- Accession Number
- 2005-7-3
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2005-7-3
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- ca. 300 slides : col. ; 35 mm
- Date
- 1977-1978
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of photographs taken during visits by CJC Central Region officers to Ontario Jewish communities, and at Canadian Jewish Congress events and meetings in various communities. Accession also includes photos of Jewish interest in Italy.
- Subjects
- Communities
- Name Access
- Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region (Toronto, Ont.)
- Friedman, Morris
- Markish, Esther
- Eisenberg, Joe
- Wexler, Boris
- Acker, Abe
- Brownstone, Sam
- Klafter, Gershon
- Rosen, Marty
- Fackenheim, Emil
- Rosensweig, Philip
- Saiger, Norman
- Sadowski, David
- Gryfe, Mark
- Hillel (Kingston, Ont.)
- Frey, Marcus
- Horowitz, Shlomo
- Katz, Stan
- Pliscow, Morris
- Places
- Cambridge (Ont.)
- Chatham (Ont.)
- Sudbury (Ont.)
- Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Sault Ste. Marie (Ont.)
- North Bay (Ont.)
- Oshawa (Ont.)
- Belleville (Ont.)
- Windsor (Ont.)
- Pembroke (Ont.)
- Peterborough (Ont.)
- Guelph (Ont.)
- Hamilton (Ont.)
- London (Ont.)
- Kitchener (Ont.)
- Owen Sound (Ont.)
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Barrie (Ont.)
- Orillia (Ont.)
- Kingston (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-7-7
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-7-7
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 2 photographs : b&w ; 28 x 22 cm
- Date
- 1931-2003
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records documenting the Jewish community of Thunder Bay. It includes two copy photographs of the Talmud Torah class from 1931 and 1957. It also consists of copies of the deeds of land for the synagogue from 1956 and 1960; a B'nai Brith musical program and testimonial; a report produced on religious education in the public schools; notes relating to the history of the community; and finally, the exhibit booklet from the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada entitled "Jews in Thunder Bay: An Historical Overview" from 2003.
- Custodial History
- These records were acquired as part of the Ontario Small Jewish Communities initiative.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Descriptive Notes
- Identification is provided with the photographs.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-7-5
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-7-5
- Material Format
- textual record (electronic)
- Physical Description
- 1 document (pdf)
- Date
- 1962
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of one scanned copy of the Lakehead Hadassah cookbook from 1962.
- Custodial History
- The original records are in the possession of the donor. The OJA was granted permission to scan the records in July 2007, as part of the Ontario Small Jewish Communities initiative. These copies were then donated to the Archives on 2007-07-19.
- 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
- Communities
- Food
- Women
- Name Access
- Safir, Shari-Lyn
- Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-8-19
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-8-19
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Physical Description
- 10 photographs : b&w and col. (jpg)
- Date
- [193-]-1995
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of ten electronic copies of photographs documenting the Laskin family and the Jewish community of Thunder Bay. The photographs depict a 1937 royal coronation parade float created by the Jewish community, as well as a portrait of Saul Laskin and members of the Laskin family and some photos of Saul during his political election campaign and during a store giveaway. Also included is the sod turning ceremony of the new synagogue and the street naming of Saul Laskin Drive in Thunder Bay. Also identified in the photographs are: Murray Stitt, Rabbi Sternberg, and Mayor Norman Wilson.
- Custodial History
- The original records are in the possession of the donor. They were loaned to the OJA for the small Jewish communities project for copying.
- 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
- Communities
- Families
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 1551
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 1551
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 1912
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy print of a Purim carnival in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario. The photo depicts many children and adults dressed in costume.
- Subjects
- Costume
- Purim
- Repro Restriction
- Original owned by the Manitoba Archive, Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada collection. Please credit accordingly.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-4-8
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 1552
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 1552
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1920]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy print of a Hebrew Sunday school class in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario. The photograph depicts several young children and their teacher standing on the front steps of the Shaarey Shomayim Synagogue.
- Name Access
- Shaarey Shomayim Congregation (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Students
- Repro Restriction
- Original owned by the Manitoba Archives, Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada collection. Please credit accordingly.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-4-8
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 1553
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 1553
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 1948
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy print of a B'nai Brith banquet in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario. The photograph depicts a group of men and women seated at several banquet tables.
- Name Access
- B'nai B'rith
- Subjects
- Dinners and dining
- Repro Restriction
- Original owned by the Manitoba Archives, Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada collection. Please credit accordingly.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-4-8
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Name
- Oren Shafir and Shari-Lyn Safir
- Material Format
- moving images
- Interview Date
- 18 Sep. 2007
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Oren Shafir and Shari-Lyn Safir
- Number
- OH 306
- Interview Date
- 18 Sep. 2007
- Quantity
- 2 mini DVs ; 2 reference DVDs; 2 archival DVDs
- Interviewer
- Sharon Gubbay Helfer
- Notes
- Opening sequence with Oren's daughter, Shari-Lyn.
- Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project
- Availability of other formats: Also available as an M4V video file.
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- Dr. Oren Hebert Safir (d. May 2013) was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, but lived in Toronto during the Great Depression. He was married to Dorothy Safir (née Goldman) for sixty years and had three children: Jay Safir (Diane), Lansa Parker (Larry), and Shari-Lyn Safir. They also had five grandchildren.
- Affectionately known as the "Big O" to his Thunder Bay friends, Oren led an accomplished life. He was the president of Kiwanis for Western Canada. Always ready with a joke, Oren taught Dale Carnegie and provided chiropractic care for the Fort William Redskins. Oren proudly captured the Canadian amateur heavyweight boxing title in 1946. In 1948, he turned down an offer to go to the Olympic Games to attend chiropractor college. Oren was also an avid cyclist who participated in the 1989 World Masters Games in Denmark and could be seen cycling all over town. In 1987, at the age of sixty, Oren was a member of an eight-man cycling team that undertook a trek to Edmonton to submit Thunder Bay's bid to host the 1994 Commonwealth Games. A facilitator, athlete, enthusiast, and doctor of chiropractic, he demonstrated the attributes of an outstanding athlete for more than half a century. The culmination of these athletic accomplishments was his induction into the Thunder Bay Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
- Oren's daughter, Shari-Lyn Shafir, is a master gardener, president of the National Canadian Rose Society. and president of the Greater Toronto Rose Society. She was a featured guest speaker at Bolton and District Horticultural Society 2009 meeting. She grows roses in her Toronto garden and at her Thunder Bay cottage. She danced with the Winnipeg ballet for several years as a teenager.
- Material Format
- moving images
- Geographic Access
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Original Format
- Mini DV
- Copy Format
- DVD
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Syd Halter
- Material Format
- moving images
- Interview Date
- 19 Sep. 2007
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Syd Halter
- Number
- OH 309
- Subject
- Thunder Bay
- synagogue
- Rabbi Katz
- Rabbi Polanski
- Rabbi Siegal
- Young Judea
- Schaffer family
- Interview Date
- 19 Sep. 2007
- Quantity
- 2 mini DVs ; 2 reference DVDs ; 2 archival copy DVDs
- Interviewer
- Sharon Gubbay Helfer
- 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.
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Biography
- G. Sydney "Syd" Halter (1925–2012) was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the child of Max and Freda Halter. His father was from England, and his mother was from Russia. Both came to Canada in the early 1900s. Syd attended the University of Manitoba, where he graduated in 1946 with his bachelor of science-engineering. After obtaining his FEIC, P. Eng. Syd joined C. D. Howe Company Limited as a design engineer. In 1976, he became the president and general manager, senior vice-president of Howe International Ltd. (the overseas arm covering over fifty countries overseas) and director of the Howe Group of Companies.
- Syd's main fields of expertise involved dock-and-harbor installations and bulk material handling, on which he lectured and wrote numerous published papers. He designed and supervised the construction of step-down electrical substations for a variety of industrial and institutional clients. Syd was involved in the design, additions, electrical power works, and automation at various facilities in Canada and overseas. He had project responsibility for major grain terminal and harbour works across Canada and in Acajutla, El Salvador. He was honoured twice by the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario with the Sons of Martha Medal for outstanding service and also with the Citizenship Award; he received the Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 1987 in recognition of his excellence in engineering and for services to his profession and to society.
- Both before and after his retirement in 1989, Syd was involved in a large number of volunteer activities, including: chairman of the Board of Governors for fifteen years and a member of the Executive Committee of Lakehead University; president of the Board of Governors of McKellar General Hospital for nine years; director Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Communications Committee; director Ontario Chamber of Commerce; member Related Land and Water Management Committee of Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority; programme chairman and international director of Grain Elevator and Processing Society; past secretary-treasurer, past chairman and past branch councillor of Lakehead Branch Engineering Institute of Canada; president of Consulting Engineers of Ontario for six years and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC, and the State of Wisconsin; member of numerous committees of APEO, including chairman of the fees Committee; chairman since inception of CEO/POC Committee regarding new Engineers and Architects Act; member of the Rotary Club; president Fraternal Service Club - B'Nai Brith Lodge 696; vice-president and director of Shaarey Shomayim.
- He was married to Dorothea Halter (née Cross) of Thunder Bay for sixty-one years. They had three daughters and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
- Material Format
- moving images
- Geographic Access
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Original Format
- Mini DV
- Copy Format
- DVD
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Level
- Item
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [192-]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 33 x 17 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is an original print of M. Spector, J. Lefton and H. Gurevich.
- 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.
- Physical Condition
- This item is in very poor condition. It has suffered water and mould damage and is stuck to the glass.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1986-9-2
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1943]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Scope and Content
- This item is an original print, which features:
- Left of plaque: Sgt. Major J. Gurevich, R.C.A.
- Right of plaque: Officer M. Helper, R.C.A.F.
- Seated, left to right: Mr. I Orenstein, Rev. F.E. James, Mr. Sam Stitt (chairman), Mr. Sam Kirsch.
- 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.
- Physical Condition
- This photograph is in very poor condition. It has suffered fire damage and as a result, one third of the image has peeled off.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1986-9-2
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 1549
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 1549
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1915]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy print depicting the exterior of the B'nai Brith house in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario.
- Name Access
- B'nai B'rith
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Repro Restriction
- Original owned by Manitoba Archives, Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada collection. Please credit accordingly.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-4-8
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 1550
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 1550
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1915]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy print depicting the exterior of the Shaarey Shomayim Synagogue in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario.
- Name Access
- Shaarey Shomayim Congregation (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Synagogues
- Repro Restriction
- Original owned by Manitoba Archives, Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada collection. Please credit accordingly.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-4-8
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 4446
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 4446
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 15 May 1960
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm.
- Scope and Content
- This item is a copy print of the sod-turning ceremonies for the new Shaarey Shomayim Synagogue in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The photograph is a half-tone copy taken from an unknown newspaper. Pictured are:
- Standing left to right: Dr. Jerry Stitt; Alderman Jack Stitt, acting mayor of Port Arthur; Alderman E. H. Reed, acting mayor of Fort William; Saul Laskin; [unidentified man from Lakehead Jewish community]; and Rabbi A. Sternberg.
- Seated: Mrs. Samuel Stitt.
- Subjects
- Synagogues
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1986-9-2
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- ID
- Item 4445
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Item
- 4445
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 1937
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 13 cm.
- Scope and Content
- This item is an original print of the float created by the Fort William (Thunder Bay) Jewish community for King George VI's coronation parade. The float is a car covered in a white fabric, simulating the King's robe, and is topped with a crown. On the side of the car is a Star of David with the words: "blessed be their reign".
- Name Access
- George VI, King of Great Britain, 1895-1952
- Subjects
- Parade floats
- 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
- Fort William (Ont.)
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1986-9-2
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- Nov. 1977
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. ; 9 x 11 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a colour photograph of the exterior of Shaarey Shomayim Synagogue in Thunder Bay, Ontario. There are two men standing near the front entrance.
- Name Access
- Shaarey Shomayim Congregation (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Synagogues
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-9-4
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- Nov. 1977
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. ; 9 x 11 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a colour photograph of the exterior of Shaarey Shomayim Synagogue in Thunder Bay, Ontario. There are two men standing near the front entrance.
- Name Access
- Shaarey Shomayim Congregation (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Synagogues
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-9-4
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- Nov. 1977
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. ; 9 x 11 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a colour photograph of the interior of Shaarey Shomayim Synagogue in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Pictured is the bimah and the aron kodesh.
- Notes
- This photograph is very dark.
- Name Access
- Shaarey Shomayim Congregation (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Synagogues
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-9-4
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- Item
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- Nov. 1977
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. ; 9 x 11 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a colour photograph of the interior of Shaarey Shomayim Synagogue in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Two men and a young boy are pictured at the bimah.
- Notes
- This photograph is very dark.
- Name Access
- Shaarey Shomayim Congregation (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Synagogues
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Accession Number
- 1978-9-4
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Accession Number
- 2010-1-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2010-1-1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- object
- Physical Description
- 2 objects
- 1 photograph : col. ; 36 x 28 cm
- Date
- 1971
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a large portrait of Martin Shaffer during his bar mitzvah at Shaarey Shomayim Synagogue in 1971. There are also two Shaffer family kiddish cups, one inscribed with Hebrew lettering. Nancy's husband, Sam, received one of the cups at his bar mitzvah and the second was given to Martin.
- Custodial History
- Photograph and cups were mailed in by Nancy Shaffer to be included with the Shaffer family records.
- Descriptive Notes
- For related material see accessions 2007-7-4, 2009-8-4, 2009-9-3
- Subjects
- Bar mitzvah
- Families
- Kiddush cups
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2011-5-5
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2011-5-5
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 album
- 2 cm of textual records
- 25 photographs : b&w
- Date
- 1930-2006
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records documenting the Shaffer family of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Records include photographs of Sam Shaffer and his family, wartime letters written by Sam to his mother, correspondence related to Sam's bid to serve on the Thunder Bay Port Authority as well as the bar mitzvah album for Martin Feld Shaffer from April 3, 1971. The album includes greeting cards and telegrams from relatives and friends as well as several photographs.
- Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945
- Families
- Bar mitzvah
- Name Access
- Shaffer, Nancy, 1929-2013
- Shaffer, Martin, 1958-2012
- Shaffer, Samuel, 1925-2011
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2011-9-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2011-9-1
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 2 items
- 3 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
- Date
- [ca. 1940]–1951
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of two photographs of Jean and Joseph Shaffer of Thunder Bay, one photograph of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Thunder Bay B'nai Brith, a last will and testament for Sam Shaffer drafted while in the military, a Magen David pin, and a veteran's unit coin worth ten cents.
- Custodial History
- The items were in the possession of Nancy Shaffer. They were donated to the Archives following the death of Sam Shaffer in August 2011.
- Subjects
- Families
- Name Access
- Shaffer (family)
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2017-2-12
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2017-2-12
- Material Format
- multiple media
- Physical Description
- 45 cm of textual records and other material
- 230 photographs : sepia and b&w ; 23 x 30 cm and smaller
- 8 sound recordings (50 wav files; 1 microcassette)
- 1 artifact
- Date
- 1937-2004
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of textual records, photographs and audio recordings documenting the lives of Dick Steele, his wife Esther, and friend Bill Walsh. The materials are mostly correspondences between Dick and Esther during his internment at the Don Jail and Ontario Reformatory in Guelph, and from Dick and Bill's military service overseas during the Second World War. They also include correspondences between Esther and Bill, Bill and Anne Walsh, "Jack" and Esther, and other family and friends. Some of the letters show evidence of being censored. There are news clippings in English and Yiddish about the family from various newspapers including the Canadian Tribune (a Communist Party paper). There is a letter Esther wrote to campaign for Dick's release from internment, part of women's activism in this period. There is also a photocopy of a memoir written by Moses Kosowatsky and Moses Wolofsky "From the Land of Despair to the Land of Promise" ca. 1930s.
- The photographs include Dick and Bill in the army during the Second World War, a signed picture of Tim Buck addressed to Esther and the twins and a photo of Dick delivering a speech related to the Steel Workers. Also included is a recording of edited sound clips of Bill and Esther talking about Dick, Esther speaking about the letters, (how she received letters and flowers from Dick after he had already been killed), Bill reading a letter Dick wrote to Esther that he left with friends in England to send her in the case that he was killed (which he was), recordings of "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2 compiled by Leib Wolofsky's (Bill's nephew), and 5 audio recordings by Adrianna Steele-Card with her grandparents Bill and Esther. There is also a microcassette labelled "Joe Levitt."
- The accession also includes the stripe of a German corporal that Bill captured as a prisoner, peace stamps and an early copy of Cy Gonick's A Very Red Life: The Story of Bill Walsh, edited by Bill.
- Administrative History
- Richard "Dick" Kennilworth Steele is the name adopted by Moses Kosowatsky. He was born in 1909 in Montreal to Samuel Kosowatsky and Fanny Held. He lived in a laneway off Clark Street, below Sherbrooke, where his father collected and recycled bottles. He grew up with his siblings, Joseph, Mortimer, Matthew, Gertrude, and Edward.
- Bill Walsh (birth name Moishe Wolofsky) was born in 1910, to Sarah and Herschel Wolofsky, the editor of the Keneder Adler (Montreal's prominent Yiddish newspaper). He attended Baron Byng and then Commercial High School, where he met Dick Steele. Bill recalled that Dick denounced militarism in the school when a teacher tried to recruit students to be cadets.
- Bill moved to New York City in 1927. His brother, who was living there, helped him get a job as a messenger on Wall Street. He also worked in the drug department at Macy's while attending courses at Columbia University in the evening. Dick worked on a ship for a year and then joined Bill in New York City in 1928. Dick worked at a chemical plant called Linde Air Products while also studying in the evenings at Columbia University.
- In 1931, Dick and Bill boarded a ship together in New York bound for Copenhagen. Together, they travelled across Europe, witnessed a Nazi demonstration in Breslau, Germany, and found work in Minsk and Moscow, Russia. This trip inspired them to become Communists. In 1933, Bill's father was on a Canadian trade mission to Poland, which he left to "rescue" his son from the Bolsheviks. Bill agreed to return to Canada after being advised to do so by the Comintern. He then changed his name to Bill Walsh to protect his family.
- In 1934, Bill moved to Toronto. He worked as the educational director for the Industrial Union of Needle Trade Workers and the Communist Party, where he met Esther Slominsky/Silver, the organization's office manager. Dick joined Bill in Toronto soon after. Bill introduced Dick and Esther, who then married. In 1940, Esther gave birth to twin sons, Michael and John Steele. Esther was born in Toronto in 1914 to Joseph Slominsky and Fanny (Blackersany?). Her siblings were Bella, Eileen, Morris, and step-sister Eva. Her father, Joseph, was a cloak maker and Esther also worked in the garment industry. Her mother Fanny passed away in 1920 at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis.
- Dick was a metal worker and became a union organizer in the east end of Toronto. He was the head organizer of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee of Canada (SWOC) until 1940, when he was dismissed for being a Communist. Bill helped organize Kitchener's rubber workers into an industrial union and was also an organizer for the United Auto Workers of Windsor, Ontario.
- Jack Steele, an alias for Dick's brother Mortimer, fought with the Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Jack Steele was recalled to Canada in October 1937 to rally support for the efforts in Spain, returned to the front in June 1938, and was killed in action in August. Some of Dick's letters to his wife, Esther, are signed "Salud, Jack" and were likely written in 1940 when the Communist Party (CP) was banned by the Canadian government under the War Measures Act.
- In November 1941, after Mackenzie King's call for enlistment, Dick wrote to the Department of Justice to ask permission to join the army. He never received a reply. On 1 April 1942, Dick's home was raided and he was interned at the Don Jail until September 1942, when he was moved to the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph. Esther wrote a letter to the minister of justice, Louis St. Laurent, to appeal on his behalf.
- Major public campaigning by Communists and the wartime alliance with the USSR after 1941 shifted public opinion toward the CP, and the Canadian government slowly began releasing internees in January 1942. Dick was released in October 1942 and enlisted at the end of the month. Dick died on 17 August 1944 in Normandy, France. He was a tank driver in the Canadian Army.
- Bill was similarly arrested in 1941, spending time in jail and then an internment camp with other members of the CP. He joined the Canadian Army in 1943 and fought in Holland and Belgium. Bill was first married to Anne Weir who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1943, just before he enlisted. The family believes this may have been due to drinking unpasteurized milk. Encouraged by Dick Steele to take care of his family should he pass in the war, Bill married Esther Steele in 1946. They had a daughter named Sheri and were members of the United Jewish People's Order. For twenty years, Walsh worked for the Hamilton region of the United Electrical Workers (UE). Bill remained a member of the CP until 1967, when we was expelled for criticizing another union leader. He died in 2004. Esther passed away in 2010 at age ninety-six.
- Use Conditions
- Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
- Descriptive Notes
- RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: Library and Archives Canada has the William Walsh fonds and MG 28, ser. I 268, USWA, vol.4, SWOC Correspondence, has various letters from Dick Steele ca. 1938. Museum of Jewish Montreal has an oral history with Leila Mustachi (daughter of Max Wolofsky, Bill's brother) where she speaks about Bill, Dick and Esther. USE CONDITION NOTES: For "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2, some contributors stipulate that recordings are restricted to personal use only and must not be used for any commercial purpose.
- Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945
- Politics and government
- Labour and unions
- Name Access
- Steele, Michael
- Steele, Dick
- Walsh, Bill
- Walsh, Esther Steele
- Places
- England
- Fort William (Ont.)
- Germany
- Guelph (Ont.)
- Hamilton (Ont.)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Netherlands
- Oshawa (Ont.)
- Ottawa (Ont.)
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Address
- 1485 Murphy Rd.
- Source
- Landmarks
Camp Moshava was founded in 1962 in the Kawartha Lakes Region on Lake Buckhorn. Affiliated with the Zionist youth movement B’nei Akiva, Moshava is one of several camps they operate in North America.
- Address
- 1485 Murphy Rd.
- Time Period
- 1962-present
- Scope Note
- Camp Moshava was founded in 1962 in the Kawartha Lakes Region on Lake Buckhorn. Affiliated with the Zionist youth movement B’nei Akiva, Moshava is one of several camps they operate in North America.
- History
- Historically, the primary aim of the movement was to promote avodah, specifically agricultural work in the field and aliyah, migration to Israel. Today, Camp Moshava provides an informal environment for campers to encounter Judaism through programming and observances that promote Torah education, prayer and Zionist ideals.
- Category
- Camps and Resorts
- Source
- Landmarks
- Level
- File
- ID
- Fonds 64; Series 2; File 39
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 64
- Series
- 2
- File
- 39
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Date
- 1979
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 25 photographs : col. slides, b&w prints, (1) b&w negatives ; 35 mm and 12 x 9 cm
- Subjects
- Synagogues
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
- Places
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Accession Number
- 2022-3-11
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2022-3-11
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- ca. 200 photographs (15 negatives): b&w ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller
- 1 small metal pendant
- Date
- [ca. 1900]-[ca. 1943]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of photographs, textual records, and an artifact relating to or collected by Mooney Stitt. Textual records include receipts, correspondence, immigration documents, a trademark certificate issued by the United States Patent Office, material related to Mooney’s municipal election in Sioux Lookout, and Mooney’s British Columbia free miner’s certificate. Photographs make up the majority of this accession, featuring Mooney’s family and personal life. Also included is a small metal pendant with Russian inscriptions.
- Custodial History
- Records were in the possession of Peter Marcovitz’s mother, Lillian Averson, until her death in 1965. Since then, the records have been stored possibly in the family house until being found and gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives in 2021 by Peter and his wife, Joyce Borenstein.
- Administrative History
- Mooney Stitt (1904-1943), also known as Munya Studnitz, was born in 1904 in Poland to Simcha Studnitz and Miriam Woyler. He might also be referred to as Chaim Studnic or Hiame Studnitz. Mooney had four siblings: David, Dina (Dinah/Diana), Dora, and Miron. In 1923, Mooney and Dina Studnitz immigrated to Canada from Poland under the sponsorship of their uncle, Nathan Stitt, who resided in the City of Fort William (now Thunder Bay) and had a clothing store named Stitt & Sons. Mooney and Dina lived in the City of Lemberg (now Lviv) before moving to Canada. By taking the ship Laconia, Mooney landed in Halifax in 1923; then he made his way to Thunder Bay and started working on a farm of David J. Piper in the Township of Paipoonge. Later, he moved to Sioux Lookout, where he presented himself in a municipal election. Mooney relocated to Montreal in the mid-1930s and founded a company called Canadian Art Studios, which manufactured silk scarves. In 1939, he married Lillian Averson (1916-1965). It is possible that Lillian also helped him operate the business. On March 13, 1943, Mooney passed away of heart ailments in Montreal. Upon his death, one of Lillian’s brothers-in-law joined the company, and a children’s wear division was launched shortly afterwards. The company ceased manufacturing scarves in the early 1950s and grew into a successful children’s wear manufacturer under the name Tam O’Shanter (spelling uncertain). Lillian was bought out by her brother-in-law in the late 1950s. The company finally ceased operating in the late 1980s. Mooney and Lillian did not have children together. In 1945, Lillian married her second husband, Joel Marcovitz. Peter Marcovitz was born in 1947 to Lillian and Joel.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Descriptive Notes
- Availability of other formats: photographs and documents have been scanned and are available in PDF, TIF, and JPG formats.
- LANGUAGE NOTE: A small number of records are in Russian and Polish.
- RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: See accession 2008-7-13 and OH 308 for additional information on the Stitt family and the Stitt & Sons clothing store.
- Subjects
- Families
- Name Access
- Stitt, Mooney, 1904-1943
- Places
- Fort William (Ont.)
- Sioux Lookout (Ont.)
- Thunder Bay (Ont.)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Poland
- Source
- Archival Accessions