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

Part Of

Rabbi Nachman Shemen fonds

Level

Series

Fonds

103

Series

1

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

[192-?]-1993

Physical Description

1.5 m of textual records

35 photographs

Admin History/Bio

The Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel, originally called the Canadian Federation of Polish Jews (CFPJ), was established in 1933 to assist Jews in Poland who were victims of anti-Semitism as expressed in economic boycotts and political discrimination. The CFPJ provided political action and advocacy on behalf of Polish Jews, as well as social help, moral strength and material support. It was a constituent member of the World Federation of Polish Jews, established in 1935, which provided relief and economic assistance to Jews in Poland, and coordinated the assistance given to Jewish communal organizations in Poland. In addition, the CFPJ assisted Canadian landsmanshaften (mutual benefit societies) which were giving support to those communities from which their members had emigrated.

In 1939, following the outbreak of the Second World War, the CFPJ was among those Canadian Jewish organizations which founded the United Jewish Refugee and War Relief Agencies, the purpose of which was to assist in the war effort and to aid war victims. At the conclusion of the war, the UJRWR was renamed the United Jewish Relief Agencies, with an aim to assist refugees in their effort to settle in Canada.

The scope and mandate of the CFPJ has changed over time as new challenges and projects have emerged. In January 1950, its activities expanded to include building homes in Israel for Polish Jewish immigrants, providing local relief to newly arrived Polish Jewish immigrants in Canada, locating relatives and providing legal advice on matters related to passports and visas, contributing to and participating in memorials honouring lost Jewish communities, and maintaining contact with its sister Farbands across the world.

In December 1951, the name of the organization was officially changed to Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel, and as of March 1953, its priorities had shifted to focus increasingly on providing support to Israel.

Scope and Content

Series consists of records documenting the activities of the Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel. Many records provide insight into the relief efforts carried out to assist Jews in Poland and Israel. Included are meeting minutes, agendas, reports, correspondence, speeches, newspaper articles, financial records, conference material, a ledger book, posters and invitations, membership and donation lists, scrapbooks, leaflets, photographs of important events, letters of appeal, visa and identification applications, property claims applications, and letters from individuals requesting aid.

Name Access

Canadian Federation of Polish Jews

Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel

Subjects

Jews--Israel

Jews, Polish

Access Restriction

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

Places

Israel

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Julius P. Katz fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

55

Series

2

File

33

Material Format

textual record

Date

1940-1943

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

This file consists of communication from the Canadian Jewish Congress. Included are: receipt for an ad in the Daily Hebrew Journal (1942), announcements of an upcoming lecture and list of lectures from the Institute of Jewish Studies (1940, 1942), periodical devoted to Jewish affairs (1942, in Polish), a poster published by the Union of Orthodox Rabbis, packet of ribbons with the insignia "I support United Jewish Welfare" (1942-1943), newspaper clipping (1942, in Yiddish), solicitation letter from High Rabbinical Jeshivah Sfath Emeth (1942), two wedding invitations (1942), invitation to honour Samuel Bronfman on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday (1941), printed speech presented by Samuel Bronfman, President of CJC (1941), communication with the Canadian Jewish Congress (e.g. announcements of meetings, meeting minutes, call to support the victory loan, a letter in support of the Greek War Relief Fund, a letter reporting vandalism of "Moncatta Library" at University College, London) and a list of delegates to the 5th Plenary Session.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Bella Diamant fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

117

Item

19

Material Format

graphic material (electronic)

Date

1930

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (tiff) ; 101 MB

Scope and Content

This item is a scanned photograph of Esther Diamant, Bella's sister. The photograph was given to Chaim Myer by Esther prior to him leaving for Canada to live with Bella and Samuel. Included is a scan of the recto and verso of the photograph. The inscription written on the back in Polish reads: Brother, in the day you are leaving Poland for Canada.

Notes

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. Both recto and verso were digitized as tiff files and a jpg access copy was made.

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 

Part Of

Yeshivah Torath Chaim Theological Seminary of Canada fonds

Level

File

Fonds

21

File

38

Material Format

textual record

Date

1938-1956

Physical Description

1 folder textual records

Scope and Content

This file contains three Hebrew primers used at Yeshivah Torath Chaim.

Name Access

Indelman, Elchanan

Bachrach, Kalman

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Henry Rosenbaum fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

121

Material Format

graphic material

graphic material (electronic)

textual record

Date

1928-2015

Physical Description

247 photographs : b&w and col. (1 negative); 20 x 25 or smaller

13 cm of textual records

Admin History/Bio

Henry "Hanoch" Rosenbaum (1925-2015) was born in Radom, Poland. He was the second youngest of eight children born to Rachel Rosenbaum (née Katz) and Moshe Rosenbaum.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Herny learned the fate of Radom's Jewish civilian population. Two thirds of Radom's Jewish population were victims of mass murder and perished in the extermination camp Treblinka, immediately following the first liquidation of Radom's large ghetto in August 1942. Henry's parents, two siblings, and their families were among the innocent victims murdered during the Holocaust.

Henry Rosenbaum met his wife Bella Rotbard (1925–2012) while living in an Italian DP camp after the war. Although Bella was also from Radom, she did not know the Rosenbaum family. Bella's parents, her sixteen-year-old sister, and four-year-old brother, as well as most of her parents' extended families, were also victims of the Holocaust.

While in Italy, the Joint Distribution Committee funded "mock kibbutzim," preparing Holocaust survivors for immigration to Palestine and kibbutz life. Bella, a one-time member of the secular Jewish youth movement Hashomer Hatzair, believed that she was destined to be a "kibbutznik," a member of a kibbutz.

In 1946, Bella and Henry immigrated to Palestine as part of the Bricha. The Bricha supported the illegal immigration of Holocaust survivor refugees to Palestine. They spent their first few days in Atlit, a British Mandate detainee camp and soon settled on kibbutz. Bella married Henry in 1946 and moved to an apartment in Ramat Gan. During this time Henry served in the IDF’s motor pool.

Henry, Bella, and their young daughter Brenda (b. 1949) immigrated to Toronto in 1952. With the assistance of a relative, Henry gained employment in a print shop sweeping floors. Henry soon advanced to machine operator and in 1961 opened his own print shop, Trio Press Limited.

Bella worked in the garment industry, sewing collars onto shirts and earned her wages through piece work. She continued working in manufacturing up until the birth of her second child Murray (b. 1961).

Henry Rosenbaum was an active life-long member of the Radom Society and served as editor for their quarterly Yiddish and English journal the Voice of Radom.

Custodial History

Material was in possession of Henry Rosenbaum's daughter Brenda Bornstein.

Scope and Content

Fonds illustrates the family history of Henry Rosenbaum and the life he and his wife Bella Rosenbaum rebuilt in Canada. Photographs document: early life in Poland, displaced persons camp in Italy, immigration to Palestine, military service in the Israel Defense Forces, family life in Israel, immigration and settlement in Canada and many milestone events and celebrations in Toronto, Ontario. Additional photographs of the Radom Society in Toronto. The majority of the photographs were assembled in a scrapbook created by their daughter Brenda Bornstein in celebration of her parents' thirtieth wedding anniversary (1976). In addition, there is a more comprehensive biography written by Henry and Bella's son-in-law Eric Bornstein.

Fonds consists of records relating to Henry Rosenbaum and his affiliation with B’nai Radom. Included are programs and souvenir booklets from the 1962 unveiling of a monument in memory of the Jewish Martyrs and Heroes of Radom and Vicinity (Poland), annual Holocaust remembrance (Yizkor) events published in 1987 and 2010; and a 50th Anniversary of Liberation publication. Books include a Yiddish language bound copy of the Voice of Radom from 1963-1965, an English language bound copy of the Voice of Radom 1983–1989 and Henry Rosenbaum’s personal memoir published in 1995. In addition, there are eight photographs of Henry's great-grandchildren, and a photo of Henry with his daughter Brenda.In addition there is a collection of speeches written by Henry Rosenbaum primarily for family milestone events such as weddings, birthdays, bar mtizvahs, and bat mitzvahs. In addition there is a copy of a presentation made to the Radom Congregation on the occasion of Israel's twenty-fifth year of independence, a Hebrew-language letter of congratulations, and several personal letters written by Murray Rosenbaum (the latter are addressed to his parents while travelling to Israel and Europe). The personal speeches written and delivered by Henry were in honour of the following relatives: Rivi Anklewicz, Marshall Lofchick, Murray Rosenbaum, Elana Aizic, Regina Goldstein, Brenda Rosenbaum, Eric "Ricky" Bornstein, Murray Severin, Robin Severin-Weingort, Rachel Bornstein, Susan Szainwald, Daniel Bornstein, Sholom Rosenbaum, Bella Rosenbaum, Linda Goldstein, and Leon Aizic.

Subjects

Holocaust survivors

Creator

Rosenbaum, Henry, 1925-2015

Places

Poland

Italy

Palestine

Israel

Toronto (Ont.)

Accession Number

2015-10-5

2017-2-13

2019-7-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Betty Goldstick Lindgren fonds

Level

File

Fonds

45

File

11

Material Format

textual record

Date

1939

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Admin History/Bio

Edward "Eddie" Lindgren was born on 4 November 1926 to Betty and Tycko Lindgren in Toronto. He married Charlotte Minerva Nussbaum on 30 June 1952 and moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Scope and Content

This file contains JNF Tree Fund certificate no. 2843, for two trees, made out "In the name of Elijah Lidgren," "on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah, Nov. 4/39 Inscribed by the Western So. Hadassah Chapter, Toronto, Ont." Elijah is likely Betty's son Edward's Hebrew name.

Notes

Biographical information on Edward Lindgren taken from Betty Lindgren's book of "family research," Fonds 45, file 12.

Name Access

Elijah Lindgren

Edward Lindgren

Physical Condition

Certificate is slightly stained.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Bella Diamant fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

117

Item

6

Material Format

textual record

Date

12 Oct. 1930

Physical Description

1 letter

Scope and Content

This item consists of two letters and greetings on the recto and verso of a single page. One letter written in Polish is addressed to Bella and her brother Myer from their brother David. Also included are greetings in Polish to Bella and brother Myer from a female friend, sister Ruth, sister Esther and cousins Ayrla and Bela. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions. Inside is a letter written in Yiddish, which has not been translated.

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Part Of

Bella Diamant fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

117

Item

4

Material Format

textual record

Date

1 Nov. 1930

Physical Description

1 letter

Scope and Content

This item is a letter with six sections. Two sections written in Yiddish were addressed to Bella and her husband Shmuel from Bella's father Moishe. One section in Yiddish was addressed to Bella from her brother Baruch. One section in Yiddish was addressed to Bella's brother Chaim-Myer from their father Moishe. Two short postscripts in Polish were sent to Bella and Myer from their sister Ruth. Included are hand-written and typed translations.

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Part Of

Bella Diamant fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

117

Item

5

Material Format

textual record

Date

15 [April?] 1930

Physical Description

1 letter

Scope and Content

This item consists of two letters. One letter, written in Polish, is addressed to Bella from her brother David in Poland. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions. On the reverse side is a letter in Yiddish from David addressed to Bella's brother Myer. This letter has not been translated.

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Part Of

Bella Diamant fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

117

Item

7

Material Format

textual record

Date

Sept. 1934

Physical Description

1 letter

Scope and Content

This item consists of a letter. The letter written in Yiddish is addressed to Bella and her brother Myer from their father Moishe In Poland. Also included are Rosh Hashana greetings in Polish from sisters Ruth and Esther. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions.

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Part Of

Bella Diamant fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

117

Item

3

Material Format

textual record

Date

[1929 or 1930]

Physical Description

1 letter

Scope and Content

This item is a letter written in Polish to Bella and Bella's brother Myer from sisters Ruth and Esther and cousin Bela in Poland. It was written sometime during 1929 or 1930 Included are hand-written and typed translations.

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Part Of

Bella Diamant fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

117

Item

8

Material Format

textual record

Date

21 Nov. 1937

Physical Description

1 letter

Scope and Content

This item consists of a letter. The first part of the letter is written in Yiddish to Bella from her father Moishe in Poland. The second part of the letter is written in Polish to Bella from sister Ruth. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions.

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 
• 
• 

Part Of

Solomon Edell fonds

General community activities series

Level

File

Fonds

4

Series

11

File

72

Material Format

textual record

Date

1931

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of meeting minutes taken by Sol Edell for a Mizrachi youth meeting in Toronto.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ben Kayfetz fonds

Collected materials series

Level

File

Fonds

62

Series

3

File

7

Material Format

textual record

Date

[1930?]

Physical Description

4 cm of textual records.

Scope and Content

File consists of a book for converting dates to and from the Gregorian and Jewish calendars from 1930-2000 in four different languages.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Philip Givens fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

51

Material Format

multiple media

Date

[192-]-1990

Physical Description

1.35 metres of textual records (20 vols.) and other material

Admin History/Bio

Philip (Phil) Gerald Givens, QC, (1922–1995) was a Canadian politician, judge, police commissioner, and active Jewish communal leader. He is is largely remembered as the fifty-fourth mayor of Toronto.

Phil Givens was born in Toronto, the only son of Hyman and Mary Gevertz (Gewercz). As a youth, he attended Harbord Collegiate and graduated from the University of Toronto in political science and economics in 1945. In 1947, he married the former Minnie “Min” Rubin. They had two children together: Eleanor and Michael.

Givens graduated as a lawyer from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1949; however, shortly thereafter, he decided to enter politics, running as a municipal school board trustee in 1950. In 1951, he was elected as alderman for Ward 5, serving in this capacity until 1960, when he was subsequently elected as a controller.

Givens was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1962.

Following the sudden death of Mayor David Summerville in 1963, Givens was appointed by City Council as the mayor of Toronto and was officially elected to the position in 1964, winning a close race against Allan Lamport. As mayor, Givens was automatically a member of the Metropolitan Toronto Executive and Council, the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission, the Consumer’s Gas Company Executive, the Toronto Hydro Commission and the governing boards of Toronto’s major hospitals.

Givens was publicly seen as an affable and populist mayor, but his tenure was not without controversy. His support for the construction of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and his decision to acquire Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture The Archer for the new Nathan Phillips Square were both highly controversial during his term in office. In particular, the Moore sculpture sparked intense controversy and public debate amongst council members and citizens alike, because traditional and representational public art pieces were the norm in Toronto at the time and The Archer sculpture was considered expensive, bold, and unrelatable. The controversy surrounding the statue’s purchase was still partly to blame for Givens’ 1966 election defeat to William Dennison. Ultimately, the sculpture was purchased with privately solicited donations and has become one of Toronto’s beloved and recognized landmarks.

Givens ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1957 and 1958 federal elections but was defeated in his bid to become member of Parliament for Spadina. In 1967, Givens entered national politics for the second time, winning a seat as a Liberal in Toronto’s York West riding. In 1971, he stepped down before the end of his term to campaign for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Again, running under the Liberal banner, Givens won his seat in York-Forest Hill. In the 1975 provincial election, he was re-elected as a member of Provincial Parliament in the Armourdale constituency.

In 1977, Givens retired from politics and was appointed as a provincial court judge and chair of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission, serving in both capacities until 1985, when he left the Commission but continued in the judiciary as a civil trial judge until officially retired from public life in 1988.

In addition to his political career, Givens also worked briefly as a current affairs commentator for local radio broadcaster CHUM 1050 AM.

Givens was an ardent Zionist and a prominent leader of several Jewish communal organizations. He was the founder and first president of the Upper Canada Lodge of B’nai Brith and sat on the executives of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the United Jewish Welfare Fund, the Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim, the Zionist Organization of Canada, the Toronto Zionist Council, Jewish National Fund, State of Israel Bonds, and the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. He was chair of the United Israel Appeal-Israel Emergency Fund in 1967 and the United Jewish Appeal-Israel Special Fund in 1968. From 1973 to 1985, he was the national president of the Canadian Zionist Federation. In the 1990s, he served as the national chairman of the Committee for Yiddish of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

Givens was the honouree of the Jewish National Fund’s Negev Dinner in 1968. He received the Human Relations Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews in 1969 and the Award of Honour from the Toronto Regional Council of B’nai Brith in 1972.

Givens was also known to be a passionate sailor and was a member of both the Royal Canadian and the Island Yacht Clubs in Toronto.

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of Phil Givens until they were donated to the Archives in September 1990 by his wife.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting the personal, professional and communal activities of Phil Givens. The bulk of the material is graphic and most of the photographs relate to his tenure as Mayor of Toronto and to his Jewish communal work. The records also include general correspondence, speeches, campaign material, scrapbooks, cartoons, certificates and awards, biographical writings, audio and visual materials and artifacts. The records have been arranged into nine series representing Givens’ various roles and activities and have been described to the file level and item level when necessary. These series are: 1. Personal life; 2. City of Toronto Alderman; 3. City of Toronto Controller; 4. City of Toronto Mayor; 5. Metropolitan Toronto Police Commissioner; 6. Provincial politics; 7. National politics; 8. Legal career; 9. Jewish communal service.

Notes

Physical Description Note: Includes ca. 915 photographs, 14 drawings, 1 print, 1 presentation piece, 27 objects, 4 DVD’s, 4 videocassettes and 1 audiocassette.

Physical Extent Note: Fonds was reduced from 5.5 m of records to 2.6 m of records. Please see accession record for further details regarding the records that were culled.

General Note: Previously cited as MG6 B

Associated material note: City of Toronto Archives: “Philip Givens fonds” (fonds 1301) and Series 363, Sub-series 2 “Mayor' Office journals” (fonds 200). Library and Archives Canada: “Correspondence and subjects” series (R4942-1-1-E) in the Stuart E. Rosenberg fonds (R4942-0-X-E); Henry S. Rosenberg fonds (R3946-0-9-E); Jewish National Fund of Canada fonds (R4347-0-1-E), “Subject series: Givens, Judge Philip G. – Toronto” (R4347-7-4-E); “Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports” series (MG31-H67), Zdzislaw Przygoda fonds (R6257-0-0-E) [Sir Casimir Gzowski monument committee records –chaired by Phil Givens]; B'nai Brith Canada fonds (R6348-0-9-E); Canadian Zionist Federation fonds (R9377-0-6-E).

Name Access

Givens, Phillip, 1922-1995

Givens (nee Rubin), Min

Subjects

Law

Politicians

Related Material

See Fonds 2: Benjamin Dunkelman fonds

See Fonds 18: Gordon Mendly fonds

See Fonds 28: Zionist Organization of Canada fonds

See Fonds 37: Gilbert Studios fonds (Negev dinners series, Zionist Building series, Portraits series).

Creator

Givens, Philip, 1922-1995

Accession Number

1990-9-7

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Bella Diamant fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

117

Item

12

Material Format

textual record

Date

12 Jan. 1939

Physical Description

1 postcard

Scope and Content

This item consists of a postcard. The postcard was written in Polish and Yiddish to Bella from her sister Esther and an unknown author, presumably Bella's father, in Poland. Included is a hand-written translation of the Polish part of the letter.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Rabbi Yehuda Leib Graubart fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

42

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

1884-1974

Physical Description

21 cm of textual records

3 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 or smaller

Admin History/Bio

Rabbi Yehuda Leib Graubart (1862–1937) was chief rabbi to Toronto's Polish Jews, director of Eitz Chaim Talmud Torah, and a leading spokesman for Orthodox Jewry during the 1920s and 1930s. Rabbi Graubart was born in Poland, the descendant of a prominent rabbinical family. He was a noted rabbi and posek (legal decisor) in Poland, St. Louis (USA), and, later, Toronto. In Poland, he served in Stashov, the district from which most of Toronto's Polish Jews had emigrated. He was renowned for his religious knowledge and published works and for his efforts in creating rabbinical associations throughout Poland and Russia. He was also an enthusiastic Zionist.

On 18 August 1920, Rabbi Graubart became the communal rabbi of Toronto's Polish Jews, succeeding Rabbi Judah Rosenberg. He soon took charge of the Eitz Chaim Talmud Torah, and, in 1922, he formed a yeshivah called Shaarei Torah. He was the recognized authority for Polish-Jewish congregations on the supervision of kosher food production, which involved him in ongoing disputes with other Toronto rabbis of the time, including Rabbis Jacob Gordon and Joseph Weinreb.

Rabbi Graubart developed the first communal eruv in Toronto, enabling Jews to carry or move items outdoors on the Sabbath. He launched a campaign against Sabbath violation, publishing notices and holding open-air sermons in Kensington Market, urging Jewish workers and manufacturers not to work on Saturday. He also approached unions urging them to let their employees off for holy days. He was also a spokesman for Mizrachi, the movement of religious Zionists.

Toward the end of his life, Rabbi Graubart withdrew from communal work and concentrated almost exclusively on his writings and the study of rabbinic literature. He was renowned internationally as a scholar and authority in his field. He wrote an autobiography entitled "Book of Memoirs." Rabbi Graubart was married to Esther Graubart (née Liebschuetz), and they had three children: David, Hinda, and Deborah.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of Rabbi Graubart's marriage registers and certificates, personal and professional correspondence, articles, speeches, sermons, photographs, copies of the introductions to "Chavalim Ba-Ne'Imim" in Hebrew and English, and other personal and family documents.

Notes

ACCESS RESTRICTION NOTE: Rabbi Graubart's marriage registers and certificates post-1937 are closed in accordance with the OJA's privacy policy. Pre-1937 records are open and can be consulted.

Name Access

Graubart, Yehuda Leib, 1862-1937

Subjects

Orthodox Judaism

Rabbis

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.

Physical Condition

Many of the records are in very fragile condition.

Related Material

See also Photo #3413 and the Ontario Jewish Archives' news clippings file under "Graubart, Rabbi Yehuda Leib"

Creator

Graubart, Yehuda Leib, 1862-1937

Accession Number

1990-5-1

1992-8-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 

Part Of

Scheuer family fonds

Level

File

Fonds

47

File

2

Material Format

textual record

Date

1915-1933

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of a copy of the Text Book of the Toronto Jewish Free School, written and published in Toronto by Edmund Scheuer in 1915. It was printed by the Traders Printing and Stationery Company. The book has been inscribed "Souvenir of Edmund Scheuer Sept. 1933" on the inside front cover.

The book contains prayers, songs and hymns, information on Jewish holidays, and a chronology of important dates in Jewish history.

Accession Number

2004-7-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds

United Jewish Relief Agencies, Toronto (UJRA) series

Level

Series

Fonds

17

Series

4

Material Format

textual record

Date

1938-1974

Physical Description

6 m of textual records

Admin History/Bio

The United Jewish Refugee and War Relief Agencies (UJR&WRA) was formed on October 26, 1939 with the assistance of Samuel Bronfman. It was spurred by the persecution of Jews in Europe. In 1938 Canadian Jewish Congress had formed the Canadian Coordinating Committee for Refugees. This committee was extended in 1939 to form the UJR&WRA, joining with the Canadian Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT Federation), the Federation of Polish Jews, the Jewish Peoples’ Relief Committee, and the Joint Distribution Committee. The UJR&WRA facilitated the entry into Canada of as many refugees as possible and provided assistance to those admitted. After the war came a massive effort to assist the millions of Displaced Persons in Europe, as the UJR&WRA provided food, medical care and rehabilitation services and assisted people emigrating to Israel and Canada. Following the war, the name of the organization was changed to the United Jewish Relief Agencies (UJRA).

The UJRA operated as “an arm of Congress,” sharing a President and Director, submitting its budget to Congress’s Executive Committee, yet remaining an autonomous arms-length agency since its function was to oversee organizations rather than carry out the actual work, as other Congress committees did. Its role in the 1940s and 1950s was to coordinate the myriad agencies in Ontario involved in immigrant assistance, including the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society, Jewish Vocational Service, Jewish Child and Family Service, Mothers and Babes Rest Home, Young Men’s Hebrew Association, and United Restitution Organization. Though many of its committees were temporary in nature, others, such as the Loan Committee (whose cases were later taken over by the Toronto Jewish Free Loan Cassa), evolved into bodies that became independent of Congress but continued to carry out their functions.

In 1967 the UJRA was incorporated with recognized status as a charitable organization whose main purpose was relief of poverty. By this time the organization's aid activities in Israel were extensive, including support for homes for the aged, technical and vocational training for newcomers, and hospitals. In Canada, UJRA continued to provide assistance to new immigrants, including the continuing loan program. A national Board of Directors worked in tandem with a committee of Canadians in Israel to manage, control and supervise the UJRA's activities and projects.

Scope and Content

Series consists of administrative and committee records of the United Jewish Relief Agencies in Toronto, spanning the years 1938 through 1974. Records include minutes, correspondence, reports, case files, agendas, notices of meetings, subject files, lists, and administrative forms. The series is arranged into 12 sub-series: 1-CJC Committee for Refugees (the precursor to UJRA); 2-Executive Committee; 3-Administrative and subject files; 4-Administrative committees; 5-Housing Committee; 6-Loan Committee; 7-European Youth Scholarship Committee; 8-Collections Committee; 9-Committee on Deportations; 10-Restitution Claims Committee; 11-Refugee case files; and 12-Immigration and Location Service case files.

Access Restriction

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

Arrangement

The series has been re-arranged by the archivist from former Record Groups 201, 286, 292, 293, 294, 295 and 296.

Source

Archival Descriptions