Accession Number
1983-1-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1983-1-7
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1845-1856
Scope and Content
Accession consists of five mortgage and indenture documents for the property at Edward and Elizabeth Streets. The principals are John Coulter and George Bilton (1845, 1846); John and Agnes Coulter and Sophia Dalton (1849); George Bilton and John Coulter (1849); and William Crane and John Coulter (1856). This property was eventually owened by Jacob Ben Zion Frimer from approximately 1938-1939.
Administrative History
Eventually this land was sold to a dental company and then to the city, and then was used as a parking lot. It is currently located next to the bus station on Elizabeth Street.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1984-4-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1984-4-7
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1859
Scope and Content
Accession consists of an indenture of bargain and sale of land on Wellington Street (formerly Market Street) in the City of Toronto by Abraham Nordheimer and Samuel Nordheimer, and Fanny Nordheimer, the wife of Abraham, to John Macdonald. The cost of the land was £3,425.
Custodial History
The custodial history for this accession is unknown.
Administrative History
Brothers Samuel and Abraham Nordheimer established the Nordheimer Piano & Organ Company Ltd. in 1844. The firm was located at 122 King Street in Toronto. At first the company imported pianos, organs, and melodeons; subsequently, they began manufacturing products of their own. In 1866, the brothers went into partnership with Gerhard Heintzman and opened Lansdowne Piano Company. In 1927, Heintzman purchased the Nordheimer name and produced their pianos until the 1960s.
Descriptive Notes
Document is on heavy linen parchment.
Subjects
Land titles--Registration and transfer--Ontario
Name Access
Nordheimer, Abraham, 1816-1862
Nordheimer, Abraham, 1816-1862
Places
Wellington Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1987-10-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1987-10-2
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
7 cm of textual records and graphic material (approximately 57 photographs : b&w)
Date
[ca. 1842-1946]
Scope and Content
This accession consists of correspondence, photographs, birth certificates, marriage certificates, a German passport, a medal, postcards, Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada receipt vouchers, parchment prayer scrolls, City of Toronto bicycle licenses, and other material relating to Chaim and Hena Silbiger and family of 51 Baldwin Street, Toronto. There are also photographs of Toronto scenes such as Harbord Bakery, Dibble Oil Truck (Manny Rotman), Harbord Fish Market, and a Belle Ewart street scene.
Photo Captions (001 - 012): Toronto Street Scenes, [194-]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, Accession # 1987-10-2.
Photo Caption (002): Street view of Alter and Goldie Kosower's Harbord Bakery, (Toronto, ON), [194-]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, Accession 1987-10-2.
Custodial History
Material was donated by Suzanne Harning and was found in a house on Harbord St., west of Spadina Ave.
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.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1982-9-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1982-9-2
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
7 microfilm reels
Date
1856-1969
Scope and Content
Accession consists of seven microfilm reals documenting the early years of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. Reels are as follows:
Reel 1: Minutes, 1856-1901; Building Committee, 1894-1897.
Reel 2: Minutes, 1894-1900; Collection Books, 1902-1919; By-laws and Minutes, 1939-1956; By-laws for Holy Blossom Cemeteries; Minutes, 1930-1947; Building Committee, 1937; New Synagogue, 1938.
Reel 3: By-laws and Minutes, 1939-1956.
Reel 4: Register of Toronto Hebrew Congregation; Births, 1857-1868; Marriages, 1851-1894; Burials, 1848 -1900; Large Marriage Register 1858 -1878; By-laws 1876-? (Handwritten), 1894, 1904, 1929, 1949,1955 (printed); By-laws Cemeteries ?-1921; Cash Books, 1900; Monthly Cash Books, 1919; Letterpress copy book and instructions for use; Records and letters from 1891; Letterbooks, 1891-1894; Aliyah Book (which is a small hard cover indexed book containing names of members in English and Hebrew, used for calling members to bless and read the Torah) ca. 1890; January 1921- Ecumenical Service; February 1928- first Canadian exchange of pulpits with Rev. E. Crossley Hunter of Carlton Street United Church and Rabbi Abraham Feinberg participating; Toronto Hebrew Ladies Sick and Benevolent Society Minutes instituted in January 1868, original charter 9 July 1877, later became Toronto Hebrew Benevolent Society; Centennial preparation, committee, service, memorials and interview reports with older members of the congregation.
Reel 5: Collection Books, 1884 -1919.
Reel 6: Officers' Minutes, 1952-1964; Board and Annual Meeting Minutes, 1964-1965; Board Minutes, 1966-1967; Board of Trustees Minutes, 1968-1969; Officers, Trustees & Committee Chairmen; Minutes, 1965-1969.
Reel 7: 11 May 1967 onward
MG_RG
MG 3 A1
Subjects
Synagogues
Name Access
Holy Blossom Temple (Toronto, Ont.)
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1991-10-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1991-10-7
Material Format
object
Physical Description
1 compass
Date
[between 1838 and 1850]
Scope and Content
The accession consists of one surveyor's compass, which is a surveyor's tool for measuring angles used during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The object is signed by Judah Joseph, the individual who created this device. It is suspected that there are only four (potentially less) signed artifacts by Joseph (one of which resides at the Museum of Visual Science and Optomitry in Waterloo, ON), making this one quite unique and rare.
Custodial History
Object was purchased from William Daniels in 1991 for $5500. The funds were donated by Fred Schaeffer and Nancy Draper through a UJWF grant through the Endowment Fund
Administrative History
Judah Joseph was one of the first Jewish settlers in Toronto. He was also the first purveyor of optical and mathematical instruments in Toronto. He was born in Exeter, England in 1798 and received his training in the Channel Islands. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1820 and set himself up as an optician and Jeweller in Cincinati. He moved to Hamilton, and soonafter to Toronto during the 1830s. He opened his shop at 56 King Street East in Toronto in 1838. He specialized in spectacles, mathematical instruments, jewellery, watches, silverware and other equipment that he could make or repair.
Judah Joseph was a member of the Toronto Hebrew Congregation and was a founder of the first Jewish cemetery in the city, which was located on Pape Avenue. He was buried there in 1857.
A surveying compass (also known as a circumferentor) like this one is the precursor to the theodolite which evolved in the early 1800s.
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Level
Collection
ID
Fonds 22
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Level
Collection
Fonds
22
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1856-1995
Physical Description
1.1 m of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
Morris Norman (b. 1946) is a chartered accountant living and working in Toronto. He is an avid collector of Canadiana, specifically Judaica. He purchases lots at auction and donates them to the Ontario Jewish Archives, as well as other institutions.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of the individual items collected at auction by Morris Norman. The records relate to the Toronto Jewish community and Ontario Jewry and include textual documents, photographs, near-prints, publications, artifacts, posters and broadsheets, sound recordings, and ephemera. Most of the items relate to various Jewish organizations, businesses, synagogues and individuals, and to Christian missionary work in Toronto. The material has been described at the file level, or where appropriate, the item level.
There are also four distinct series of records which document Berul Sugarman, who was a concert violinist and orchestral leader; the Franklin family, who owned a large amount of property in Toronto in the late 1800s and early 1900s; radio and television scripts written by Wayne and Shuster, Henry Karpus and Russell Bradley; and a collection of Turofsky photographs.
Notes
Physical description note: Includes 49 objects, 25 photographs, 7 audio recordings and 4 prints.
Name Access
Norman, Morris
Norman, Jessie
Creator
Norman, Morris (1946-)
Accession Number
1995-9-3
1995-9-4
1995-9-8
1996-6-3
1996-7-3
1996-9-1
1997-7-1
1998-1-1
1998-3-44
1998-7-2
1999-10-1
2000-7-4
2000-12-3
2001-3-3
2001-4-3
2001-8-5
2001-10-6
2001-11-1
2002-4-1
2002-5-1
2002-7-1
2002-9-1
2002-10-5
2002-10-58
2002-12-3
2003-5-3
2003-10-6
2004-7-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Franklin family legal documents series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 22; Series 2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Franklin family legal documents series
Level
Series
Fonds
22
Series
2
Material Format
textual record
Date
1856-1958
Physical Description
38 cm of textual records
Admin History/Bio
Abraham Franklin (ca. 1844-1905) and his wife Frances "Fanny" Franklin (ca. 1844-1908) came to Canada from Germany in 1865, via the United States. Together they had seven children: Jacob ("John"), Henry ("Harry"), Hyman ("Herman"), Annie (m. Robinson), Simon ("Sam"), Dora, and Katie.
Abraham began as a picture frame dealer on York Street, later becoming, with his wife, the owner of a second-hand clothing store on Queen Street West. By 1890, Abraham had established a jewellery store named Franklin Brothers, with his sons Jacob and Henry, and by the early 1910s also owned A. Franklin & Sons. The two businesses continued to operate simultaneously as a pawn shop, a jewellery store, and even a bicycle repair shop.
The Franklin family owned many large plots of valuable land in downtown Toronto, which they leased out to individuals and businesses, including Eaton's. Their land was located on the north side of Albert Street from James Street to Bay Street, along Gerrard Street from Yonge to Elizabeth Streets, and along Walton Street from Yonge to Elizabeth Streets. Later, the children inherited the property held by their parents, which had extended around the Queen Street West and Portland Avenue area.
In 1916, stemming from family concerns over her upcoming marriage to Elias Robinson, Annie Franklin transferred ownership of her portion of the inherited Franklin estate to her brothers—Henry, Hyman, and Simon—for a cost of $25,000 to be held in trust for her.
Scope and Content
This series contains residential and commercial leases between various members of the Franklin family and the building occupiers, as well as deeds of land documenting the purchase or transfer of land. Also included are statutory declarations, mortgage papers, and some family legal documents.
The documents have been arranged into files by property and have been described at the file level. There is also a separate file for the family legal documents and for a set of invoices submitted by the Franklin family barristers.
Accession Number
2002-5-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Franklin family legal documents series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 22; Series 2; File 13
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Morris Norman collection
Franklin family legal documents series
Level
File
Fonds
22
Series
2
File
13
Material Format
textual record
Date
1856-1929
Physical Description
4 cm of textual records
Scope and Content
This file contains the original deeds of land, mortgage papers and statutory declarations for the property bought by the Franklin family in 1916. The property was situated on the southeast corner of Gerrard and Terauley (Bay) Streets and was comprised of lots nine and ten of concession one. It included the address 175-177 Terauley Street. The property was later sold by the family to the City of Toronto in 1929. This file has two parts.
Places
Gerrard Street (Toronto. Ont.)
Teraulay Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
David Pinkus fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 138
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
David Pinkus fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
138
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
graphic material (electronic)
architectural drawing
philatelic record
sound recording
cartographic material
object
Date
1854-2021
Physical Description
ca. 2.4 m of textual records
ca. 600 photographs : b&w and col. (ca. 90 negatives); 30 x 35 cm or smaller
other material
Admin History/Bio
David Pinkus (1924-2021) was born on May 11, 1924, at the Toronto General Hospital to Isadore Pinkus (1887-1947) and Molly (Mollie) Pinkus (née Parelstein) (1892-1990). Isadore was born in Kiev Gubernia of the Russian Empire; Molly was born in Podolia Gubernia of the Russian Empire and later moved to Ukraine with her family. Isadore and Molly met and married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1910 and moved to Toronto in 1911. The Pinkus family settled in Kensington Market in around 1914 and was one of the first Jewish settlers to the Kensington neighbourhood. David spent his entire life living in the Kensington Market area. He lived on 83 Huron Street until 1927 when the Pinkus family moved to 34 Nassau Street, which has been the house of the Pinkus family ever since. David had two siblings: brother Max and sister Goldie.
In his childhood, David attended the Brunswick Talmud Torah daily and learned Hebrew. He had his bar mitzvah at the Kiever Shul. David attended William Houston School until 1930 and Ryerson Public School until grade eight. Later, he attended Harbord School for high school and was also involved with sports at Harbord Collegiate and YMHA. In 1947, David obtained his Bachelor of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. After graduation, he worked at Goodyear for one year and returned to the University of Toronto as an instructor of engineering drawing and machine design. Later, he worked at various places such as Canadian Industries Limited in Maitland, Toronto Iron Works, and Avro Aircraft Limited.
David’s father, Isadore, was one of the founders of the Kiever Synagogue. David’s involvement with the Kiever Synagogue started in 1947, following Isadore’s death. David served as president and held positions on the executive of the Kiever Shul and played a principal role in the restoration of the shul. He also served on Toronto’s Board of Health as well as the boards of the Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, and St. Christopher House. In addition, David was an active community leader and local historian. He did genealogical research for many Toronto Jewish families. David had been recognized by the National Jewish Federation of North America as a Jewish community hero in 2011. He passed away on May 6, 2021.
Custodial History
Records received after the death of David Pinkus through Joseph Solomon, the executor of David Pinkus’ estate. Records have been selected by archivists following a site visit at David’s home at 34 Nassau Street, Toronto.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of textual records, graphic material, sound recordings, architectural drawings, artifacts, and a small number of philatelic records, most of which document David Pinkus’ career and personal life, the Pinkus family, the Kiever Shul, the Kiever Cemetery, as well as Mount Sinai Cemetery Association (Mount Sinai Memorial Park) and the Dawes Road Cemeteries (Amalgamated Dawes Road Trustees), of which the Kiever Congregation is a member organization. Also included are documents and photographs of other individuals and families, which David collected for his genealogical research, and those that are pertaining to Kensington Market and other congregations and cemeteries.
Textual records include correspondence; scrapbooks; education records; identification documents; research notes and clippings relating to David’s genealogical research; documents pertaining to his Kensington Market activism and community work; files on David’s engineering career and his role as president of the Kiever Shul; and files documenting the Pinkus family members, such as funeral documents, notebooks, family correspondence, voters’ lists, and records relating to Pinkus Fruit Co. and 34 Nassau Street. Also included are records documenting the Kiever Shul, which include meeting minutes, ledger books, financial documents, legal documents, membership lists and application forms, address books, high holiday service cards, and historic papers dating from the 1920s and 1930s. Textual records documenting the Kiever Cemetery, Mount Sinai Memorial Park, and the Dawes Road Cemeteries are mainly comprised of cemetery maps, burial plot cards, burial record books, by-laws and regulations, and meeting minutes. Also present are records pertaining to other congregations and cemeteries, such as constitution books, brochures, booklets, and copies of legal documents.
Photographs mainly feature David Pinkus and the Kiever Cemetery, with a small number featuring the Pinkus family members, the Junction Synagogue (Congregation Knesseth Israel), the Great Choral Synagogue of Kyiv, and those that David collected for his genealogical research.
Architectural drawings of this fonds include the restoration and renovation plan for the Kiever Shul and the alteration plan for Mount Sinai Cemetery Administration Building.
Also present are sound recordings, including cassettes and microcassettes of David Pinkus; and artifacts, including felt patches, pin back buttons, medals, Toronto foot-pedlar registration badges, and a wooden gavel of the Kiever Shul.
Fonds has been arranged into the following series: David Pinkus’ personal records; Kensington Market; David Pinkus’ genealogical research; the Pinkus family; the Kiever Shul; the Kiever Cemetery; Mount Sinai Memorial Park; the Dawes Road Cemeteries; and other associations, congregations, and cemeteries.
Notes
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Also included are 22 architectural drawings, 7 maps, 4 audio cassettes, 2 microcassettes, 1 optical disc, 8 drawings, 2 prints, 1 photo collage, 34 pinback buttons, 15 Toronto padler-on-foot registration badges, 8 felt patches, 3 medals, 3 brooches, 1 wooden gavel, 2 tax tokens, 2 postage stamps, 1 sales tax stamp, and 9 revenue stamps.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: Books that were initially included in this fonds have been removed and incorporated into the OJA’s library collection. These books are: Spadina Avenue by Rosemary Donegan with an introduction by Rick Salutin, Toronto No Mean City by Eric Arthur revised by Stephen A. Otto, Canadian Jewish Directory edited by Edmond Y. Lipsitz, The Toronto Jewish Directory, and The Canada Year Book 1905 (second series).
HISTORY/BIO NOTE: Information is sourced from OH 413 and the content of the fonds.
Name Access
Pinkus, David, 1924-2021
Kiever Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)
Mount Sinai Cemetery Association (Toronto, Ont.)
Mount Sinai Memorial Park (Toronto, Ont.)
Dawes Road Cemetery (Toronto, Ont.)
Amalgamated Dawes Road Trustees (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Families
Synagogues
Genealogy
Cemeteries
Access Restriction
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
Repro Restriction
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Related Material
See accessions 2004-1-5, 2004-1-6, 2004-2-1, 2008-11-9, 2016-3-48, and 2021-10-1 for additional information on the Kiever Shul; and OH 413 for more information on David Pinkus and the Pinkus family.
Arrangement
Records came into the OJA with no discernible order. Arrangement has been imposed by the archivist.
Creator
Pinkus, David, 1924-2021
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Kensington Market (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2021-7-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
David Pinkus fonds
Kensington Market series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 138; Series 2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
David Pinkus fonds
Kensington Market series
Level
Series
Fonds
138
Series
2
Material Format
textual record
cartographic material
graphic material
Date
1854-[ca. 2016]
Physical Description
5 cm of textual records and other material
Scope and Content
Series consists of records documenting David Pinkus’ Kensington Market activism and his research on the Kensington neighbourhood. Included are walking tour speeches, brochures, booklets, historic maps, programmes, copies of historic newspaper clippings and photographs, research notes, correspondence, articles, a list of local businesses, printed copies of web sources, and plans of building lots of the Belle Vue estate. Also included are records relating to Kensington Market Working Group, including committee member lists, meeting minutes and agendas, reports, and an Offer to Lease. In addition to the sites within Kensington Market, such as the College Street Fire Station, Spadina, Hebrew Men of England Synagogue, Kensington Community School, Bellevue Avenue, Denison Square, and Bellevue Square Park, this series also features sites on the periphery of the Kensington neighbourhood, including Palmerston St. Synagogue, University Settlement, Toronto Athletic Club (the Stewart Building), Central Technical School, and Baldwin Village.
Notes
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Also included are 6 maps and 4 photographs (printed copies).
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
David Pinkus fonds
Kensington Market series
Plan of building lots on part of the Belle Vue estate file
Level
File
ID
Fonds 138; Series 2; File 3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
David Pinkus fonds
Kensington Market series
Plan of building lots on part of the Belle Vue estate file
Level
File
Fonds
138
Series
2
File
3
Material Format
cartographic material
Date
1854-1923
Physical Description
4 maps
Scope and Content
File consists of four maps showing the changes of building lots on part of the Belle Vue estate. The Belle Vue estate was established by George Taylor Denison in 1815 on the land where the Kensington Market neighbourhood is now located. In the 1850s, Denison subdivided his land into smaller building lots for development.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2015-12-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-12-1
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1.2 m of textual records
ca. 250 photographs : b&w and col.
Date
1776, [191-]-2012
Scope and Content
Accession consists of the records related to the life and career of Dr. Fred Wienberg. Included are textual and photographic records documenting his personal and family life, his medial career, scholarly activities, involvement with the Jewish community, his collecting of Judaica, medical antiques and art, and his synagogue involvement. Other items include the Ostrovtzer Mutual Benefit Society minute book and a 1776 letter from Jonas Phillips, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and an American merchant in New York City and Philadelphia.
Administrative History
Fred Weinberg (1919-2003) was born in Ostrawiec, Poland on July 6, 1919 to Rose and Israel Weinberg. Israel immigrated to Canada in 1920 and his wife and children joined him several years later in March of 1924. The family settled in Toronto where Israel worked in the fur manufacturing business. Israel was a supporter and aficionado of cantorial music as well as a founder of the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto and the Ostrovtzer Synagogue on Cecil Street.
Fred completed his primary and secondary education at Clinton Street Public School and Harbord Collegiate. He also attended the Brunswick Talmud Torah, celebrating his bar mitzvah in 1932. Fred decided to pursue a medical career, graduating from the University of Toronto’s medical school in 1944. During his studies he enlisted in the army and completed officers’ training in April 1945, attaining the rank of Captain. During his military career he served in the RCAMC at Camp Borden, Christie St. Hospital and at the Stanley Barracks in Toronto. Towards the end of the war he served as Officer in charge of repatriation of the POWs.
After the war Fred pursued his post-graduate work at Seaview and Bellevue hospitals in New York City from 1946 to 1947 and then moved on to the Children’s and Washington University hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri the following year. He was subsequently accepted as a resident at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto and was ultimately appointed Chief Resident under the supervision of the internationally renowned paediatrician, Dr. Alan Brown. In 1950, Dr. Weinberg was hired as a physician in paediatrics at Sick Kids Hospital, making him the first Jewish doctor on staff. In addition to his staff responsibilities, he also lectured and was a faculty member at the University of Toronto’s Medical School for many years.
By the mid-point of his career, Dr. Weinberg went on to specialise in Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), delivering lectures and publishing articles in medical journals. He also ran his own practice, which operated from 1950 to 1976, and later become Associate Medical Director of the Child Development Clinic, Neurology Division of Sick Kids until his retirement in 1984. He later continued his service at Sick Kids as a senior staff consultant and ran a specialized practice in Developmental Pediatrics for close to twenty years, which was later situated at 208 Bloor Street West.
Fred married Joy Cherry on December 16, 1952 at Goel Tzedec Synagogue. The couple had four children: Joel (b. 1953), Barry (b. 1955), Sari (b. 1956) and Deena (b. 1961). Throughout his life, Fred was actively engaged in Jewish communal work in a variety of capacities: assisting with the establishment of the United Synagogue Day School during the 1950s; as a fundraiser for the United Jewish Appeal (UJA); and as a participant in two of UJA’s early study missions to Israel in 1960 and 1961. He was also an influential figure within his synagogue, joining the Board of Directors of Beth Tzedec Synagogue during the late 1960s and serving as president from 1972 to 1975.
Fred and his wife Joy also collected Judaica, antiques and artwork. As a physician, Fred developed a passion and expertise in the area of medical antiques. He published articles in both the mainstream and Jewish press on subjects related to Jewish rituals, Judaica and art. He also had a regular column in the Canadian Journal of Diagnosis from 1998 to 2002 entitled “Antique instruments”. Over time, the Weinberg’s assembled a world-class collection of Judaica and became increasingly active in the museum world. Fred assisted in the establishment of Beth Tzedec’s Helene and Rubin Dennis Jewish Museum, contributing items from the couple’s Judaica collection and securing the acquisition of the renowned Cecil Roth collection for the Museum during the early to mid-1960s. As a result of his significant contributions, he was bestowed the title of honourary curator to the Museum. Dr. Weinberg later branched out and assisted with the Koffler Gallery’s Lifecycle exhibition in 1984 as guest curator. The following year, he served as a special presenter and instructor to the docents at the “Precious Legacy” Czech Judaica exhibition at the ROM. The Weinberg’s most significant contribution to the museum world, however, was marked in September of 2000, when they were honoured at the opening of the Dr. Fred and Joy Cherry Weinberg Gallery of Judaica at the ROM, featuring some of their most valuable and treasured pieces.
Dr. Fred Weinberg passed away on October 30, 2003 at 84 years of age. The Weinberg Endowment Fund was established by the family at the University of Toronto’s Jewish Studies Program to honour Fred’s passion for Jewish history, rituals and artefacts. That year the Weinberg family also set up a fund in Fred’s name in support of the Therapeutic Clown Program, a highly visible and successful program within Sick Kids’ Pediatric Division.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
Use Conditions Note: Records contain patient names and medical information.
Subjects
Families
Physicians
Societies
Name Access
Weinberg, Fred, 1919-2003
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-5-10
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-5-10
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1.4 m of textual records and graphic material
Date
1851-2014
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records reflecting the academic, personal and literary life of Dr. Gerald Tulchinsky. The bulk of the material relates to Canada's garment industry, including photocopied reference material from various sources, reports and statistics, research notes, articles and graduate thesis on the topic, reminiscences by those in the industry and original records from specific firms and associations situated in Ontario and Quebec. Also included are manuscripts and accompanying material for Shtetl on the Grand and a book on the Canadian Clothing Industry, lecture notes, family correspondence and photographs, and the last will and testament of Anne Tulchinsky. All of the material from 1851-1935 are photocopies of original records.
Administrative History
Dr. Gerald Tulchinsky was Professor Emeritus at Queen's University, Department of History, and author of several books on the history of Canadian Jewry and labour issues in Canada. His books include: Shtetl on the Grand (2015); Joe Salsberg: A Life of Commitment (2013); Canada's Jews: A People's Journey (2008); Branching Out: The Transformation of the Canadian Jewish Community (1998); Taking Root: The Origins of the Canadian Jewish Community (1992); and The River Barons: Montreal Businessmen and the Growth of Industry and Transportation, 1837-53 (1977). Tulchinsky was born in Brantford, Ontario in 1933 to Harry and Anne Tulchinsky. He resided in Kingston, Ontario until his death on 13 Dec. 2017.
Use Conditions
Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing the records.
Descriptive Notes
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: This accession also includes numerous books, some of which don't relate to our mandate and others which are duplicates of our current holdings. The books that we have retained have been integrated into the OJA's library holdings. USE CONDITION NOTE: Access restricted until ten years after the donor's death, at the donor's request. Records will reopen on Dec. 14, 2027.
LANGUAGE NOTE: Some of the material is in French.
Subjects
Business
Labour and unions
Name Access
Tulchinsky, Gerald, 1933-2017
Places
Montreal, Que.
Toronto, Ont.
Source
Archival Accessions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4811
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4811
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[18--]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Abe Stocker was the great grandfather of the wife of Ray Havelock.
Name Access
Stocker, Abe
Havelock, Ray
Talmud
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.
Accession Number
1985-10-9
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 979
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
979
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1856
Physical Description
1 drawing
Admin History/Bio
From its inception in 1856 until the building of its first synagogue a block east on Richmond Street at Victoria Street in 1876, the Holy Blossom congregation held traditional Orthodox services in a rented room over Coombe's Drugstore on the south-east corner of Yonge and Richmond Streets.
Scope and Content
Item is a drawing of Coombe's Drugstore that appeared in the 1856 Toronto City Directory as part of an advertisement for said drugstore.
Name Access
Coombe's Drugstore
Holy Blossom Temple (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Architecture
Drugstores
Synagogues
Places
Richmond Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Yonge Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1976-9-5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1273
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1273
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[before 1918]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Identified in this photograph are: Mr Causen, Mr Frankel, Zalman Cohen, Dave Gold, Mr Mitchell, Lewis Freedman, Gittel Shapiro
Name Access
Farband
Subjects
Picnics
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.)
Accession Number
1977-4-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3157
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3157
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1850]
Physical Description
1 photograph : col. print
Notes
This photograph is printed from a colour slide.
Name Access
A. & S. Nordheimer Co.
Subjects
Architecture
Streets
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
King Street East (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4010
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4010
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[18--]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Name Access
Cohen, Abraham
Subjects
Horse dealers
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.)
Accession Number
1986-9-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
The Shuls Project fonds
Reference series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 64; Series 5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
The Shuls Project fonds
Reference series
Level
Series
Fonds
64
Series
5
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
architectural drawing
Date
1859-1980
Physical Description
35 cm of textual records
10 photographs
41 architectural drawings
Scope and Content
Series contains reference materials created by and written about the synagogues. Primary records include commemorative booklets, a small number of newsletters, brochures, and programs from special events. There are also newspaper clippings and copied articles providing histories of synagogues. There is a small number of photograph prints and negatives, but many of the files also include photographs from books, magazines or photocopies. The series is arranged in alphabetical order by city, then by synagogue. Not every synagogue the project team researched has a reference file, and there may be reference files for shuls for which no photographs survive.
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.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
The Shuls Project fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 64
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
The Shuls Project fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
64
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1859-1980, predominant 1977-1979
Physical Description
ca. 5178 photographs and other material
Admin History/Bio
The “Shuls Project” was the work of three University of Toronto architecture students, who in 1977 wrote a research paper on the eight Toronto synagogues built before World War II. Concerned at the lack of resources on these synagogues, Sidney Tenenbaum, Lynn Milstone and Sheldon Levitt foresaw the loss of communities’ recorded history as membership dwindled and elders passed on. The students conceived a project that would photograph and document every synagogue in Canada, gathering visual evidence, memorabilia, plaques and stories before they disappeared and history was lost. The students’ goal was to document synagogues’ architecture, art, and historical development through research, interviews and site visits.
The students secured a large portion of the required funding for the project from the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation in Montreal, funding which was matched by the Canadian Jewish Congress. This financial support enabled Levitt, Milstone and Tenenbaum to begin their study, named “Shuls… A Study of Canadian Synagogue Architecture.” They began in the summer of 1977, traveling through the Western provinces. The next summer, they visited eight Maritime cities, Montreal and other Quebec communities. Financial support in the project’s second year was again provided by the Bronfman Family Foundation, along with the Canadian government and donations in kind from businesses, including Benjamin Photo Finishers in Toronto, and Polaroid. The summer of 1979 was spent in Ontario, with an added grant from Wintario. In total, the Shuls project team traveled over 24,000 kilometres, taking thousands of photographs and conducting several hundred interviews. Photographs were taken by Tenenbaum, with Levitt and Milstone assuming primary responsibility for researching synagogues’ history and gathering historic records. Interviews were conducted by all three researchers, in both English and Yiddish.
With no handy index of every shul in Canada, the researchers located small shuls by word of mouth. They spread word of their project and solicited assistance using press releases, letters to known communities, and slideshow presentations as they traveled. They would first examine a building to get an idea of a community’s character and heritage, then conduct interviews with designers, architects, rabbis and other prominent community members.
With the research and photographs created, the team compiled three catalogues of the Western, Eastern/Quebec, and Ontario phases of the project. These catalogues have entries on each synagogue that include historical summaries highlighting the founding, growth, mergers and decline of Jewish communities, their changing needs, changing architectural expressions and trends, and the evolving uses of synagogues over the course of the twentieth century. There are also building descriptions, some with critical comments by the authors, and lists of the photographs and slides produced.
The compilation of materials and preparation of these catalogues took place at the Project’s offices at 26 Ava Road in Toronto, and continued through the summer of 1980 when the Ontario catalogue was completed. In 1985, Tenenbaum, Milstone and Levitt published a book highlighting their work, called Treasures of a People: The Synagogues of Canada.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the records created and collected by the team of students conducting the Shuls study from 1977 to 1980. The majority of the fonds is made up of graphic material, in the form of 35mm colour slides and black-and-white Polaroid prints and (print-size) negatives. There are approximately 5110 photographs in the fonds. Fonds also consists of notes and inventory forms of buildings' architectural features. There are no interview transcripts, but the fonds does include three audio cassettes with recorded interviews and shul tours. Reference materials used in researching the history of the shuls include dedication and anniversary commemorative books and programmes, newsletters, articles and newspaper clippings. In addition the fonds contains 47 blueprints, the majority from Montreal synagogues. The fonds is arranged in the following series: 1. Quebec synagogues; 2. Ontario synagogues; 3. Western Canada synagogues; 4. Eastern Canada synagogues; 5. Reference.
Notes
Physical description note: includes 92 cm of textual records, 42 architectural drawings, 3 audio cassettes, and 1 drawing.
Physical extent note: many of the slides were culled because they were felt to be reproductions. Some of the synagogue images in the research book may therefore not be included in the fonds.
Name Access
Shuls Project
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.
Creator
Levitt, Sheldon
Milstone, Lynn
Tenenbaum, Sidney T.
Places
Canada
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
The Shuls Project fonds
Reference series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 64; Series 5; File 41
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
The Shuls Project fonds
Reference series
Level
File
Fonds
64
Series
5
File
41
Material Format
textual record
architectural drawing
Date
1859-1978
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
4 architectural drawings
Scope and Content
File contains photocopied articles, a newspaper clipping, photocopied photographs, a greeting card with photograph on cover, copies of the 1859 contract commissioning the erection of the synagogue as well as a list of specifications for the masons, and blueprints for the 1967 extension.
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
Montréal (Québec)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 69
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
69
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[18--]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Admin History/Bio
Rabbi Sheldon Steinberg was co-founder of She'arim Hebrew Day School with Rabbi Joseph Kelman and Rabbi Yitzchak Witty.
Scope and Content
Item consists of a black-and-white photograph of an amulet from the late nineteenth century. The origin of the amulet was probably Lithuania.
Name Access
Steinberg, Sheldon, Rabbi
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
Lithuania
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Zionist Organization of Canada fonds
Central Region sous-fonds
Conventions series
National conventions sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 28-1; Series 5-2; File 26
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Zionist Organization of Canada fonds
Central Region sous-fonds
Conventions series
National conventions sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
28-1
Series
5-2
File
26
Material Format
textual record
Date
1958
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
The file consists of brochures and booklets including: "10 reasons why you should buy Israeli bonds", "Facts about Israel," "Israel 1958 - 10th Israel Summer Institute," "A decade of freedom," and the programme of the national conference of the Canadian Association for Hebrew Education and Culture.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2021-12-1
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