Part Of

Zionist Organization of Canada fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

28

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

moving images

Date

1908-1979, predominant 1955-1976

Physical Description

7.4 m of textual records and other material

Admin History/Bio

The Zionist Organization of Canada (ZOC) (1921-1978) acted as the official voice of Zionism in Canada, promoting the aims of Zionism in communities across the country. The ZOC adhered to the principles of the Jerusalem Program of the Zionist movement founded by Theodor Herzl in 1898 during the First Zionist Congress held in Basle Switzerland. These principles included: 1) the promotion of immigration to Israel; 2) raising funds to carry out the aims of Zionism; 3) encouraging investment in Israel; 4) fostering Jewish consciousness; and 5) mobilizing public opinion about Israel and the Jewish communities of the Diaspora.

The Federation of Zionist Societies of Canada (FZSOC) was founded in 1898 as the national collective of groups representing Zionist interests in Canada. In 1921 the organization changed its name and was incorporated as the Zionist Organization of Canada, becoming the primary umbrella organization for Zionist groups in Canada.

The ZOC was a broad-based organization that embraced an ideology of nationhood which attracted influential national leaders within the Jewish community as well as thousands of members across the country. ZOC's main office was located in Montreal until 1970, when it moved to the Toronto Zionist Centre on Marlee Ave, Toronto. ZOC provided smaller communities, which had few institutional supports, with vital linkages to the metropolitan centres through their programs that were run out of the regional offices and local Zionist councils. The Zionist Organization of Canada operated as an umbrella group that oversaw Zionist funds and administered the budgets of such organizations as Canadian Hadassah-WIZO, the Men's Zionist Organization of Canada and Young Judaea. ZOC programs promoted a stronger Jewish identity amongst Canadian Jews and familiarity with Hebrew through the periodical, Canadian Zionist. These programs included book clubs, lunch clubs, film exhibits, youth camps, travel offices, and two television programs during the 1970s on cable television in Montreal and Toronto.

In 1967, ZOC became a constituent member of the new Federated Zionist Organization of Canada (FZOC), along with Canadian Hadassah-WIZO, the Labour Zionist Movement of Canada, Mizrachi Hapoel Hamizrachi Organization of Canada, Zionist Revisionist Organization of Canada, Achdut Avoda, and Friends of Pioneering Israel (Mapam). In 1972, FZOC became the Canadian Zionist Federation (CZF). During the 1970s, ZOC's functions were gradually absorbed by the Canadian Zionist Federation, the CZF Central Region based in Toronto, and by the Toronto Zionist Council. By 1978, the Zionist Organization of Canada had ceased to function as an organization.

Scope and Content

The Zionist Organization of Canada (ZOC) records span a 70 year period between 1908, with the formation of the Toronto Zionist Council (and its affiliated corporation, the United Zionists of Toronto) and the creation of the Zionist Organization of Canada in 1921, until 1978. The bulk of the records in the fonds were created after 1950.

The fonds is organized into two sous-fonds and eight record series. The sous-fonds contain records of the ZOC Central Region and the Toronto Zionist Council, which exercised considerable autonomy in their work under the ZOC umbrella. The record series include records relating to: ZOC's executive bodies, the National Administrative Council and Executive Board, and their predecessor, the Executive Committee of the Federation of Zionist Societies of Canada (1919-1976); the National Camps Association, responsible for overseeing the administration of summer camps owned by ZOC (1961-1968); Canadian Young Judaea, the youth wing of ZOC which was also responsible for the operation of ZOC summer camps (1957-1978); the ZOC Department of Education and Culture's cable television programme, Shalom (1971-1977); ZOC national conventions (1946-1975); the Federated Zionist Organization of Canada, of which ZOC became a member organization on its formation in 1967 (1972-1978); and the 28th World Zionist Congress held in 1972. The fonds also includes a series of subject files, the primary recordkeeping system for ZOC's administration, and a series of photographs of prominant persons and events maintained by ZOC for its public relations work.

Notes

Physical description note: Includes: ca. 1100 photographs (b&w and col.; some negatives), 24 embossed prints, 3 film reels (col., Super 8 mm), and 1 videocassette (col., VHS).

Associated material note: Additional records of the Zionist Organization of Canada can be found at the Canadian Jewish Congress National Archives (Montreal), Library & Archives Canada (Ottawa), and the World Zionist Organization's Central Zionist Archives (Jerusalem)

Name Access

Zionist Organization of Canada

Subjects

Zionism

Access Restriction

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

Creator

Zionist Organization of Canada (1921-1978)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2013-2-3

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

20 cm of textual records

ca. 100 photographs

Date

[190-]-2012

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to three generations of the Ladovsky family and their restaurant, the United Bakers Dairy Restaurant. Also included is a small amount of material related to Jewish organizations in Toronto, such as the Kieltzer Society and B'nai Brith, as well as the Bakery and Confectionary Union. Records include family and business photographs, correspondence, newsclippings, UB menus and other ephemera, and records related to family simchas and celebrations.

Custodial History

The records were created and accumulated by Aaron Ladovsky, Herman Ladovsky and Ruthie Ladovsky.

Administrative History

Aaron Ladovsky was born in 1888 in Kielce, Poland. He immigrated with his wife Sarah to Toronto in 1906 at the age of 18. Soon after arriving, Aaron Ladovsky worked to help form a Jewish bakers’ union to advocate for collective rights among Jewish Bakers. In 1912 he opened the United Bakers Dairy Restaurant at Dundas and Bay Streets (known then as Agnes and Terauley Streets respectively) in the heart of the Ward. That same year, the couple had twin sons Herman and Samuel, who were born on September 23, 1912.

Only a short time later, in 1920, Aaron moved the location of his restaurant to 338 Spadina Avenue, just north of Dundas. He and his family lived in an apartment upstairs. Herman and Samuel attended Hester How Elementary School until 1919, Lord Lansdowne Public School once the family moved to Spadina, and later Central Commerce. The twins worked in the family business in the 1920s delivering fresh breads and buns by horse cart.

Aaron Ladovsky was involved in a number of community organizations. He was instrumental in founding the Kieltzer Society of Toronto in 1913; a community based immigrant-aid association extending aid to Kielcers in Poland and around the world. Ladovsky remained an active member of the organization until his death on April 5, 1960 . His restaurant provided a welcome gathering place for the Jewish community, serving traditional dishes and maintaining a friendly open-door policy. Aaron Ladovsky was known for his generosity and claimed that no one, whether they had money or not, left his restaurant hungry. The United Bakers' menu was mainly based on Sarah’s original recipes, and continues to be so to this day.

During the Second World War, Herman served overseas as an electrician in the Canadian army show with comics Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. After returning from the war, he married Dora Macklin in 1947, a registered nurse from Regina. He also began to take over management of the family business. Later, his son Philip and daughter Ruth would follow in his footsteps, helping to run the restaurant with him and later taking over managment. United Bakers remained on Spadina Avenue for 66 years – until 1986 when it moved to its current location at 506 Lawrence Avenue West, off of Bathurst Street. Herman was an active fixture in restaurant until his death on January 6, 2002. He also supported and was involved in the work of the Ontario Jewish Archives over the years. Today, Philip and Ruth carry on the family tradition of running United Bakers Dairy Restaurant.

Descriptive Notes

To be integrated into the Ladovsky family fonds 83.

Subjects

Families

Restaurants

Name Access

Ladovsky, Herman

Ladovsky, Aaron

United Bakers Dairy Restaurant (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Level

Item

Item

1511

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[between 1930 and 1935]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)

Scope and Content

Item is a photo of the Kieltzer Sick Benifit Society. Pictured in the back row from left to right are: Gordon Mendly (1902-1998); [unknown]; Avrum Urman (?-1967) (president of Bakers' Union); Nathan (?) Rotfoge (?- 1964); Avromele Stancer (bakery on College St.); Getzel Tannenbaum (recording secretary); [?] Sugar (Sugar Bros. Tailors, College St.).

Seated left to right: Dovid Levy (worked at Eaton's); Aaron Ladovsky (United Bakers, called "Tate Fun Keltzer"); Noson Yasne (president); [?] Bader (vice-president); [unknown].

Notes

Photo by Famous Studios.

Name Access

Bader

Eaton's

Kieltzer Sick Benefit Society

Ladovsky, Aaron

Levy, Dovid

Mendly, Gordon, 1904-1998

Rotfogel

Stancer, Avromele

Sugar Bros. Tailors

Tannenbaum, Getzel

Urman, Avrum

United Bakers

Yasne, Noson

Subjects

Societies

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

College Street (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

1978-3-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

21

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1933]

Physical Description

4 photographs : b&w (2 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm

Admin History/Bio

The Toronto Kielcer Maccabees Football and Sports Club was established following the First World War by Kielce landsmen in Toronto.

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of the Toronto Kielcer Maccabees taken by photographer Gordon Mendly. Aaron Ladovsky is in the second row, fourth from right. Fishel Bimko is also in the second row, third from left.

Notes

Photo by Famous Studios, Toronto.

The photograph was published in the Canadian Jewish News on September 23, 1987.

Originally cited as photo # 4503 (original) and photo # 6224 ( reference copy).

Name Access

Ladowksy, Aaron

Ladovsky, Aaron

Bimko, Fischel

Toronto Kielcer Maccabees Football and Sports Club

Subjects

Sports teams

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

1988-4-12

1999-11-4

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Harold S. Kaplan fonds

Architectural projects series

Level

File

Fonds

27

Series

1

File

17

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[1939?]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm

Scope and Content

2 exterior shots of theatre marquee, one at night and the second in daylight.

Notes

Title and creation date based on content of the photographs and Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996).

Photographers: Robertson-Steele.

Name Access

Robertson-Steele

Subjects

Theaters

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

A section of one of the photographs is missing.

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Accession Number

2003-6-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Harold S. Kaplan fonds

Architectural projects series

Level

File

Fonds

27

Series

1

File

18

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[1939?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 26 x 21 cm

Scope and Content

Exterior shot of theatre marquee.

Notes

Title and creation date based on content of the photograph and Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996).

Photographers: Robertson-Steele.

Name Access

Robertson-Steele

Subjects

Theaters

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

2003-6-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Harold S. Kaplan fonds

Architectural projects series

Level

File

Fonds

27

Series

1

File

20

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[1939?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 26 x 21 cm

Admin History/Bio

Mandel Sprachman's published Inventory of Kaplan & Sprachman theatre projects (Historic Theatres' Trust Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1996) states that Kaplan & Sprachman renovated the Pylon in 1944. The probable creation date is based on the release date for the advertised movies. John Sebert's book, The "nabes", states that the Pylon was built in 1939 and designed by the architect Ben Swartz.

Scope and Content

Exterior shot of the theatre marquee.

Notes

Title and creation date based on content of the photograph and an inscription.

Photographers: Robertson-Steele.

Name Access

Robertson-Steele

Kaplan & Sprachman (Firm)

Kaplan, Harold S., 1895-1973

Subjects

Theaters

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

2003-6-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Rose Dunkelman fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

39

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

1896-1979

Physical Description

30 cm of textual records

28 photographs : b&w (11 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

2 scrapbooks

Admin History/Bio

Rose Dunkelman (1889–1949) was born Rose Miller in Philadelphia to Harry Miller and Dora Miller (née Belkin). At the age of thirteen, she moved to Toronto where she received her education and where she resided with her family until her death in 1949 at the age of fifty-nine. Rose Dunkelman devoted her life to helping the less fortunate, particularly children and orphans, and to championing the cause of Zionism at home and abroad. She was internationally known and respected for her philanthropic work and for her knowledge of, and dedication to, Zionist causes. She was a leader in the Canadian-Jewish community for more than thirty years.

On 19 January 1910, she married David Dunkelman (1883–1978), founder and president of Tip Top Tailors Ltd. The couple had six children: Joseph, Ernest, Benajamin, Theodora, Veronica (Annenberg) (Ourisman), and Zelda (Wilner).

Rose was a founding member of the Zionist Organization of Canada, vice-president of the Ontario Zionist Region, and founded and chaired the Canadian branch of Youth Aliyah in 1933. For over twenty-five years, Rose held various positions within the Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada, including president of the Toronto Council of Hadassah (1921), honorary president on the executive board (1938–40), joint chair of the war effort (1941), president of the Hadassah Organization of Canada Central Chapter of Toronto (1937–8, 1945-6), and honorary national vice-president. Rose also founded the Hadassah Bazaar in 1924. There is currently a Canadian Hadassah day care centre in Neve Sharett that is named in her honour, as well as the Rose Dunkelman Memorial Community Center in Hadassim erected in 1950 in her memory.

In 1930, prompted by the 1929 attack on Jews at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and in Hebron, Rose and David Dunkelman founded the magazine the Jewish Standard as a Zionist forum for the English-speaking Jewish population of Canada. She was the periodical's first publisher and managing editor.

After the First World War, Rose worked as an officer with the Canadian Red Cross, bringing war orphans to Canada from eastern Europe, for which she was presented with the Coronation Medal by King George VI in 1937. She was also active in the rehabilitation of First World War veterans.

During the Second World War, as chair of Ontario Youth Aliyah, Rose helped rescue children from Nazi persecution at Auschwitz, Treblinka, Buchenwald, and Dachau concentration camps and helped secure their passage to and resettlement in Palestine. Dunkelman held leadership positions in many domestic and international Jewish and Zionist programs and projects—many focused on the welfare of Jewish children—including the Jewish National Fund, Karen Hayesod, Karen Kayemeth, Young Judaea, the Toronto Hebrew Free Schools, and the YM-YWHA. She also served on the Canadian Family Allowance Board after the Second World War.

After a lengthy illness, Rose died on 20 October 1949 in Toronto at the age of fifty-nine. She was buried at Goel Tzedec's cemetery on Dawes Road and was later re-interred in Israel's national cemetery at Degania on 14 January 1953, as she requested in her will.

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of personal and business correspondence, family letters, newsclippings, event invitations, articles, two scrapbook albums and other textual material relating to Dunkelman's death and re-interment in Israel, her philanthropic activities with Hadassah and Youth Aliyah, and her business activities with the Jewish Standard.

One scrapbook contains a testimonial certificate presented to Rose by Toronto Hadassah on her recovery from ill health (1926), while the other was presented to her by Toronto Hadassah on the occasion of her 57th birthday in 1946. This scrapbook contains photographs of the banquet along with several pages of signatures from members of local Hadassah chapters.

The photographs include: Rose Dunkelman's re-interment in Israel (1953), a birthday banquet for Rose hosted by Hadassah (date uncertain), a portrait of Rose as a young woman (ca. 1905), David Dunkelman as a young boy in Brooklyn, NY (1896), the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto) extension (1966), a portrait of Benjamin Dunkelman in Israel (1953), and one photograph of Rose Dunkelman with Mrs. Sara Delano Roosevelt (1941).

Name Access

Cohen, Israel

Dunkelman, Ben, 1913-1997

Dunkelman, David

Dunkelman, Ernest

Dunkelman, Rose, 1889-1949

Dunkelman, Theodore

Dunkelman, Veronica

Dunkelman, Zelda

Dunkelman, Joseph

Family Allowance Board

Goel Tzedec Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)

Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada

Hebrew Free Schools

Jewish Federated Charities

Jewish National Fund

Jewish Standard

Karen Hayesod

Karen Kayemeth

Red Cross

Steinglass, Meyer F.

Tip Top Tailors

Weisgal, Meyer

YM-YWHA

Zionist Organization of Canada

Subjects

Businesspeople

Philanthropists

Zionists

Physical Condition

Some of the documents are very brittle.

Related Material

Ben Dunkelman fonds 2: (accession 2000-3-4)

Ben Dunkelman accession: 1978-6-6

Zionist Organization of Canada fonds 28, series 6, file 27

photo #4690

Hadassah accession: 1978-1-2, 1984-12-3, 2003-3-1, MG2 J1I

The Jewish Standard: MG9

Creator

Dunkelman, Rose, 1889-1949

Accession Number

1988-5-8

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

John J.Glass fonds

Documents series

Level

File

Fonds

109

Series

2

File

31

Material Format

textual record

Date

1937-1952

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of material pertaining to the Zionist Organization of Canada and associated organizations such as the Toronto Zionist Council, Arbeiter Ring, Jewish National Fund, Habonim, Hadassah and Junior Hadassah, and the Hebrew Liberal Club. Many of these organizations were housed in the Zionist Building at 651 Spadina Avenue.

Included are correspondence with the Zionist Institute on Beverley Street, the Toronto Zionist Council regarding insurance matters for the Spadina building, the Zionist Council of Canada tax filing with the provincial secretary, and letters patent reincorporating the Toronto Zionist Council. As well there are minutes of the Toronto Zionist Council executive and a list of officers of that organization, as well as a memoranda submitted by the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Zionist Organization of Canada to a United Nations conference in San Francisco.

Name Access

Canadian Jewish Congress

Toronto Zionist Council

Zionist Organization of Canada

Physical Condition

Some of the docments are in poor condition and are housed in plastic.

Source

Archival Descriptions