Accession Number

2004-5-24

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

76 photographs : b&w (3 negatives) ; 13 x 18 cm or smaller

Date

[ca. 1960]-[ca.1980]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of photographs documenting the Jewish community of Hamilton, Ontario. They include portraits of individuals, group and committee activities, a sculpture, and scenes from a "peaceful protest for Russian Jews."

Subjects

Communities

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2009-3-5

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

1980

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a report prepared by JIAS Canada detailing the situation of recent immigrant arrivals to various small communities in Ontario. The communities discussed are Cambridge, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Ottawa, St. Catharines and Windsor.

Custodial History

The custodial history for this item is unknown. The accession number has been assigned by the assistant archivist.

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Communities

Name Access

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Cambridge (Ont.)

Hamilton (Ont.)

Kitchener (Ont.)

London (Ont.)

Ottawa (Ont.)

St. Catharines (Ont.)

Windsor (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

William Stern fonds

Hamilton Jewish community photographs series

Level

Series

Fonds

33

Series

3

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[194-]-1984

Physical Description

96 photographs : b&w and col. (10 negatives) ; 21 x 26 or smaller

Admin History/Bio

Bill Stern was the director of activities for the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre (JCC) from 1956-1960. He was the director of the JCC from 1963-1964 and then executive director of the Hamilton Council of Jewish Organizations (CJO) from 1964-1973.

He arrived in Hamilton as a graduate in social work, specializing in group work and camping activities. He played a major role in developing the Hamilton Jubilee Club, a senior day centre, kosher meals-on-wheels, an expanded camping program, and the Hamilton Council of Jewish Education. He was responsible for the separation of the JCC and the CJO, and the establishment of the CJO's successor, the Hamilton Jewish Federation.

Scope and Content

This series consists of photographs of the Hamilton Jewish community, taken during Bill Stern's professional involvement with the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre and the Hamilton Council of Jewish Organizations. There are also a few images that Bill had acquired that were taken shortly before his arrival and shortly after his departure.

The images depict various Hamilton community members, as well as CJO and community centre events and meetings. They have been arranged chronologically and described at the file and item level.

Subjects

Communities

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Accession Number

2004-5-96

2004-5-135

2005-5-2

2006-2-8

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Hoffman family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

6

Material Format

textual record

architectural drawing

moving images

Date

1946-1981

Physical Description

17 cm of textual records

10 architectural drawings

ca. 9 film reels : 16 mm

Admin History/Bio

Max and Celia Hoffman were married in 1958 in Hamilton and had two sons. Max was the owner of Hamilton Plumbing and Heating Supplies. Both were active in a number of Jewish community organizations in Hamilton such as the Council of Jewish Organizations, Adas Israel synagogue and the Union of Jewish Congregations of America, Ontario Region. They were also involved in fundraising on behalf of Yeshiva University, which is located in New York City. Max Hoffman died in 1964 and Celia moved to Toronto in 1966 when she married Sol Edell.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of correspondence, ledgers, publications, home movies and architectural drawings relating to the family life, business and community activities of Max and Celia Hoffman. There are three series: Business Series, Community Activities Series and Personal Series.

Name Access

Adas Israel Congregation (Hamilton, Ont.)

Council of Jewish Organizations

Federation

Hoffman (family)

Subjects

Families

Creator

Hoffman family

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Accession Number

2002-12-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2012-6-7

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

58 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 25 cm or smaller

Date

[190-]-2003

Scope and Content

Accession consists of original and photocopies of photographs related to the Lyons, Agranove, Rotenberg, Pollock families from Toronto and Hamilton. Included are family portraits, wedding portraits, the family likely at community events, and a photo of the family at Crystal Beach. There is also a photocopy of a story in the Canadian Jewish News about a Rotenberg family reunion in 2003.

Administrative History

William Agranove was active in Keiltzer Society and was in the furniture manufacturing business. He was also a major fundraiser for the UJA, a close friend of Sam Kronick. He is mentioned in Hesh Troper's book "None is Too Many" as helping Jews come to Toronto from Europe.

Rotenberg Family were a large family with 10 children. Saul Rotenberg raised horses and was partners with Lyons in the furniture business that had many locations, one on Yonge Street.

Descriptive Notes

Donor's cousin Judy will be in touch with OJA to provide more information.

Subjects

Families

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2016-6-2

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

architectural drawing

Physical Description

30 cm of textual records

2 photographs : b&w ; 35 x 28 cm and 35 x 21 cm

5 architectural drawings : blueprint, blackline and pencil

Date

1921-1988, predominant 1944-1954

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting the community involvement of Aaron Shiffman and his father Hymie Shiffman. The bulk of the records relate to Hamilton's Grand Order of Israel, the first GOI lodge organized in Canada. These records include meeting minutes and agendas, bulletins, card notices sent out to the membership, membership applications, correspondence sent and received, financial reports, resolutions, membership and attendance lists, doctor's certificates for membership, installation ritual procedural manuals, the constitution and by-laws, a financial ledger book for the GOI cemetery board, and cemetery plans for the GOI cemeteries in Burlington.

Also included are various records related to the Jewish community of Hamilton and its institutions, as well as items collected by Aaron Shiffman. This includes dedication books for the Jacob N. Goldblatt Memorial Building Hamilton Jewish Community Centre, and for the Temple Anshe Sholom Synagogue; Hamilton Hadassah yearbooks for 1947 and 1948; reports and meeting minutes of the Council of Jewish Organizations (Hamilton); meeting minutes of the Agudas Achim Anshe Sfard Congregation (Hamilton); a Prayer and Thanksgiving pamphlet on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II; an H. Shiffman business card; a McCaul Street Synagogue (Toronto) book of remembrance; Second World War food and gasoline ration books; a Beth Jacob Synagogue tour pamphlet (Hamilton); records related to the marriage of Bessie Kramer to Jack Gold and the naturalization of her father, Koppel Kreimer; poetry in Yiddish written by an unknown author; a printed card of the Israeli National Anthem; a Beth David cemetery map; a Jewish National Worker's Alliance payment reminder notice; and a 1940 letter written in French by a man named Elio to a woman named Chaindel asking her to intervene on his behalf. The author of the letter may be in a prison camp.

Finally, there are two photographs: a group photo of an Adas Israel Loan Society banquet and an unidentified photograph of a celebratory parade, (perhaps for the Balfour declaration) taken at an unknown location.

Administrative History

Aaron Shiffman (1930-) was born in Hamilton on 6 June 1930 to Hymie and Jenny Shiffman. Hymie immigrated from Poland in 1925, followed by Jenny around 1926. He first worked as a junk peddler. Aaron married Sheila Herzig (16 June 1940, Montreal-14 July 1999, Hamilton) on 2 Sept. 1968. They had three children; Nechemiah, Zev, and Yaffa. Aaron was a bookkeeper by profession and teacher at the Talmud Torah. He held executive positions with a number of organizations including the Grand Order of Israel, Adas Israel Synagogue, the Ohav Zedeck (Hess Street) Synagogue, the Ferguson Avenue Shul, the Chevra Kadisha of Hamilton and region, and the Hamilton Talmud Torah. Sheila was a teacher at the Hamilton Hebrew Academy elementary day school and was on the executive of Emunah Women.

Name Access

Shiffman, Aaron, 1930-2019

Grand Order of Israel (Hamilton, Ont.)

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2017-2-12

Material Format

multiple media

Physical Description

45 cm of textual records and other material

230 photographs : sepia and b&w ; 23 x 30 cm and smaller

8 sound recordings (50 wav files; 1 microcassette)

1 artifact

Date

1937-2004

Scope and Content

Accession consists of textual records, photographs and audio recordings documenting the lives of Dick Steele, his wife Esther, and friend Bill Walsh. The materials are mostly correspondences between Dick and Esther during his internment at the Don Jail and Ontario Reformatory in Guelph, and from Dick and Bill's military service overseas during the Second World War. They also include correspondences between Esther and Bill, Bill and Anne Walsh, "Jack" and Esther, and other family and friends. Some of the letters show evidence of being censored. There are news clippings in English and Yiddish about the family from various newspapers including the Canadian Tribune (a Communist Party paper). There is a letter Esther wrote to campaign for Dick's release from internment, part of women's activism in this period. There is also a photocopy of a memoir written by Moses Kosowatsky and Moses Wolofsky "From the Land of Despair to the Land of Promise" ca. 1930s.

The photographs include Dick and Bill in the army during the Second World War, a signed picture of Tim Buck addressed to Esther and the twins and a photo of Dick delivering a speech related to the Steel Workers. Also included is a recording of edited sound clips of Bill and Esther talking about Dick, Esther speaking about the letters, (how she received letters and flowers from Dick after he had already been killed), Bill reading a letter Dick wrote to Esther that he left with friends in England to send her in the case that he was killed (which he was), recordings of "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2 compiled by Leib Wolofsky's (Bill's nephew), and 5 audio recordings by Adrianna Steele-Card with her grandparents Bill and Esther. There is also a microcassette labelled "Joe Levitt."

The accession also includes the stripe of a German corporal that Bill captured as a prisoner, peace stamps and an early copy of Cy Gonick's A Very Red Life: The Story of Bill Walsh, edited by Bill.

Administrative History

Richard "Dick" Kennilworth Steele is the name adopted by Moses Kosowatsky. He was born in 1909 in Montreal to Samuel Kosowatsky and Fanny Held. He lived in a laneway off Clark Street, below Sherbrooke, where his father collected and recycled bottles. He grew up with his siblings, Joseph, Mortimer, Matthew, Gertrude, and Edward.

Bill Walsh (birth name Moishe Wolofsky) was born in 1910, to Sarah and Herschel Wolofsky, the editor of the Keneder Adler (Montreal's prominent Yiddish newspaper). He attended Baron Byng and then Commercial High School, where he met Dick Steele. Bill recalled that Dick denounced militarism in the school when a teacher tried to recruit students to be cadets.

Bill moved to New York City in 1927. His brother, who was living there, helped him get a job as a messenger on Wall Street. He also worked in the drug department at Macy's while attending courses at Columbia University in the evening. Dick worked on a ship for a year and then joined Bill in New York City in 1928. Dick worked at a chemical plant called Linde Air Products while also studying in the evenings at Columbia University.

In 1931, Dick and Bill boarded a ship together in New York bound for Copenhagen. Together, they travelled across Europe, witnessed a Nazi demonstration in Breslau, Germany, and found work in Minsk and Moscow, Russia. This trip inspired them to become Communists. In 1933, Bill's father was on a Canadian trade mission to Poland, which he left to "rescue" his son from the Bolsheviks. Bill agreed to return to Canada after being advised to do so by the Comintern. He then changed his name to Bill Walsh to protect his family.

In 1934, Bill moved to Toronto. He worked as the educational director for the Industrial Union of Needle Trade Workers and the Communist Party, where he met Esther Slominsky/Silver, the organization's office manager. Dick joined Bill in Toronto soon after. Bill introduced Dick and Esther, who then married. In 1940, Esther gave birth to twin sons, Michael and John Steele. Esther was born in Toronto in 1914 to Joseph Slominsky and Fanny (Blackersany?). Her siblings were Bella, Eileen, Morris, and step-sister Eva. Her father, Joseph, was a cloak maker and Esther also worked in the garment industry. Her mother Fanny passed away in 1920 at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis.

Dick was a metal worker and became a union organizer in the east end of Toronto. He was the head organizer of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee of Canada (SWOC) until 1940, when he was dismissed for being a Communist. Bill helped organize Kitchener's rubber workers into an industrial union and was also an organizer for the United Auto Workers of Windsor, Ontario.

Jack Steele, an alias for Dick's brother Mortimer, fought with the Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Jack Steele was recalled to Canada in October 1937 to rally support for the efforts in Spain, returned to the front in June 1938, and was killed in action in August. Some of Dick's letters to his wife, Esther, are signed "Salud, Jack" and were likely written in 1940 when the Communist Party (CP) was banned by the Canadian government under the War Measures Act.

In November 1941, after Mackenzie King's call for enlistment, Dick wrote to the Department of Justice to ask permission to join the army. He never received a reply. On 1 April 1942, Dick's home was raided and he was interned at the Don Jail until September 1942, when he was moved to the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph. Esther wrote a letter to the minister of justice, Louis St. Laurent, to appeal on his behalf.

Major public campaigning by Communists and the wartime alliance with the USSR after 1941 shifted public opinion toward the CP, and the Canadian government slowly began releasing internees in January 1942. Dick was released in October 1942 and enlisted at the end of the month. Dick died on 17 August 1944 in Normandy, France. He was a tank driver in the Canadian Army.

Bill was similarly arrested in 1941, spending time in jail and then an internment camp with other members of the CP. He joined the Canadian Army in 1943 and fought in Holland and Belgium. Bill was first married to Anne Weir who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1943, just before he enlisted. The family believes this may have been due to drinking unpasteurized milk. Encouraged by Dick Steele to take care of his family should he pass in the war, Bill married Esther Steele in 1946. They had a daughter named Sheri and were members of the United Jewish People's Order. For twenty years, Walsh worked for the Hamilton region of the United Electrical Workers (UE). Bill remained a member of the CP until 1967, when we was expelled for criticizing another union leader. He died in 2004. Esther passed away in 2010 at age ninety-six.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: Library and Archives Canada has the William Walsh fonds and MG 28, ser. I 268, USWA, vol.4, SWOC Correspondence, has various letters from Dick Steele ca. 1938. Museum of Jewish Montreal has an oral history with Leila Mustachi (daughter of Max Wolofsky, Bill's brother) where she speaks about Bill, Dick and Esther. USE CONDITION NOTES: For "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2, some contributors stipulate that recordings are restricted to personal use only and must not be used for any commercial purpose.

Subjects

World War, 1939-1945

Politics and government

Labour and unions

Name Access

Steele, Michael

Steele, Dick

Walsh, Bill

Walsh, Esther Steele

Places

England

Fort William (Ont.)

Germany

Guelph (Ont.)

Hamilton (Ont.)

Montréal (Québec)

Netherlands

Oshawa (Ont.)

Ottawa (Ont.)

Thunder Bay (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2017-9-4

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

38 cm of textual records

6 photographs : b&w and col. ; 10 x 15 cm or smaller

Date

1914-2017

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records relating to labour and the garment industry in Toronto, Montreal, and Hamilton. Newspaper clippings, book chapters, scholarly articles, lecture notes, book reviews, short stories, statistical and demographic records, records relating to Queen's University, and records relating to Beth Israel Congregation in Kingston, Ontario are included. Organizations mentioned are the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA). Some personal family records are also included. Records printed on pink paper are photocopies from the ILGWU and ACWA archives at Cornell University.

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. 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

Labour and unions

Fashion and clothing

Name Access

Tulchinsky, Gerald, 1933-2017

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Montréal (Québec)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2018-11-6

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

4 folders

Date

1949-2015, predominant 1949-1976

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Glen Eker and his family. Included are: birth certificates and an expired passport for Dorothy Horwitz, certificates of marriage (including a ketubah) for Dorothy Eker and Paul Eker, a true copy of a change of name order for Isadore Maxwell Eker/Paul Maxwell Eker, and a Valentine's Day-themed photograph of Glen and Deborah "Debbie" Eker taken on 9 February 2015.

Administrative History

Glen Eker was born in Toronto, Ontario to Paul Eker and Dorothy Horwitz. He grew up in the Forest Hill neighbourhood of Toronto before moving with his family to Hamilton. He received two master’s degrees (one in sociology, the other in political science) from McMaster University and a third master’s degree (in library science) from the University of Toronto.

Glen's wife, Deborah Pekilis, was born in Montreal and lived there until her parents moved to Toronto. She was the librarian for the Jewish Genealogical Society and sat on the Hamilton Historical Board. She is currently a writer.

Glen has worked as a research assistant and a teaching assistant at McMaster and has taught at Ryerson University and Mohawk College. At present, he works as an estate and genealogy researcher.

Glen has published a book on Karl Marx, five indexes of Jews in Canada, and one index of Amish and Mennonites in Canada. His genealogy articles have appeared in various magazines and his short stories and poems have appeared in print as well.

Glen has worked on his family genealogy for a number of years. His paternal family line derives from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland while his maternal line derives from Byelorussia and Romania. He is descended from the Horwitz and Strachman families on the latter.

Subjects

Birth certificates

Families

Marriage records

Name Access

Eker (family)

Eker, Glen

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2019-4-2

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

ca. 3 cm. of textual records 1 photograph

Date

1976-1990

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting Glen Barry Eker. Included are university diplomas including graduation certificates from McMaster University, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Western Ontario. There is also an undated graduation photograph of Mr. Eker and a card given to Dorothy Eker, Glen Eker's mother, by her husband, Paul Eker.

Administrative History

Glen Eker was born in Toronto, Ontario to Paul Eker and Dorothy Horwitz. He grew up in the Forest Hill neighbourhood of Toronto before moving with his family to Hamilton. He received two master’s degrees (one in sociology, the other in political science) from McMaster University and a third master’s degree (in library science) from the University of Toronto.

Glen's wife, Deborah Pekilis, was born in Montreal and lived there until her parents moved to Toronto. She was the librarian for the Jewish Genealogical Society and sat on the Hamilton Historical Board. She is currently a writer.

Glen has worked as a research assistant and a teaching assistant at McMaster and has taught at Ryerson University and Mohawk College. At present, he works as an estate and genealogy researcher.

Glen has published a book on Karl Marx, five indexes of Jews in Canada, and one index of Amish and Mennonites in Canada. His genealogy articles have appeared in various magazines and his short stories and poems have appeared in print as well.

Glen has worked on his family genealogy for a number of years. His paternal family line derives from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland while his maternal line derives from Byelorussia and Romania. He is descended from the Horwitz and Strachman families on the latter.

Subjects

Married people

Portraits

Postsecondary education

Name Access

Eker (family)

Eker, Glen

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

London (Ont.)

Waterloo (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Level

Item

Item

4767

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1986

Physical Description

1 photograph

Name Access

Alexandroff, Joseph

West Toronto

Junction

Hamilton

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Accession Number

1989-3-4

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2021-4-2

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

3.6 m of textual records and graphic material

Date

[195-]-2020

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting Temple Anshe Sholom of Hamilton, Ontario.

Administrative History

In the early 1850s, a small group of German Jewish families settled in the city of Hamilton. In 1853, they banded together to form the Hebrew Benevolent Society Anshe-Sholom of Hamilton. Religious services began in 1856 and in the next year, a half-acre plot was purchased as a cemetery site. On May 5, 1863, a “Body Corporate and Politic under the name of the Jewish Congregation Anshe-Sholom of Hamilton” was formed listing 19 founding members. Early meetings were held in members’ homes, with religious services, at first, largely restricted to the High Holy days. In 1866, a room was rented above a leather goods shop in downtown Hamilton; this was the first formal synagogue location for Temple Anshe Sholom.

Less than 20 years later, a site was chosen and the necessary funds were raised to construct a synagogue. Often referred to as the Hughson Street Temple, this building was dedicated in 1882. It served as the congregation’s home for almost 70 years. Edmund Scheuer, who arrived in Hamilton in 1871, served as president of Anshe Sholom for thirteen years from 1873 to 1886. Scheuer was the founder and first teacher of the religious school. He was an early proponent of interfaith understanding, a value and tradition that Anshe Sholom carries forward to the present day. The congregation pioneered in introducing English into the service, both in prayer and in the sermons, which had previously been given in German. Women no longer sat in a separate gallery; families sat together in pews. Music was introduced, both instrumental and vocal.

In 1870, the Deborah Ladies’ Aid Society (later Deborah Sisterhood) was founded, being the first group of Jewish women organized for charitable purposes in all of Canada. Sisterhood has always been a vital part of Temple Anshe Sholom, involved in numerous humanitarian, educational, charitable and social projects.

The great wave of immigration that swept into Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought many families, mainly Orthodox, to the community. During this period, men and women from Anshe Sholom were instrumental in founding such vital Jewish organizations as the B’nai Brith, Council of Jewish Organizations, Jewish Social Services and the Council of Jewish Women.

After the Second World War, Temple Anshe Sholom became the first synagogue in Hamilton to make the post-war move westward. On April 15, 1951, the sod was turned for the new building and in June of 1952, a dedication weekend saw the scrolls ceremoniously installed in the Ark. Rabbi Maurice N. Eisendrath was on hand to preach the Dedication Sermon. Thirteen years later, the addition that houses the present Reiss-Frank Auditorium, Religious School classrooms, library, youth lounge and offices was erected, more than doubling the size of the building on its present site.

Throughout the years, the following served as spiritual leaders: Wolf Landau, Herman Birkenthal, Joseph Friedlander, Jacob Minkin, Julius Berger, Iser Freund, Arthur A. Feldman, Arthur Lebowitz, Emil Fackenheim, Luitpold Wallach, Bernard Baskin, Irwin Zeplowitz, Phil Cohen and our current rabbi, Jordan D. Cohen (Anshe Sholom’s first Canadian born Rabbi), who began his service to this congregation on January 1, 2007.

At this time, Temple Anshe Sholom is traditional yet innovative in its worship and ritual observance. The congregation is inclusive and embraces diversity. Its core values include education, social justice, egalitarianism, creative expression, congregational participation in prayer and leadership, strong identification with Israel and dynamic, relevant spirituality. The Temple building also serves as home to the Temple Playhouse Multicultural Enrichment School and the Kehila Jewish Community Day School and Les Petites Pommes French School, and hosts many community organizations such as a Storytellers Group, The Shalom Community Teaching Garden, The Asper Foundation Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program, The Mahjong Club, The Hamilton & Area Jewish Genealogical Society, various community meetings and gatherings and several youth arts and activities programs and summer camps.

Temple Anshe Sholom celebrated its 170th anniversary in 2020 as Canada’s first Reform Jewish congregation.

(text taken from https://anshesholom.ca/about-us/our-history, 2023-02-24)

Subjects

Synagogues

Name Access

Temple Anshe Sholom (Hamilton, Ont.)

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2021-11-5

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

19 photographs : b&w and col. ; 44 cm x 32 cm or smaller

Date

1917-1977, 1992, 2013

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records documenting members of the Shekter and Taylor families of Hamilton, Ontario. Included are three Negev Dinner books honouring Jack Taylor, Samuel Taylor, and Franklin Shapiro; news clippings documenting the viewing of the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre featuring Ben Shekter as well as Ben Shekter's obituary; and photographs depicting Ben Shekter, Harry Taylor, Dorothy (Taylor) Shekter, Jeanette Miller, Rebecca Taylor, Sam Taylor, James L. Shekter, and members of the Temple Players at Anshe Sholom Temple in Hamilton. Other locales featured in the photographs are Palm Springs, Hollywood Beach, and Hamilton. Also included are two oversized childhood portraits of Dorothy Taylor (aged approx. 6 years) and Ben Shekter (aged approx. 1 year).

Administrative History

Dorothy Shekter (née Taylor) (1915-2010) was born in 1915 in Hamilton, Ontario, to Max and Rebecca Taylor. Max and Rebecca moved from Russia to Canada in around 1906 and established a grocery business in Hamilton. Rebecca was a community worker; Max served as president of the Hess Street Shule for many years and was president and also one of the founders of the Ohav Zedek Congregation. Dorothy had four brothers: Jack, Lloyd, Harry and Sam, and a cousin Jeanette Miller, who has raised as a sister after being orphaned at age two. Dorothy married her husband Ben Shekter on 30 Aug. 1942. Dorothy was a social worker, having graduated from McMaster University in 1939 and then with her MSW from the University of Toronto in 1941. Dorothy passed away on 9 Feb. 2010.

Ben Shekter (1915-2013) was born on 6 Aug. 1915 in Hamilton, Ontario, to James and Lillian Shekter. He was an activist, a lawyer, a musician, and an advocate. His father owned the Shekter hotel on James St. North in Hamilton. As president of Hamilton Jewish Federation, Ben was committed to the Hamilton Jewish community and contributed to building and developing the Jewish Community Centre in Hamilton. Ben was one of the founding members of the Beverly Golf and Country Club (est. 1957) and was president of the club several times. Later, Ben initiated the plan for establishing Shalom Village, a Jewish seniors' residence and nursing home in Hamilton, and was its first president. In addition, Ben was also a board member of Hamilton Place, chairman of the Council of Jewish Organizations, and was active in the downtown Businessmen's Association. Ben passed away on 4 July 2013.

Jack Taylor, Dorothy's brother, was born on 5 Sept. 1905 in Russia and immigrated to Canada at the age of six months with his parents. He attended Hamilton public schools and Central Collegiate in his early years. From 1926 to 1928, he moved to New York and attended Columbia University studying playwriting and dramatics. Jack married Florence Cohan in 1929 and had a daughter, Shirley. Jack joined the Grand Order of Israel in 1934 and became the Grand Noble Master of the Grand Lodge in 1949 and 1961. He also served as chairman of the Territorial Division of the United Jewish Appeal, Men's Division in the 1950s. In 1956 and 1957, Jack served as president of the Council of Jewish Organizations. In 1963, Jack was president of Viceroy Reading Lodge of B'nai B'rith and also president of the United Hebrew Memorial Chapel. In the same year, after working at Hamilton Auto Parts for nineteen years, Jack established his own business, Taylor Automotive Supplies. In the 1970s, Jack served as vice-president of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) of Hamilton and was the honouree of the 1971 Hamilton Negev Dinner.

Samuel Taylor, Dorothy's brother, was born in 1916. He became a professional musician at age fifteen and continued in music from age eighteen to twenty-six. During the Second World War, Sam served in the Air Force Central Band and began his studies in the accounting field at the same time. In 1948, he graduated as a chartered accountant and opened the firm of Taylor, Leibow Chartered Accountants in 1950. In the same year, Sam married Anne Klein and had two children, Michael and Robin. From 1974 to 1976, Sam served as president of Hamilton JNF. In 1974 and 1975, he served as president of United Jewish Welfare Fund. Besides, Sam was a member of the Board of the Ontario Association of Licensed Trustees in Bankruptcy and a member of Executive Board of United Israel Appeal of Canada. In 1977 he became president of Hamilton Jewish Federation and was the honouree of the 1977 Hamilton Negev Dinner.

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions