Name

Ethel Abramsky

Number

OH 42

Subject

World War, 1939-1945

Women

International Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE)

Interview Date

8 Nov. 1981

Quantity

2 cassettes (1 copy)

1 CD

4 WAV files

Interviewer

M. Feldman

Total Running Time

001: 30.53 minutes 002: 30.50 minutes 003: 31.25 minutes 004: 30.42 minutes

Conservation

Copied to cassette in August 2003.

Digitized in January 2015.

Notes

Sound quality poor in many sections.

Use Restrictions

Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. 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.

Biography

Ethel Abramsky (née Levin) came to live in Kingston after her marriage to Harry Abramsky in 1927. Ethel remained an active member of the Queen Esther Chapter of Hadassah throughout her life. Harry, an industrialist and business man, was a generous benefactor of Queens University and was instrumental in establishing Hillel House at Queens. Ethel and Harry had three children and eight grandchildren.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Abramsky, Ethel

Abramsky, Harry

Canadian Hadassah-WIZO

International Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE)

Geographic Access

Kingston (Ont.)

Florida

Poland

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Digital file

Audio cassette

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 42 - Abramsky\OH42_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 42 - Abramsky\OH42_002_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 42 - Abramsky\OH42_003_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 42 - Abramsky\OH42_004_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Harry Abramsky

Number

OH 49

OH 50

Subject

Kingston

Interview Date

6 Jul. 1982

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman and Marjorie Feldman

Total Running Time

OH49_001: 31.04 minutes

OH49_002: 31.00 minutes

OH50_001: 30.59 minutes

OH50_002: 1:09 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Notes

Poor audio quality in many sections. OH50_002 started in the middle of the story; cut at 1:09.

Use Restrictions

Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. 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.

Biography

Harry Abramsky was born in Kingston on 29 September 1897. He and his wife, Ethel, were highly respected by citizens and business owners in Kingston. They were also loyal friends of Queen's University. Over the years, they have made many gifts to the university, including funds for the construction of a building that was completed in 1957. In 1974, the building was renamed as Abramsky Hall in their honour. (There is also Abramsky Laboratory in Botterell Hall.) An area within the Agnes Etherington Art Centre is dedicated to the memory of the Abramsky family. The Harry Abramsky Scholarship in the School of Business at Queen's University was also given by Harry Abramsky. Harry Abramsky was a life member of the Royal Kingston Curling Club. He died in February 1988, aged ninety.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Geographic Access

Kingston (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

CD

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH49_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH49_002_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH50_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH50_002_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Sarah Green

Number

OH 4

Subject

Families

Immigrants--Canada

Neighborhoods

Interview Date

7 Jan. 1975

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Sophie Milgram

Total Running Time

38 minutes 44 seconds

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Sarah Green (née Patlik) grew up living in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood. The family home and scrap yard business were both located on Maria Street, which served as the centre for Jewish life in the Junction during the early 1900s. Sarah Patlik was involved with numerous charitable organizations including the Ontario Hospital School of Orilla and the Rubinoff and Naftolin Mishpocha.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Green, Sarah

Geographic Access

Kingston (Ont.)

Maria Street (Toronto, Ont.)

Portland Street (Toronto, Ont.)

Stanley Street (Toronto, Ont.)

West Toronto Junction (Toronto, Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 4 - Green\OH4_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Dr. H. Fenigstein

Number

OH 244

Subject

Warsaw (Poland)--History--Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 1943

Jewish ghettos

World War, 1939-1945

United States--Armed Forces

Concentration camps

Interview Date

24 Feb. 1976

Quantity

2 cassettes (1 copy)

2 WAV files

Total Running Time

58 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Digitized in 2014

Biography

Dr. H. Fenigstein was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1913. He was raised in an affluent, assimilated neighbourhood. He entered the study of medicine at the University of Warsaw in 1931. He served three years with the Military Academy for Sanitary Officers (i.e., for medical and paramedical graduates) in the Polish army. At the outbreak of the Second World War on 1 September 1939, Dr. Fenigstein worked at a military hospital. In April 1940, he was sent to the Warsaw Ghetto and started to work as the head of the pathology department at the Jewish Hospital. In 1948, Dr. Feningstein published "The History of the Jewish Hospital in Ghetto Warsaw." Some of his research was published in "The Hunger Disease," a collection of research papers that were hidden during the war. With the final liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, Dr. Fenigstein was transported to several labour camps and was liberated by the Americans on 30 April 1945. After the war, he moved to Munich, where he worked for UNRA and the University of Munich. Dr. Feningstein immigrated to Canada in September 1948. Dr. Feningstein died in 1993.

Material Format

sound recording

Geographic Access

Canada

Munich (Germany)

Warsaw (Poland)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

Side 1 00:00: Dr. Fenigstein graduated from high school in 1931 in Warsaw, Poland and studied medicine at the University of Warsaw. 00:26: Dr. Fenigstein recounts some of his earliest childhood memories relating to Russian occupation of Warsaw. For example, he recalls seeing horse-drawn streetcars carrying wounded Russian soldiers, German soldiers coming to Warsaw in 1916, German soldiers confiscating valuables from his home, bad food, etc. 2:18: Dr. Fenigstein’s family lived in an assimilated part of Warsaw, not with the majority of Jews. 3:00: Dr. Fenigstein’s father was a professional electrical engineer, who graduated from university in France in 1909. 3:30: Dr. Fenigstein lists his education history. 4:48: Dr. Fenigstein recalls a military coup in Warsaw in 1926 by Józef Pilsudski. 6:07: Dr. Fenigstein notes that his personal life was not affected until 1939. In 1939, he had been practicing medicine for three years and had served three years with the Military Academy for Sanitary Officers (i.e., for medical and paramedical graduates) in the Polish army. 6:55: Dr. Fenigstein was mobilized to serve in a military hospital when Germans attacked Poland on 1 September 1939. 7:12: Dr. Fenigstein describes his experiences at the outbreak of the war. 8:00: Dr. Fenigstein was wounded on 25 September 1939. He remained hospitalized as a wounded prisoner of war until April 1940. 8:41: Following his discharge, Dr. Fenigstein started to work in the Department of Pathology at the Jewish Hospital in Warsaw. Dr. Fenigstein explains how the hospital functioned. Over time (i.e., by 1941/42 until liquidation in April 1943), the hospital was fully staffed by Jews, and all the patients were Jews under supervision of German military officers. 10:52: Dr. Fenigstein published a book in Yiddish in 1948, “The History of the Jewish Hospital in Ghetto Warsaw.” Copies are available in Yad Vashem. 11:44: Dr. Fenigstein describes the restrictions placed on activities of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. 12:43: Dr. Fenigstein explains his role in the hospital. He was the head of the Department of Pathology until the first liquidation in the summer of 1942. The chief of the hospital was Dr. Josef Stein. Dr. Fenigstein did teaching and research. Some of his work was published in a book, “The Hunger Disease,” a collection of research papers that were hidden during the war. 14:30: Dr. Fenigstein recounts the events that led up to the first liquidation in the summer of 1942. He mentions that, although they were told that the transports were evacuation from the ghetto, there evidence that came to light to support that the transports led to liquidation. 17:03: Dr. Fenigstein explains that, despite hearing stories about liquidation at the time, he did not want to believe the reports could be true. 18:53: Dr. Fenigstein describes the evolvement of the underground clandestine Jewish resistance. The group was able to resist attempts by the Germans to liquidate the ghetto in January 1943 and on 19 April 1943. 21:05: Dr. Fenigstein gives an account of the Jewish population in Warsaw at the outbreak of the war, at the peak of the Warsaw Ghetto, and after the first two liquidations. He suggests that, of those remaining in the ghetto, several hundred put up a brave, strong resistance against the Germans in April 1943. 24:40: Dr. Fenigstein describes his work in the hospital after the second liquidation. Additionally, he worked in conjunction with the underground military force by stockpiling medical supplies in order to look after the wounded. 26:20: Dr. Fenigstein relates what happened to him after the April 1943 liquidation. He was transported first from Warsaw to Budzyn, a camp near Lublin, and later to another camp, where he worked from 30 April 1943 to 23 May 1944. Side 2 00:43: Dr. Fenigstein continues to recount his personal history. He was transported to a camp in Radom on 25 May 1944, where he worked in a factory building small weapons. Moved by foot 29 July 1944 to a moved-in freight cars arrived 5 August 1944 in Auschwitz. The women and weak were removed from the group. The remainder got back on freight cars. Arrived in a camp in Vaihiengen 9 August 1944. 4:43: Dr. Fenigstein describes the harsh conditions of the camp in Vaihiengen. 6:28: Dr. Fenigstein was selected to be a physician on a transport on 14 October 1944. He became the chief physician at Hessental near Schwabish Hall. 8:30: Dr. Fenigstein describes an outbreak of a typhus epidemic. 10:20: Left Camp Hessental on 5 April 1945 by foot and horse-drawn wagon. Arrived on 11 Aplril 1945 in Allach, near Dachau. 25 April 1945 shipped in open freight cars. Liberated by the Americans on 30 April 1945. 13:23: Dr. Fenigstein recounts that one of the Americans approached them speaking Yiddish. 13:52: Dr. Fenigstein explains that he was able to maintain good relationships with some SS officers due to the fact that he was a physician with some military training who spoke German. As a result, he was allowed to keep a few personal belongings (e.g., a photo, pencil, paper) and have some special privileges. 16:00: Dr. Fenigstein’s first wife was killed by Nazis in Majdanek in November 1943. 16:35: Dr. Josef Stein was killed during the final liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto. 18:05: Adam Czerniakow, head of the Jewish council in the Warsaw Ghetto, committed suicide when he found out that the German were going to liquidate the Jewish population. 18:53: Dr. Fenigstein was thirty years old in 1943. 19:15: Dr. Fenigstein attributes his survival to good luck. He provides some examples. 21:50: Dr. Fenigstein recounts a few examples of how he was able to send messages to his sister amd wife with the help of a few sympathetic Poles. 25:05: Dr. Fenigstein discusses the time of liberation and immediately following liberation. The liberated inmates were transported to SS barracks initially and later sent to stay in SS garrisons in Munich. Then were placed in DP camps. Dr. Fenigstein worked as a physician for UNRA. Worked at the University of Munich. Married his second wife in Munich. Came to Canada in September 1948.

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Mort Abramsky

Number

OH 322

Subject

Families

Rotary Club

retail business

Synagogues

B'nai Brith

Interview Date

17 Oct. 2007

Quantity

2 mini-DVs, 2 archival DVDs, 2 reference DVDs

Interviewer

Sharon Gubbay Helfer

Total Running Time

1 hr 45 mins

Notes

Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project.

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Mort Abramsky was born in Montreal but spent his life in Kingston. He inherited a family business empire started more than a century ago by his grandfather, Polish immigrant Joseph Abramsky, and his parents, Harry and Ethel.

Joseph Abramsky turned a door-to-door trade in clothes, sheets and towels into a business empire that at one time counted ten department stores spread across eastern Ontario. It was handed down through successive generations of family who gradually diversified into real estate and property management, as the margins in downtown general merchandise retailing shrank and then disappeared entirely. The flagship of that empire was Abramsky's general store, which closed in 1996, a victim of the poor economy of the time and increased competition from other retailers in the sector.

Abramsky also owned Mort Enterprises, which managed and developed properties and was responsible for initially bringing chains, including McDonald's Restaurant and Blockbuster Video, to downtown Kingston. He was a philanthropist and tireless booster of Kingston, active with local organizations including the Beth Israel Synagogue, the B'nai Brith and Jewish Council, the YMCA, the Rotary Club, St. John Ambulance, Kingston General Hospital, and the Masonic Order. The family's Abramsky Charitable Foundation has also helped hundreds of local organizations and families in causes large and small, ranging from Queen's campus construction to assisting local families who had been burned out of their homes.

Abramsky was married to Shirley, his wife of fifty-three years. The couple had three children, Jay, Karen and Leonard, and nine grandchildren. Abrahamsky died in November 2009, aged eighty-two.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Kingston (Ont.)

Montréal (Québec)

Original Format

Mini DV

Copy Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Morris Lazarus

Number

OH 367

Subject

Canada--Armed Forces

Canada--Prisoners of war

World War, 1939-1945

First Special Service Forces

Airbourne commandos

Interview Date

8 Jun. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (WAV file)

1 archival DVD (Wav file)

Interviewer

Stephanie Markowitz

Total Running Time

37 minutes

Notes

This interview is part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

http://www.thememoryproject.com/search/?query=morris+lazarus

Biography

Morris Lazarus was born in Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan and moved to Toronto in 1938. After enlisting in 1942 in the Canadian Forces, he served with the Airbourne Commandos and participated in Operation Mount La Difensa, part of the Italian Campaign. He was also stationed in Anzio, Italy. Lazarus was captured and taken prisoner by the Germans. Lazarus was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

Material Format

sound recording

Geographic Access

Saskatchewan

Kingston (Ont.)

Italy

Original Format

DVD

Copy Format

DVD

Transcript

0.8-2.38 Morris Lazarus was born 1918 on a homestead in Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan. After living briefly in Regina, the family moved to Toronto in 1938. 2.40-3.00: Lazarus talks about his enlistment in the army. 3.00-3.28: Background noise interrupts conversation. 3.30-4.45: Lazarus talks about his enlistment in the army. 4.46-6.52: Lazarus talks about volunteering for the Canadian Para Battalion. 6.53-7.59: Lazarus talks about being sent to a military camp in Montreal. 8.00-9.30: Lazarus talks about his parachute training while stationed in Ethan Allen, Vermont. 9.31-13.49: Lazarus tells the story of his first parachute jump from a plane. 13.50-14.45: Lazarus talks about being sent overseas first to Algiers and then Naples. 14.46-15.06: Interviewer tells Morris she can hear him playing with a kleenex in his hand and to it. Morris apologizes. 15.20-16.25: Lazarus talks about his participation in Operation “Mount La Difensa.” 16.25-19.00: Lazarus describes the climb to reach the summit of Mount La Difensa. 19.01-19.24: Lazarus talks about his commanding officer. 19.25-21.00: Lazarus continues to talk about climbing the summit of Mount La Difensa. 21.01-21.47: Lazarus provides a humorous antecdote about what to do when you are in a foxhole and need to use the washroom. 21.48-22.47: Lazarus talks about the attack procedure to take Mount La Difensa. 22.48-23.16: Lazarus talks about an incident involving himself and his commanding officer during the attack to take Mount La Diefensa. 23.17-25.17: Lazarus talks about his relationship with his commanding officer. 25.18-26.00: Lazarus talks about volunteering in the field. 26.01-28.16: Lazarus talks about the most unusual thing that happened to him in his lifetime while on patrol at Anzio. 28.17-31.14: Morris tells the story of his capture by a German patrol. 31.15-32.33: Morris talks about his feelings as a Jew being taken prisoner by Germans. 32.34-34.20: Morris describes the ensuing fight between his platoon and the German patrol. 34.21-35.22: Morris talks about his survival during his capture and ensuing fight. 35.23-36.29: Morris talks about overcoming his fear of going on patrol. 36.30-36.58: Morris talks about the sixtieth reunion of the men with whom he served in Italy. 36.59-37.30: Morris talks about his present day involvement in Kingston’s Jewish community.

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Harry Waisglass

Number

OH 382

Subject

Canada--Armed Forces

World War, 1939-1945

Interview Date

10 Jun. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)

Interviewer

Shayla Howell

Total Running Time

29:26

Notes

Harry was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Harry served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942 to 1945 as an air frame mechanic. He was stationed in Canada.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Canada

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Esther Mager

Number

OH 388

Subject

Canada--Armed Forces

World War, 1939-1945

Interview Date

10 Jun. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)

Interviewer

Stephanie Markowitz

Total Running Time

27:17

Notes

Esther was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Esther served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942 to 1945 in motor transport. She was stationed in Canada.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Canada

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Earle Iverson

Number

OH 408

Subject

World War, 1939-1945

US Army

France

Europe

Field artillery

Infantry

Interview Date

30 Aug. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (WAV file) ; 1 archival DVD (WAV file)

Interviewer

Stephanie Markowitz

Total Running Time

41:02

Notes

Earle was interviewed as part of The Memory Project which was undertaken in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Earle served in the US army from 1942 to 1945. He was in the infantry in the filed artillery and instrument and survey sections. His division went overseas to France in early 1945. Earle immigrated to Canada in 1960.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Canada

France

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Percy Skuy

Number

OH 416

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

12 May 2015

Interviewer

Naomi Raichyk

Total Running Time

1 hr. 19 min.

Use Restrictions

NONE

Biography

The child of Latvian immigrants to South Africa, Percy grew up in the small town of Vryheid, South Africa with his parents and two siblings. Years later, when asked what the population of Vryheid was, Percy’s mother replied, “Forty Jewish families.” Those families formed a tight-knit community that was able to support not only a synagogue and a rabbi, but a Talmud Torah school and a butcher’s shop with a kosher section.

At seventeen years old, Percy began an apprenticeship to become a pharmacist. He qualified in 1954 and worked for a year before leaving South Africa to travel the world. He never planned on visiting Canada, but found himself in Toronto for a stopover and ended up liking the city so much he decided to stay. In 1959, Percy became the first South African pharmacist registered in Ontario.

Percy met his first wife, Frances Goodman, in 1960 on a blind date and married her that same year. Together, they had two children: Beth (born in 1961) and David (born in 1963). In 1961, Percy began his thirty-four-year career with Johnson and Johnson Corporation, taking on a number of roles in the company during that time. In 1977, Frances passed away. Two years later, he married his second wife, Elsa Ruth Snider.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Percy is the founder of the only museum devoted exclusively to the history of contraception. The museum is located at the Dittrick Medical History Centre in Cleveland, Ohio.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Skuy, Percy, 1932-

Geographic Access

Canada

Europe

Israel

South Africa

United States

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

00:30 Percy was born in 1932 in Vryheid in northern Natal, South Africa.

00:41 Percy's parents emigrated from Latvia to South Africa in 1929.

00:53 Percy discusses his parents and their early lives in South Africa and the Jewish community in Vryheid.

04:10 Percy discusses his family's practice of Judaism while growing up.

05:02 Percy's father ran a small business. Later he worked with his brother-in-law to run a mill. At age fifty-nine, his father was killed in an automobile accident.

06:00 Percy discusses his mother. Percy has two siblings: an older brother, Max, and a younger sister, Rita.

07:19 Percy shares some of his childhood memories.

09:29 Percy was involved in the Habonim youth movement.

11:27 Percy reminisces about the establishment of the State of Israel.

13:23 Percy discusses his impressions of apartheid. He discusses his relationships with Black men and women.

15:15 Percy discusses his involvement with an anti-apartheid group.

17:19 Percy shares a story that illustrates his opposition to apartheid. His parents were not politically active.

19:06 Percy discusses how he became interested in pharmacy and the training for pharmacists.

21:21 Percy describes his two years of travel following graduation from pharmacy.

26:58 Percy relates how, en route to a pre-arranged job in the Arctic, he serendipitously secured a job with Glaxo as a medical sales representative on a stop-over in Toronto.

29:49 Percy describes his sales route.

30:46 Percy explains how he became the first South African registered pharmacist in Ontario.

32:31 Percy describes some of his early social/business pursuits in Canada.

34:12 Percy married his wife, Francis, originally from Sudbury. She graduated from the University of Toronto in nursing.

34:26 Following travel to Europe, Israel and South Africa, Percy and Francis decided to return to live in Canada.

35:35 Percy discusses the importance of maintaining family connection despite distance.

36:41 Percy describes the slow trickle of relatives who emigrated from South Africa. He notes that he has no close relatives remaining in South Africa and comments on the disappearance of the Jewish community in Vryheid.

38:39 Percy discusses some of the challenges he faced integrating socially into the Jewish community.

40:36 Percy explains how he became involved with working for the company Ortho.

45:15 Percy explains the factors that guided his integration into Canada.

47:08 Percy discusses his involvement in the Jewish community in Toronto.

48:30 Percy contrasts his own upbringing with how he raised his own children in Toronto.

52:00 Percy discusses his grandchildren.

52:26 Percy is the founder of a museum of the history of contraception. He explains how he developed an interest in the history of contraception and how he collected artifacts.

58:18 Percy describes his work history, his involvement in professional committee work, and his pursuits following his retirement in 1995.

1:00:11 Percy explains how he found a permanent location for the museum at the Dittrick Museum at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

1:02:50 Percy married Elsa in 1979. He discusses their range of hobbies.

1:03:38 Percy discusses the three documentaries he created. The topics included the formation of the Jewish pharmacy fraternity, the history of Jewish pharmacists in Canada, and the extracurricular involvement of Jewish pharmacists in Canada.

1:06:47 Percy addresses some of the issues faced by South African Jewish pharmacists who integrated to Canada.

1:09:20 Percy lists the languages he speaks.

1:10:00 Percy reminisces about his mother. He recalls his mother's relationship with their family servant.

1:13:14 Percy describes his training in pharmacy in South Africa.

1:15:27 Percy shares stories about their family's Black servants.

1:17:40 Percy reminisces about the opportunities that came his way since his arrival in Canada.

Source

Oral Histories

Becoming Canadian

The History of Contraception

40 Jewish Families

Not Long Before the Police Arrived

Name

Lynne and David Ginsburg

Number

OH 431

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

19 Nov. 2010, 17 Dec. 2010

Interviewer

Jessica Parker

Total Running Time

South African Oral History 2, Part I: 1 hr. 34 min.

South African Oral History 2, Part II: 1 hr. 8 min.

South African Oral History 2, Part III: 1 hr. 9 min.

Biography

David and Lynne both come from medical families: All four of their parents were doctors and all four attended University of Cape Town Medical School at the same time. As for David and Lynne, they began dating while Lynne was in medical school and David was completing his residency program.

South Africa’s political situation was one of the main reasons David and Lynne began thinking about leaving as neither of them wanted to raise children under the apartheid regime. Their first son was born in 1965 and by 1967 they had left. The family spent a year in Glasgow before moving to Boston, where David worked at Harvard Medical School. It was during this time that they had their second child.

Because of the fact David was eligible to be conscripted if he immigrated to the United States, the couple took out student visas, which expired after three years. If the Vietnam War had not been taking place, it is conceivable that the family would have remained in the United States, David and Lynne having already adjusted to American culture and made friends in the area.

With their visas set to expire, the couple considered immigrating to a number of countries, but settled on Canada. After their arrival, their third child was born. Once David and Lynne were settled in Canada they were joined by several other family members.

David and Lynne are now retired and enjoying the best years of their life. Their son and two daughters live in Toronto and they have ten grandchildren ranging in age from twenty-four to ten years as of November 2018.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Ginsburg, David

Ginsburg, Lynne

Geographic Access

Boston (Mass.)

Cape Town (South Africa)

Durban (South Africa)

Glasgow (Scotland)

Kingston (Ont.)

London (England)

Pretoria (South Africa)

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part I:

00:27 Lynne discusses how she and David met, courted, and married.

00:46 David and Lynne and their respective parents graduated from medicine at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

01:45 Lynne and David's son Neil was born in Cape Town in 1965.

01:50 Lynne explains their reasons for leaving South Africa in February 1967.

02:25 Lynne and David spent one year in Glasgow and three years in Boston.

02:58 Lynne and David have a second child.

03:22 Lynne explains why they were forced to leave the United States.

05:07 Lynne explains how she and David moved to Canada, specifically Kingston.

08:48 Lynne and David discuss the warm community of Kingston.

09:00 David and Lynne describe the positive and negative features of living in Boston.

11:14 Lynne was born in Pretoria, moved to Durban, and then moved to Cape Town.

12:25 David and Lynne reminisce about Cape Town.

13:10 David's brother and sister and Lynne's sister emigrated. Lynne's brother left for a short time but returned to South Africa.

13:40 David and Lynne muse about some of the changes that have occurred in South Africa.

15:42 David's father's family was from Lithuania; his mother's family was from Latvia. Lynne's father's family was from Lithuania; her mother's family was from Latvia. Lynne cites a trip made by her sister to Lithuania.

16:47 Lynne and David discuss safety concerns and high level of crime in South Africa and how it affected them personally.

19:24 Lynne addresses the inefficiency of modern-day South Africa.

21:30 Lynne discusses some of her family's history, including her grandparents and parents. Her maternal grandfather came from Lithuania and married her South-African-born grandmother. They lived briefly in the United States, where her mother was born. Her maternal grandparents came from Lithuania but were married in Cape Town. Her father was born in Cape Town. She discusses the challenges faced by her father as well as his accomplishments in the field of medicine.

25:55 Lynne describes her family's experiences during the Second World War: her father's role as a surgeon enlisted with the British army and her pregnant mother evacuated out of London to South Africa.

28:24 Lynne addresses the role of living near a Jewish community impacted her family.

31:12 David discusses some of his family's history. He shares a colourful story of how his maternal grandparents fled from Russia (Lituhania). They settled in a small town, Sterksstroom, South Africa. David shares a few stories about his father and family.

34:15 David and Lynne reminisce about the apartheid situation in South Africa during their childhood. David discusses the link between the nationalists and Israel He notes that the current South African government is anti-Israel and anti-Jewish.

36:47 David and Lynne cite incidents of antisemitism during their childhood.

38:17 David discusses the risk of making political comments during his university years.

39:14 Lynne discusses some of the restrictions imposed by the apartheid regime.

42:43 Lynne comments that her family had minimal contact with Israel and Zionist movements.

46:50 Lynne's parents spoke Yiddish with one another. David's mother spoke Yiddish, not his father. Lynne and David speak Afrikaans.

52:33 Lynne discusses her family's practice of Judaism.

55:05 David discusses his family's practice of Judaism.

56:52 Lynne and David continue to discuss Jewish practices and the customs of their grandparents.

59:46 Lynne and David describe some of the struggles faced by their grandparents' generation and the sacrifices they made for their children. They relate some stories about David's grandfather.

1:04:44 Lynne and David recall some Jewish memories while living in Glasgow and Boston.

1:10:47 Lynne discusses her experience of becoming a bat mitzvah at age fifty-three.

1:15:26 Lynne describes their involvement with the Jewish community in Kingston.

1:18:52 Lynne and David describe some of the recent changes in practice in the Kingston synagogue.

1:20:59 Lynne and David describe their children's Jewish education and practice.

1:22:42 Lynne and David share some of their views about Judaism and practice.

1:28:48 Lynne and David relate a story involving a kiddush cup brought from Europe by David's grandfather.

1:30:16 Lynne's maiden name was Heselson.

1:30:32 Lynne presents and discusses her father's military service and medals.

1:32:20 David and Lynne list their and their parents' medical specialties.

Part II

00:00 David describes his family's religious practice, including his paternal grandfather and father. David describes his own observance.

07:50 Lynne discusses her family's practice of Judaism. She recalls celebrating Jewish holidays with neighbours, the Gelfands. David and Lynne reminisce about Jewish foods.

Source

Oral Histories

A Two-Cent Stamp

A Way to Meet People

Racial Segregation

Name

Aubrey and Lucille Groll

Number

OH 432

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

28 Jun. 2011

Interviewer

Jessica Parker

Total Running Time

South African Oral History 1, Part I - 30 min.

South African Oral History 1, Part II - 21 min.

South African Oral History 1, Part III - 1 min.

Biography

Aubrey and Lucille both grew up Jewish in South Africa, but in many respects their experiences of Yiddishkeit were quite different. The son of Orthodox Eastern European parents, Aubrey grew up in a kosher household that took religion very seriously, even if his parents, who owned a small business, had to work Friday evenings in order to make ends meet. Lucille, on the other hand, was the daughter of German immigrants to South Africa who belonged to a Reform synagogue; as a result, she was less familiar with the nuances of kashrut. After meeting Lucille, Aubrey’s mother made several phone calls to verify that her future daughter-in-law was, in fact, Jewish.

Lucille tells a story related to her lack of familiarity with kashrut that illustrates several aspects of Jewish life under apartheid South Africa. When Aubrey was fourteen years old, his family employed a servant of the same age who went on to work for the family for decades. Years later, when Lucille was staying with Aubrey’s family, the servant, despite being non-Jewish, would inquire whether Lucille would be giving her child meat or milk that night and would then proceed to put out the food along with the appropriate plates. Immediately after doing so, he would tell Lucille not to touch anything until he returned in the morning lest she inadvertently violate kashrut!

Aubrey and Lucille left South Africa in 1965, ending up in Kingston after a two-year stay in Birmingham, Alabama. Aubrey became one of the first Jewish academics to teach at Queen’s University while Lucille found interesting jobs in social work, ending her career at Kingston General Hospital. Initially, they had some difficulty integrating into the local Jewish community, but the situation improved as they slowly became more integrated into the Jewish community and more Jewish academics settled in Kingston. Aubrey and Lucille have four children and are the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren. Aubrey passed away in February, 2018.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Groll, Aubrey

Groll, Lucille

Geographic Access

Kingston (Ont.)

South Africa

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part 1:

01:07 Lucille Groll (née Godfrey) shares some of her family history. Her parents were born in Germany. Her father (né Gothelf) came to South Africa in the late 1920s as an adult. Her mother came to Johannesburg as an infant and was educated in a convent.

02:36 Lucille describes her Jewish upbringing as Reform and liberal with minimal Zionism.

03:10 Lucille's brother attended a Reform summer camp with Zionist leanings.

03:34 Lucille discusses her Jewish education, practice of Jewish holidays, and her Jewish social life.

06:50 Lucille's parents and other elders spoke German at home.

07:14 Lucille recalls the German-style food eaten at her home.

09:34 Lucille's maternal grandfather came to South Africa in 1910, returned to Germany, and then returned to South Africa after the First World War.

10:41 Aubrey shares some of his family history. His parents were married in Lithuania and migrated to Furrow, a farming community. His parents ran a general store. He had two brothers.

13:38 Aubrey discusses his upbringing in Somerset West such as going to school and Jewish practices (Shabbat, kashrut, holidays, Zionism).

15:44 Aubrey discusses her father's affiliation with the Revisionist Zionism. He relates an anecdote involving a visit by Menachem Begin to their town.

16:35 Aubrey discusses her parents' involvement with the synagogue.

17:28 Aubrey reminisces about his education, bar mitzvah, foods, the Jewish community, synagogue life, Hebrew school, and keeping kashrut.

22:00 Aubrey notes that his parents did not discuss the Holocaust or their family's history, despite losing all of the family that remained behind in Lithuania.

23:20 Aubrey's parents spoke Yiddish with one another and friends but not with their children.

25:35 Lucille recalls first meeting Aubrey and his family.

26:45 Aubrey discusses antisemitism during his school years.

27:48 Lucille relates a humorous about Aubrey's mother confirming Lucille's Jewish background.

28:38 Lucille and Aubrey discuss how they met.

Aubrey explains how they ultimately moved to Kingston, Ontario in 1967 via Birmingham, Alabama.

Part 2:

01:36 Lucille discusses her work as a social worker in psychiatry.

02:10 Aubrey and Lucille discuss their relationships with Lynne and David Ginsburg and their role in helping David find work in Kingston.

03:24 Lucille explains how she assumed there would be a Jewish community in Kingston. She shares her impressions of the Jewish community when they arrived. Aubrey shares his impressions as well.

06:20 Aubrey and Lucille were the first Jewish South Africans in Kingston. Other South Africans came to Kingston in 1969 and the 1970s. Aubrey discusses the involvement of South African Jews in the Kingston Jewish community.

08:23 Lucille discusses her family's involvement in the Jewish community in Kingston.

09:22 Lucille discusses her children and grandchildren and their practice.

14:10 ?Joyce (Aubrey's relative?) relates an anecdote about finding and repairing some old candlesticks.

15:45 Lucille discusses changes in Jewish practice over time in Canada versus South Africa.

16:50 Aubrey shares comments about the strong sense of Zionism and Jewish identity in South Africa during his youth.

19:35 Lucille notes that most South African Jews in Toronto have been affiliated with an Orthodox synagogue on Bayview Avenue and the Reform Temple Emanu-El.

Part 3:

00:00 Aubrey briefly discusses the prominence of Zionist movements and camps in South Africa.

00:48 Mention some prayer books.

Source

Oral Histories

Holiday Celebrations

Not Marrying Jewish

Name

Ivan Zarenda

Number

OH 434

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

21 Jul. 2011

15 Jun. 2012

Interviewer

Jessica Parker

Total Running Time

Part I: 46 min.

Part II: 1 hr. 4 min.

Biography

Ivan’s parents arrived in South Africa from Lithuania around 1930. Prior to immigrating, they knew each other from Klykoliai, a shtetl in northwestern Lithuania. Ivan’s father was the first to arrive, taking up work at a concession store in the mining town of Brakpan. As for Ivan’s mother, she came over with her mother after her siblings had prepared a home for them in Brakpan. After being sent to a convent in Rhodesia in order to learn English, she returned to Brakpan where she married Ivan’s father. Together, the couple raised two children, who grew up with their maternal grandmother, who only spoke Yiddish. Consequently, Ivan grew up speaking Yiddish as well as English. He even gave his bar mitzvah speech in Yiddish, causing his Lithuanian grandmother to beam with pride.

Although they were not well off, Ivan’s parents managed to send their two sons to university. As an undergraduate, Ivan studied pharmacy at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. He met his wife while visiting his parents in Kimberley, where they had moved and were managing a hotel. The two were introduced on a blind date and corresponded for well over a year when Ivan went to do a post-graduate degree in industrial pharmacy at the University of Michigan. When Ivan returned to South Africa to take up a job in Cape Town, the two dated, became engaged, and married. In 1990, they immigrated to Canada with their two children as part of a job transfer. After a short stay in Brockville, the family relocated to Kingston, where they were active in Jewish life. Ivan’s wife, Daphne, passed away in 2006. He moved from Kingston to Toronto in 2018, joining his children Marc and Shelley and families who live there.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Zarenda, Ivan

Geographic Access

Kingston (Ont.)

South Africa

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

Friendship with Afrikaners

Name

Shane Teper

Number

OH 421

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

3 Nov. 2015

Interviewer

Gail Freeman

Total Running Time

46 min.

Use Restrictions

Written consent is required prior to the publication of all or any portion of this video/oral history on the internet.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Teper, Shane, 1965-

Geographic Access

Canada

South Africa

Original Format

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Harvey Brownstone and Howard Levine

Number

OH 451

Subject

AIDS (Disease)

Homophobia

Judaism--Relations--Christianity

Same-sex marriage

Sexual minorities

Social movements

Synagogues

Interview Date

18 Oct. 2019

Interviewer

Michael Friesen

Total Running Time

1 hr. 18 min.

Notes

Associated material: Records of Chutzpah are located in the ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives.

General note: The OJA has a copy of Harvey Brownstone's article "I Now Pronounce You Wife and Wife," which was originally published in the fall 2014 edition of Reform Judaism Magazine. The article mentions Chutzpah and may be of interest to researchers.

Use Restrictions

See administrative notes.

Biography

Harvey Brownstone was born on 24 July 1956 in Paris, France and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. His father was a social worker who worked at the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre for thirty-five years and was director for twenty-one years (from 1967–1988). Brownstone obtained his LLB degree from Queen's University and was appointed a provincial judge with the Ontario Court of Justice in 1995. He was the first openly gay judge appointed in Canada. He resides in Toronto.

Howard Levine was born in Toronto on 29 June 1947. He earned his bachelor of arts (political science with urban planning) from the University of Waterloo and his master in environmental studies (urban planning and public transportation) from York University. From 1973 to 1975, he worked as a consultant with Peat, Marwick and Partners. From 1976 to 1982, he worked as an area and general planner with the City of Toronto's Planning and Development Department. From 1982 to 1988, he was sole proprietor of HJL Consulting. From 1988 to 1994, he served as councillor for Ward 14. After serving his second term as city councillor, Levine returned to HJL Consulting.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Bolton, Elizabeth

Brownstone, Harvey, 1956-

Canadian Jewish Congress

Canadian Jewish News

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives

Casey House (Toronto, Ont.)

Cecil Community Centre (Toronto, Ont.)

Church of the Holy Trinity (Toronto, Ont.)

Chutzpah (Toronto, Ont.)

Congregation B'nai Kehillah of Toronto

Eggleton, Art, 1943-

Farber, Bernie

Hamilton JCC

Hawkes, Brent, 1950-

Hudson, Rock, 1925-1985

Holy Blossom Temple (Toronto, Ont.)

Keshet Shalom (Toronto, Ont.)

Levine, Howard, 1947-

Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto

Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre

Primrose Club (Toronto, Ont.)

Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)

Robinson, Svend, 1952-

Royal Ontario Museum

Slater, Ruth

Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Ont.)

World Congress of Gay & Lesbian Jewish Organizations

York University (Toronto, Ont.)

Geographic Access

Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Hamilton (Ont.)

Kingston (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Waterloo (Ont.)

Original Format

Digital file

Transcript

0:00.20 Harvey Brownstone and Howard Levine introduce themselves.

0:00:27 Harvey discusses what it was like coming of age as a gay Jewish man in Ontario. Harvey grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, where his father was the director of the Hamilton JCC. His mother had a French-imported ladies' wear store. After coming out to his parents in the 1970s, he moved to Kingston, Ontario, where he attended Queen's University.

0:03:13 Howard discusses how his experience was different. He was born and raised in downtown Toronto. His father died when he was a teenager; his mother got sick soon after. As a result, Harvey was largely on his own. He went off to Waterloo for university and then York for graduate school. It's around that time he came to terms with who he was.

0:05:05 Howard discusses a gay Jewish group, B'nai Kehillah, that existed before Chutzpah. It met at the Church of the Holy Trinity, an Anglican church in Toronto.

0:06:19 Harvey and Howard discuss what Chutzpah was, when it started, and how they became involved.

0:09:40 Harvey discusses a trip Chutzpah took to the Royal Ontario Museum, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were being exhibited. It was on this trip that Harvey "really met" Howard.

0:10:10 Harvey discusses how he and Howard came to the conclusion that Chutzpah could be more than "just a place to meet."

0:11:11 Harvey discusses the impact the AIDS epidemic had on Chutzpah's focus. Harvey explains that after American Actor Rock Hudson's death, AIDS was front page news in big cities like Toronto.

0:12:03 Harvey discusses the decision to have Friday night Oneg Shabbats in the late 1980s. Initially, these were held at the Cecil Community Centre on Cecil Street in Toronto. Howard used his position as city councillor to make this happen.

0:13:14 Harvey discusses why the Cecil Community Centre was not an ideal location for the group's services. Howard, therefore, approached the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre and got the group a room for Friday nights.

0:14:52 Harvey discusses Chutzpah’s decision to join the World Congress of Gay & Lesbian Jewish Organization (today, World Congress of GLBT Jews).

0:15:40 Harvey discusses the group's decision to attend a World Congress of Gay & Lesbian Jewish Organizations conference in Amsterdam.

0:17:40 Harvey relates an event hosted by the then mayor of Amsterdam, in which the mayor laid a wreath with a pink triangle to honour gay victims of the Holocaust. Harvey and Howard discuss being moved by this.

0:18:50 Harvey mentions some of the things that came out of the Amsterdam conference.

0:20:05 Harvey and Howard discuss Chutzpah's decision to host a conference in Toronto. The conference, which took place in 1990, was held at the Primrose Hotel.

0:23:16 Harvey and Howard discuss the decision to invite Svend Robinson, Canada's first openly-gay member of parliament, to speak at the conference.

0:23:38 Howard interjects to explain that he was never "out" while on city council. Despite this, he "did a number of things," including getting benefits for same-sex couples and proclaiming Pride Day in Toronto. Howard notes that Art Eggleton, Toronto's mayor at the time, was opposed to proclaiming Pride Day.

0:24:37 Harvey and Howard discuss the Toronto conference some more. Harvey discusses a group of five women cantors who performed at the banquet. The group included Elizabeth Bolton, a cantor at Temple Emanu-El, and Ruth Slater, a cantor at Temple Anshe Sholom.

0:26:50 Harvey and Howard discuss the lack of press coverage for the conference. An exception was the Canadian Jewish News.

0:28:30 Harvey and Howard discuss some of Chutzpah's other initiatives: having a booth at Pride, selling corned beef sandwiches to raise money, and selling rainbow yarmulkes. The group also marched in Pride with a banner.

0:28:56 Harvey discusses Chutzpah's support for Pflag (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). He notes that many gay Jews found the most traumatic part of coming out to be the issue of the parents.

0:29:48 Harvey and Howard discuss the mainstream Jewish community's response to the AIDS crisis. Howard says it was in denial. He also discusses his involvement with the Canadian Jewish Congress' Community Relations Committee and Bernie Farber inviting him to join the committee.

0:31:15 Howard discusses how things have changed. He says Chutzpah dissolved because it wasn't needed anymore.

0:32:55 Harvey expands on Howard's point that there was no more need for Chutzpah.

0:33:30 Harvey and Howard clarify Chutzpah's timeline: Harvey joined the group in the mid-1980s. It lasted until the mid-1990s. At that point, it transformed into Keshet Shalom. That group became defunct in the early 2000s. That's when Howard donated his records to the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (now the ArQuives).

0:34:14 Harvey and Howard discuss how they never agreed that Chutzpah should have become Keshet Shalom (a congregation). They discuss their reasons for not wanting to be a congregation.

0:35:43 Harvey and Howard discuss how many members Chutzpah had at its peak.

0:36:11 Harvey and Howard discuss Chutzpah's relationship with the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto and Brent Hawkes, one of the church's pastors. They also discuss an unnamed member of the church, a reverend, who identified as both Jewish and Christian and who attended several of Chutzpah's Friday night services.

0:39:28 Harvey and Howard discuss the lack of antisemitism they encountered in non-Jewish gay and lesbian communities.

0:40:28 Harvey and Howard discuss the presence (or lack thereof) of Chutzpah ads in the Jewish press. They note that the Canadian Jewish News did cover the Toronto conference.

0:41:59 Harvey and Howard discuss issues facing the Jewish LGBT community in 2019. Harvey mentions the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community as one area of concern. He also discusses elevated rates of suicide among gay youth.

0:45:56 Howard discusses the isolation of gay and lesbian Hasids.

0:46:22 Howard discusses the viewpoint of Toronto's established Jewish community today.

0:47:34 Harvey and Howard share their final thoughts.

Source

Oral Histories