian Film Weekly that document the accomplishments of Jews in the Canadian film industry; and research materials pertaining to Russian Jews, Yiddish theatres and opera houses, religious education in public schools, and the history of the Jews in Toronto and Canada in general. Also included are research documents relating to Toronto Jewish neighbourhoods such as Kensington Market, The Junction, The Ward, and Bathurst Manor; and materials documenting Toronto local Jewish businesses, organizations, families, and individuals.

Accession also contains a small number of photographs that Bill took or collected during his research, most of which feature the Holy Blossom Temple, Temple Beth Israel (Macon, Georgia), and Congregation Mickve Israel (Savannah, Georgia).

Administrative History

Bill Gladstone is a researcher, journalist, author, publisher, and genealogist living in Toronto. He has written and edited numerous books on Canadian Jewish history and is a frequent contributor to the Canadian Jewish News, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and other publications. He is often asked to give community presentations on a variety of topics related to the history of Jewish Toronto. In 2008, Bill established a publishing company named Now and Then Books. Bill is the former president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto and book review editor for Avotaynu, the international journal of Jewish genealogy.

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

Titles of files were transcribed from their original formal titles; for files that do not bear formal titles, supplied titles were given based on file contents.

Subjects

Genealogists

Authors

Journalists

Name Access

Gladstone, Bill

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-12-3

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

4 photo albums (83 photographs) : b&w and col. ; 20 x 25 cm or smaller

Date

[197-]-1983, 2000

Scope and Content

Accession consists of four photo albums documenting the staff and cooperative partners of Goodman and Carr LLP. Included are snapshots of corporate events and parties—a picnic at Seneca King Campus in 1981, a lawyers and staff baseball event in 1983, and a picnic in 2000. Also included are photographs depicting Goodman and Carr LLP’s partners at a social event dating from the 1970s.

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of Gary Luftspring before being gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives on Dec. 9, 2021. Gary Luftspring was previously Goodman and Carr LLP's chairman.

Administrative History

Goodman and Carr LLP was a Canadian law firm, established in 1965 when Wolfe Goodman and Donald Carr combined their practices. The firm once reigned as one of Canada's top tax and real estate law firms, employing over 140 lawyers. The company dissolved in 2007, following partner defections and failed merge talks with its competitors, including the major international law firm, Baker McKenzie.

Descriptive Notes

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: Further identification of the individuals pictured in the photographs is required.

Subjects

Lawyers

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-2-3

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

3 cm of textual records

Date

[1939?]-2020, predominant 1939-1946

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting the immigration of Daniel Zultek from Poland to Canada under a Sugihara Visa in 1941 and documents pertaining to Sugihara visas and Chiune Sugihara (also known as Sempo Sugihara), a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania. Included are Daniel’s travelling documents dating from 1939 to 1941—an identification document, an immigration identification card, a quarantine/medical examination card issued by Nippon Yusen (also known as NYK Line), and a ship manifest; correspondence between Daniel and Polish consulates in Toronto and Montreal (1941-1943)—one of the letters (28 May 1942) was obtained by Daniel for the purpose of bringing his brother, who was still in Warsaw at that time, over to Canada; a memorandum from the Jewish Community of Kobe to Daniel (1941); records documenting Daniel's experience in serving in the Polish Armed Units in Canada (1941); work documents pertaining to Daniel’s career at Canada Motor Products (1941-1942); and a brief memoir written by Daniel with notations by his daughter Irene. Also included are newspaper clippings and book chapters documenting Daniel’s immigration to Canada via Japan under a Sugihara visa (1993-2020), a programme book of the Sempo Sugihara Tribute Dinner (1993), and a pamphlet of the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall in Japan.

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of Daniel’s daughter, Irene Henry, before being gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives on Feb. 9, 2022.

Administrative History

Daniel Zultek (1910-1995) was born in Warsaw, Poland, on 1 September 1910, to Leon and Helena Zultek. Leon owned a large freight shipping company on the Vistula River, between Danzig and Gdynia harbours. Leon was a successful businessman, a community leader, a philanthropist, and a life member of the Jewish Kehilla Congress in Warsaw, which was allegedly the largest Jewish institution in Europe voted by the Jewish public. Daniel had been running the family business since 1932 until 1939 when the Second World War broke out. He was nominated to the board of directors of the company in 1938. In January 1939, Leon died of a heart attack. Daniel's mother Helena, sister Natalia, and most family members were murdered by Nazi Germany in concentration camps. The only survivors were Daniel, his elder brother Rafael, Irene (Rafael's first wife, who lived in Argentina), and four cousins name Daniel (surname unspecified), Rita (surname unspecified), Adam Zultek, and Dorka Zultek. On 6 September 1939, Daniel fled Warsaw, where was heavily bombarded by German troops, and headed for Pinsk, a city near the Soviet border. Half a month later, because Soviet troops invaded Pinsk, Daniel escaped to Vilnius in the neighbouring country Lithuania. In June 1940, the Soviet Union entered Lithuania. During that time, Daniel heard that the Japanese consulate in Kaunas was issuing transit visas. Fortunately, on 1 August 1940, Daniel received his visa from Vice-consul Chiune Sugihara. In the same month, he managed to escape Kaunas and headed for Moscow. With a Russian transit visa, he took the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok; from there, he took a ship for Tsuruga Port, Japan. During his stay in Japan, he learned that the British Embassy in Tokyo was recruiting volunteers to join the Polish Armed Forces in Australia, the United States, and Canada. Daniel volunteered and chose Canada as his destination. On 5 June 1941, he embarked on the ship, Hikawa Maru, in Yokohama and arrived in Vancouver on the 17th of the same month. From there, he headed for the Polish military base in Owen Sound, Ontario. Daniel received eight months of military training in Owen Sound but was honourably discharged owing to a cataract in his right eye. Fortunately, he was allowed to remain in Canada. After being discharged, Daniel worked various jobs to make a living. In 1941, he had jobs with Canada Motor Products and Frankel Engineering; from 1942 to 1945, he served de Havilland Aircraft as an inspector; from 1945 to 1948, he worked as a sales representative of an American milkshake and ice cream company named Mr. Gordon. While working at Frankel Engineering in 1941, Daniel met Mr. Epstein who introduced him to farming. In 1948, Daniel bought a one-hundred-acre farm in Brampton, Ontario. In the same year, he attended an agriculture college in Guelph, Ontario. While running the farm, he also opened Caledon Sand and Gravel, a company located in Caledon, Ontario, supplying sand and gravel for construction. His career also involved business in real estate. Daniel married Molly Mandel in 1943 and had three daughters Helen, Leona, and Irene. Molly (nee Mandel) Zultek (1915-1989) was a Torontonian of Russian descent. Her father, Albert Mandel, was one of the founders of the Congregation Knesseth Israel (also known as the Junction Shul) located on Maria Street in the Junction. Molly grew up in the Junction neighbourhood. In 1957, Daniel sold the farm and moved to Forest Hill Village a neighbourhood and former village in Midtown Toronto with his family. Daniel retired in 1988. In addition to business, Daniel also devoted his time to charity and social work. Daniel was an ardent Zionist and visited Israel twenty-seven times. He was director and a member of the board of governors of the Jewish National Fund. He was also a generous contributor to Jewish organizations and sponsored the Hebrew University and its students.

Descriptive Notes

LANGUAGE NOTE: some of the material is in Japanese and has been translated into English. Translated documents are available at S:\Collections\2022-2-3.

Availability of other formats: digital preservation copies for most documents have been created and are available in PDF, JPG, and TIF formats.

Subjects

Immigrants

World War, 1939-1945

Places

Warsaw (Poland)

Lithuania

Japan

Toronto (Ont.)

Owen Sound (Ont.)

Brampton (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-8-3

Material Format

multiple media

Physical Description

6 cm of textual records and other material

Date

1890-2002, predomintant 1956-1977

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting the Bendahan and Corcos families, specifically Sydney and Miriam Bendahan (née Corcos), including immigration documents, Corcos family history, Corcos family tree, Sydney's CV and letters of recommendation written on his behalf, among others. Includes records documenting the Magen David Sephardic Congregation, speeches and reference material documenting Sephardic history and the Sephardic community in Canada, oral history tapes recorded by Sydney and Raphael Bendahan for the Multicultural History Society of Ontario (including reports of the interviews), records related to Miriam's career as a fashion designer, and a CBC interview from "Identities".

Interviewees include: A. Bechetrit; Corcos; Bitton; Arnold Oro; Sol Hamouth; Mr. and Mrs. J. Benaim; Benzacar; De Pinto; J. Cohen; Perez; Nahman; Kuessous; and Moryoussef.

Administrative History

Sydney David Bendahan was born on 1 Nov. 1919 in Gibraltar, the son of Raphael and Esther (née Benabu). He was a descendant of a distinguished Sephardic family who immigrated to Gibraltar from Spain over 300 years ago. His father was a civil servant with the British government for many years. Sydney was fluent in English, French, and Spanish, having received formal education in the three languages. He served with the security services of the British armed forces during the Second World War. After the war, he served with the International Police in Tangier and later was a Special Investigator for the United States Air Force in North Africa. He married Miriam in Tangier, and the couple relocated to Casablanca. They had two sons: Raphael and Mark. The family immigrated to Toronto in Mar. 1957, and for a number of years Sydney headed Dominion Furniture Ltd. He was a member of the board of the Canadian Jewish Congress - Central Region, president of the Association sépharade in Toronto, president of Magen David Sephardic Congregation, and one of the founders of the Canadian Sephardic Federation. He died on 18 Dec. 1979 and was buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, in North York.

Miriam (Mimi) Bendahan (née Corcos) was born on 25 Oct. 1923 in Mogador, French Morocco (present-day Essaouira, Morocco), the daughter of Albert and Oro (née Hamouth).

Use Conditions

Conditional Use. Researchers must receive permission from the donor prior to publication. Please contact the OJA for more information.

Descriptive Notes

Physical Description note: Contains 6 cm of textual records, 27 audio cassettes (ca. 24 hr., 34 min.), 1 photograph (b&w ; 8 x 12 cm), 1 family tree (60 x 90 cm), and 4.28 GB of electronic records.

Subjects

Sephardim

Jews, Moroccan

Name Access

Bendahan, Sydney, 1919-1979

Bendahan, Miriam, 1923-

Magen David Sephardic Congregation

Places

Morocco

Tangier (Morocco)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-9-2

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

13 cm of textual records

Date

2004-2017

Scope and Content

Accession consists of materials transferred from UJA Federation of Greater Toronto's Community Capacity Building department. Included are a number of documents put together by Lord Cultural Resources: a phase-one report titled "UJA: Cultural Components of Central Campus Redevelopment Project" that is dated May 2004, an exhibit master plan on the National Centre for Jewish Heritage (NCJH) that is undated, an interpretative plan on the NCJH that is dated August 2009, a business plan on the NCJH that is dated December 2009, and an interim report on the Jewish Museum of Canada that is dated 20 December 2013. Also included are a small number of financial documents related to Aish HaTorah and the Ontario Jewish Archives, as well as an itinerary for UJA's Centennial Journey to Israel, which took place from 31 October 2017-8 November 2017. Lastly, there is a demographics report issued by UIA Canada's National Task Force on Jewish Demographics that relates demographic information about Jewish Toronto in 2021; the latter is dated 29 June 2009.

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.

Name Access

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

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

2023-5-7

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

10 cm of textual records

2 photographs : b&w and col. ; 13 x 18 or smaller

Date

1947-2001

Scope and Content

Accession consists primarily of records related to Gloria Roden's term as the president of the Toronto section of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, from 1976 to 1979. Also includes personal records of Gloria's youth, as well as records related to committees and organizations in which she was presumably participated, such as the Association of Sponsoring Organizations – Recreation for the Elderly, the Association of Club Senior Officers – Recreation for the Elderly, the Steering Committee of the Coordinated Services to the Jewish Elderly of the United Jewish Welfare Fund, and the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Association of Senior Clubs.

Administrative History

Gloria Barbara Roden (née Mosoff) is the daugher of Alexander Eliott and Fay Mosoff. Her mother was a member and volunteer of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada for several decades. Gloria attended Forest Hill Colegiate until her family moved to Hamilton, where she graduated from Notre Dame Academy, in Waterdown. She went on to study child management at Ryerson Polytechnical School and taught nursery school until her marriage to Jack Percival Roden, a pharmacist, in 1955. Jack and Gloria had two children: Melanie and Barry.

Gloria was a Sunday School teacher at Anshe Shalom Synagogue in Hamilton, a board member of Mt. Sinai Hospital, and served in several organizations and committees, notably the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, of whose Toronto section she was president from 1976 to 1979.

Subjects

Women--Societies and clubs

Name Access

Roden, Gloria

National Council of Jewish Women of Canada

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-8-4

Material Format

architectural drawing

graphic material

object

textual record

sound recording

Physical Description

ca. 11 m of textual records and other material

Date

1930-2017

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting the life and career of Rabbi Benjamin Friedberg. Included are subject files, eulogies, sermons, marriage records, funeral record cards, conversion certificates, gittin (Jewish divorce documents), addresses for High Holiday services, and photographs. Also include are a few artifacts, such as felt patches and medallions, as well as sound recordings. A large number of documents are relating to Rabbi Friedberg's rabbinical career at Beth Tzedec Congregation.

Administrative History

Rabbi Joseph Benjamin Friedberg (1927-2022) was born on June 26, 1927, in Toronto to Chaim (Chamel) and Rochel Rose Friedberg. Rochel Friedberg was born in Polaniec, Poland (Russian part of Poland), the daughter of Moshe and Sura Poss. Rochel had little formal education but learned Talmud from her father. In her youth, Moshe came to Toronto to make a living and had to leave the family behind; shortly thereafter, World War I broke out, and Rochel was sent to the town of Stopnitz. She was then sent to Crackow to work. Rochel married Chaim (Chamel) Friedberg from Patchenev, who was enlisted in Pilsudski’s army. Before the Great Depression, Rochel and Chaim immigrated to Canada. Later on, Chaim took ill and had to go to the Western Sanitarium; soon after that, he passed away in 1957. Rochel passed away in 1992.

Rabbi Benjamin Friedberg was a native of Toronto and received his basic religious and secular education there. He attended Harbord Collegiate in his youth. After spending a number of years at the Yeshiva University in New York, he returned home to attended the University of Toronto, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949. In 1950, Rabbi Friedberg entered the Rabbinical School of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He received his Master of Hebrew Letters degree and rabbinical ordination in 1954.

Rabbi Friedberg’s first pulpit was in Rochester, New York. He served as assistant rabbi at Beth Tzedec Congregation in 1955; and then as rabbi of B’nai Israel Congregation in London, Ontario. In 1959, he received his Master of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario in Bible and Archaeology. As part of his doctorial program, he studied in the Department of Archaeology and Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; he also spent several years studying in the Department of Religion at the University of Ottawa with special emphasis on the Samaritans.

In 1961, Rabbi Friedberg was called to the pulpit of Agudath Israel Congregation in Ottawa, Ontario, where he served for thirteen years until 1974.

In 1974, he was appointed senior rabbi at Beth Tzedec Congregation, Toronto. His major emphases in the congregation were the development of both child and adult education and emphasizing Israel as the dominant fact in Jewish life today. Much of the programming at Beth Tzedec that he instituted dealt with Israel.

Rabbi Friedberg’s interest in Jewish education was responsible for the founding of a Hebrew High School in Ottawa. His concern with Jewish youth prompted him to devote his time as counsellor to the Hillel Organization on the campuses of the University of Western Ontario, Carleton University, and the University of Ottawa. He taught Bible, Biblical Hebrew, and courses in Judaism at the University of Ottawa; and was an occasional lecturer at the University of Western Ontario in the Orientals Department. While living in Ottawa, he was active in a number of Jewish communal organizations. He was the founder and the organizer of the Ottawa Soviet Jewry Committee and was head of the Jews in Foreign Lands Committee and Canada-Israel Committee. Also, he was on the Social Welfare Council and was chairman of the Aliyah Committee in Ottawa.

Rabbi Friedberg was active with the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) and the Canadian Zionist Federation (CZF). He worked actively on behalf of the CJC’s Educational Department. He was on the executive of the CJC Central and Eastern Regions and served as national chairman of the CJC’s International Affairs Committee. As an active Zionist, he served as national chairman of the Hasbara Committee of the CZF and was president of Mercaz Canada, the Zionist organization of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement. He also organized Israel tours and led Israel tour groups for a number of times. Rabbi Friedberg was the recipient of citations of the UJA, State of Israel Bonds, and various other awards in recognition of his communal work. In addition, he had also been invited to serve as a member of Teddy Kollek’s Jerusalem Committee.

Rabbi Friedberg was a contributor to Anglo-Jewish press, television work, and radio. He was chairman of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Religious Advisory Committee and hosted his own television program called “Focus.” He had written for the London Free Press, and the Ottawa Citizen, and a number of Jewish periodicals.

Rabbi Friedberg was married to the former Lola Constant of Montreal (1930-2022). They had three children together—Mark, Gilah, and Esther. Lola Friedberg had a degree from McGill University in Arts and Music. She had given two-piano recitals in conjunction with her twin sister, Miriam “Mitzi” Leboff, on a number of occasions. Lola had taught piano and conducted choirs in Montreal and Ottawa.

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

Rabbis

Sermons

Eulogies

Name Access

Friedberg, Benjamin, 1927-2022

Beth Tzedec Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Ottawa (Ont.)

London (Ont.)

Jerusalem

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2005-12-1

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

22 photographs

Date

2002-2004

Scope and Content

This accession consists of twenty-two photographs taken by the prominent architectural photographer Robert Burley. The photographs document the interior and exterior features of six of Toronto's original synagogues: the Kiever, Knesseth Israel, First Narayever, Anshei Minsk, Shaarei Tzedec, and the Beach Hebrew Institute.

These photographs were part of an exhibit held at the Arthur Anderson Gallery that ran from February to May 2005. Burley selected these synagogues for his project because they were the only synagogues in the city still operating in their original buildings. His images reveal the architectural details of the buildings as well as the rich interiors, highlighting the murals, religious artifacts, and interior structure of each building.

Administrative History

Robert Burley graduated with a master's degree in fine arts from the School of Art Institute in Chicago in 1986. He is an accomplished architectural photographer who has exhibited his work around the world. He is a professor at the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Architecture

Synagogues

Name Access

Anshei Minsk Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)

Beach Hebrew Institute (Toronto, Ont.)

Congregation Shaarei Tzedec (Toronto, Ont.)

First Narayever Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2009-6-5

Material Format

graphic material

sound recording

moving images

textual record

object

Physical Description

187 photographs : b&w and col. ; 24 x 20 cm or smaller

20 audiocassettes

10 videocassettes

1 folder of textual records

1 object

Date

[193-]-2006

Scope and Content

Accession consists predominantly of records collected by Bess Shockett in her work with UJA Federation's Committee for Yiddish and Friends of Yiddish. The accession also contains some personal family records. The photographs document programmes of the Committee for Yiddish in the late 1980s and 1990s, including an outdoor Yiddish concert, several International Conferences of Yiddish Clubs (1995, 1998, 1999), Sunday morning Yiddish classes, and a 1993 Hanukah concert. There are also three photographs of the New Fraternal Jewish Association and its celebration of J. B. Salsberg's eightieth birthday in 1980. The videocassettes contain recordings of other events including a storytelling workshop, Purim Mystery Night, a farewell for Miriam Waddington and several Sof Vokh (weekend retreat) programmes of 1993.

The twenty cassette tapes feature panel discussions, lectures and interviews, including "Yiddish education," "Yiddish and the Media," "Yiddish and the Younger Generation," "Yiddish and the Performing Arts," and "Yiddish Language and Translation." There are several interviews with Yiddish poet Avrom Sutzkever, as well as two Toronto Yiddish concerts. Other tapes contain radio interviews with [Aaron?] Lansky; "Chava Rosenfarb--Book Fair", 1988; "Plenary reports and presentations"; and an episode of the program The Forward Hour on Peretz Miransky, an influential Polish writer in the inter-war years.

Personal records in the accession consist of family snapshots dating from the 1930s and 1940s. These were taken in Israel and include images of farming, landscapes, travel, a canal, groups of people, city buildings, and processions. These photos all have Yiddish writing on the back. There is one formal portrait, ca. 1890s, of an elderly Jewish man. As well, there is a folder of original and photocopied poetry (in Yiddish) written by a Jack Shockett.

Accession also includes a Yiddish typewriter, in case, that Bess used in the late 1960s/early 1970s when the Committee for Yiddish was under Congress.

Custodial History

Records were entrusted to the estate of Bess Shockett after her death, and given to her Committee for Yiddish colleague Ethel Cooper, who brought them to the archives.

Administrative History

Bess Shockett was born in the Ukraine in 1919. Her father, Solomon Maltin, was the mayor of the town and helped establish a number of Jewish community institutions. He and his wife had two sons along with Bess: Sam and Ben. In 1925, the family moved to Montreal. As an adolescent, Bess became very active in the Jewish community and joined the United Jewish People's Order. She helped organize a union for workers in the knitting industry and later did the same for fur workers. She also travelled to Winnipeg to organize a laundry workers union. She met her husband, Barry Shockett, in Toronto and they married in 1952 and had three children: Michael, Elka and Eric. Bess eventually became very active in the Toronto Jewish community, particularly in regards to supporting and launching several innovative Yiddish programs. She staffed the office of CJC's Committee for Yiddish in its early years, and was Director from 1974 to 1989. She helped found the Friends of Yiddish in 1985 and served as executive vice-president until her death on August 27, 2007.

Descriptive Notes

There is little written material; what there is (captions and poetry) is mostly in Yiddish; some captions are in English.

Subjects

Committees

Yiddish language

Name Access

Committee for Yiddish (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2009-9-8

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

4 photographs : b&w and col. ; 56 cm x 71 cm

Date

2002-2004

Scope and Content

This accession consists of four framed photographs taken by Robert Burley. The photographs document the Anshei Minsk Synagogue and were part of the exhibit "Recurrent Memories: Historic Jewish Sites in Canada and Poland," which was held at Gallery 345 from 23 April 2008 to 18 May 2008. The photographs are as follows:

1) Burned Books, Anshei Minsk Synagogue, Toronto, 2002

2) Anshei Minsk Synagogue, Toronto, 2002

3) Fire Damage to the Women’s Gallery, Anshei Minsk Synagogue, 2002

4) View from the Bima, Anshei Minsk Synagogue, Toronto, 2004

Administrative History

Robert Burley graduated with a master's degree in fine arts from the School of Art Institute in Chicago in 1986. He is an accomplished architectural photographer who has exhibited his work around the world. He is a professor at the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University.

Use Conditions

Robert Burley holds copyright for these photographs and should be credited.

Descriptive Notes

see 2005-12-1

Subjects

Architecture

Photographers

Synagogues

Name Access

Anshei Minsk Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)

Burley, Robert, 1957

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

David Pinkus fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

138

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

graphic material (electronic)

architectural drawing

philatelic record

sound recording

cartographic material

object

Date

1854-2021

Physical Description

ca. 2.4 m of textual records

ca. 600 photographs : b&w and col. (ca. 90 negatives); 30 x 35 cm or smaller

other material

Admin History/Bio

David Pinkus (1924-2021) was born on May 11, 1924, at the Toronto General Hospital to Isadore Pinkus (1887-1947) and Molly (Mollie) Pinkus (née Parelstein) (1892-1990). Isadore was born in Kiev Gubernia of the Russian Empire; Molly was born in Podolia Gubernia of the Russian Empire and later moved to Ukraine with her family. Isadore and Molly met and married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1910 and moved to Toronto in 1911. The Pinkus family settled in Kensington Market in around 1914 and was one of the first Jewish settlers to the Kensington neighbourhood. David spent his entire life living in the Kensington Market area. He lived on 83 Huron Street until 1927 when the Pinkus family moved to 34 Nassau Street, which has been the house of the Pinkus family ever since. David had two siblings: brother Max and sister Goldie.

In his childhood, David attended the Brunswick Talmud Torah daily and learned Hebrew. He had his bar mitzvah at the Kiever Shul. David attended William Houston School until 1930 and Ryerson Public School until grade eight. Later, he attended Harbord School for high school and was also involved with sports at Harbord Collegiate and YMHA. In 1947, David obtained his Bachelor of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. After graduation, he worked at Goodyear for one year and returned to the University of Toronto as an instructor of engineering drawing and machine design. Later, he worked at various places such as Canadian Industries Limited in Maitland, Toronto Iron Works, and Avro Aircraft Limited.

David’s father, Isadore, was one of the founders of the Kiever Synagogue. David’s involvement with the Kiever Synagogue started in 1947, following Isadore’s death. David served as president and held positions on the executive of the Kiever Shul and played a principal role in the restoration of the shul. He also served on Toronto’s Board of Health as well as the boards of the Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, and St. Christopher House. In addition, David was an active community leader and local historian. He did genealogical research for many Toronto Jewish families. David had been recognized by the National Jewish Federation of North America as a Jewish community hero in 2011. He passed away on May 6, 2021.

Custodial History

Records received after the death of David Pinkus through Joseph Solomon, the executor of David Pinkus’ estate. Records have been selected by archivists following a site visit at David’s home at 34 Nassau Street, Toronto.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of textual records, graphic material, sound recordings, architectural drawings, artifacts, and a small number of philatelic records, most of which document David Pinkus’ career and personal life, the Pinkus family, the Kiever Shul, the Kiever Cemetery, as well as Mount Sinai Cemetery Association (Mount Sinai Memorial Park) and the Dawes Road Cemeteries (Amalgamated Dawes Road Trustees), of which the Kiever Congregation is a member organization. Also included are documents and photographs of other individuals and families, which David collected for his genealogical research, and those that are pertaining to Kensington Market and other congregations and cemeteries.

Textual records include correspondence; scrapbooks; education records; identification documents; research notes and clippings relating to David’s genealogical research; documents pertaining to his Kensington Market activism and community work; files on David’s engineering career and his role as president of the Kiever Shul; and files documenting the Pinkus family members, such as funeral documents, notebooks, family correspondence, voters’ lists, and records relating to Pinkus Fruit Co. and 34 Nassau Street. Also included are records documenting the Kiever Shul, which include meeting minutes, ledger books, financial documents, legal documents, membership lists and application forms, address books, high holiday service cards, and historic papers dating from the 1920s and 1930s. Textual records documenting the Kiever Cemetery, Mount Sinai Memorial Park, and the Dawes Road Cemeteries are mainly comprised of cemetery maps, burial plot cards, burial record books, by-laws and regulations, and meeting minutes. Also present are records pertaining to other congregations and cemeteries, such as constitution books, brochures, booklets, and copies of legal documents.

Photographs mainly feature David Pinkus and the Kiever Cemetery, with a small number featuring the Pinkus family members, the Junction Synagogue (Congregation Knesseth Israel), the Great Choral Synagogue of Kyiv, and those that David collected for his genealogical research.

Architectural drawings of this fonds include the restoration and renovation plan for the Kiever Shul and the alteration plan for Mount Sinai Cemetery Administration Building.

Also present are sound recordings, including cassettes and microcassettes of David Pinkus; and artifacts, including felt patches, pin back buttons, medals, Toronto foot-pedlar registration badges, and a wooden gavel of the Kiever Shul.

Fonds has been arranged into the following series: David Pinkus’ personal records; Kensington Market; David Pinkus’ genealogical research; the Pinkus family; the Kiever Shul; the Kiever Cemetery; Mount Sinai Memorial Park; the Dawes Road Cemeteries; and other associations, congregations, and cemeteries.

Notes

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Also included are 22 architectural drawings, 7 maps, 4 audio cassettes, 2 microcassettes, 1 optical disc, 8 drawings, 2 prints, 1 photo collage, 34 pinback buttons, 15 Toronto padler-on-foot registration badges, 8 felt patches, 3 medals, 3 brooches, 1 wooden gavel, 2 tax tokens, 2 postage stamps, 1 sales tax stamp, and 9 revenue stamps.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: Books that were initially included in this fonds have been removed and incorporated into the OJA’s library collection. These books are: Spadina Avenue by Rosemary Donegan with an introduction by Rick Salutin, Toronto No Mean City by Eric Arthur revised by Stephen A. Otto, Canadian Jewish Directory edited by Edmond Y. Lipsitz, The Toronto Jewish Directory, and The Canada Year Book 1905 (second series).

HISTORY/BIO NOTE: Information is sourced from OH 413 and the content of the fonds.

Name Access

Pinkus, David, 1924-2021

Kiever Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)

Mount Sinai Cemetery Association (Toronto, Ont.)

Mount Sinai Memorial Park (Toronto, Ont.)

Dawes Road Cemetery (Toronto, Ont.)

Amalgamated Dawes Road Trustees (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Families

Synagogues

Genealogy

Cemeteries

Access Restriction

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

Repro Restriction

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

Related Material

See accessions 2004-1-5, 2004-1-6, 2004-2-1, 2008-11-9, 2016-3-48, and 2021-10-1 for additional information on the Kiever Shul; and OH 413 for more information on David Pinkus and the Pinkus family.

Arrangement

Records came into the OJA with no discernible order. Arrangement has been imposed by the archivist.

Creator

Pinkus, David, 1924-2021

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Kensington Market (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2021-7-3

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2010-7-2

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

40 cm of textual records

Date

[1998?]-2010

Scope and Content

Accession consists of one box of gittin.

Use Conditions

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director and rabbi in charge of gittin (or the chair of the Reform Rabbis of Greater Toronto) prior to accessing the records.

Descriptive Notes

General: Gittin are in sealed envelopes and identified by the surname(s) of parties involved. The start date assigned to this accession may not be accurate as the gittin are sealed and not all are marked with a date on the envelope.

Subjects

Get (Jewish law)

Name Access

Reform Rabbis of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2011-6-4

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

ca. 25 cm of textual records

1 photograph

Date

1980-2000, predominant 1980-1990

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting Rolf Lederer's involvement with JIAS, the Canadian Jewish Congress's Chaplaincy Services Committee, the Toronto Jewish Congress Ontario Region Archives Committee, SAJAC, and the Jewish Genealogical Society. JIAS records make up the bulk of the accession and include; statistical reports; meeting notices; agendas and minutes for various committees, such as the Executive Committee, Immigrant Case Committee, Integration Committee and the Board of Directors; newsclippings, correspondence, programmes, reports, JIAS Information bulletins, and JIAS News newsletters.

Chaplaincy records include meeting notices, agendas and minutes, bulletins, invitations, brochures, and general correspondence. JGS records include one photograph of a plaque awarded to the agency and correspondence regarding its cemetery project. Archives Committee records include event invitations, correspondence, and documents related to the Sense of Spadina tour. Finally, accession also consists of SAJAC News publications (1989), correspondence with the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists and a Congregation B'nai Torah dedication banquet programme (1984).

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of Rolf Lederer until he donated them to the OJA on June 22, 2011.

Administrative History

Dr. Rolf Lederer was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1934. His family immigrated to South Africa in 1936 and Rolf remained there until 1961, earning his medical degree from Cape Town University. After completing his psychiatric training in Edinburgh and Boston, Rolf settled in Toronto in 1968. There he set up private practice as a General Psychiatrist.

After moving to Toronto, Rolf became actively involved in the Jewish community and served on a number of committees. He was on both the local and national board of directors of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society (JIAS) as well as a number of JIAS sub-committees, including the South African Jewish Association of Canada (SAJAC), the Local Case File Committee and the Management Committee.

From 1985 to 1988 Rolf was chairman of the Canadian Jewish Congress’s (CJC) Chaplaincy Services Committee. He was also a member of other CJC committees; including, the Jewish Cultural Council and the Joint Adult Education Committee. In addition, Rolf co-founded the Jewish Genealogical Society (JGS) in 1985 and served as the society’s president from 1987 to 1991. Finally, he was an active member of B’nai Torah Congregation, serving as secretary and first vice-president in the early 1980s

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Name Access

Lederer, Rolf, 1934-

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto

Southern African Jewish Association of Canada

Canadian Jewish Congress. Ontario Region

Ontario Jewish Archives

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2011-6-6

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

1 photo album

12 cm of textual records

Date

1963-2004

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting the involvement of Itshe Meyer Korolnek and his children in the Eitz Chaim Talmud Torah and Jewish education in Toronto. Eitz Chaim records include a graduation programme (1968), an annual dinner book honouring Harry and Max Korolnek (1992), and a dedication journal (1963). Also included are anniversary dinner programmes for the Beth Jacob High School and the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Congregation, a memorial breakfast booklet for the Toronto Cheder (2003), a publication by Mayer S. Abramowitz titled "Toronto's Sages," and a CJC book commemorating seventy years of Jewish life in Canada. Finally, the accession also includes a photo album documenting a testimonial dinner for Itshe Korolnek and issues of the Jewish Times (1983), the Canadian Jewish Review (1950), and the Hebrew Journal (Yiddisher Zhurnal) (1972).

Subjects

Education

Name Access

Bais Yaakov High School (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2012-6-7

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

58 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 25 cm or smaller

Date

[190-]-2003

Scope and Content

Accession consists of original and photocopies of photographs related to the Lyons, Agranove, Rotenberg, Pollock families from Toronto and Hamilton. Included are family portraits, wedding portraits, the family likely at community events, and a photo of the family at Crystal Beach. There is also a photocopy of a story in the Canadian Jewish News about a Rotenberg family reunion in 2003.

Administrative History

William Agranove was active in Keiltzer Society and was in the furniture manufacturing business. He was also a major fundraiser for the UJA, a close friend of Sam Kronick. He is mentioned in Hesh Troper's book "None is Too Many" as helping Jews come to Toronto from Europe.

Rotenberg Family were a large family with 10 children. Saul Rotenberg raised horses and was partners with Lyons in the furniture business that had many locations, one on Yonge Street.

Descriptive Notes

Donor's cousin Judy will be in touch with OJA to provide more information.

Subjects

Families

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2013-3-1

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

ca. 71 photographs

1 folder of textual records

Date

1919-1939, [ca. 2005]

Scope and Content

Accession consists primarily of photographs documenting the early life of Bella Wilder (née Goldbach) and her family in Poland. Included are images of Bella with her siblings and friends, group photos of Bella at her Jewish school in Poland, a group image of Victor in the Polish army, and other photographs of Bella's family and friends. Also included are two family histories documenting the story of Bella's mother, Shifra Frimeth Goldbach, and the story of Max and Bella Wilder, which was written by their granddaughter Sandee Sharpe. Of particular note is a 1925 school photograph of the Workers Evening School in Opatow (?), which has Yiddish writing suggesting that the school may have received aid from an organization referred to as "Gives Relief" in Toronto.

Custodial History

The records were originally donated to the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada (Toronto section) by Bella's daughter Ann Sharpe. JGS Toronto donated the material to the OJA a few months later with her consent.

Administrative History

Bella (nee Goldbach) Wilder was born on May 12, 1910 in Opatow, Poland to Chaim Shlomo Goldbach and Shifra Frimeth Schatz Goldbach. Bella's older brothers, Victor, Jack and Hymie began immigrating to Toronto in the 1920s and had saved enough money by 1936 to bring Bella and her mother to Toronto. After arriving in Toronto Bella found work sewing in a factory.

Bella married Max Wilder on September 29, 1939. Max worked at Superior Men's Tailoring where he sewed zippers into men's pants. They had two children together: Ann (born 5 April 1940, married Norman Sharpe) and Stan (born 21 Jan. 1945, died June 1974). Max passed away in 1999 and Bella passed away in 2002.

Descriptive Notes

Availability of other formats: Photographs have been digitized and are available as digital images.

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Families

Name Access

Goldbach, Shifra

Sharpe, Ann

Wilder, Bella, 1910-2002

Wilder, Max, ?-1999

Places

Poland

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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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

2014-1-4

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

May 1999, Jan. 2001

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. Included are two directories created by the Jewish Information Service.

The first directory is the Jewish Community of Greater Toronto, which was updated in May 1999. The directory was divided into seven sections: Introductory pages; Community Agencies; Education and the Community; Israel/Zionist; Organized Community Life; Religious Community Life; and Back Index.

The second directory is the Greater Toronto Jewish Singles Directory: A Listing of Groups and Services, which was published in January 2001. The directory includes Jewish singles and matchmaking groups in the community.

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.

Descriptive Notes

Availability of other formats: Also available as PDF.

Subjects

Charities

Directories

Single people

Name Access

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2014-2-6 [Processed]

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

2.7 m of textual records

Date

2002-2010

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to the operations and activities of the Koffler Center of the Arts. Records include programming and exhibitions materials and catalogues; records related to the Jewish Book Awards; prombotion material in print and AV and assembled into media binders; meeting minutes and general correspondence.

Custodial History

These records were left for the Archives when Koffler moved from the Prosserman JCC to the Artscape Youngplace.

Subjects

Arts

Name Access

Koffler Centre of the Arts

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2013-12-6

Material Format

multiple media

Physical Description

ca. 200 photographs and other material

Date

[193-]-[2007?]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the personal life and family of Myra Merkur. The bulk of the accession consists of photographs and home movies documenting family activities and an outing to High Park and the Toronto Zoo, holiday celebrations (such as Hanukkah Purim, Passover, and New Year's Eve costume parties), milestones (such as, Myra's wedding and graduation), cottage life at Gamebridge Beach and Camp Wishiwami, and family holidays and travel (such as to Israel, Blue Mountains in Collingwood, and Grossingers in New York).

Also included are sound recordings of a speech made by David Merkur to Nomi Tepperman at her bat mitzvah (17 May 1998) and of an interview with David Merkur who explains to his tweleve year old granddaughter what life was like when he was twelve (1 Nov. 2000).

Finally, accession includes a photocopy of a tribute Myra wrote for her late mother Lena Charlotte Gula documenting Lena's life and Myra's memories of her.

Administrative History

Myra Merkur (née Gula) was born to Lena Gula (née Neimen) and Jack Gula in Toronto in 1933. She had one sister, Elaine Wolfish. As a child, Myra and her family lived with her maternal grandmother, Betty "Brindel", at 234 Markham Street. They later moved into their own home at 1 Enid Crescent in 1949. Myra's father initially worked as a tailor but later went into the sales business selling furniture and insurance. Myra's mother initially stayed at home but obtained work in the mid-1950s as a saleswoman at Morgan's department store.

Myra married David Israel Merkur in 1954. David was a civil engineer and lawyer. He later started a family real-estate business that involved buying, selling, and maintaining properties. Myra and David had three children together: Shauna Tepperman (b. 1956), Lorne Merkur (b. 1957), and Jordan Merkur (b. 1962).

Myra completed her undergraduate degree from Atkinson College (York University) around 1975. She obtained her master of education from OISE in 1982. Myra worked as an ESL teacher with the Toronto Public School Board and was involved as a volunteer and leader with the National Council of Jewish Women, JF&CS, and the Jewish Women's Federation (Women's Philanthropy).

Descriptive Notes

Physical description: includes 1 folder of textual records, 2 sound recordings (wav), and 7 DVDs

Subjects

Families

Vacations

Fasts and feasts--Judaism

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

New York (State)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2015-2-3

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

15 cm of textual records

ca. 100 photographs

Date

1938-2006

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting the Max and Anne Tanenbaum and Wolf families. Included are photographs of family, trips and missions to Israel, the establishment of the John Bassett Sports Centre in Israel and other events; certificates; documents related to Anne and Max's philanthropic work and giving to the Baycrest Centre, the University of Toronto, CHAT and the United Jewish Appeal; newsclippings; and photographs and an invitation documenting the honourary doctorate degree bestowed on Anne Tanenebaum by the Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

Administrative History

Max (1909-1983) and Anne (1909-2009) Tanenbaum were notable philanthropists in Toronto, best known for their support of the Jewish community in the areas of medicine and education.

Max Tanenbaum was born in Poland to Abraham and Chippa Sura Tanenbaum in 1909. He immigrated to Canada with his mother and brother, Joseph, in 1914, three years after his father's arrival in 1911. Max began work in the family steel business at the age of 13 and later went on to found his own steel company; York Steel. Max had two additional siblings, sisters Sarah (m. Sam Kates) and Esther (m. Simon Gottlieb).

Anne Tanenbaum was born in New York in 1909 to Herman and Minnie Wolf. Anne had three siblings: Molly (m. ? Raphael), Dorothy (m. Max Roher) and Jack (m. Ann Korolnek). At the age of 10, Anne's mother passed away and her father remarried. Her father and step-mother had three additional children: Bill (m. Sylvia), Noah (m. Marilyn), and Esther (m. Carmen). The family moved from New York to Montreal and then to Toronto.

Max and Anne met in Toronto and married in 1930. Together they had seven children: Harold, Joey (m. Toby), Howard (m. Carol), Larry (m. Judy), Tauba (m. Sol Spiro), Minda (m. Les Feldman), and Carol.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

Anne's stepmother was affectionately referred to by the Tanenbaum grandchildren as "Bubbie from Palestine."

Subjects

Families

Philanthropists

Name Access

Tanenbaum, Anne, 1909-2009

Tanenbaum, Max, 1909-1983

Wolf family

Places

Israel

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2015-9-18

Material Format

multiple media

Physical Description

85 cm of textual records

184 photographs : b&w and col. (tif and jpg)

ca. 200 photographs : b&w and col.

14 moving images : mov and mp4

Date

[192-]-2015, predominant 1983-2015

Scope and Content

Accession consists of the records related to the activities and operations of the First Narayever Congregation. Included are board and general meeting minutes (1984-1996); general correspondence, high holiday tickets and membership lists (1970s-1990s); membership and dues ledger (1929-1983); Ritual Committee meeting minutes (1984-1988); Implementation Committee records (1970s-1980s); constitutions (1980s); newsletters (1983-2004); a blank seat deed (1920s); a cemetery map (1950s?); records regarding burial rights for the Owen Sound Hebrew Congregation (1966-1980); records regarding a court case filed by members of the congregation surrounding the egalitarian changes being planned; an album documenting SHTICK! A Celebration of Jewish Playwrights (2005-2006); an album documenting the congregation's participation in a UJA Mission to Israel (2003-2004); a binder of material containing photocopied and original records in support of the research for the congregation's 100th anniversary celebrations (1970s-2014); photographs and a video recording of the 100th Anniversary exhbition opening at the Miles Nadal JCC; photographs of events hosted by the congregation; and 9 video interviews with individuals connected to the shul conducted by Sharoni Sibony, Peter Gold, and Harry Schachter for the anniversary celebrations. Interviewees are: Peter Gold, Sharon Weintraub, Murray Teitel, Rosalyn Katz, Julia Gluck, Shaya Petroff, Stuart Schoenfeld, Sylvia Solomon and Ben Rothman. Also included are family photographs and written transcripts of oral interviews conducted with members of the Hersh Petersiel family, who lived in Hastings, Ontario and had early connections to the Narayever Congregation.

Custodial History

The records related to Hersh Petersiel were given to the First Narayever by Marsha Beck for their upcoming one-hundredth anniversary. Marsha agreed to donate them to the OJA along with the Narayever records.

Administrative History

In 1914, Jews from eastern Galicia (now in modern Ukraine) established the First Narayever Congregation in Toronto as a landsmanshaf, i.e. a society of Jewish immigrants from the same town or region. The synagogue takes its name from the small market town of Narayev, which is located in eastern Galicia. The synagogue's founders belonged to the working class and many worked in Toronto's garment industry.

Initially, congregation members met in different locations, but by 1923 their numbers and financial means had grown such that they were able to rent a small house at 70 Huron Street at the corner of Huron and Dundas. This house served as the congregation's home for twenty years.

The congregation's first president was Israel Chaim Katz and its first meeting was held at the Katz home at 156 William Street. The congregation's first rabbi was Solomon Langner, who was hired by the congregation in 1923. He retained this affiliation despite serving the Kiever Synagogue as a full-time rabbi from 1929 until he died in 1973.

In 1943, the congregation purchased property at 187-189 Brunswick Avenue from Bethel Church. This is where the the synagogue is located today. In 1950, Henry Young became president of the congregation. He occupied that position until his death in 1976. Shalom Langner, the son of Rabbi Solomon Langner, succeeded Young as president.

As Toronto's Jewish population began to move north, the First Narayever continued to serve Orthodox Jews living downtown. In the 1980s, the congregation struggled to balance the needs of this older generation with the young generation's desire to make the synagogue more egalitarian with respect to gender. In 1983, the congregation's new leadership team successfully advanced a proposal to allow the full participation of women in traditional services. This innovation led to several long-standing members taking legal action, but their case was dismissed on the grounds that it was not a matter for civil law.

The First Narayever's identity continued to evolve. In 2009, its membership voted to allow its rabbi, Edward Elkin, who began serving the congregation in 2000, to officiate at same-sex marriages.

Subjects

Synagogues

Name Access

First Narayever Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)

Petersiel, Hersh

Places

Hastings (Ont.)

Owen Sound (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2016-4-14

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

moving images

Physical Description

ca. 35 cm of textual records

ca. 5 cm of photographs : b&w and col. ; 45 x 30 cm or smaller

1 VHS : col. ; 43 min.

Date

1905-2007

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the family history and publishing career of Alvin Abram. The records include a scrapbook created by Alvin’s father Herman "Harry" Joseph Abramovitz, managing editor of the Canadian Jewish Weekly. The scrapbook documents Abramovitz’s Canadian national lecture tour entitled “The Jews in Two World Wars,” in which he spoke on the plight of the Jewish people during the First World War and the ongoing destruction of the Jewish people in the Second World War. Abramovitz also lectured on the heroism of Jews participating in the Allied armed forces and the importance of the Tehran Declaration. The same scrapbook also includes newspaper clippings, rail tickets, and programs related to his 1944 tour and subsequent 1945 tour “From Destruction to Reconstruction.” A second scrapbook created by Alvin Abram shares the Abramovitz family tree and includes several early family photographs of Alvin and his siblings and his parents’ marriage certificate. A third scrapbook, also created by Alvin Abram, is oversized and includes a few personal items, such as a page from his high school yearbook, caricature sketches of Alvin, and photos and flyers from the book launch of “The Light After The Dark.” There are a number of miscellaneous items including a copy of Louis Epstein (Alvin Abram's father-in-law)’s immigration card, condolence cards for Annie Ruth Abramovitz (née Schwartz), and personal items such as a 1935, Yiddish-language, ten-page, anti-communist booklet portraying Herman Abramovitz as a barber (Herman’s trade) and Stalin in his barber shop chair, as well as a personal Yiddish-language diary (1941).

In addition, there is a signed poster of Dubi Arie’s The Mission: Under The Wings of God and The Shadow of Amalek, a broadside of The Light After The Dark, associated newspaper clippings, a Leonard Mayzel-Ontario B’nai Brith Lodge Charter Certificate (1949), a fiftieth-anniversary video prepared for the Leonard Mayzel Lodge #1800 B'nai Brith celebration (1998), a video-and-photograph compilation that includes a slideshow with a brief history of the lodge, and a tribute to Leonard Mayzel.

Lastly, the accession includes published book titles On The Shoulders of Giants by Alvin Abram, Toronto Street Names by Leonard Wise and Allan Gould, and The Light After the Dark by Alvin Abram.

Administrative History

Alvin Abram (1936–2021) was a storyteller, writer, printer, and graphic designer. He was born on 11 May 1936 in Toronto to Herman Joseph Abramovitz (1905–1954) and Annie Schwartz (1903–1994).

Alvin's father, Herman ("Harry"), was born in Ataki, Bessaravia (Moldova). He immigrated to Canada in 1927 at the age of twenty-two and married Annie Schwartz (of Romania) in Hamilton, Ontario on 23 December 1928. Together, they had three children, Murray (b. 1929), Alvin (b. 1936), and Morton (b. 1938). Herman, a professionally-trained barber, was active in the union and worked as a journalist, lecturer, and editor of the Canadian Jewish Weekly.

Alvin Abram married Marilyn in [1961]. They had three children, Lisa, Lori, and Jason. Alvin ran a successful printing business and, upon completing several creative writing courses in the 1990s, he launched his accomplished writing career publishing dozens of short stories and several books.

Alvin was very involved in community work and volunteered his to time to many Jewish causes including B'nai Brith Canada, where he served on the executive of its Leonard Mayzel Ontario Lodge.

Subjects

Authors

Name Access

Abram, Alvin

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2016-8-8

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

18 photographs : b&w and col ; 14 x 22 cm or smaller

1 folder of textual records

Date

1937-2007

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to the personal history of Cyril Shenker and family. The records include Cyril's birth certificate, marriage certificate, South African passports for Cyril, his wife Denise and his 3 daughters. Each passport has a Canadian landed immigrant status report attached, dated 1975. Also included are Certificates of Canadian Citizenship for each. In addition, there are family photographs including 4 photos of Cyril as a young child in South Africa and his children and grandchildren in Canada. Finally, accession includes a short personal history written by Cyril about his life.

Administrative History

Cyril Bernard Shenker was born in 1936 in Sea Port Cape Town to Sonia (nee Feldman) and Harry Shenker. He had two older siblings: Doreen and Lionel. Harry ran a kosher deli in Sea Port called Spotless Foods. Cyril moved to Johannesburg in 1954 and found work as an order picker at Stanley Electrical Wholesales. In 1962 he bought company shares and by 1967 he owned a controlling interest in the company. After the company was sold in 1968, Cyril started two additional businesses before leaving South Africa in 1975: SA Lighting (1969-1971) and Viceroy Hardware (1971-1974).

Cyril married Denise Weinberg in 1960. They had three daughters together: Michelle Hilary (b. 1961), Lauren Ruth (b. 1963), and Gayle Anne (b. 1968). Cyril and Denise decided to move the family to Toronto in 1975 since they did not see a future for their daughters in South Africa because of the political situation.

After working initially as a manager at a screw manufacturing plant in Milton, Cyril embarked on a series of additional business ventures in Canada. In 1977 he bought Irwin Hardware Store with two partners. In 1979, he sold his shares in the business and started Allied Agencies (an import and distribution business of household and kitchen wares) with his business partner Eric Gilbert. In 1988, they sold this business and started Port Style Enterprises in 1991 with Jackie Milner and Harvey Rachman. In 2014, Cyril sold his shares and retired.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Name Access

Shenker, Cyril, 1936-

Places

South Africa

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2016-9-1

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

7 photographs : col. ; 41 x 51 cm

Date

2009

Scope and Content

Accession consists of seven oversized colour photographs of seven mikvahs in Toronto taken by photographer Alona Yeshayav.

First image from Sephardic Kehilla Centre, 7026 Bathurst, Thornhill. Image features tiles in Greek key styling around inside perimeter, black tiled flooring, greenery along two sides of pool. Four decorative columns.

Second image from Chabad Gate Mikvah North, 770 Chabad Gate, Thornhill. Image features blue stone tiled flooring, white tiled walls with floral tiled arrangement on two walls.

Third image from Beth Avaham Yosef of Toronto, 613 Clark Ave. West, Thornhill. Image features flooring and tiles in a brown and bronze tone.

Fourth image from Chabad Flamingo, 8001 Bathurst, Thornhill. Image features decorative image of stylized female in front of lit shabbat candles, encased on one wall. Her head is covered and she is preparing to pray. Crystal or glass chandelier with hanging pendants is suspended from ceiling.

Fifth image from The Village Shul, 1072 Eglinton Ave. West, Toronto. Image features white tiled decking. Lower portion of walls have green square tiles, above which is ribbon border of white, followed by large square grey tiles. Cornice moulding at ceiling. Four wall sconces.

Sixth image from Ner Israel Yeshiva, 8950 Bathurst St., Thornhill. Image features beige square tile floor and walls. Single band of blue tiles run horizontally along two walls.

Seventh image from Chabad Lubovitch of Markham, 83 Green Lane, Thornhill. Border of grey and white tiles in diamond pattern along three sides of mikvah. Lower two-thirds of walls are tiled, upper third painted in marble pattern. A single wall sconce is mounted on one wall. Ceiling has skylight image.

Administrative History

Alona Yeshayav was born in Israel, July 3, 1988. She moved to Toronto in 1998 where she studied photography as part of the Image Arts program at Ryerson University. Alona works as a nutritionist. Photography is her hobby.

Use Conditions

Conditional Access. If photos are published, credit donor as photographer.

Subjects

Mikveh

Name Access

Village Shul and Aish HaTorah Learning Centre (Toronto, Ont.)

Yeshayav, Alona

Places

Thornhill (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2015-7-1

Material Format

textual record

moving images

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records and other material

Date

1987, 1998-2009

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the history and events of the Kehillat Shaarei Torah. Included are event invitations, programs, and booklets. Of note is the synagogue's 18th anniversary booklet. Also included are VHS tapes and DVDs of the following events: a Purim celebration featuring a mock wedding (2007), the farewell tribute dinner to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Reuven and Joyce Tradburks and family (2009), the Flo Urbach tribute dinner, the synagogue's 18th anniversary celebrations (1999) and an event honouring Margaret Klompas (2004). Finally, accession includes a CD with images from the Abe Goldberg Torah Dedication (2006).

Administrative History

Kehillat Shaarei Torah is a modern Orthodox congregation that was founded in Toronto in 1980. Most of the early founders and members were recent immigrants from South Africa who had settled in the Bayview-Leslie-York Mills-Shepard area. Unable to find a congregation in their area that reflected their Orthodox traditions from South Africa, they formed their own minyan. They initially met in living rooms and basements and in 1987 opened the synagogue's building at 2640 Bayview Avenue.

Descriptive Notes

Physical description note: Includes 3 videocassettes (VHS), 2 DVDs, and 1 CD (103 photographs)

Subjects

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Synagogues

Name Access

Kehillat Shaarei Torah of Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2017-2-12

Material Format

multiple media

Physical Description

45 cm of textual records and other material

230 photographs : sepia and b&w ; 23 x 30 cm and smaller

8 sound recordings (50 wav files; 1 microcassette)

1 artifact

Date

1937-2004

Scope and Content

Accession consists of textual records, photographs and audio recordings documenting the lives of Dick Steele, his wife Esther, and friend Bill Walsh. The materials are mostly correspondences between Dick and Esther during his internment at the Don Jail and Ontario Reformatory in Guelph, and from Dick and Bill's military service overseas during the Second World War. They also include correspondences between Esther and Bill, Bill and Anne Walsh, "Jack" and Esther, and other family and friends. Some of the letters show evidence of being censored. There are news clippings in English and Yiddish about the family from various newspapers including the Canadian Tribune (a Communist Party paper). There is a letter Esther wrote to campaign for Dick's release from internment, part of women's activism in this period. There is also a photocopy of a memoir written by Moses Kosowatsky and Moses Wolofsky "From the Land of Despair to the Land of Promise" ca. 1930s.

The photographs include Dick and Bill in the army during the Second World War, a signed picture of Tim Buck addressed to Esther and the twins and a photo of Dick delivering a speech related to the Steel Workers. Also included is a recording of edited sound clips of Bill and Esther talking about Dick, Esther speaking about the letters, (how she received letters and flowers from Dick after he had already been killed), Bill reading a letter Dick wrote to Esther that he left with friends in England to send her in the case that he was killed (which he was), recordings of "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2 compiled by Leib Wolofsky's (Bill's nephew), and 5 audio recordings by Adrianna Steele-Card with her grandparents Bill and Esther. There is also a microcassette labelled "Joe Levitt."

The accession also includes the stripe of a German corporal that Bill captured as a prisoner, peace stamps and an early copy of Cy Gonick's A Very Red Life: The Story of Bill Walsh, edited by Bill.

Administrative History

Richard "Dick" Kennilworth Steele is the name adopted by Moses Kosowatsky. He was born in 1909 in Montreal to Samuel Kosowatsky and Fanny Held. He lived in a laneway off Clark Street, below Sherbrooke, where his father collected and recycled bottles. He grew up with his siblings, Joseph, Mortimer, Matthew, Gertrude, and Edward.

Bill Walsh (birth name Moishe Wolofsky) was born in 1910, to Sarah and Herschel Wolofsky, the editor of the Keneder Adler (Montreal's prominent Yiddish newspaper). He attended Baron Byng and then Commercial High School, where he met Dick Steele. Bill recalled that Dick denounced militarism in the school when a teacher tried to recruit students to be cadets.

Bill moved to New York City in 1927. His brother, who was living there, helped him get a job as a messenger on Wall Street. He also worked in the drug department at Macy's while attending courses at Columbia University in the evening. Dick worked on a ship for a year and then joined Bill in New York City in 1928. Dick worked at a chemical plant called Linde Air Products while also studying in the evenings at Columbia University.

In 1931, Dick and Bill boarded a ship together in New York bound for Copenhagen. Together, they travelled across Europe, witnessed a Nazi demonstration in Breslau, Germany, and found work in Minsk and Moscow, Russia. This trip inspired them to become Communists. In 1933, Bill's father was on a Canadian trade mission to Poland, which he left to "rescue" his son from the Bolsheviks. Bill agreed to return to Canada after being advised to do so by the Comintern. He then changed his name to Bill Walsh to protect his family.

In 1934, Bill moved to Toronto. He worked as the educational director for the Industrial Union of Needle Trade Workers and the Communist Party, where he met Esther Slominsky/Silver, the organization's office manager. Dick joined Bill in Toronto soon after. Bill introduced Dick and Esther, who then married. In 1940, Esther gave birth to twin sons, Michael and John Steele. Esther was born in Toronto in 1914 to Joseph Slominsky and Fanny (Blackersany?). Her siblings were Bella, Eileen, Morris, and step-sister Eva. Her father, Joseph, was a cloak maker and Esther also worked in the garment industry. Her mother Fanny passed away in 1920 at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis.

Dick was a metal worker and became a union organizer in the east end of Toronto. He was the head organizer of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee of Canada (SWOC) until 1940, when he was dismissed for being a Communist. Bill helped organize Kitchener's rubber workers into an industrial union and was also an organizer for the United Auto Workers of Windsor, Ontario.

Jack Steele, an alias for Dick's brother Mortimer, fought with the Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Jack Steele was recalled to Canada in October 1937 to rally support for the efforts in Spain, returned to the front in June 1938, and was killed in action in August. Some of Dick's letters to his wife, Esther, are signed "Salud, Jack" and were likely written in 1940 when the Communist Party (CP) was banned by the Canadian government under the War Measures Act.

In November 1941, after Mackenzie King's call for enlistment, Dick wrote to the Department of Justice to ask permission to join the army. He never received a reply. On 1 April 1942, Dick's home was raided and he was interned at the Don Jail until September 1942, when he was moved to the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph. Esther wrote a letter to the minister of justice, Louis St. Laurent, to appeal on his behalf.

Major public campaigning by Communists and the wartime alliance with the USSR after 1941 shifted public opinion toward the CP, and the Canadian government slowly began releasing internees in January 1942. Dick was released in October 1942 and enlisted at the end of the month. Dick died on 17 August 1944 in Normandy, France. He was a tank driver in the Canadian Army.

Bill was similarly arrested in 1941, spending time in jail and then an internment camp with other members of the CP. He joined the Canadian Army in 1943 and fought in Holland and Belgium. Bill was first married to Anne Weir who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1943, just before he enlisted. The family believes this may have been due to drinking unpasteurized milk. Encouraged by Dick Steele to take care of his family should he pass in the war, Bill married Esther Steele in 1946. They had a daughter named Sheri and were members of the United Jewish People's Order. For twenty years, Walsh worked for the Hamilton region of the United Electrical Workers (UE). Bill remained a member of the CP until 1967, when we was expelled for criticizing another union leader. He died in 2004. Esther passed away in 2010 at age ninety-six.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: Library and Archives Canada has the William Walsh fonds and MG 28, ser. I 268, USWA, vol.4, SWOC Correspondence, has various letters from Dick Steele ca. 1938. Museum of Jewish Montreal has an oral history with Leila Mustachi (daughter of Max Wolofsky, Bill's brother) where she speaks about Bill, Dick and Esther. USE CONDITION NOTES: For "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2, some contributors stipulate that recordings are restricted to personal use only and must not be used for any commercial purpose.

Subjects

World War, 1939-1945

Politics and government

Labour and unions

Name Access

Steele, Michael

Steele, Dick

Walsh, Bill

Walsh, Esther Steele

Places

England

Fort William (Ont.)

Germany

Guelph (Ont.)

Hamilton (Ont.)

Montréal (Québec)

Netherlands

Oshawa (Ont.)

Ottawa (Ont.)

Thunder Bay (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2016-7-5

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

41 photographs : b&w and col. (1625 kb jpgs) ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

Date

1932-2013

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting the Latchman Triplets. Included are family photographs of Donald, Marvin and Victor Latchman, a family portrait taken at the wedding of Philip and Sally Latchman, class photos, summer camp photos, and images of the triplets' 75th and 80th birthdays (5 November 2013).

Identified in photographs are: Donald and Annette Latchman, Victor and Rosalie Latchman, Marvin and Shirley Latchman, Philip and Sally Latchman, Morris Latchman, Vera Latchman Berrin, Mari Latchman Lipton, Irv Lipton, and Belle Latchman.

Textual records include Beth Sholom Bulletin June-August 1997, Beth Sholom Brotherhood Ball and Installation 1971, photocopies of news paper articles about the triplets, class photos and letter regarding payment of King's Bounty.

Administrative History

Philip and Sally (Sugarman) Latchman were married in 1932. In November 1933, Sally gave birth to identical triplets Donald, Marvin and Victor. In celebration, they were sent the King's Bounty of 3 British pounds. The boys were interviewed every year on their birthday by Toronto newspapers until they decided to stop the publicity. The family lived in the Bloor-Markham area until the boys were 11. The family then moved to Montclair Avenue where the boys attended Forest Hill Public School. They had their bar-mitzvahs at the Hebrew Men of England Synagogue. The triplets' father, Philip Latchman was a founding members of Beth Sholom Synagogue. Donald Latchman was on the board and Rosalie Latchman was active in the congregation.

Philip and his younger brother Morris Latchman started Federal Farms Limited in 1948 on 150 acres of Holland March in Brantford, Ontario. They grew vegetables: potatoes, carrots, celery and rutabegas. They also had a potato chip company Mad Hatter Snack Foods which was Kosher for Passover. Federal Farms Ltd. went public in 1961 and Loblaws bought 51% of the shares.

Donald attended Ryerson business school and founded Latchman Insurance Brokers. He married Annette Bachst, a Holocaust survivor who grew up in New York.

Marvin attended Ryerson business school then worked for Federal Farms at the Ontario Food Terminal. Later he became a real estate broker. He married Shirley Wolkofsky.

Victor worked on the family farm and at Federal Fruit Company at the Ontario Food Terminal. Victor took a business course at Shaw's Business School. In 1966 he bought Taylors shoes, a business at 2934 Dundas Street. West started in 1920 by Sid Taylor. Victor helped start the Junction Business Improvement Association and was twice pesident of Junction Gardens BIA. He retired in 2009. Victor and Rosalie Greenspan (d. 2014) were married at Beth Sholom in 1958 by Rabbi David Monson. Their children are Howard, and Faith and Mitchell Sherman. Their grand-children are Matthew, Jennifer and Russell Sherman. Victor and Rosalie were honoured at Beth Sholom Synagogue on 26 October 2013 for their 55th wedding anniversary.

In 2012 at age 78, the triplets believed themselves to be the oldest male identical triplets alive in Canada.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

RELATED MATERIALS NOTE: Federal Farms Limited fonds at Simoce Country Archives. ASSOCIATED MATERIALS NOTE: See accession 2016-12\45 (Victor Latchman) and 2002-10\66 (Morris Latchman).

Subjects

Agriculture

Families

Name Access

Latchman, Donald

Latchman, Marvin

Latchman, Victor

Places

Brantford (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2016-12-45

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

3 photographs : b&w ; col. ; 8 x 11 cm

1 folder of textual records

Date

1958-2010

Scope and Content

Accession consists of family photos of Victor Latchman and textual records about Victor's business Taylors Shoes. Identified in the photos are: Victor Latchman and Rosalie Greenspan, Donald and Annette Latchman and Victor and Rosalie in Miami (1960s). Textual records include a business card for Taylors Shoes and an article about Latchman's retirement published in the Bloor West Town Crier (February 2010).

Administrative History

Philip and Sally (Sugarman) Latchman were married in 1932. In November 1933, Sally gave birth to identical triplets Donald, Marvin and Victor. In celebration, they were sent the King's Bounty of 3 British pounds. The boys were interviewed every year on their birthday by Toronto newspapers until they decided to stop the publicity. The family lived in the Bloor-Markham area until the boys were 11. The family then moved to Montclair Avenue where the boys attended Forest Hill Public School. They had their bar-mitzvahs at the Hebrew Men of England Synagogue. The triplets' father, Philip Latchman was a founding members of Beth Sholom Synagogue. Donald Latchman was on the board and Rosalie Latchman was active in the congregation.

Philip and his younger brother Morris Latchman started Federal Farms Limited in 1948 on 150 acres of Holland March in Brantford, Ontario. They grew vegetables: potatoes, carrots, celery and rutabegas. They also had a potato chip company Mad Hatter Snack Foods which was Kosher for Passover. Federal Farms Ltd. went public in 1961 and Loblaws bought 51% of the shares.

Donald attended Ryerson business school and founded Latchman Insurance Brokers. He married Annette Bachst, a Holocaust survivor who grew up in New York.

Marvin attended Ryerson business school then worked for Federal Farms at the Ontario Food Terminal. Later he became a real estate broker. He married Shirley Wolkofsky.

Victor worked on the family farm and at Federal Fruit Company at the Ontario Food Terminal. Victor took a business course at Shaw's Business School. In 1966 he bought Taylors shoes, a business at 2934 Dundas Street. West started in 1920 by Sid Taylor. Victor helped start the Junction Business Improvement Association and was twice pesident of Junction Gardens BIA. He retired in 2009. Victor and Rosalie Greenspan (d. 2014) were married at Beth Sholom in 1958 by Rabbi David Monson. Their children are Howard, and Faith and Mitchell Sherman. Their grand-children are Matthew, Jennifer and Russell Sherman. Victor and Rosalie were honoured at Beth Sholom Synagogue on 26 October 2013 for their 55th wedding anniversary.

In 2012 at age 78, the triplets believed themselves to be the oldest male identical triplets alive in Canada.

Descriptive Notes

ASSOCIATED MATERIALS NOTE: See accession 2016-7-5 (Victor Latchman) and 2002-10-66 (Morris Latchman). RELATED MATERIALS NOTE: Federal Farms Limited fonds at Simcoe County Archives.

Subjects

Business

Families

Name Access

Latchman, Annette

Latchman, Donald

Latchman, Rosalie

Latchman, Victor

Places

Miami (Fla.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2017-4-7

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

8 cm of textual records

1 photograph : col. ; 13 x 18 cm

Date

2004-2010

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a photograph of Ted Sokolsky and textual records that include: Centre Square Seniors' Centre Program and Design Brief (2004), Israel Emergency Campaign Fact Finding Trip by Ted Sokolsky and Adam Minsky (2007), Israel Emergency Campaign Proposal Draft 1 (2007) and a photo scrapbook of the Hatzor Ha'Glilit Early Childhood Centre (2010) thanking the UJA for its contribution to the construction of its new building.

Custodial History

Donated by Adam Minsky's office.

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

Charities

Israel

Older people

Name Access

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2017-7-4

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

1 artifact

1 commemorative coin

2 photographs : b&w and col. ; 35 x 28 cm or smaller

Date

1955-[2005?]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the career of Canadian TV producer Stan Jacobson. Records include: theatre programs for stage productions Jacobson was involved in (1955-1958); a signed photograph of Sammy Sales addressed to Stan Jacobson and Mervyn Rosenzveig (1956?); a small amount of correspondence pertaining to Johnny Cash including a letter to the U.S. Consulate in Toronto from Cash commending Jacobson (1964-1968); one photocopy of a photograph of Frances Jacobson, Stan Jacobson, June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, and three other individuals (197-?); a photograph of Jacobson with Arte Johnson (1973); a photocopy of an article that appeared in the Globe and Mail and that quotes Stan about Burton Cummings (1979); a commemorative coin from the Winter Olympic Games (1988); an artifact recognizing Stan Jacobson's participation in Alberta's Rocky Mountain Salute to the XV Olympic Winter Games (1988); and theatre/television credits for Jacobson (2005?).

Custodial History

Frances Jacobson, Stan Jacobson's widow, mailed the records that constitute the accession to Annie Matan who is responsible for Jewish Life and Family Engagement at Miles Nadal Jewish JCC. Annie in turn got the records to Dara Solomon who passed them to Michael Friesen to accession.

Administrative History

Stan Jacobson (1968-2015) was a Canadian television producer known for his work on the Wayne & Shuster Comedy Show 1965-1967), The Johnny Cash Show (1969-1971), the 1988 Winter Olympics, and the opening of the SkyDome (1989).

Stanley Jacobson was born in Saint John, New Brunswick on 23 June 1930 to Joseph and Sadie Jacobson. When Stan was young, the family moved to Montreal, which was his mother's hometown. Upon graduating high school, he attended Sir George Williams University, which, upon merging with Loyola College, eventually became Concordia University.

For a time, Stan worked in the rag trade, but eventually got involved in theatre. An early hit came in the form of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Stan succeeded in negotiating the rights to produce the stage comedy outside of New York while it was still running on Broadway, which he regarded as his proudest achievement. Not long after, he began working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a writer for several variety programs and even wrote and directed a documentary on the Battle of Britain that was released in 1966.

When Johnny Cash was invited to sing at the White House, he brought along Stan and his wife Frances as two of his guests.

When The Johnny Cash Show ended its run in 1971, Stan and his wife moved to Los Angeles only to return to Toronto a short time later. Thereafter, he commuted back and forth between LA and Toronto and worked on several programs for CTV. He also worked on a sitcom for ABC called Viva Valdez, but it was not a success.

Stan died in North York, Ontario on 1 Dec. 2015. He left behind his wife Frances; a sister-in-law, Grace; two nephews; two grand nephews; and one grand niece.

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

Musicians

Television personalities

Television producers and directors

Name Access

Cash, Johnny, 1932-2003

Jacobson, Stan, 1968-2015

Johnson, Arte, 1934-

Olympic Winter Games (15th : 1988 : Calgary, Alta.)

Places

Alberta

Toronto (Ont.)

United States

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2017-8-13

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

object

Physical Description

45 photographs (tif) : b&w and col.

2 objects : 7 x 38 or smaller

Date

[192-?]-2015

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Gary Wagman and his family. Included are: a commemorative key commemorating the grand opening of the Apter Centre on 13 Mar. 1949, a key to the Apter Centre, and 45 photographs in TIF format. The photographs are largely of members of the extended Gold-Wagman family including Gary Wagman, Gary's brother Howard "Hushy" Wagman, Gary's mother Ann Wagman (née Gold), and Gary's father Sollie Wagman along with various cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles. The photographs also depict several unidentified individuals who may be related to Gary.

Photo Caption (007): Ann Gold, [194-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2017-8-11.

Photo Caption (008): Jack Gold with friends, [194-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2017-8-11.

Photo Caption (010): Howard “Hushy” Wagman and Gary Wagman waiting for their grandparents at Union Station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, [195-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2017-8-11.

Photo Caption (013): Leonard Walker, Mrs. Leonard Walker, Bryan Davidson, Rosalie, Charles Davidson, Aaron Miller, and Marry Miller (née Davidson), [197-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2017-8-11.

Photo Caption (014): Ann Gold, [193-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2017-8-11.

Administrative History

Gary Irving Wagman (1951-) was born 19 March 1951 and is the youngest son of Ann Wagman (née Gold, 1926-2017) and Sollie Wagman (1921-2014). His older brother Howard, known as Hushy (1947-2001), was born 9 October 1947. Gary is the grandson of David and Rose Gold (his maternal grandparents) and Celia and Jacob Wagman (his paternal grandparents).

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

Associated materials: Other records relating to the Wagman family can be found in accessions 2009-11-1 and 2017-7-6.

Subjects

Families

Name Access

Apter Friendly Society (Toronto, Ont.)

Gold family

Wagman, Gary, 1951-

Wagman family

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2017-9-4

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

38 cm of textual records

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

Date

1914-2017

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records relating to labour and the garment industry in Toronto, Montreal, and Hamilton. Newspaper clippings, book chapters, scholarly articles, lecture notes, book reviews, short stories, statistical and demographic records, records relating to Queen's University, and records relating to Beth Israel Congregation in Kingston, Ontario are included. Organizations mentioned are the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA). Some personal family records are also included. Records printed on pink paper are photocopies from the ILGWU and ACWA archives at Cornell University.

Administrative History

Dr. Gerald Tulchinsky was Professor Emeritus at Queen's University, Department of History, and author of several books on the history of Canadian Jewry and labour issues in Canada. His books include: Shtetl on the Grand (2015); Joe Salsberg: A Life of Commitment (2013); Canada's Jews: A People's Journey (2008); Branching Out: The Transformation of the Canadian Jewish Community (1998); Taking Root: The Origins of the Canadian Jewish Community (1992); and The River Barons: Montreal Businessmen and the Growth of Industry and Transportation, 1837-53 (1977). Tulchinsky was born in Brantford, Ontario in 1933 to Harry and Anne Tulchinsky. He resided in Kingston, Ontario until his death on 13 Dec. 2017.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: This accession also includes numerous books, some of which don't relate to our mandate. The books that we have retained have been integrated into the OJA's library holdings. USE CONDITION NOTE: Access restricted until ten years after the donor's death, at the donor's request. Records will reopen on Dec. 14, 2027. LANGUAGE NOTE: Some of the material is in French.

Subjects

Labour and unions

Fashion and clothing

Name Access

Tulchinsky, Gerald, 1933-2017

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Montréal (Québec)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-3-1

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

object

Physical Description

26 cm of textual records

ca. 300 photographs : b&w and col. ; 35 x 28 cm or smaller

2 objects

Date

1912-2009

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Glen Eker's family, particularly the Hurowitz/Horwitz and Strachman/Strathman family lines.

Included are: ca. 300 photographs, mostly of friends and family, but also including numerous photographs of Banff, Alberta; certificates issued to members of the Horwitz family; family trees; letters from Elizabeth Gordon to Glen containing family history; a Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society member badge; a kiddush cup commemorating Pride of Israel's golden jubilee; print and microform copies of Glen's Jews Resident in ... series of indexes; medical records; a glass measuring cup with the logo of Bayview Pharmacy; and other assorted material.

Photo Caption (001): Joseph Horwitz and Rebecca Strachman, [ca. 1920]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-3-1.

Photo Caption (058): [Alice Moon?], 1944. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-3-1.

Photo Caption (189):Wanda Louise Gordon, 2 May 1942. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-3-1.

Photo Caption (190): [Unknown girl, 194-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-3-1.

Photo Caption (199): Rosh Hashanah card featuring portrait of Joseph Horwitz, [ca. 1920]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-3-1.

Photo Caption (200): Irving Howard, [19--]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-3-1.

Administrative History

Glen Eker was born in Toronto, Ontario to Paul Eker and Dorothy Horwitz. He grew up in the Forest Hill neighbourhood of Toronto before moving with his family to Hamilton. He received two master’s degrees (one in sociology, the other in political science) from McMaster University and a third master’s degree (in library science) from the University of Toronto.

Glen's wife, Deborah Pekilis, was born in Montreal and lived there until her parents moved to Toronto. She was the librarian for the Jewish Genealogical Society and sat on the Hamilton Historical Board. She is currently a writer.

Glen has worked as a research assistant and a teaching assistant at McMaster and has taught at Ryerson University and Mohawk College. At present, he works as an estate and genealogy researcher.

Glen has published a book on Karl Marx, five indexes of Jews in Canada, and one index of Amish and Mennonites in Canada. His genealogy articles have appeared in various magazines and his short stories and poems have appeared in print as well.

Glen has worked on his family genealogy for a number of years. His paternal family line derives from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland while his maternal line derives from Byelorussia and Romania. He is descended from the Horwitz and Strachman families on the latter.

Descriptive Notes

Associated materials: Other accessions donated by Glen Eker include 2018-4-1, 2018-4-2, 2018-4-16, and 2018-5-1.

Subjects

Genealogy

Rosh ha-Shanah cards

Vacations

Name Access

Eker (family)

Eker, Glen

Horwitz (family)

Hurowitz (family)

Strachman (family)

Strathman (family)

Places

Banff (Alta.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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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

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Accession Number

2018-4-15

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

8 photographs : b&w and col. (hand-tinted) ; 21 x 26 or smaller

Date

1885-2003

Scope and Content

Accession consists of the records of Pearl "Pesh" and Solly Zucker. Included is Jennie Davis' birth certificate (1885), the invitation to the marriage of Jennie Davis and Simon Sidman (1910), Jennie and Simon's ketubah from the New Synagogue and Beth-Hamidrash, Cheetham Hill Rd (1910), Simon Sidman's burial card (1928), Pearl's birth certificate (1914), Solly's birth certificate (1908), Pearl and Solly's ketubah from the United Synagogue in Manchester (1934), marriage certificate of Jennie Sidman and Myer Cohen (1956), British passports for both Jennie Cohen and Pearl and Solly Zucker, Canadian citizenship certificates for Solly and Pearl, and photos of Simon Sidman, Solly and Pearl, Solly, Gerald and Simon, Pearl's wedding portrait, and two portraits of Esther and Isaac Sugar. Also included are writings by Pearl, mostly written after the passing of Solly in 2001, and typed by her daughter-in-law, Jan Zucker.

Administrative History

Pearl Miller Zucker (née Sidman) was born on 18 Jan. 1914 in Manchester, England to Jennie Sidman Cohen (née Davis) (b. 5 May 1885, Russia-d. 31 Dec. 1983, Toronto) and Simon Sidman. Miller was the middle name given to Pearl at birth by her father. Pearl's mother Jennie had married Simon Sidman on 21 Aug. 1910. Simon died on 10 Dec. 1928 at age 45. Jennie then married Myer Cohen on Feb. 15, 1956 in Manchester, who died sometime between 1956 and 1959. Jennie became a landed immigrant in Canada in 1959.

Moses Solomon "Solly" Zucker (Sugar) (b. 6 Feb. 1908, County of Gateshead, England-d. 22 Jan. 2001, Toronto) was born to Isaac and Esther Sugar (née Greenbaum). He married Pearl "Pesh" Sidman on 20 June 1934. Miller was Pearl's given middle name. The couple had two sons: Gerald Zucker (b. 5 July 1936) and Simon Zucker (b. 15 Nov. 1937). Solly served with the fire brigade in Manchester during the Second World War.

The couple immigrated to Canada from England in June 1952 for economic reasons. Pearl had a cousin named Mark Gilbert already living in Canada. The couple and their two sons first landed in Montreal, but only stayed a year before moving to Toronto. Upon arrival in Canada, Solly got a job with the Canadian Government, possibly with the RCAF at Downsview. Pearl worked for Bell Canada. The family belonged to Shaarei Tefillah Synagogue and lived in the Bathurst and Eglinton area.

Pearl died on 20 February 2018 at the age of 104.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Families

Name Access

Zucker, Pearl, 1914-2018

Places

England

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2018-5-6

Material Format

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

1 textual record (electronic)

Date

1 Dec. 2003

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a letter written by Rabbi Edward Elkin and addressed to members of the First Narayever Congregation, of which he was the rabbi. In the letter, Rabbi Elkin describes his purpose as follows: "I would like to cover what I see as the salient grounds in Jewish law (halakha) which led me to the point where I can comfortably say that I am prepared to officate at a same-sex marriage."

The letter was written ahead of a congregational meeting and vote on same-sex marriage set for the end of January 2004.

Administrative History

In 1914, Jews from eastern Galicia (now in modern Ukraine) established the First Narayever Congregation in Toronto as a landsmanshaf, i.e. a society of Jewish immigrants from the same town or region. The synagogue takes its name from the small market town of Narayev, which is located in eastern Galicia. The synagogue's founders belonged to the working class and many worked in Toronto's garment industry.

Initially, congregation members met in different locations, but by 1923 their numbers and financial means had grown such that they were able to rent a small house at 70 Huron Street at the corner of Huron and Dundas. This house served as the congregation's home for twenty years.

The congregation's first president was Israel Chaim Katz and its first meeting was held at the Katz home at 156 William Street. The congregation's first rabbi was Solomon Langner, who was hired by the congregation in 1923. He retained this affiliation despite serving the Kiever Synagogue as a full-time rabbi from 1929 until he died in 1973.

In 1943, the congregation purchased property at 187-189 Brunswick Avenue from Bethel Church. This is where the the synagogue is located today.

In 1950, Henry Young became president of the congregation. He occupied that position until his death in 1976. Shalom Langner, the son of Rabbi Solomon Langner, succeeded Young as president.

As Toronto's Jewish population began to move north, the First Narayever continued to serve Orthodox Jews living downtown. In the 1980s, the congregation struggled to balance the needs of this older generation with the young generation's desire to make the synagogue more egalitarian with respect to gender. In 1983, the congregation's new leadership team successfully advanced a proposal to allow the full participation of women in traditional services. This innovation led to several long-standing members taking legal action, but their case was dismissed on the grounds that it was not a matter for civil law.

The First Narayever's identity continued to evolve. In 2009, its membership voted to allow its rabbi, Edward Elkin, who began serving the congregation in 2000, to officiate at same-sex marriages.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Jewish law

Rabbis

Same-sex marriage

Name Access

Elkin, Ed

First Narayever Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-5-13

Material Format

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

4.15 MB of textual records

Date

2003-2009

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the First Narayever Congregation. Included are five textual records pertaining to the issue of same-sex marriage at the congregation: a report of the Committee on Inclusion submitted to the congregation's board of governors in 2003; a resolution put forward by the Ritual Committee in 2009; a motion on same-sex marriage for the congregation's annual general meeting on June 14, 2009; an agenda for the same meeting; and minutes for the same meeting.

Administrative History

In 1914, Jews from eastern Galicia (now in modern Ukraine) established the First Narayever Congregation in Toronto as a landsmanshaf, i.e. a society of Jewish immigrants from the same town or region. The synagogue takes its name from the small market town of Narayev, which is located in eastern Galicia. The synagogue's founders belonged to the working class and many worked in Toronto's garment industry.

Initially, congregation members met in different locations, but by 1923 their numbers and financial means had grown such that they were able to rent a small house at 70 Huron Street at the corner of Huron and Dundas. This house served as the congregation's home for twenty years.

The congregation's first president was Israel Chaim Katz and its first meeting was held at the Katz home at 156 William Street. The congregation's first rabbi was Solomon Langner, who was hired by the congregation in 1923. He retained this affiliation despite serving the Kiever Synagogue as a full-time rabbi from 1929 until he died in 1973.

In 1943, the congregation purchased property at 187-189 Brunswick Avenue from Bethel Church. This is where the the synagogue is located today.

In 1950, Henry Young became president of the congregation. He occupied that position until his death in 1976. Shalom Langner, the son of Rabbi Solomon Langner, succeeded Young as president.

As Toronto's Jewish population began to move north, the First Narayever continued to serve Orthodox Jews living downtown. In the 1980s, the congregation struggled to balance the needs of this older generation with the young generation's desire to make the synagogue more egalitarian with respect to gender. In 1983, the congregation's new leadership team successfully advanced a proposal to allow the full participation of women in traditional services. This innovation led to several long-standing members taking legal action, but their case was dismissed on the grounds that it was not a matter for civil law.

The First Narayever's identity continued to evolve. In 2009, its membership voted to allow its rabbi, Edward Elkin, who began serving the congregation in 2000, to officiate at same-sex marriages.

Subjects

Same-sex marriage

Synagogues

Name Access

Elkin, Ed

First Narayever Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-6-7

Material Format

textual record

sound recording

Physical Description

30 cm of textual records

6 cassette tapes

Date

1973-2005

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Cyrel Troster's involvement with various Jewish committees and organizations. Included are: transcripts of oral histories with prominent Jewish Torontonians that were conducted as part of an oral history project in 1973; correspondence between Cyrel Troster and interviewees; index cards listing the dates of the oral history interviews; promotional materials for Jewish arts festivals; public proposal document for the new Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue; and documents and records from Cyrel's involvement in various Jewish organizations. Also included are Local Initiatives Program application forms (1973), lists of presidents of various Jewish organizations, a map of the Jewish York Region (1999), issues of Exodus Magazine in both English and Russian from May 2018, and two issues of the Wilson Heights High School yearbook The Torch (1962-63).

The six tape cassettes are as follows: Cantor Paul Kowarsky Live in Concert (no date); Highlights from the 1994 Toronto Jewish Storytelling Festival; interview with Esther Volpe (two cassette tapes); interview with Samuel Harris; and one cassette marked "Dov Noy copy of Library tape" (Dov Noy was a Jewish folklorist).

The accession contains transcripts for the following interviewees: Mrs. Arbus, David Biderman, Benjamin Brown, Benjamin Sherman, Arthur Cohen, Mrs. Draimin, Max Federman, Morris Flicht, Joshua Gershman, Samuel Harris, Ben Heisel, Rose Heisel, Mr. Lean, Mary Levy, Harry Pullan, J. B. Salsberg, Yekil Silverman, A. S. Socol, Nathan Strauss, Esther Volpe, and Annie Zeidman.

The accession contains records related to Cyrel's involvement in the following committees and organizations: Committee for Yiddish (1997-2004); Cultural Services and Planning Committee (1990-2005), Jewish Public Library (2005); Canadian Jewish Congress, Orthodox Division (1982-1984); Holocaust Centre (1979-2004); Limmud (2000); Ontario Jewish Archives (1973-2004); Jewish Theatre (1996-2002); Jewish Arts Council (2000-2004); Jewish Toronto Tomorrow (1994-2004); Ashkenaz (1997-2004); UJA Federation (1978, 1984, 1990-2004).

Use Conditions

Credit to be given to Susan Cohen and Cyrel Troster—coordinators of the Local Initiatives Project project in 1973—and to interviewer(s) and transcribers when using tapes or transcribed interviews.

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

Descriptive Notes

RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: See accession 2017-4-6 for related sound recordings. Some may be duplicates.

Subjects

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

Committee for Yiddish (Toronto, Ont.)

Limmud Toronto

Ontario Jewish Archives

Troster, Cyrel

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-6-10

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

14 cm of textual records

Date

[2003?]-2017

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Limmud Toronto. Included are: filled-out presenter forms for the year 2007, flyers and pamphlets, legal mandate, volunteering notes and materials, project charters, organizational documents, research materials, meeting notes, miscellaneous notes of Sharoni Sibony, planning for the 2017 Tikkum Leit Shavuot, a UJA staff training document from 2009, and a document assigning tasks for the 2009 conference.

Administrative History

Alastair Falk, Michael May, Jonathan Benjamin, and Clive Lawton founded Limmud (Hebrew for "learning") in Britain in 1980. The first Limmud conference was held at Carmel College in Oxfordshire. Over the next two decades, Limmud grew to become Europe's largest Jewish learning event.

In December 2001, Peter Sevitt attended the Limmud conference at Nottingham University with his family. Inspired, he made the decision to bring Limmud to Canada, which he did in 2004. The first Limmud conference in Canada was held on 21 November 2004 at York University's Founders College. Initially slated to run every two years, Limmud Toronto went on hiatus after holding conferences in 2007 and 2009 but returned in 2015. As of 2018, it was still active.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Education

Name Access

Limmud Toronto

Sibony, Sharoni

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-7-2

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

20 cm of textual records

Date

1979, 1989-2005

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Shoel Silver's involvement with various committees, including: Project Renewal, NECHAMA. Keren Hayesod, Israel Center for Treatment of Psychotrauma and The Jewish Agency for Israel, UJA and others. Included are reports, correspondence, proposals, a 1979 edition of the Jewish Standard, first edition of the Children's Newspaper in Kfar Gvirol and assorted research material.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

Language: Most of the items are in English, with some items partially or fully in Hebrew.

Subjects

Charities

Israel

Name Access

Jewish Agency for Israel

Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto

Project Renewal (Israel)

Silver, Shoel

Toronto Jewish Congress

Places

Israel

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-7-9

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

7 albums of photographs ; 29 x 26 cm

1 binder of textual records ; 26 x 30 cm

1 envelope of textual records

6 photographs : col. ; 10 x 14 cm or smaller (sight) in mat 45 x 40 cm

Date

1957-2018

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Teme Kernerman and her involvement in Israeli folk dancing. Included are: seven photo albums of different dance performances Kernerman was involved with as well as one binder (plus envelope) worth of textual records relating to dance festivals she contributed to.

Administrative History

Teme Kernerman (née London) was born in Toronto on 8 July 1932 to Ann Mandel and Harry London. She grew up with a younger sister Corrine ("Cookie").

Kernerman became involved in Israeli dance through Habonim, a Zionist youth movement. Upon graduating high school, she spent a year at Geva, a kibbutz in Israel's Jezreel Valley. There, she learned Hebrew and benefited from increased exposure to Israeli dance.

Upon returning to Canada, she continued to be active in Israeli dance and, after a period of working in government and Jewish nursery schools, made the decision to pursue dance fulltime.

In 1955, Kernerman moved to New York City, where she studied modern dance in the day and international and Israeli folk dance at night. Through a connection to Jewish dance instructor/educator Dvora Lapson, Kernerman became involved in children's dance festivals, which would inspire her Rikudiyah festival years later.

In 1957, Kernernman returned to Toronto. There, she was active teaching students, training teachers, and leading dance workshops. She created and also served as the directress/choreographer of the Nirkoda Israeli dancers. The troupe aimed to bring Israeli folk dance not only to Jewish communities throughout Ontario, but to the general public as well.

In 1960, Kernerman's husband became director of a gallery in Tel Aviv and she made the decision to make aliyah. In 1967, the couple along with their two children, Doron Noam and Varda Rifka, moved back to Canada, where she reestablished the Nirkoda Isreali Dance Troupe. The troupe continued until 1985.

Kernerman directed the first Rikudiyah festival in 1968. Initially made up of only forty children, it was held at the Jewish Community Centre on Spadina Avenue. From there, it moved to Northview Heights Secondary School in North York. When Kernerman saw that parents were sitting on the floor due to lack of seating, she brought it to York University, where it remained for twenty-five years.

When York underwent construction, Kernerman brought the Rikudiyah to Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto and divided it into programs: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The Rikudiyah continues to be active and since 2015 has been held at the Schwartz/Reisman Centre: Jewish Community Centre Lebovic Campus.

In 1969, Kernerman was instrumental and establishing the Ontario Folk Dance Association and the Ontario Folk Dance Teachers Association, for which she served as chairperson.

Kernerman's involvement in the community was not limited to dance. Between 1985 and 2000, she served as the director of the Fifty-Five Plus Department of Adult Services at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre.

Kernerman was twice honoured by the Ontario Folk Dance Association. She was the recipient of the Ontario Arts Council Choreographers Award in 1978 and the Ontario Folk Arts Recognition Fellowship Award in 1991. In 2007, she was honoured at the Toronto IsReal Dance Festival.

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

Dance festivals

Folk dancers

Folk dancing, Israeli

Name Access

Kernerman, Teme

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-7-10

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

7 folders

Date

1977-2006

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Cyrel Troster's involvement in the Jewish community.

Included are: a copy of Jewish Life in Greater Toronto: leadership development materials (197-?), materials pertaining to the Second Encounter Holocaust-themed event series (ca. 1977-ca. 1979), a folder of source material for Jewish exhibitions (1979-1987), a copy of the 1992 Jewish Directory of Greater Toronto, a copy of The Jewish Community of Toronto: Part I Basic Demographics (2001), a copy of The Jewish Community of Toronto: Part III the Jewish Elderly (2001), and a copy of A Survey of the Attitudes and Behaviours of Greater Toronto's Jewish Community (2006).

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Exhibitions

Population

Name Access

Troster, Cyrel

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-8-2

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder

Date

1931-2001

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the Lagover Mutual Benefit Society. Included are: seven black and white photographs, a past member list, a special section on Lagow from the Kielce-Radom SIG Journal, and a clipping about the society's dedication of one of the twenty stained glass windows in the Baycrest synagogue.

Custodial History

Recording secretary Frances Jacobson donated the records for the Lagover Mutual Benefit Society.

Subjects

Fraternal organizations

Name Access

Lagover Mutual Benefit Society

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions