Part Of
Bella Diamant fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 117
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Bella Diamant fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
117
Material Format
textual record
graphic material (electronic)
Date
1926-1947
Physical Description
3 cm of textual records
11 photographs : b&w and sepia (tiff)
Admin History/Bio
Bella Diamant (m. Hershenhorn) was the daughter of Moishe and Sarah Diamant. She was born in Ostrowiec (Ostrovietz), Poland and had five siblings: Esther, Chaim Myer, David, Baruch, and Ruth. Bella met her future husband, Samuel Hershenhorn, in Poland. He was the son of Mendel and Miriam Hershenhorn from Drildz. The family arrived in Toronto sometime during the early 1920s; Mendel arriving first followed by Miriam and Samuel. The marriage between Bella and Samuel was arranged by their families and so Bella was sent to Toronto to be with him in 1927. They married on 13 Nov. 1927. Together they had three children: Ruth (Rishie), Esti and Lee. Samuel worked for a slipper and spat manufacturer and then started his own company: The Canadian Spat and Slipper Company. He was a member of the Drildzer Sick Benefit Society. Bella was a housewife. Many of Bella's relatives perished during the Holocaust, including both her parents, her brother David who died with his wife and daughter on a forced march, and her sister Ruth who was murdered by the Nazis alongside her young daughter. Chaim Myer was sent to live with Bella and Samuel in Toronto prior to the onset of the war and therefore survived. Baruch and Esther both survived the Holocaust and eventually moved to New York City.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of letters written to Bella Diamant Hershenhorn from relatives in Poland and Frankfurt. The pre-war letters are from Bella's father Moishe in Poland as well as Bella's siblings and cousins, usually added as additional notes and postscripts onto Moishe's letters. The post-war letters are from Bella's sister Esther and brother Baruch in Frankfurt, who both survived the Holocaust. The letters are written in Yiddish and Polish and have accompanying English translations. Also included are several scanned copies of photographs depicting Bella on the SS Estonia, en route to Canada (ca. 1927), and with various relatives in Poland prior to immigration.
Notes
REPRODUCTION RESTRICTION NOTE: Donor must be notified prior to publication of letters.
Name Access
Hershenhorn, Bella, ca. 1906-1999
Subjects
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Letters
Arrangement
The letters have been arranged chronologically.
Places
Ostrowiec (Sokolów Podlaski, Poland)
Toronto (Ont.)
Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
Accession Number
2016-12-44
Source
Archival Descriptions