Part Of

Board of Jewish Education fonds

Director of school finances series

School audited financial statements sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

48

Series

3-2

File

30

Material Format

textual record

Date

1957-1960

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Name Access

Beach Hebrew Institute (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2021-1-1

Material Format

moving images (electronic)

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

1 audiovisual recording (.mov)

1 document (pdf)

Date

23 Jun. 2020

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a .mov file documenting the simchat bat of Bonnie Libman-Lazar on 23 June 2020 at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation in Toronto. The donor provided the following text with the submission:

"Celebrating the birth of our daughter in June 2020 with a small, outdoor, masked and distanced simchat bat. The program included a Zeved Habat ceremony adapted from the Koren siddur text and remarks about the baby's name (Bonnie Ava or Aviya Dova). This ceremony was shared on zoom for family and friends. It followed a short morning service inside the synagogue where the baby received her Hebrew name, Aviya Dova, after Torah reading in the presence of family members."

Individuals present were Bonnie Libman-Lazar, Ella Libman-Lazar, Gerald Lazar, Rachel Libman; Rabbi Chaim Strauchler; Jonah & Leila Libman, Faigie Libman, Jeff Lazar; Rachel Sheps & Avi Libman; and Rabbi Jesse Shore.

Use Conditions

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

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

Subjects

COVID-19 (Disease)

Brit bat

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-3-4

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

3 folders of graphics material (electronic)

Date

Jun. 2019

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting three Pride events held in 2019: a CIJA LGBTQ+ Advisory Council event celebrating the start of Pride Month in Toronto, an event hosted by the Israeli consulate in Toronto to celebrate Pride, and the Pride parade. The donor provided brief descriptions of each of the events, which can be found below.

CIJA Pride event: "These pictures are from an event held on June 1, 2009 that was hosted by the CIJA LGBTQ+ Advisory Council to celebrate the start of Pride month in Toronto. It was held at the Lodge at O-Grady's on Church Street in the Gay Village. It featured a community Havdalah and drag performance/contest."

Israel consulate event: "The following pictures are from an event hosted by the Israeli Consulate in Toronto to celebrate Pride on June 27, 2019. It featured a panel of members of the LGBTQ community sharing their experiences of visiting Israel."

Pride parade: "The following pictures are from the Pride parade in Toronto on June 23, 2019 from the Jewish community contingent that included participants from CIJA, JFCS, and several other organizations and synagogues."

Subjects

Gay pride celebrations

Name Access

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

Pride Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-3-5

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

9 photographs : col. (jpg) ; 10.2 MB

Date

27 Mar. 2021-28 Mar. 2021

Scope and Content

Accession consists of several photographs depicting two seder tables as well as a virtual Zoom seder. Featured individuals are Sam Mogelonsky and Mat Calverley. The donor submitted the following text to accompany the images:

"We attended two seders this year. The first was a very small one at my parents with only our "bubble" in attendance. My dad every year makes "The Ten Modern" Plagues which we read and discuss. For the second Seder, we hosted a virtual one with our friends. We used an online Hagaddah by Jew Belong that we modified."

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Passover

Seder

COVID-19 (Disease)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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

2021-5-3

Material Format

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

69.5 MB of records in electronic form

Date

2020-2021

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Shaari Shomayim's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Included are promotional materials for various online events and several of the congregation's bulletins.

Subjects

COVID-19 (Disease)

Synagogues

Name Access

Shaarei Shomayim (Toronto, Ont.)

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

2021-10-4

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 letter

Date

19 Jun. 1945

Scope and Content

Accession consists of one letter to Nathan "Sonny" Isaacs from Rabbi Jacob Eisen. The letter is dated 19 June 1945. In it, Jacob congratulates Nathan on getting engaged and expresses his regret he could not have been in Toronto when Nathan was welcomed home. He also mentions that Nathan's best friend, Percy, was sad to learn that Nathan had departed Europe just as he arrived.

Administrative History

Nathan Isaacs (né Isaacovitch) was born on 20 November 1922. He enlisted on 5 August 1942. After training, Nathan worked in the kitchen at a Royal Canadian Air Force base in Aylmer, Ontario, while awaiting deployment to Europe. After being flown to Yorkshire, England, Nathan went on to fly thirty-five missions. He was twenty-one when he flew his first.

Following the war, bombers like Nathan received little in the way of recognition on account of the heavy civilian casualties caused by bombing. In 2013, Julian Fantino, minister of veterans affairs, gave out the Bomber Command bar to recognize Second World Bombers, including Nathan. That same year, thanks to a photograph that accompanied a Toronto Star article about Second World War bombers, Nathan was reunited with John Mulholland, the pilot with whom he flew his final mission.

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

Related groups of records in different fonds external to the unit being described: A photograph of Rabbi Jacob Eisen in uniform can be found in the Military photographs series of the William Stern fonds. A photograph of Rabbi Eisen alongside other Jewish chaplains can be found in the Harry Moscoe fonds.

Subjects

Letters

Rabbis

World War, 1939-1945

Name Access

Isaacs, Nathan, 1922-

Places

Europe

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-11-3

Material Format

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records (electronic)

Date

2015-2021

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. Included are meeting minutes and other records for the UJA Arts, Culture & Heritage Committee (2015–2019) and the Kultura Collective (2018–2021).

Custodial History

At the time of the donation, Sam's job title was director, arts, culture & heritage. Her department was Community Capacity Building.

Administrative History

The Arts, Culture & Heritage Committee of UJA Federation oversaw a strategy to fund and support Jewish cultural institutions, programs and initiatives that offered meaningful connections to Jewish identity and engagement. The committee considered programs that included (but were not limited to) the realms of visual arts, music, literature, dance, film, and theatre.

The following seven agencies fell within the scope of the committee: Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre (UJA); the Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre (UJA); the Toronto Jewish Film Festival; the Ashkenaz Festival; the Committee for Yiddish; the Koffler Centre of the Arts; and the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Committee.

The committee reported to UJA's Community Capacity Building Committee (CCBC), which oversees UJA's investments in the Greater Toronto Area. The CCBC is accountable to UJA's board of directors.

The Kultura Collective is a network of modern Jewish arts, culture, and heritage organizations that coalesced to create the collective. The name is inspired by the Kultur-Lige, an interwar collective that promoted Jewish culture and community across eastern Europe and that was destroyed at the height of its reach and impact. Members of the collective include Ashkenaz; the Canadian-Israel Cultural Foundation; the Committee for Yiddish; the Consulate General of Israel in Toronto; Fentster; the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company; Jewish Music Week; the Koffler Centre of the Arts; the Miles Nadal JCC; the Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre; the Prosserman JCC; the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre; the Schwartz/Reisman Centre; and the Toronto Jewish Film Foundation.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Arts

Name Access

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

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

2021-11-24

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

221 photographs (jpg)

1 audiovisual recording (mp4)

Date

2016

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the Eker family. Included are photographs taken in Hamilton and Toronto. Locations include the Eker home, Limeridge Mall in Hamilton, Bayfront in Hamilton, First Canada Place, the Bay, Saks Fifth Avenue. Pictured in the photographs are Debbie and Glen Eker and Glen's father.

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

Families

Name Access

Eker (family)

Eker, Glen

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

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

2021-12-2

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

5 photographs : b&w

Date

1944-1984

Scope and Content

Accession consists of correspondence to Ben Kayfetz from an American friend in Berlin in 1951 and 1952, a 1944 Central Commerce yearbook belonging to Eva Kayfetz (née Silver), five photographs, an armed forces prayer book formerly belonging to Chaplain Rabbi Jacob Eisen, a speech about Soviet Jewry, and Ben Kayfetz's retirement speech.

Custodial History

The donor, Zena Tenenbaum, is Ben's daughter.

Administrative History

Ben Kayfetz was a well-known leader of the Jewish community and advocate for human rights. He completed a degree in modern languages from the University of Toronto. During the Second World War, he worked for the Wartime Information Board reading prisoners-of-war letters, and from 1945 to 1947, worked with the Canadian Control Commission in the British-controlled sector of Germany.

He served with the Canadian Jewish Congress from 1947 to 1985 in various positions, including director of public relations and executive director of the Central Region. He was instrumental in the development of government anti-discriminatory policies and legislation in the 1950s and 1960s onward and received the Order of Canada in 1986.

Ben Kayfetz also founded the Yiddish Luncheon Club, was president of the Toronto Jewish Historical Society, and was a frequent contributor to various periodicals in Canada and abroad, under his own name and his pseudonym, Gershon B. Newman. He was viewed as the local authority on Toronto Jewish history and also had his own radio spot on CHIN.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

Availability of other formats: correspondence have been scanned and available in PDF format.

Subjects

Prayer books

Yearbooks

Human rights workers

Speeches, addresses, etc

Name Access

Kayfetz, Ben, 1916-2002

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-10-10

Material Format

moving images (electronic)

textual record (electronic)

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

22 videos : mp4 ; 1113 GB

Textual records (electronic) ; ca. 4.3 MB

ca. 670 photographs and pdfs (electronic)

Date

2017-2020

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records created during the production of Ron Chapman's film, Shelter. Included are video interviews and written transcripts, and family photographs and documents collected and copied from the interviewees. Signed release forms accompany the interviews. Also included is the finished film and trailer as mp4 files.

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

Buildings

Holocaust survivors

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

2021-12-5

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 25 x 70 cm

1 photograph : b&w ; 37 x 58 cm

Date

1927,1937

Scope and Content

Accession consists of two photographs documenting the 1927 B'nai Brith Grand Lodge No. 1 convention and the 1927 sixth national convention of the Federation of Young Judaea of Canada, which was held in Toronto.

The B'nai Brith Grand Lodge No 1 Convention took place on 23 May 1937 at the Hotel Statler. Identified in the photograph is Dr. Nicholas Sole and Bertha Minden Sole, the parents of Louise Sole Rotman. The photograph is by Famous Studio, photographer Bob Hauser.

Sole Family history book entitled "Sole Family Legacy Book." The book was created by the donor's daughter, Tami Martino (née Rotman), and is compiled from the collections of all the families across Canada and the United States. We all share a common ancestry, descended from Joseph Nuszen and Regina (Berman Sole), who came to Canada from Hungary. It covers 150 years of our collective history down Joseph Nuszen Sole's line, 6 generations, and every family member is represented to the publishing date (2009). Additional information is provided for 55 family members down the maternal (Regina Berman's) line. Her father was a Rabbi, and most of that side did not get out of Hungary and they perished in the Holocaust, their names are all provided. For those of us whose descendants came to Canada, we have families involved in numerous professions and contributing to the vibrant Jewish life in Canada in many ways.

Administrative History

Louise Rotman (née Sole) was born in 1942 in Hamilton, Ontario. She is the daughter of Dr. Nicholas Sole (1901–1971), who emigrated from Kisvárda, Hungary in 1927, and Bertha Minden (née Sole, 1909–1994), who emigrated from Zhytomyr, Russia with her family in 1911. Her brother was Dr. Mickey Sole (1938–2018). From the age of a teenager, she was involved as a volunteer for Jewish organizations and assisting as a fundraiser for the United Jewish Appeal. She was a treasurer of the Temple Youth Group and a secretary of the Senior Youth Council. Later, as an adult, she was treasurer of the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre, chair of the Camp Committee, treasurer of the UJA Federation, president of B'nai B'rith Women Hamilton chapter, president of the Deborah Sisterhood of Temple Anshe Sholom, and the first female president of the oldest Reform synagogue in Canada: Temple Anshe Sholom. She continued to watch over the temple's finances for twenty-one years. Louise graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor of science degree and married Laurence Rotman (1937–2021). She had a short teaching career at Westdale Secondary School before the birth of her children: Tami Martino (née Rotman), Mark Rotman, and Rachelle McGurrin (née Rotman). She has six grandchildren. She was a stay-at-home mom for thirteen years, and later returned to McMaster University, where she received a master of business administration degree and designation as a chartered accountant from the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants. She specialized in taxation (mainly in corporate tax planning) and US and Canadian personal tax for a forty-year career, twenty-four of which were spent at MacGillivray Partners in Hamilton. During this period, she assisted the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, marking their uniform final exam, and the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants, marking the provincial tax exams. She retired from public practice in 2007. After retirement, Louise maininted her involvement in the Hamilton Jewish community as captain for the United Jewish Appeal and a permanent board member of Temple Anshe Sholom.

Laurence Rotman was born in 1937 in Toronto, Ontario. He was the son of Hyman Rotman and Adele Rotman (née Kaplan). His sister was Marcia Levy (née Rotman). As a youth, he was president of AZA, a youth-led fraternity for Jewish teenagers and the male wing of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. He was also involved in Young Judaea. In addition, Laurence was involved in the Gamma lota Beta Fraternity in high school and was frosh president at Waterloo Lutheran. In later years, he played major roles in the Jewish community. Some of the highlights were that he was president of B'nai B'rith Hamilton and a past recipient honoree of the State of Israel Bonds. When he and Louise co-chaired the State of Israel bond dinner in 1971, they raised $167,000, which (adjusted for inflation) is equivalent to $1.2 million in 2021. He also led a very eclectic business career. A mainstay business was always Reco Distributors and Mfg. Ltd. He also worked on the board of directors for Creative Arts, as Heart Fund publicity chair, and he was director of sales and marketing for the public company Lawn-A-Mat Chemical and Equipment. He was also a co-owner of Feathers Restaurant, a dinner-and-dancing club in Hamilton, which he described as one of his favourite businesses to run. He was a life master in bridge.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Congresses and conventions

Name Access

B'nai B'rith. New York Lodge No. 1 (New York, N.Y.)

Federation of Young Judaea of Canada

Places

New York (N.Y.).

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

• 

Accession Number

2022-1-1

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

1 photograph : col. (jpg)

Date

30 Dec. 2021

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a photograph of a piece of cake. The photograph was taken on 30 December 2021 in Toronto after the donor's parents completed their quarantine.

Commenting on the photograph, the donor wrote:

A cake celebrating my parents completion of their quarantine after having Covid 19. The cake's decoration says "Congratulations on beating Covid!"

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Cake

COVID-19 (Disease)

Quarantine

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-2-2

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

8 photographs : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm or smaller

1 folder of textual records

Date

[ca. 1913]-1923

Scope and Content

Accession consists of 8 photographs and three letters addressed to Fannie Adelman from Berul Sugarman, as well as one recital program. The photographs depict:

A young child, dressed in white, standing on a large chair and holding and violin and bow, likely Abie Sugarman

An unknown child in a dark sweater with two buttons on the shoulder, standing in front of a small table holding a violin at his side.

A head-and-shoulders shot of a young man, likely Abie Sugarman, perhaps about age 8 or 9. A note in pencil on the back of this photo reads "A MERRY XMAS GREET your father and mother and sister"

A portrait of Abie Sugarman, perhaps about age 10 or 11, holding his violin as if to play, standing beside a seated gentleman who might be his instructor Broadus Farmer

A full-length portrait of Abie Sugarman holding his violin as if to play, about age 13

A portrait of Abie Sugarman standing with his violin tucked under his right arm and his bow hanging from his right hand, about age 13. There is a ring visible on his right hand

A small head-and-shoulders photo of Abie Sugarman, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties

A portrait of Fannie Adelman, taken in 1923 when she was 13 or 14, about two years after these letters were written to her.

The other items are: the programme of a recital given at The Hambourg Conservatory Recital Hall on Tuesday June 21, 1921; a partial letter from Abie Sugarman to Fannie Adelman, dated June 29, 1921; a two-page letter from Abie Sugarman to Fannie Adelman, undated; a four-page letter from Abie Sugarman to Fannie Adelman, undated; a stamped empty envelope. It is believed by the donor that at least one of these letters was in this envelope, and delivered by hand despite the stamp. All three letters were send from 240 Dundas St. West, where the Sugarman family was living at the time.

Administrative History

Berul Sugarman (Abram Berul Sugarman) was born to Jacob (Jake) and Annie (Starkman) Sugarman on 28 May 1908, in Toronto, where he lived for most but not all of his life. The Sugarman family appears to have lived briefly in Welland; the Welland directory for 1919 includes a listing for "Jake Sugarman, restaurant, west side of Main Street, house same." This would have been when Abie (he began calling himself "Berul" later in life; he went by "Abie" in his younger years) met Fannie Adelman, older daughter of Joseph Adelman and Baila (Moschiach, anglicised to Miller). Fannie was born in Montreal in 1909 and moved to Welland with her parents and younger sister Minnie sometime after 1915.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Musicians

Letters

Portraits

Name Access

Sugarman, Abram Berul, 1908-1982

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

2022-4-4

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

3 photographs : col. (jpg)

1 slideshow (pdf)

Date

2022

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting a virtual seder held by Sam Mogelonsky and her partner on 17 April 2022. Included are three photographs and a slideshow. The latter includes prayers for Ukraine and prayers for those who aren't Jewish. Sam and her partner, Mat, used a humanist Haggadah to pull it together.

Commenting on the seder, the donor wrote:

"My partner and I did a virtual seder last night for the third night of Passover. We started doing this the first year of Covid, and now it’s sort of a tradition. It’s a mix of jewish and non-Jewish friends and very fun and inclusive. We made a special presentation deck for it so people could read off the screen. There are a lot of Simpsons, pop culture and baseball references.

"You are seeing the view as we did. I should have taken a photo of the set up! We had a webcam on a plinth and a microphone set up. Then we had the laptop and a wireless mouse.

"Also, mat is allergic to horse raddish, so we have Calabrian hot pepper paste for Maror!"

In a separate email, Sam explained that the chili paste was a nod to Mat's Italian background.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

COVID-19 (Disease)

Passover

Seder

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Ukraine

Source

Archival Accessions

• 
• 

Accession Number

2021-11-22

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

5 cm of textual records

Date

1934-1958

Scope and Content

Accession consists of materials documenting the administration and activities of the Toronto Independent Benevolent Association. Included are: a scanned copy of the constitution and by-laws of the association (1934); a members registration ledger book from 1940 to 1944, which documents Jerry's father, Frank Paskowitz, and other members' membership with the Toronto Independent Benevolent Association; and a flyer in Yiddish documenting an event in 1958, which encourages people to express their solidarity with the State of Israel.

Administrative History

The Toronto Independent Benevolent Association is a benefit society founded on 20 Sept. 1909. Its head office is located in the City of Toronto. The purpose of the association is to assist the members in case of sickness by providing sick and relief benefits, burial ground services, medical treatments, and other services that concern members' well-being.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

Language: English, Yiddish, and Hebrew

Subjects

Associations, institutions, etc

Name Access

Toronto Independent Benevolent Association

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-4-6

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

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

ca. 7 cm of textual records

Date

1940-2014

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Mark Drutz's personal life; educational and professional experience; and his active engagement with Ha Mishpacha, which is one of the earliest gay-Jewish groups in Toronto and was co-founded by him. Included are: sixty-four photographs depicting Mark's personal life; newspaper and magazine clippings documenting the announcement of Mark's birth in 1951, an introduction to Ha Mishpacha (4 Nov. 1977), the assistance that Mark and his mother, Evelyn Quitt, provided for the Preyra family's immigration from India to Canada (1968, 1972, 1996), and Mark's support to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (2014). The accession also includes three yearbooks, two school photographs, certificates, diplomas, and academic records, which document his educational experience; and letters of recommendation, CV, and other documents related to his career and professional activities. Also included are: a newsletter of Ha Mishpacha (Nov. 1977), a divorce certificate of Mark's parents (8 Feb. 1972), and a certifiate of change of his name (28 Mar. 1978).

Administrative History

Mark Drutz is the youngest child of Harold "Hy" Drutz and Evelyn Sandra Drutz (née Quitt). Harold (1913–1998) was born to Phillip (Fyvish) and Annie Drutz of Russia. In 1946, he married Evelyn Quitt (1924–1999), the daughter of Samuel Quitt (1891–?) and Bertha Quitt (1890–1953), also of Russia. They had two children: Paul, who ultimately succumbed to AIDS (1947–1994) and Mark (aka Donald, 1951–). 'Evelyn raised Paul's son, her grandson Ezra Matthew (1975–).

Harold worked in the garment trade as a pattern cutter and also served in the Canadian Medical Corps during the Second World War. He was one of seven children. His siblings were: Meyer, Daniel, Harry (Drue), David, Pauline, and Mollie (Simmons). Evelyn was one of five chidren. Her siblings were: Estelle (Drue - married Harold's brother Harry), Rivka (Smolkin), Gordon (Gerhson), and Beverley (Brown).

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

Availability of other formats: Digitized material.

Subjects

Families

Sexual minorities

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Vancouver (B.C.)

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

2022-5-20

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

1943-1945

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a birth certificate issued in November 1943 under the name of Roman-Jan Domanski, which was used by Marian Domanski to survive the Holocaust. Accession also includes an identity card with Marian's photograph and the same falsified name, issued in Radzyn on 25 Jan. 1944 (the notes section of the identity card is separated, with an illegible Polish stamp on the back, dated 23 Nov. 1945).

Custodial History

Records were donated by Marian Domanski's daughter Beata Domanska.

Administrative History

Marian Domanski (1928-2012) was born Moshe Finkielman on 20 June 1928 in Otwock, Poland, south of Warsaw. His father, Abraham Finkielman, died in 1939 as a soldier in the Polish army, and his mother, Brucha Rotenberg Finkielman, passed away in late 1941 from typhus in the Otwock Ghetto. In 1941, Marian began to regularly sneak out of the ghetto to search for food until his mother's death. In April 1942, he escaped the ghetto and posed as a Polish Catholic youth. He worked as a farm labourer in Eastern Poland for some time, until he was told that in order to get a permanent position he would have to register, which would require his birth certificate. In October 1942, in the town of Komarowka, he was caught and deported to the Treblinka extermination camp. He managed to jump off the transport, run away, and hide, eventually finding work as a farm labourer once again. In 1943, he managed to obtain a falsified birth certificate using information about a fellow herdsman, Roman-Jan Domanski, without his knowledge. He was also able to obtain identity papers, working at farms as a Polish Catholic boy until the end of the war. After the war, he traveled to the recovered territories in Western Poland, where he found work and resumed his education by attending evening school and specializing in aerial photography. He opened his own photography business in Wroclaw and was awarded the degree of Master Photographer in 1963, the same year he married his wife, Cesia. In 1968, Marian and his wife and daughter Beata left Poland for Denmark to escape the anti-Jewish campaign that was underway by the government, and in 1970, they emigrated to Canada. He attended a program in Graphic Arts at George Brown College and, after graduating, worked in several printing establishments for many years until retirement. He kept the name Marian Domanski for the remainder of his life. Marian Domanski passed away in 2012.

Subjects

Holocaust survivors

Refugees

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access

Domanski, Marian, 1928-2012

Places

Poland

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-7-6

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Physical Description

ca. 8 cm of textual records

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

1 medal : bronze

Date

1922-1997

Scope and Content

Accession consists of textual records, photographs, and a bronze Shekel Medal for Israel’s twenty-fifth anniversary, most of which document Pearl Freedhoff and her Jewish communal and public service activities.

Textual records include public speeches, handwritten notes and short writing pieces, invitation and greeting cards, correspondence, materials relating to the sisterhoods of Beth Tzedec and Goel Tzedec synagogues, Pearl’s 1940 National Registration certificate, materials documenting the Ontario Bicentennial Award and dinner, and the 1981 royal tour of Canada, newspaper clippings relating to Pearl’s Jewish communal and public service activities, and an advertisement that Pearl made for Lido Spa. Also included are newsletters, magazines, and bulletins, which document Pearl’s experience in wedding consultation and her active involvement in Toronto Hadassah-WIZO and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Jewish Home for the Aged; and travel itineraries and promotional materials for Israel and the Orient trips, which were issued by Toronto Hadassah-WIZO, B’nai Brith, and travel agencies they were in co-operation with. Textual records also include a small number of bulletins and magazines as well as a twenty-fifth anniversary book of Baycrest men’s service group, which document the accomplishments of Pearl’s husband, Dr. Samuel Freedhoff.

Photographs feature the Goel Tzedec Sisterhood, trips to Israel organized by Toronto Hadassah-WIZO, the wedding of Linda Greene (Lorne Greene’s daughter), and various social and political events that Pearl attended.

Accession also includes a bronze Shekel Medal for Israel’s twenty-fifth anniversary. It was presented to Pearl to commemorate her inscription as a governor of the Haifa Community College.

Custodial History

Records were in the possession of Judith Golden, Pearl's daughter, until being gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives on 14 July 2022.

Administrative History

Pearl Freedhoff (née Narrol) (1906-1997) was born on 17 September 1906 in Toronto to Harry Narrol and Esther Narrol (née Newman). She had four siblings: Albert, Gertie, Hilda (m. Spivak), and Mendell (died as infant). Pearl married Dr. Samuel Osias Freedhoff (1903–1973) in 1927 and had two children: Stephen and Judith. Samuel was the son of Harry Freedhoff and Molli Freedhoff (née Bohnen). Pearl graduated from the University of Toronto, School of Social Work, and Samuel graduated from the School of Dentistry. Both were members of Goel Tzedec Synagogue, with Pearl serving as sisterhood president from 1949 to 1950 and Samuel as president of the men's club in 1952.

Pearl was an active member of the Jewish community and served on executives and boards in many Jewish communal organizations, including the Canadian Hadassah-WIZO Toronto Centre, the sisterhoods of Goel Tzedec and Beth Tzedec Synagogues, and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Jewish Home for the Aged. She had a political interest in the Progressive Conservative Party and was active in federal and provincial politics; she served on the boards of the Victorian Order of Nurses and Ontario Housing Commission and was included in special dinners such as dinners for the royal family. In addition, she had an outstanding reputation as a bridal and bar-mitzvah counsellor for over thirty years. In 1984, she was awarded the Ontario Bicentennial Medal in honour of her contributions to the community at large.

Pearl passed away on 18 December 1997.

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

Politicians

Name Access

Freedhoff, Pearl, 1906-1997

Places

Toronto (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

2022-10-1

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 textual record

Date

Sep. 2022

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a publication authored by Joanna Krongold and published in September 2022 titled "In Their Own Words: Jewish Doctors, Antisemitism, and the Restrictive Quota System at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine." The publication was made available at no cost to those attending the event Reflecting on Historic Jewish Student Quotas in Toronto Medical Education, which was held at Innis Town Hall in Toronto, Ontario, on 29 September 2022

Dr. Joanna Krongold is a 2022–2023 joint postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto's Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine's Office of Inclusion and Diversity. She received her PhD from the Department of English at the University of Toronto in 2020.

Custodial History

The donor acquired the item at the event Reflecting on Historic Jewish Student Quotas in Toronto Medical Education.

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

Antisemitism

Discrimination in higher education

Physicians

Name Access

Krongold, Joanna

University of Toronto. Faculty of Medicine

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-11-2

Material Format

moving images (electronic)

Physical Description

10 videos (mp4)

Date

2010, 2014

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Eva Muller and Louis Muller. Included are multi-part interviews with both, in which they discuss their lives as children during the Holocaust, their memories of the Hungarian Revolution, their coming to Canada, and their lives in Ontario as Jewish immigrants. Louis's interview was recorded in December of 2010; Eva's interview was recorded in the spring of 2014. Each of them was seventy-six years old at the time of the interview. The person interviewing them is their son Robert Tom Muller.

Administrative History

Eva Muller (née Berger) was born 22 October 1937 in Budapest, Hungary, to Aranka Berger (née Flohr) and Oscar Berger. She had two siblings: an older sister named Edith and a younger sister named Marika. From 1937–1956, Eva resided in Budapest. While hiding in Budapest during the Second World War, Eva used the name Eva Kadet (she had false papers issued under this name). After the war, she attended the Vegyipari Gimnázium, graduating in 1955. Along with Louis Muller, she escaped from Hungary in December 1956, during the failed Hungarian revolution. From 1956–1957, she resided in Linz, Austria. It was there that she married Louis Muller in a civil ceremony on 29 December 1956; two days later, on 31 December 1956, she married Louis in a Jewish ceremony that took place in Vienna. From 1957, Eva has resided in Toronto. She and Louis had three children: William Muller (born 4 January 1958), Robert Tom Muller (born 5 April 1964), and Steven Muller (born 29 March 1969). In 1976 and 1979, Eva won a bronze medal at the YMHA (Jewish Community Centre)'s yearly swim-a-thon. Around the same time, she studied property management at Seneca College, graduating circa 1979. Starting in 1980, she began working as a property manager. She also did some work as a court interpreter translating Hungarian to English from 1987–1990. In 2011, Adath Israel Congregation (Toronto) issued a certificate of appreciate for Eva's service to the synagogue. As a hobbyist, Eva was an avid amateur artist (painter).

Louis Muller was born Lajos Müller 12 April 1934 in Bratislava, Slovakia, to Anna Müller (née Kovacs) and Vilmos Müller. Louis had one sibling: a younger sister named Hermina (Mimi). From 1934–1939, Louis resided in Bratislava. From 1939–1956, he resided in Budapest. During the Second World War, he used the name Louis Pap while in hiding (he had false papers issued under this name). After the war, he trained and apprenticed as a master upholster, becoming a Kárpitos Szakmunkás, completing his training in 1950. He then completed an intensive one-year high school program, graduating circa 1952. He also studied at the University of Physical Education, Testnevelési Foiskola, but did not graduate, as he was expelled for political reasons and immediately drafted into the army. Along with Eva Berger, he escaped from Hungary in December of 1956, during the failed Hungarian revolution. From 1956–1957, Louis resided in Linz. It was there that he married Eva Berger in a civil ceremony on 29 December 1956; two days later, on 31 December 1956, he married Eva in a Jewish ceremony that took place in Vienna. From 1957–2022, he resided in Toronto. There, he ran Louis Interiors, a fine furniture-manufacturing business, which he established in 1961. He and Eva had three children: William Muller (born 4 January 1958), Robert Tom Muller (born 5 April 1964), and Steven Muller (born 29 March 1969). In 2015, Adath Israel Congregation (Toronto) issued a certificate of appreciation for Louis's service to the synagogue. He has been listed as an Honored Member in the Who’s Who Among Top Executives. He passed away 8 May 2022.

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

Hungary--History--Revolution, 1956--Biography

Immigrants--Canada

World War, 1939-1945

Name Access

Muller, Eva

Muller, Louis, 1934-2022

Muller, Robert T.

Places

Budapest (Hungary)

Linz (Austria)

Toronto (Ont.)

Vienna (Austria)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2022-11-3

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 book

Date

2022

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting City Shul, a Reform synagogue in downtown Toronto. Included is "Siddur Shirat HaLev: The City Shul Community Prayerbook." The siddur was designed by Baruch Sienna and edited by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein. Baruch described the siddur thus: "A contemporary, illustrated, liberal siddur for Shabbat, weekday, and festivals." The siddur features content from Canadian poets (e.g., Leonard Cohen, A. M. Klein) and artists. According to the donor, the siddur was "the product of many volunteer congregants over several years of effort."

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

Availability of other formats: Three pages of the siddur are available as digital files: page 80 (available as a PDF file), and page 98 (available as a JPEG file), and page 160 (available as a PDF file).

Rights: Copyright © 2022, City Shul. Translations, readings, and commentaries from Mishkan T'filah, World Union Edition: A Progressive Siddur, copyright © 2010 by the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

Subjects

Reform Judaism

Siddurim

Synagogues

Name Access

City Shul (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2023-2-6

Material Format

textual record

moving images

graphic material

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records and graphic material

1 optical disc

Date

[19--]-2018, predominant 2010-2018

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Gerry Salsberg. Included are two newspaper clippings that mention Gerry, a program for a celebration of Gerry's life, the text of a speech given at said event by Karen Faith (Gerry's sister), the text of a tribute to Gerry by Riva Stern, a certificate certifying that Gerry's name will be permanently inscribed in the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion in Toronto, a printout of an email forwarding the announcement about the tribute for Gerry at Second City, a printout of the Steels Memorial Chapel condolence book for Gerry, and an undated photograph of Sam Salsberg and Stan Salsberg in front of Salsberg's variety store on College Street. There is also a video recording of the celebration of life on DVD.

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

Availability of other formats: Digitized material.

Subjects

Actors

Name Access

Salsberg, Gerry, 1949-2010

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2023-2-7

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

7 cm of textual records

Date

1933-1982

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material, mostly correspondence, documenting Willi Holtz. Included are: a letter to Willi from the German Metal Worker's Union (20 November 1933); Willi's German Reich passport (1936); a postcard from Palestine (1938); a confirmation regarding application for certificate of entry into Palestine (2 January 1938); a letter to the Reich Interior Ministry from Willi (15 April 1939); a certification of good character for Willi (6 June 1939); a letter to the American consul in Canada from Leon L. Berkowitz regarding Willi Holz's internment in Camp "N" (17 February 1941); and a letter to F. C. Blair, director of the Immigration Branch of the Department of Mines and Resources, from Willi (8 January 1943).

Custodial History

Records were in the possession of Camille Norton, Willi Holz's stepdaughter, prior to Camile donating them to the Ontario Jewish Archives.

Administrative History

Willi Israel Holz was born on 6 April 1912 in Breslau, Germany (today Wroclaw, Poland). From 1919–27, he attended elementary school in the same city. Starting in 1927, he attended technical high school. In 1929, he joined the Kommunistischer Jugendverband Deutschlands (Young Communist League of Germany). In 1931, he received his electrician's license. Apart from a period of unemployment in 1932, he worked from 1931–38 with several firms, acquiring experience in electrical installations. In 1933, he lost his membership in the German Metal Workers' Union (Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband) on racial grounds.

In 1938, Willi was put in a Nazi concentration camp. In January 1939, he was released from the concentration camp. He nevertheless had to report to the Gestapo headquarters on a monthly basis until he was able to leave Germany. This proved difficult, as Willi tried and failed to immigrate to a number of countries, including Palestine, Bolivia, and China. (In the latter case, the Republic of China granted Willi and his mother visas, but there were no ship tickets available.) In February, Willi applied to be accepted for a transit camp for Jewish emigrants that was located in Richborough, England; in July, he was accepted. He arrived in Richborough on 8 August 1939. Willi's mother was unable to come with him.

From Richborough, Willi was moved between several locations before departing from Liverpool, England, on the SS Ettrick. He arrived in Quebec, Canada, on 13 July 1940 at Internment Camp "L." From there, he was transferred to Internment Camp "N" in Sherbrook. In January 1941, he was provided with an affidavit for immigration to the United States, but he was unable to enter owing to an unspecified condition. In 1942, Willi's mother was deported to eastern Europe (she died in Auschwitz). In November of that same year, Willi was transferred to yet another camp.

In February 1943, Willi was released from internment for work at Stark Electrical Instrument Co. in Toronto, Ontario. In 1944, Willi started working as foreman of the machine shop for the same company. In 1946, the plant at which Willi was working ended up moving to a different location, and Willi started work on the production line. That same year, Willi appeared before a county court judge to take the oath of allegiance. He became a Canadian citizen on 4 May 1946.

Willi died on 10 October 1979. His funeral took place at Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel.

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: A significant portion of the material is in German.

Subjects

Electricians

Holocaust survivors

Immigrants--Canada

Name Access

Holz, Willi, 1912-1979

Places

Breslau (Germany)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2023-2-10

Material Format

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

2 textual records (docx)

Date

2022-2023

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting two members of the Drutz family: Dr. Meyer George Drutz (1911–1984) and Dr. Harold Paul Drutz (1944–). Included is a "bio profile" for Harold and a document titled "Drutz family in medicine" that primarily relates to the life of Meyer.

Administrative History

Meyer George Drutz was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1911 to Barnett and Hannah Drutz. He was the third of five children. His parents had immigrated from eastern Europe (what is now Belarus) in 1908. Barnett's grandson, Harold, reports that Barnett was a tailor who earned eight dollars a week. They lived on Denison Avenue.

Growing up in Toronto's Jewish community, Meyer was known as Mickey. An outstanding student, Meyer entered Jarvis Collegiate at the age of eleven. He continued to excel in school, and his marks were so high that he was able to meet the entrance criteria for University of Toronto's medical school at the time when there was a strict quota on the number of Jews and women in any given year.

Meyer graduated from medical school in 1936 and interned at the original Mount Sinai Hospital at 100 Yorkville Avenue, which was one of the few hospitals where Jews were allowed to intern.

In 1935, Meyer met Belle Ostry (1913–2001). Belle was born in Nikopol, Ukraine, which was on the Dnieper River, north of Odessa. In 1923, Belle's family immigrated to Canada, initially settling in Wadena, Saskatchewan, where Belle's father ran a general store.

Belle went to business school in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In the early 1930s, she and a friend bought a car and drove to Toronto. After a period of courtship that their son Harold would describe as "very austere," Meyer and Belle married in Toronto in June 1936.

With Canada, and the world, still in the grip of the Great Depression, Meyer accepted a job to go to Malartic, Quebec, where he became a doctor for the Malartic Goldfield Mines. Because the locals were not familiar with the name Meyer, he went by his middle name George, which continued for the rest of his life.

When the Second World War broke out in 1939, the Quebec government refused to conscript Meyer on the grounds that he was the only doctor in three hundred square miles. Meyer's son, Harold, writes that in the winter his father used a dog sled to get to homes and deliver babies. Harold recalls the stories told to him by his mother of how George was trapped in an underground mine for three days when he went underground to help miners trapped after a cave-in.

Belle and Meyer had their first child, a daughter, at Toronto Western Hospital in 1942. The baby was born in Toronto, because Belle had problems with hypertension, and Meyer sent her to Toronto for care. Their second child, Harold, was born in August 1944.

In 1948, the family moved to Kitchener, Ontario, where Meyer practiced for less than a year.

The family moved back to Toronto in 1949, where George set up a practice in the Keele Street/Rogers Road area. He was a founding member of the Northwestern General Hospital and was on the founding family practice staff of the New Mount Sinai Hospital (1956) and Baycrest Geriatric Hospital.

Harold Drutz received his bachelor of arts from the University of Western Ontario in 1965 and his doctor of medicine from the University of Toronto in 1969. Upon graduating, he did his residency in urology, general surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Toronto from 1970–1974.

He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1974 in obstetrics and gynecology. The same year, he became a fellow in the bladder function unit at the Toronto General Hospital. In 1975, he was awarded a McLaughlin Fellowship and did pioneer training in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery in Europe, Ethiopia, and the United States of America.

In 1998, he became a full professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. From 1987–2015, he was the professor and head of the Division of Urogynecology (AKA Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery [FPMRS]) at the University of Toronto. From 1976–2015, he was the head of urogynecology at Mount Sinai Hospital. From 1986–2022, he was the head of urogynecology at Baycrest Geriatric Hospital. Baycrest Hospital was the first geriatric hospital in Canada to have a program in female pelvic medicine.

From 1988–1991, he served on the American Urogynecological Association (AUGS) board of directors. From 1994–1996, he was president of the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA), the only Canadian to have been president of the society. In 1996, he received the degree of professor honoris causa from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia. From 2000–2002, he served as the first president of the Canadian Society of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Surgery (CSURPS). From 2017–2019, he served as founding president of the Canadian Society for Pelvic Medicine (CSPM). The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Toronto has given Professor Drutz the title of "the founding father of urogynecology in Canada."

Harold is the recipient of fifty-nine externally-funded peer reviewed grants. He is the author of 139 peer-reviewed papers, eighteen chapters in textbooks, and is the senior of author of two textbooks. He has trained forty-four fellows who practice all over the world.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Discrimination in higher education

Families

Physicians

Name Access

Drutz, Harold, 1944-

Drutz, Meyer George , 1911-1984

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2023-3-10

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

1967-1978

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a pilot's log book belonging to Gerda Frieberg, documenting flights taken between 1967 and 1978. Also included is an accompanying form from the Department of Transport regarding the issuance of Gerda's licence and log book. On the inside cover, there is a newsclipping of a poem entitled High Flight taped to the inside front cover of the book. Notations made by Gerda include: her first solo flight on 24 Oct. 1967; completion of her government approved course in flying following her flight test on 15 Feb. 1968; and her last flight on 25 April 1978, logging a grand total of 978 hours and 45 minutes in the air.

Entries include dates, aircraft type and registration, names of first pilots and second pilots or passengers, routes flown and instrument notations. Airtime totals are tallied at the bottom of each page. Of note are flights taken as part of derbies as well as flights in Israel in 1973. Aircraft included both Cherokee and Cessna single-engine aircraft.

Administrative History

Gerda Frieberg (1925-2023) was a Holocaust survivor and educator born in 1925 in Bielschowitz, Poland to the sole Jewish family in the largely German speaking village. Her father was taken in October 1939. In 1940, Gerda, her mother Elfrieda and sister Hana were deported to the Jaworzno Ghetto. In 1942, Gerda was sent to the Oberaltstadt concentration camp where her sister was already interned. Their mother joined them in 1943. Gerda worked in the machine shop of a spinning mill until she was liberated on May 9, 1945. For four years after liberation Frieberg, her sister and mother were in displaced persons camps in Landserg, near Munich. There, she became a proficient seamstress and met her husband, Louis Frieberg. After moving to Canada in 1953, Gerda devoted herself to Holocaust education and various human rights causes. She began speaking of the Holocaust in 1962, first in local schools, then across Canada. Frieberg served as chair of the Ontario region of the Canadian Jewish Congress in the early 1990s and led fundraising efforts for the Toronto Holocaust Centre. Gerda Frieberg had three children, Josey, Jack, and Sandra, eleven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Gerda passed away on January 3rd, 2023, at the age of 97 in her home in Toronto.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Holocaust survivors

Air pilots

Name Access

Frieberg, Gerda, 1925-2023

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

2023-5-8

Material Format

graphic material

object

Physical Description

1 trophy : metal, cup shape

1 photograph : sepia ; 20 x 25 cm on matte 31 x 35 cm

Date

1923-1931

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a 1931 JCSSL Championship trophy. The inscription on the trophy reads "J.C.S.S.L 1931 Champs. Yolles-Herzls. Pres. by Harry Tait to J. Goldman." Also included is a group photograph of the YMHA 1923–24 Midget basketball team. Individuals identified include J. Benjamin, E. Sniderman, Captain B. Goldman, Coach, Manager I. Gold, S. Ramm (top row from left); M. English, H. Lister, W. Garbe (bottom row from left). Photograph by Alexandra Studios, Toronto.

Custodial History

Material received through Steve's wife, Merle Goldman.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Sports

Places

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

1930-2012

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

2023-8-6

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 ledger

Date

1962-1983

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the Farband of Lithuanian Jews. Included is one ledger that runs from 1962 to 1983.

Custodial History

Prior to donation, the item was in the possession of Harry Klaczkowski, whose mother was actively involved in the Farband of Lithuanian Jews as a member of the executive.

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: Yiddish.

Subjects

Fraternal organizations

Name Access

Farband of Lithuanian Jews

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2023-11-2

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

12 photographs (jpg) : col.

Date

Nov. 2023

Scope and Content

Accession consists of twelve photographs of posters taken by the donor in Midtown, Toronto, and near Bathurst and Sheppard Streets in North York. The photographs were taken between 6 and 8 November 2023, approximately one month after the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the start of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. Many of the photographs depict Israeli citizens taken hostage by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.

Six of the photographs are of posters disseminated by the #KidnappedFromIsrael campaign (https://www.kidnappedfromisrael.com). Of the seven Kidnapped from Israel posters photographed—one photograph depicts two posters—three of which were vandalized. The vandalism on the first Kidnapped from Israel poster reads, "IDF soldier." The vandalism on the second Kidnapped from Israel poster reads, "Israeli terrorism is not OK!" The vandalism on the fifth Kidnapped from Israel poster reads, "3000 dead Palestinians."

Two of the photographs are of posters disseminated by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto's #NoRoomForTerror campaign (https://www.instagram.com/noroomforterror). Neither of the #NoRoomForTerror posters appear to have been vandalized, although one is torn in half. It is unclear if this was done intentionally.

Two of the photographs are of posters with the message "HAMASISIS" and the hashtag #BringThemHomeNOW. Of the two HAMASISISIS posters photographed, both were vandalized. The vandalism on the first HAMASISIS poster appears to read, "10k dead Palestinians." The vandalism on the second HAMASISISIS poster appears to read, "Israel is terroris[m/t]."

Lastly, there is a photograph of a small poster tied to the Forgotten Echo Instagram page. The latter's message reads, "It costs Canadian taxpayers $33,000 to kill one baby in Gaza. Take action." On this poster is a QR code that links to a petition to the prime minister of Canada calling upon the prime minister "to take the necessary measures to address the Israel-Palestine conflict."

Use Conditions

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

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

Subjects

Hostages

Posters

Vandalism

Name Access

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2023-11-3

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

4.9 m of textual records

Date

1930-1980

Scope and Content

Accession consists of record books and file cards documenting deceased persons handled by Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel.

The seven record books were kept by Joseph Benjamin from 1930 to 1980 and contain the following information: date of death, yarzheit, name of deceased, cemetery section, name of cemetery. The outside dates for each book are:

Book 1: Jan. 1930 to 31 Dec. 1945

Book 2: 1 Jan. 1946 to 19 Dec. 1953

Book 3: 1 Jan. 1954 to 29 Dec. 1959

Book 4: 29 Dec. 1959 to 29 Dec. 1963

Book 5: 1 Jan. 1964 to 30 Dec. 1968

Book 6: 29 Dec. 1968 to 28 June 1972

Book 7: 29 June 1972 to 30 June 1980

The complete set of file are arranged alphabetically in chronological order, 1936–1945, 1954–1976, vols. 1 to 21. Records arranged chronologically 1916 to 1957, vols. 21 to 24. The cards contain information about the deceased which supplements that found in the record books:

Volume 1: Aaron to Benaim

Volume 2: Benatar to Breslin

Volume 3: Breslin to Cohen

Volume 4: Cohen to Dzialoszynsk

Volume 5: Eaton to Fox

Volume 6: Fox to. Golant

Volume 7: Gold to Green

Volume 8: Green to Herman

Volume 9: Herman to Katz

Volume 10: Katz to Kyriazoglou

Volume 11: Labelle to Lipschitz

Volume 12: Lipset to Miller

Volume 13: Miller to Pearson

Volume 14; Pearson to Roher

Volume 15: Roher to Saltman

Volume 16: Saltman to Shindler

Volume 17: Shindman to Sobel

Volume 18: Soberman to Swerling

Volume 19: Swersky to Wein

Volume 20: Weinbaum to Yellin

Volume 21: Yeretsky to Zyro; 1 Jan. 1946 to 21 June 1947

Volume 22; 21 June 1947 to 28 Oct. 1949

Volume 23: 30 Oct, 1949 to 31 Dec. 1951

Volume 24: 1 Jan. 1952 to 31 Dec. 1953

Custodial History

Transferred from Library and Archives Canada in 2023 at the request of the OJA and with permission from Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel.

Administrative History

Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel was founded in 1922 by Henry Benjamin, who was a member of one of the early chevrah kadishas of Toronto. Henry Benjamin came to Canada at the turn of the nineteenth century from Russia. He owned a grocery store on College Street in Toronto and had a wagon that he used to deliver groceries. Wagons were rare in the Jewish community at that time, so Henry was asked by Toronto’s first chevrah kadisha to use his wagon to help deliver bodies for burial. At first, he did this because he felt a responsibility to his community. Over time, he became more deeply committed to the work of the chevrah kadisha. When his son, Joe, was a young man, Joe helped his father prepare bodies for burial, and his father impressed upon him that taking care of the dead was a sacred trust.

In 1922, the Ontario government passed a law to regulate funerary services. From then on, the cultural traditions of all ethnic and religious communities had to be practiced under the auspices of a licensed funeral home. That year, H. Benjamin and Sons was established on Spadina Avenue to provide the proper legal framework for continued service by the members of this chevrah kadisha.

Joe Benjamin took over the company in 1939 following Henry Benjamin's death. The chapel (then known as the Park Memorial Chapel) served the Jewish community for forty years from its premises on Spadina Crescent. In Joe’s forty years, the chapel was known as H. Benjamin and Sons, Park Memorial Chapel, and, finally, Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel.

While Henry’s worldview had been local—focused within a few square blocks in Toronto—Joe’s was much wider. He was an active participant in the Jewish Funeral Directors of America, expanding his expertise and helping to develop many of the standards of communication, practice, process, philosophy, and values that are characteristic of the North American Jewish funeral home.

After university, Michael Benjamin, Joe’s son, studied to become a licensed funeral director in Ontario. He enhanced his training at Yeshiva University in New York and the Institute of Funeral Services in Evanston, Illinois. He studied Jewish ethical issues around burial with the late Rabbi Felder. He pursued an ambitious dream for a new funeral facility, custom-designed to meet the highest standard of care for the Jewish community. He assumed full responsibility for the business in 1979.

Toronto’s Jewish community had spread up the “Bathurst spine” to the suburbs and across the city. The culturally and religiously homogeneous Judaism then practised started to splinter through immigration and new religious movements. Benjamin’s followed the community north and built a new chapel at 1404 Steeles Ave W., which opened in 1977, the first designed specifically for Jewish funeral rituals.

As of 2024, Michael Benjamin and now his children, Marc, Jordan, and Barbi, continue to guide the business. After university, Marc and Jordan qualified for their funeral director licenses, while Barbi gained her certificate in human resources. They now form the core executive team under Michael, helping to guide Benjamin’s into the future.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

USE CONDITION NOTE: Records less than forty years old will be made available only to:

researchers who have obtained written permission from Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel;

staff of the archives for purposes of answering specific requests for information and providing reproductions of records in response to such requests, with the cause of death and the cost of the funeral redacted;

researchers who seek information of a statistical nature and who agree in writing that they will not disclose directly or indirectly information about any individual person.

Subjects

Burial records

Name Access

Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2024-2-2

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

1 scrapbook

1 commemorative book

1 bulletin

Date

1938-1939, 1964

Scope and Content

Accession consists of three items. The first item is a Beth El Synagogue Sisterhood scrapbook for the years 1962–64. The second item is a commemorative book released on the occasion of the 1938 dedication of Holy Blossom Temple. The third item is a Holy Blossom Temple bulletin dated 26 November 1939.

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

Synagogues

Women

Name Access

Holy Blossom Temple (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2024-3-4

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

7 cm of textual records

Date

2022-2024

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the Reform Rabbis of Greater Toronto. Included are envelopes containing gittin (divorce documents). Each envelope contains two gittin as well as the file pertaining to the particular case.

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.

Subjects

Divorce records

Get (Jewish law)

Name Access

Reform Rabbis of Greater Toronto

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Zionist Organization of Canada fonds

Publicity photographs of people and events series

Level

File

Fonds

28

Series

6

File

308

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1970

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm

Scope and Content

The file consists of a photograph taken during a rally protesting the plight of Jews in the soviet Union. The rally took place in front of Toronto City Hall.

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Zionist Organization of Canada fonds

Publicity photographs of people and events series

Level

File

Fonds

28

Series

6

File

328

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1973

Physical Description

25 photographs : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm

Scope and Content

The file consists of photographs taken at the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration in Toronto.

Subjects

Anniversaries

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

258

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1921

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 22 x 27 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of students at the Peretz Shule

Notes

Photograph has an inscription in Hebrew and is dated May 1921.

Name Access

Peretz Shule

Subjects

Students

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

Workman's Circle

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

269

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1902]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 13 x 18 cm and 10 x 12 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of the Levi family in Toronto.

Name Access

Levi, Paul

Rotenberg, Mattie

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

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

256

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1923]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 23 x 26 cm and 11 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

The item is a photograph of students of the Peretz Shule.

Notes

This photograph is not the original print.

The photograph has been plaque mounted.

Name Access

Peretz Shule

Subjects

Students

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

Workmen's Circle

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions