- Accession Number
- 2022-3-11
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2022-3-11
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- ca. 200 photographs (15 negatives): b&w ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller
- 1 small metal pendant
- Date
- [ca. 1900]-[ca. 1943]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of photographs, textual records, and an artifact relating to or collected by Mooney Stitt. Textual records include receipts, correspondence, immigration documents, a trademark certificate issued by the United States Patent Office, material related to Mooney’s municipal election in Sioux Lookout, and Mooney’s British Columbia free miner’s certificate. Photographs make up the majority of this accession, featuring Mooney’s family and personal life. Also included is a small metal pendant with Russian inscriptions.
- Custodial History
- Records were in the possession of Peter Marcovitz’s mother, Lillian Averson, until her death in 1965. Since then, the records have been stored possibly in the family house until being found and gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives in 2021 by Peter and his wife, Joyce Borenstein.
- Administrative History
- Mooney Stitt (1904-1943), also known as Munya Studnitz, was born in 1904 in Poland to Simcha Studnitz and Miriam Woyler. He might also be referred to as Chaim Studnic or Hiame Studnitz. Mooney had four siblings: David, Dina (Dinah/Diana), Dora, and Miron. In 1923, Mooney and Dina Studnitz immigrated to Canada from Poland under the sponsorship of their uncle, Nathan Stitt, who resided in the City of Fort William (now Thunder Bay) and had a clothing store named Stitt & Sons. Mooney and Dina lived in the City of Lemberg (now Lviv) before moving to Canada. By taking the ship Laconia, Mooney landed in Halifax in 1923; then he made his way to Thunder Bay and started working on a farm of David J. Piper in the Township of Paipoonge. Later, he moved to Sioux Lookout, where he presented himself in a municipal election. Mooney relocated to Montreal in the mid-1930s and founded a company called Canadian Art Studios, which manufactured silk scarves. In 1939, he married Lillian Averson (1916-1965). It is possible that Lillian also helped him operate the business. On March 13, 1943, Mooney passed away of heart ailments in Montreal. Upon his death, one of Lillian’s brothers-in-law joined the company, and a children’s wear division was launched shortly afterwards. The company ceased manufacturing scarves in the early 1950s and grew into a successful children’s wear manufacturer under the name Tam O’Shanter (spelling uncertain). Lillian was bought out by her brother-in-law in the late 1950s. The company finally ceased operating in the late 1980s. Mooney and Lillian did not have children together. In 1945, Lillian married her second husband, Joel Marcovitz. Peter Marcovitz was born in 1947 to Lillian and Joel.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Descriptive Notes
- Availability of other formats: photographs and documents have been scanned and are available in PDF, TIF, and JPG formats.
- LANGUAGE NOTE: A small number of records are in Russian and Polish.
- RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: See accession 2008-7-13 and OH 308 for additional information on the Stitt family and the Stitt & Sons clothing store.
- Subjects
- Families
- Name Access
- Stitt, Mooney, 1904-1943
- Places
- Fort William (Ont.)
- Sioux Lookout (Ont.)
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Poland
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2022-5-15
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2022-5-15
- Material Format
- textual record
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 1 armband : white fabric ; 18 x 5 cm
- Date
- 1947-1948
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of Leslie Mezei's certificate of identity in lieu of passport, issued on 2 Dec. 1947 by the Office of the Military Governor, US Zone of Germany. It contains Leslie's picture and signature, as well as the 13 Jan. 1948 Canadian stamp of arrival in Halifax. Also included is the armband worn by Leslie on his way to Canada, which says, "Sponsored by the Canadian Jewish Congress. Chief Welfare Officer Ethel Ostry-Genkind."
- Custodial History
- Records were donated by Leslie Mezei himself.
- Administrative History
- Leslie (Laszlo) Mezei was born in Budapest, Hungary, on 9 July 1931. After the war, he and his siblings stayed at the Leipheim DP camp, in Germany, and at a children's camp in Prien am Chiemsee, in Southern Germany. After going on the Exodus 1947 illegal immigration to then Mandatory Palestine, they were sent back to Prien, where a Canadian social worker signed them up for immigration. They arrived in January 1948 on board the USS General SD Sturgis, an American troop carrier that had been used for carrying refugees. They landed at Pier 21, in Halifax. Then, they took a train to Montreal, and, after spending some time at the YMHA, Leslie was taken in by the Winkler family, with whom he stayed with for five years. After completing his basic education, he enrolled at McGill University for a BSc in mathematic and physics followed by an MA in meteorology in Toronto, where he got married in August 1953 to his fiancée, Annie Wasserman, a Holocaust survivor from Poland. Leslie became a computer programmer in 1954 and a systems analyst in 1958. His wife, Annie, with whom he had two children, Frances and Michael, developed a brain tumor and died in January 1977. After Annie's death, Leslie started to work with the interfaith movement. He later married Kathy, a seventh-generation Canadian of English, Irish, and Scottish background. Between them, they have five children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. In 2021, Leslie was awarded a certificate of recognition signed by the mayor of Toronto, the president of the Interfaith Council, and the head of the Toronto Sufi Order International. In 2019, the Azrieli Foundation published the Holocaust story of his family in a book titled "A Tapestry of Survival."
- Descriptive Notes
- Physical Description note: Armband has been measured in flattened position.
- Subjects
- Holocaust survivors
- Refugee children
- Immigrants--Canada
- Name Access
- Mezei, Leslie (Laszlo), 1931-
- Places
- Germany
- Halifax (N.S.)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2023-1-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2023-1-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records and other material
- Date
- 1939-1976
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of material documenting Charles Goldberg. Included are three photographs of Charles, a certificate of merit from the Royal Canadian Legion, a certificate entitling Charles to wear a war service badge, a life membership card from the Royal Canadian Legion, and a tribute written in memoriam of Charles.
- Custodial History
- Material was donated by Charles Goldberg's niece, Sandi Giddens.
- Administrative History
- Charles "Charlie" Goldberg was born in Montreal on 25 December 1898. He married Lily Steinberg (m. Goldberg) on 29 April 1922 in the Côte-Des-Neiges neighbourhood of Montreal. Charles and Lily did not have any children. According to Charles's niece, they worked at carnivals throughout their lives selling gold.
- Charles was a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion. In his capacity as Branch 97's sick visiting chairman, he visited different veterans' hospitals, branch members hospitalized in other hospitals, and branch members in their respective homes. Charles's awards included the Legion Certificate of Merit, the Alex C. Solomon Memorial Award, the Samuel Herman Memorial Award, and the Samuel Bendon Memorial Award.
- Charles Goldberg passed away 30 January 1979; he is buried in Montreal. Lily Goldberg passed away 18 February 1998; she is buried in Toronto.
- 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
- Veterans
- Name Access
- Goldberg, Charles
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2023-2-8
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2023-2-8
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- ca. 18 cm of textual records
- 207 photographs : b&w and col. ; 28 x 32 cm or semaller
- Date
- [ca. 1890]-2016
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records related to Clara and Sándor Rosenbaum, and their extended families. Included are documents and photographs documenting their lives in Hungary prior to the Holocaust, as well as their lives after immigrating to Tangier and, subsequently, Canada. Also includes Holocaust accounts and restitution papers, immigration documents, vital documents, correspondence, paper money, a late 19th- or early 20th-century prayer book, and a book of Shabbat songs.
- Administrative History
- Clara (Klára) Szabó was born in Bölcske on 28 Nov. 1920, the daughter of local lawyer Imre Szabó (born on 2 Jun. 1893 in Bölcske) and Vilma Szabó (née Stern, born in Bölcske in 1892). She had three siblings: Elizabeth (Erzsébet), born on 30 Dec. 1913; Anna, born on 10 Jan. 1915; and András, born on 5 Dec. 1916. The family lived in Paks, where she spent most of her youth. She went to elementary school in Paks, but moved to Budapest in 1935 to attend boarding school, returning to Paks in 1939. Her father committed suicide on 3 Mar. 1940. She married Sándor Rosenbaum in Paks on 14 Jan. 1941. While visiting her sister in Békéscsaba, the whole family were deported to Auschwitz: Clara, her mother, her brother, her two sisters, and her two-year-old niece. From Auschwitz, Clara and her sister Elizabeth were sent to Ravensbrück, and from there to Neustadt bei Coburg, where they worked as forced labourers at a Siemens factory. The rest of her family were killed in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. On 15 Apr. 1945, Clara and Elizabeth escaped from a forced march and headed towards the American advance. After the war, Clara and her husband reunited, and in 1946 relocated to Tangier, where Sándor's brother, Nikolas, had been living since 1940. There, they had two children: André (born on 27 Aug. 1949) and Anique (born on 1 Oct. 1950). They lived there until 1956, when the family relocated to Montreal. There, she was the president of the Dayan Chapter of Hadassah-WIZO from 1980 to 1982. She moved to Toronto in 1997 to be closer to her children. Clara died on 6 Feb. 2016 in Toronto.
- Sándor (Alexander) Rosenbaum was born in Paks on 28 Jul. 1906, the son of Mihály (Michael) Rosenbaum (merchant, born on 1875 or 1876) and Regina Freund (1882-1932). He had three siblings: Hedvig (married to Oskar Barotti), Sari (married to Zoltan Barotti), and Nikolas. During the war, from May 1943 to Sep. 1943, he served at the Jewish labour service squadron No. 104/3, in Budapest, at the post office No. 70 labour service. The squadron was then moved to the Carpathians, and Sándor worked as a farm labourer in the region. He served as a yellow armband labour serviceman in the Carpathians until the end of Oct. 1944. He escaped from the labour camp with a friend, hiding in the Carpathian forests for a few weeks. After the war, Sándor changed his last name to Rostás to sound more Hungarian, later changing it back to Rosenbaum. He immigrated with his wife Clara to Tangier, and later to Montreal with their two kids, having worked most of his life as a businessman. He died in Montreal on 6 Jul. 1987 and was buried at Shaar Hashomayim Cemetery in Outremont.
- Subjects
- Holocaust survivors
- Families
- Name Access
- Rosenbaum, Clara (Klára), 1920-2016
- Rosenbaum, Alexander (Sándor), 1906-1987
- Places
- Hungary
- Tangier (Morocco)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Part Of
- Zionist Organization of Canada fonds
- National Administrative Council and Executive Board series
- Correspondence sub-series
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 28; Series 1-2; File 29
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Zionist Organization of Canada fonds
- National Administrative Council and Executive Board series
- Correspondence sub-series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 28
- Series
- 1-2
- File
- 29
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- Sep. 1973
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- The file consists of correspondence concerning the visit of Teddy Kollek to Montreal, Canadian Young Judaea, and the construction of a Canadian youth centre in Jerusalem.
- Name Access
- Canadian Young Judaea
- Kollek, Teddy, 1911-2007
- Subjects
- Mayors
- Youth centers
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Jerusalem
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 262
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 262
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1919]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 21 x 26 cm and 12 x 10 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy photograph and corresponding negative of the Workmen's Circle Peretz Shule in Montreal. The photo features the students and teachers on the front steps of the school.
- Notes
- Acquired May 1974.
- Name Access
- Peretz Shule
- Workmen's Circle
- I.L. Peretz
- Arbeter Ring
- Arbeiter Ring
- Subjects
- Students
- Teachers
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Accession Number
- 1998-3-3
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1998-3-3
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 scrapbook
- Date
- [1928?]-[1985?]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of one scrapbook documenting the personal and athletic (boxing) activities of Sam Cynamon. The majority of the material relates to life in Winnipeg and Montreal.
- Subjects
- Athletes
- Boxers (Sports)
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Winnipeg (Man.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1977-11-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1977-11-1
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records (1 vol.)
- Date
- 1953-1956
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of one bound register documenting the students of the Toronto Hebrew Free School (Brunswick Talmud Torah) in Toronto from 1953 to 1956.
- MG_RG
- MG2G1E
- Subjects
- Schools
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1985-11-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1985-11-2
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 slide : col.
- Date
- 1983
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a coloured slide of the former UJA Federation Building at 152 Beverley Street.
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Name Access
- UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-10-5
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-10-5
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1977-2003
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of materials documenting Congregation Iyr Hamelich, the Reform synagogue in Kingston. The records include the constitution, Sunday school minutes and policy documents, synagogue bulletins, correspondence and "Welcome to our Congregation" booklets.
- Subjects
- Religion
- Name Access
- Congregation Iyr Hamelich
- Places
- Kingston, Ont.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-8-6
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-8-6
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 41 x 51 cm
- Date
- Jun. 1952
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of one oversized photograph taken at the sixtieth birthday party for Michael Garber. The party was at a club in Montreal. Pictured in the photo are (left to right): Samuel Bronfman, Michael Garber and Edward Gelber.
- Subjects
- Birthdays
- Parties
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Name
- Montague Raisman
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Interview Date
- 11 Jul. 1982
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Montague Raisman
- Number
- OH 64
- Subject
- Nonprofit organizations
- Human rights
- Antisemitism
- World War, 1939-1945
- Zionism
- Interview Date
- 11 Jul. 1982
- Quantity
- 1
- Interviewer
- Jack Lipinsky
- Total Running Time
- 39:42 minutes
- Conservation
- Copied August 2003
- Notes
- Low sound volume
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- Montague Raisman came to Canada from England in 1926. He was actively involved in B'nai Brith Toronto Lodge and held positions of office. He served as the commanding officer for the B'nai Brith Air Cadet Squadron in Toronto during the Second World War. He was instrumental in the formation of the Joint Public Relations Committee, a united Jewish voice in response to pro-Nazi activity.
- Material Format
- sound recording
- Language
- English
- Name Access
- Raisman, Montague
- B'nai Brith
- Lipinsky, Jack
- Canadian Jewish Congress
- Geographic Access
- Toronto
- Calgary (Alta.)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Original Format
- Audio cassette
- Copy Format
- Audio cassette
- Digital file
- Transcript
- G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 64 - Raisman\OH64_Log.pdf
- Source
- Oral Histories
In this clip, Montague describes the formation of the B'nai Brith Air Cadet Squadron during the Second World War. He discusses the recruitment and training of the officers and cadets. He explains how this squadron was instrumental in changing recruitment qualifications to allow entry of new immigrants and Black cadets.
In this clip, Montague Raisman discusses the events leading up to an association between B
- Name
- Mort Abramsky
- Material Format
- moving images
- Interview Date
- 17 Oct. 2007
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Mort Abramsky
- Number
- OH 322
- Subject
- Families
- Rotary Club
- retail business
- Synagogues
- B'nai Brith
- Interview Date
- 17 Oct. 2007
- Quantity
- 2 mini-DVs, 2 archival DVDs, 2 reference DVDs
- Interviewer
- Sharon Gubbay Helfer
- Total Running Time
- 1 hr 45 mins
- Notes
- Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project.
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- Mort Abramsky was born in Montreal but spent his life in Kingston. He inherited a family business empire started more than a century ago by his grandfather, Polish immigrant Joseph Abramsky, and his parents, Harry and Ethel.
- Joseph Abramsky turned a door-to-door trade in clothes, sheets and towels into a business empire that at one time counted ten department stores spread across eastern Ontario. It was handed down through successive generations of family who gradually diversified into real estate and property management, as the margins in downtown general merchandise retailing shrank and then disappeared entirely. The flagship of that empire was Abramsky's general store, which closed in 1996, a victim of the poor economy of the time and increased competition from other retailers in the sector.
- Abramsky also owned Mort Enterprises, which managed and developed properties and was responsible for initially bringing chains, including McDonald's Restaurant and Blockbuster Video, to downtown Kingston. He was a philanthropist and tireless booster of Kingston, active with local organizations including the Beth Israel Synagogue, the B'nai Brith and Jewish Council, the YMCA, the Rotary Club, St. John Ambulance, Kingston General Hospital, and the Masonic Order. The family's Abramsky Charitable Foundation has also helped hundreds of local organizations and families in causes large and small, ranging from Queen's campus construction to assisting local families who had been burned out of their homes.
- Abramsky was married to Shirley, his wife of fifty-three years. The couple had three children, Jay, Karen and Leonard, and nine grandchildren. Abrahamsky died in November 2009, aged eighty-two.
- Material Format
- moving images
- Geographic Access
- Kingston (Ont.)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Original Format
- Mini DV
- Copy Format
- DVD
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Dr. Vivian Rakoff
- Material Format
- moving images
- Interview Date
- 24 Nov. 2016
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Dr. Vivian Rakoff
- Number
- OH 440
- Subject
- Canada--Emigration and immigration
- Jews--South Africa
- South Africa--Emigration and immigration
- Interview Date
- 24 Nov. 2016
- Interviewer
- Naomi Raichyk
- Total Running Time
- OH 440 part 1: 31 min.
- OH 440 part 2: 3 min.
- OH 440 part 3: 2 min.
- OH 440 part 4: 21 min.
- Biography
- Vivian Morris Rakoff was born on 28 April 1928 in Cape Town but was quickly whisked off to Port Nolloth, a small town on the northwest coast of South Africa, where he spent his earliest years. And while Port Nolloth was home to less than a dozen Jewish families, his mother would still braid challah every Friday night.
- The family moved to Cape Town when Vivian was six. At age eleven, he had a bruising encounter with apartheid that left a strong impression on him. Having innocently boarded a bus set aside for Black South Africans, he was thrown off by the conductor who told him, “You can’t come here!” Afterwards, he told his aunt he was not going to live in South Africa.
- After completing a degree at the University of Cape Town, Vivian set sail for England, where he was planning to study English at Oxford. Instead, he followed friends down to Marseilles where he met Yiddish-speaking Holocaust survivors waiting to set sail for Israel. The encounter was a pivotal one and led Vivian to journey to Israel, where he lived on kibbutz for a year.
- After losing his passport, Vivian returned to South Africa, where he completed a master’s degree in psychology. He then travelled to England, this time staying for more than eight years. He studied medicine at University College London and enjoyed the city’s theatres and museums. After completing his degree, he decided it was time to see his parents so he returned once more to South Africa.
- While in South Africa, Vivian met a friend who suggested he enroll in McGill University’s psychiatry program. Vivian thus set sail yet again, this time with wife and ten-month-old baby. After an eighteen-day journey, the family arrived in Montreal, where Vivian did his residency. Residency complete, he accepted a job offer in Toronto, where he stayed for the rest of his career, serving as chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and as the namesake for the Rakoff Centre for Positron Emission Tomography. In 2015, the Government of Canada appointed him a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to psychiatry as well as for his role in founding the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
- Vivian died on 1 October 2020. He was survived by his wife Gina Shochat-Rakoff, son Simon, daughter Ruth, and grandchildren Micah, Amit, Sasaf, and Zoe.
- Material Format
- moving images
- Language
- English
- Name Access
- Rakoff, Vivian Morris, 1928-2020
- Geographic Access
- Cape Town (South Africa)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Port Nolloth (South Africa)
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Original Format
- Digital file
- Copy Format
- Digital file
- Transcript
- Part 1:
- 00:29 Vivian discusses the immigration of his father's family to South Africa. His grandfather left Lithuania around the turn of the twentieth century. His grandmother and her children joined him in South Africa. Vivian lists the members of the family.
- 04:24 Vivian discusses the immigration of his mother's family. His mother, who was born in Chicago, came to South Africa in 1914.
- 05:00 Vivian's family settled in Port Nolloth. Vivian discusses the economy of the region. He discusses his father's businesses and marriage to his mother, Bertha. Vivian is one of four children.
- 06:48 Vivian was born on 28 April 1928 and lived in Port Nolloth for his first six years.
- 07:35 Vivian shares memories of growing up Jewish in Port Nolloth. He recounts anecdotes concerning his father's Zionist leanings.
- 09:40 Vivian describes his family's Jewish observance and shares memories from his youth.
- 12:30 Vivian discusses the impact of Zionism in his personal life. He describes his involvement with HaShomer HaTzair and travelling to Israel.
- 13:13 Vivian describes synagogues in Cape Town. He discusses his Jewish education after his family moved to Cape Town when he was six.
- 14:26 Vivian discusses the Jewish lives of his grandparents in Lithuania. He discusses the influence of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) and the rise of Zionism.
- 17:17 Vivian discusses the impact of South African politics on his life. He recalls a poem he wrote for his Zionist youth magazine. He recalls how an incident from his childhood that highlights the oppressive nature of the apartheid regime. The incident influenced his decision to leave South Africa.
- 21:04 Vivian describes the circumstances that triggered his decision to go to Palestine in 1947. His plan to study in England was interrupted when he decided to join a group of displaced persons in Marseilles who were travelling to Palestine. He remained there for a year.
- 24:26 Vivian describes his educational studies in South Africa and England.
- 25:27 Vivian expounds on living in London for eight years.
- 28:15 Vivian discusses his decision to come to Canada to study Psychiatry at McGill University.
- 29:18 Vivian describes his journey by steamship to Canada with his wife and ten-month-old baby.
- 30:13 Vivian discusses his impressions of South Africa when he returned from England.
- Part 2:
- 00:13 Vivian discusses early memories of living in Montreal and how reality differed from expectations. He worked as a psychiatry resident at the Jewish General Hospital, but his wife, also a doctor, was unable to work. He describes a feeling of disappointment when they were not invited for High Holidays.
- Part 3:
- 00:00 Vivian explains that he had decided to leave Montreal in 1967. He discusses Expo 67 and their many visitors.
- Part 4:
- 00:00 Vivian discusses how his first job offer in Toronto at St. Michael's Hospital in 1967 was retracted due to antisemitism. He was then offered a position as director of postgraduate education in the psychiatry department.
- 01:00 Vivian describes some of the early challenges faced by his family when they arrived in Canada such as financial challenges and antisemitism.
- 02:28 Vivian and family move to a home on Ridgewood Road where they remain for twenty-three years.
- 03:00 Vivian contrasts his early experiences in Toronto with those in Montreal.
- 04:07 Vivian's children attended Bialik Hebrew Day School.
- 04:16 Vivian describes his family's Jewish observance.
- 04:52 Vivian explains that his primary connection to the South African Jewish community in Toronto is through relatives.
- 05:25 Vivian continues to discuss his Jewish observance.
- 06:25 Vivian discusses some of his family members who came to Toronto.
- 08:00 Vivian discusses his research concerning the challenges faced by children of Holocaust survivors. He continues to discuss his professional and literary writing.
- 09:5 Vivian outlines his professional positions: director of postgraduate education, chief of psychiatry at St. Michael's Hospital, chief of psychiatry and professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
- 10:25 Vivian highlights a personal achievement concerning bringing a positron emission scanner to the Clark Institute (CAMH).
- 11:50 Vivian discusses his interest in art.
- 13:17 Vivian discusses some of the challenges encountered by new immigrants.
- 14:30 Vivian addresses his own decision to immigrate to Canada.
- 15:41 Vivian addresses his Canadian identity.
- 15:58 Vivian describes a trip with his grandchildren to Port Nolloth.
- 17:36 Vivian shares some of his lasting memories of Cape Town.
- 19:08 Vivian discusses the common destinations for South African Jewish immigration.
- 20:12 Vivian discusses his experience as an immigrant of Canada.
- Source
- Oral Histories
Braiding challah with my mother
Montreal was Hostile
On Survivors
Receiving the Order of Canada
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Fonds 23; File 4; Item 1
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 23
- File
- 4
- Item
- 1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 1968
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 26 x 21 cm and 12 x 10 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy photograph and negative of Harry Simon speaking at a Jewish Labour Committee conference in Montreal, Quebec. He is standing behind a banquet table, speaking into a microphone. Pictured from left to right are: David Orlikow (MP), Kalman Kaplansky, Stanley Knowles, Harry Simon, and Emanuel Murawchick (Director, Jewish Labor Committee, New York).
- Subjects
- Congresses and conventions
- Speeches, addresses, etc
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 3355
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 3355
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1902]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 13 x 10 cm and 12 x 10 cm
- Admin History/Bio
- David Wichefsky came to Sudbury from Montreal as a Rabbi, shochet and teacher.
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of David and Esther Miriam Wichefsky and their family. Pictured are:
- Standing, left to right: Lena Wichefsky (m. Magder), Annie Wichefsky (m. Moses), Jake Wichefsky.
- Seated, left to right: David Wichefsky, Esther Miriam Wichefsky (née Caplan), Sol Wichefsky.
- Front, left to right: Adelle Wichefsky, Lazarus Wichefsky.
- Notes
- Also spelled as Witchefsky.
- Subjects
- Families
- Portraits, Group
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Sudbury (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1982-10-1
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 49; Series 1; File 3
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 1
- File
- 3
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- [ca. 1922]
- Physical Description
- 1 architectural drawing : pencil and hand col., watercolour, on cardboard backed paper ; 90 x 73 cm
- Admin History/Bio
- The Brunswick Avenue Talmud Torah Day School was established in 1907 and was originally situated on Simcoe Avenue. In 1922 the school received a charter from the Province of Ontario and relocated to Brunswick Avenue the same year. The new school opened in 1925 as a non-denominational afternoon school. It was the precursor to the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of one drawing of the exterior of the Brunswick Avenue Talmud Torah.
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Related Material
- See File 49-5-13 for plans of the Yorkville Talmud Torah Day School in New York, designed by Benjamin W. Levitan.
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 49; Series 3; File 35
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 3
- File
- 35
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1924
- Physical Description
- 7 architectural drawings : blueprints ; 41 cm length or smaller and 8 cm diam.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of architectural drawings of an apartment building located on Beverley St. for Mr. Benjamin Brown (in trust). Floor plans, sections and elevation drawings are included.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 49; Series 2; File 5
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 2
- File
- 5
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1923
- Physical Description
- 5 architectural drawings : pencil, 1 hand col., watercolour, 2 on tracing paper ; 46 cm length or smaller and 5 cm diam.
- Scope and Content
- File contains architectural drawings of alterations to the two storey house, and a new garage for Mr. Frank S. Hutner. It is unknown whether the new garage was completed, since similar plans exist for a new garage to be shared by Mr. Hutner and Mr. Doidge at about the same time. Elevation drawings, a section, a block plan and watercolour drawings of windows and stairs are included.
- Related Material
- See File 49-2-12 for plans of garage to be shared by Mr. Hutner and Mr. Doidge.
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 49; Series 2; File 12
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 2
- File
- 12
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- [ca.1924]
- Physical Description
- 3 architectural drawings : blueprints ; 55 cm length or smaller and 4 cm diam.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of a block plan, floor plan and elevation drawings of a garage to be shared by Mr. Hutner and Mr. Doidge, at 410 and 412 Brunswick Avenue respectively. It is unknown if this structure was built, since Benjamin Brown created plans of a private garage for Mr. Hutner at approximately the same time.
- Notes
- Formerly listed as Commission 1.
- Physical Condition
- Material is torn.
- Related Material
- See File 49-2-5 for plans of alterations to Mr. Hutner's house and the plans for his private garage.
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 49; Series 2; File 16
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 49
- Series
- 2
- File
- 16
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Date
- 1934
- Physical Description
- 1 architectural drawing : pencil on tracing paper ; 47 cm length and 3 cm diam.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of floor plans of alterations to a dwelling to be converted into a duplex for Mr. S. Wineberg.
- Name Access
- Wineberg, S.
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
- Community Relations Committee series
- Research Records sub-series
- Advocacy, General sub-sub-series
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 17; Series 5-4-9; File 150
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
- Community Relations Committee series
- Research Records sub-series
- Advocacy, General sub-sub-series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 17
- Series
- 5-4-9
- File
- 150
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1975
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of correspondence with the National JCRC in Montreal. Some reports on anti-Zionism and antisemitism are also included.
- Notes
- Previously processed and cited as part of MG8 S.
- Subjects
- Antisemitism
- Zionism
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 103; Series 1; File 1
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 103
- Series
- 1
- File
- 1
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1936
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of handwritten lecture notes and a newspaper clipping documenting Shemen's lecture on Polish Jewry and the struggle between existence and ruin. Shemen presented this lecture to the "Not to Worry!" Club (or "Be of Good Cheer!" Club) in Radomer Hall, 210 Beverley Street.
- Subjects
- Jews--Poland
- Lectures and lecturing
- Physical Condition
- The lecture notes are rolled and difficult to unfurl.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Address
- 216 Beverley Street
- Source
- Landmarks
The Apter Synagogue was formed by a group of people who came to Toronto from the area of Opatow (Apt) in Poland around the turn of the century. They first established a small synagogue on Centre Avenue near Dundas Street in the Ward. In 1918, in anticipation of more Apter immigrants coming to Toronto after the First World War, the synagogue was sold and a larger one purchased on Beverley Street. Both the synagogue members and the Apter Friendly Society met there.
- Address
- 216 Beverley Street
- Time Period
- 1918-unknown
- Scope Note
- The Apter Synagogue was formed by a group of people who came to Toronto from the area of Opatow (Apt) in Poland around the turn of the century. They first established a small synagogue on Centre Avenue near Dundas Street in the Ward. In 1918, in anticipation of more Apter immigrants coming to Toronto after the First World War, the synagogue was sold and a larger one purchased on Beverley Street. Both the synagogue members and the Apter Friendly Society met there.
- History
- In later years, a bitter controversy between the synagogue and society erupted and the building was sold.
- Category
- Political
- Religious
- Private Clubs
- Source
- Landmarks
- Accession Number
- 2017-2-4
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2017-2-4
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1968
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of volume six of UJPO News. According to UJPO president Jack Cowan, "This issue of the Order News contains materials of our Seventh National Convention held in Montreal." In addition to the President Speaks feature, the issue contains an article by Dave Ship titled "Our Convention—A Montreal View." 5½ pages are in English, while 2½ pages are in Yiddish.
- 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
- Language: English, Yiddish.
- Availability of other formats: Item has been digitized.
- Subjects
- Congresses and conventions
- Name Access
- United Jewish People's Order
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2017-2-12
- 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
- Accession Number
- 2017-9-4
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- 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
- 2018-1-10
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-1-10
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1953
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of correspondence from the acting director of the Children's Aid and Infants' Homes of Toronto located at 32 Isabella Street to the executive director of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society located at 145 Beverly Street. The subject of the correspondence concerns a reference for an applicant for the position of investigator in the Protection Department of the Children's Aid and Infants' Homes.
- Custodial History
- Item was discovered while processing CJC Fonds 17 holdings.
- Use Conditions
- Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing the records.
- Subjects
- Orphanages
- Name Access
- Children's Aid and Infants' Homes of Toronto
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Isabella Street(Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-4-14
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-4-14
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Physical Description
- 34 photographs (tif) : col. and b&w
- Date
- [1952]-1989
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of photographs belonging to Lea Garvin depicting her home in Montreal that she shared with her parents and sister, travel in the Laurentian Mountains, her work as a practical nurse with the Red Cross, her move to Toronto and celebrating her mother Yolanda's 100th birthday at Baycrest.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Subjects
- Families
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-8-13
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-8-13
- Material Format
- multiple media
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records and architectural drawings
- 1 videocassette (ca. 27 min.)
- Date
- 2006
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of material documenting the Eker family. Included are: a videocassette of home video footage; a memoir written by P. M. Eker, Glen Eker's father, in 2006; and architectural drawings of Eker residences at 1050 College Street in Toronto and 5034 Esplanade Avenue in Montreal.
- 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.
- Subjects
- Families
- Name Access
- Eker (family)
- Eker, Glen
- Places
- College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2019-10-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2019-10-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- textual record (electronic)
- Physical Description
- 10 cm of textual records
- 1 photograph (tiff) : b&w
- Date
- [194-] - 2019
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of handwritten Yiddish poetry by Benzion Micfliker. Benzion (Ben) began writing poetry at the age of sixty-five after the death of his second wife Esther Micfliker (née Blutschitz). The poems, discovered by Benzion's daughter Rita, deal with personal themes of love and loss, reflections on Nazi imprisonment, liberation, relocations, Theodor Herzl, Canada, astronauts, Jewish holidays including Passover, Hanukkah, Purim, summer, nature and more. Seventeen of the Yiddish language poems have been translated into English. In addition, there is a photograph of Benzion and Esther (1940s), a detailed biography of Benzion Mickflker written by his daughter Rita, and newspaper clippings of Benzion's published poetry.
- Administrative History
- Benzion Micfliker (1910-1989) was born on 29 May 1910 in Chelm, Poland. He immigrated to Canada with his wife Esther and daughter Rita in 1951. Both Benzion and his wife had endured and survived the horrors of the Holocaust. They met after the war and lived in Barletta Italy in a displaced persons (DP) camp, where Rita was born. They settled in Israel for a short time and soon reunited with Benzion's sister Ita and her husband Mendel Silverman in Montreal, where Ben worked as a tailor and foreman and Esther as a seamstress. Benzion passed away at the age of 79 on 16 Jul. 1989.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Descriptive Notes
- Language: Yiddish
- Related material: 2019-10-8; 2019-12-2
- Subjects
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
- Refugee camps
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Poland
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 67; Series 27; File 313
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 67
- Series
- 27
- File
- 313
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- Nov. 1977
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (2 negatives) ; 28 x 28 mm
- Scope and Content
- File consists of two negatives depiciting a group of telethoners in the office at Beverley Street.
- Notes
- Photos by Graphic Artists Photographers, Toronto.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 55; Series 2; File 133
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 55
- Series
- 2
- File
- 133
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1952-1955
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- This file consists of correspondence with representatives from the Jewish National Fund of Canada in Montreal. Also included is correspondence with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael in Jerusalem.
- Name Access
- Jewish National Fund of Canada
- Places
- Jerusalem
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 2529
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 2529
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [1908 or 1909]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
- Admin History/Bio
- Abraham Walerstein came from Europe alone. This photo was taken to send back to his family.
- Notes
- Photo by Wilfrid Joron, 69 St. Lawrence St., Montreal.
- Name Access
- Walerstein, Abraham
- Subjects
- Immigrants--Canada
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Accession Number
- 1981-2-2
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 2636
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 2636
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1978]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph
- Name Access
- Toronto Hebrew Re-establishment Services
- G'Milath Chassodim
- Subjects
- Charities
- Signs and signboards
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1981-2-9
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 2637-2638
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 2637-2638
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1978]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs
- Name Access
- Neuschul, Leon
- Toronto Hebrew Re-establishment Services
- G'Milath Chassodim
- Subjects
- Charities
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1981-2-9
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 1447
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 1447
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 3 Jan. 1958
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Name Access
- Zagon, Rabbi Zoltan
- Donsky, Mr. H.
- Hungarian-Jewish Congregation
- Subjects
- Rabbis
- Talmud Torah (Judaism)
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1977-8-1
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- George Morrison fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 99
- Item
- 52
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1978]
- Physical Description
- 1 slide : col. ; 35 mm
- Name Access
- Kol Yaakov Anshei Emes Synagogue
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Synagogues
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1980-6-3
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- George Morrison fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 99
- Item
- 145
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1977]
- Physical Description
- 1 slide : col. ; 35 mm
- Name Access
- First Narayever Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Synagogues
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1980-6-3
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- George Morrison fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 99
- Item
- 146
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1977]
- Physical Description
- 1 slide : col. ; 35 mm
- Name Access
- First Narayever Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Synagogues
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1980-6-3
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 6023
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 6023
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [between 1920 and 1925]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
- Admin History/Bio
- J. B. Salsberg was the organizer for the Hat, Cap, and Millinery Workers Union of North America.
- Notes
- For identification, see Jacob M. Budish's, History of the Cloth Hat, Cap, and Millinery Workers' International Union, 1901-1925 (NY, 1925).
- Name Access
- Cloth Hat, Cap and Millinery Workers Union
- Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998
- Subjects
- Labor unions
- Portraits, Group
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Accession Number
- 1991-5-4
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 3411
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 3411
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 1938
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Many prominent individuals are shown in this photograph, with names written on the bottom.
- Name Access
- Jewish National Fund
- United Jewish Appeal
- Subjects
- Congresses and conventions
- Zionism
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1982-11-3
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 1545
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 1545
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1948]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
- Name Access
- Apter Synagogue
- Gary, Ethel
- Halter, Jack
- Zimmerman, Rabbi M.
- Subjects
- Weddings
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-11-1
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Fonds 61; Series 6; Item 14
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 61
- Series
- 6
- Item
- 14
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1950]
- Physical Description
- 3 photographs : b&w (1 negative and 1 glass slide) ; 11 x 13 cm or smaller
- Scope and Content
- This item is a glass slide of the exterior of the first YM-YWHA building on Brunswick Avenue.
- Notes
- The copy print and negative were made from the original glass slide by the Archives.
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Places
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1988-4-9
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 3872
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 3872
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 31 August, 1935
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Identified in this photograph are: David Newman; Jack Burke.
- For identification, see accession record.
- Name Access
- Burke, Jack
- Newman, David
- Young Judaea
- Subjects
- Congresses and conventions
- Portraits, Group
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1984-1-8
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 6031
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 6031
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1952]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph of a Labour Zionist banquet at the New Chudleigh House at 126 Beverley St. Invitees are seated around two long banquet tables. Identified are Myer Mandel, Mrs. Myer Mandel, Leibel Bagrad; Leibel Abella; Mr. Levinsky; Chaike Lovinsky; Nachman Lovinsky; Chaim Langer; Leah Langer; Archie Bennett; Sophie Bennett; Ida Krakover; Avrum Green; Charlie Krakover; I. S. Weinrot; and Baylke White.
- Subjects
- Dinners and dining
- Labor Zionism
- Portraits, Group
- 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.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1992-2-8
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 4335
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 4335
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- Nov. 1947
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a panoramic photograph taken of individuals at the Labour Zionist Movement's Actions Committee at the Fourth National Convention eating dinner.
- Name Access
- Labour Zionist Movement
- Montreal
- Jewish Organizations
- Subjects
- Congresses and conventions
- Labor Zionism
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Creator
- Federal Photos
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Accession Number
- 1987-10-5
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 767
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 767
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1960]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph
- Scope and Content
- Item is a portrait of Samuel Bronfman.
- Notes
- Acquired June 1976.
- Name Access
- Bronfman, Samuel
- Subjects
- Portraits
- 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.
- Places
- Montréal (Québec)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 423
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 423
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 1973
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph of Benjamin Brown that was taken in Brown's apartment on Avenue Road, Toronto.
- Notes
- Photo by Stephen Speisman.
- Not for reproduction without written permission from donor.
- Acquired February 19, 1975.
- Name Access
- Brown, Benjamin, 1890-1974
- Speisman, Stephen A., 1943-
- Subjects
- Architects
- Places
- Avenue Road (Toronto, Ont.)
- Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 3760
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 3760
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1916]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
- Scope and Content
- Two copy photographs of a Folk Shule, probably on Beverley Street, Toronto. Sadie Sorosky (Roebuck) is in the front row, second from right.
- Notes
- See also: photos #3757, #3758, and #3759.
- Name Access
- Sorosky, Sadie
- Subjects
- Children
- Education
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Places
- Beverley Street (Toronto, Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1985-5-4
- Source
- Archival Descriptions