- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Level
- Fonds
- Fonds
- 95
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1934-1982
- Physical Description
- 58 cm of textual records
- 125 photographs
- 1 print
- Admin History/Bio
- Dr. Alexander Brown (1909-1984) was a leader in the field of Jewish education in Toronto. He held various positions with Toronto’s Board of Jewish Education (BJE) and the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto, and was actively involved with other Jewish organizations, such as the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) and the United Jewish Welfare Fund (UJWF).
- Brown was born in the Ukraine on 14 February 1909 to Louis and Bessie Brown. The family immigrated to Canada in 1920. Brown attended the Simcoe Street Talmud Torah and studied under Rabbi Jacob Gordon. He continued his education at the Hebrew Theological College of Chicago and returned to Toronto in 1933. Between 1934 and 1936 Brown served as the first executive secretary of the CJC, Central Region. From 1936 to 1937 he was an announcer for the Jewish Radio Hour, where he read the News of the Week. In 1945 he graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA and then again in 1948 with an MA in Oriental languages. Brown was married to Dorothy Mercovitch (1912-2009) of London, Ontario, and together they had two children: Martin and Paul.
- Brown entered the field of Jewish education as the principal of Shaarei Shomayim Hebrew School from 1942 to 1948, as a principal of the AHS of Toronto and as dean of the Midrasha L'Morim. From 1957 to 1964 he worked as a consultant with the BJE in Toronto and then became the BJE's associate director until the early 1980s. He also was a member of the UJWF’s Study Committee on Jewish Education, the National Council of Jewish Education, the Toronto Zionist Council, and the Educational and Cultural Committee of the CJC. In 1969, he received an honourary doctorate in Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois.
- Dr. Brown died on 15 September 1984 at the age of 75.
- Custodial History
- Records were in the possession of Paul Brown, Dr. Brown's son, until their donation to the OJA.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of textual and graphic material documenting the professional activities of Dr. Alexander Brown. The bulk of the material relates to his involvement with the BJE and the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto. Included are meeting notices, agendas, and minutes, reports, studies, speeches, proposals, constitutions, correspondence, financial records, publications, questionnaires, photographs, booklets, articles, biographies, press releases, newspaper clippings, programmes, invitations, flyers, lists, applications, statistics, and a directory.
- Records have been arranged into the following four series: 1. Board of Jewish Education; 2. Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto; 3. United Jewish Welfare Fund Study Committee on Jewish Education; and, 4. Jewish communal activities. Two files are attached directly to the fonds level. Records are described to the file level with a selection of item level descriptions.
- Notes
- Fonds was reduced from approximately 1.2 metres to 0.74 metres. Records that were culled include duplicate or damaged photographs, duplicate graduation programmes and invitations, duplicate UJWF Study Committee Interim reports that are located elsewhere in OJA's holdings, and other duplicated material. Also removed were American and other non-Canadian booklets.
- Photographers and photography studios are identified on the photographs.
- Name Access
- Brown, Alexander, 1909-1984
- Gordon, Jacob, Rabbi
- Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto
- Board of Jewish Education (Toronto, Ont.)
- United Jewish Welfare Fund (Toronto, Ont.)
- Subjects
- Education
- Physical Condition
- The photographs are in poor condition. They have begun to curl and have become stiff from being stored in a dry environment. They should be flattened through humidification and encapsulated in mylar to prevent re-curling.
- Related Material
- See: Oral history interview with Dr. Brown (AC 140), Board of Jewish Education fonds 48, United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds 67, AHS of Toronto MG2 G-1E, accession 1981-11-4, United Synagogue Day School accession 1990-5-2, accession 1991-12-5, and accession 1988-11-3. For photographs of Jewish schools see Gordon Mendly fonds 18, series 3.
- Arrangement
- Arrangement has been created by the archivist since there was no discernable original order.
- Creator
- Brown, Alexander, 1909-1984
- Accession Number
- 2009-7-9
- 2010-12-9
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 95
- File
- 1
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- [ca. 1950]-[ca. 1980]
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of writings and speeches collected or created by Dr. Brown. The bulk of the material is on religious and educational topics, but there is also a biography of Wilferd Gordon, the son of Rabbi Jacob Gordon.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Board of Jewish Education series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 1
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1954-1983
- Physical Description
- 8 cm of textual records
- 4 photographs
- Admin History/Bio
- Established in 1949 as the Bureau of Jewish Education, the Board of Jewish Education (BJE) is the central Jewish agency in Toronto whose mandate is to preserve, enrich, and promote Jewish education in the Greater Toronto area. Its primary tasks are to coordinate and provide leadership in teacher training and professional development, curriculum development, school administration, and inter-school activities, and also to allocate funds to affiliated Jewish schools raised through the annual UJA Federation fundraising campaign.
- The BJE was established following the recommendations of a 1948 study of Jewish education in Toronto undertaken by Dr. Uriah Z. Engelman of the American Association for Jewish Education, and sponsored by the United Jewish Welfare Fund and the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), Central Region. In its constitution, the bureau was described as having the dual characteristics of being an autonomous agency of the UJWF and also as acting for the UJWF in the field of Jewish education. The bureau was governed by a board of governors with representatives from affiliated schools, the UJWF, CJC Central Region, and from the community at large. The inaugural meeting of the board took place on 20 March 1950. The BJE served 21 day and supplementary schools at its founding.
- During the 1950s and early 1960s, the BJE sponsored adult education programs in Toronto through the Institute for Jewish Studies, in collaboration with the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) and CJC. The BJE also provided assistance and advice to the CJC in support of Jewish education in the smaller Jewish communities in Ontario. The BJE's role in adult education diminished significantly after its reorganization in 1968, but this again became a responsibility for the BJE in the late 1990s.
- Although its primary function is to support existing educational institutions, the BJE has also participated in establishing several new institutions in Toronto. In 1953, to meet the need for qualified teachers in affiliated schools, the BJE and CJC Central Region founded a Jewish teachers' seminary (Midrasha L'Morim) in Toronto, which was jointly funded by the BJE and CJC for many years. In 1960, the BJE and UJWF sponsored the establishment of a non-denominational Jewish high school, the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT), with the BJE Executive Director as its director. In 1978, the Orah School for Jewish Children from the Soviet Union was established by the BJE, to meet the special needs of the large numbers of recent immigrants from the Soviet Union.
- Dr. Alexander Brown worked for the BJE for over 20 years. His involvement began in 1957 when he became a consultant to the BJE. In the late 1960s, he became the BJE’s Associate Director, a position he held until the early 1980s. He also served as Dean of the Midrasha L’Morim and was a member of its faculty.
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of textual and graphic material documenting Dr. Alexander Brown's involvement with Toronto's Board of Jewish Education. Included are meeting notices, agendas and minutes, reports, studies, proposals, statistics, financial records, correspondence, programmes, invitations, a news release, flyers, applications, publications, booklets, a directory, lists, and photographs.
- Notes
- Photographers and photography studios are identified on the photographs.
- Related Material
- See also Fonds 48.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Board of Jewish Education series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 1
- File
- 2
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1978-1983
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of slate of officers lists for the Board of Jewish Education.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Board of Jewish Education series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 1
- File
- 7
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1967-1982
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of textual records documenting Dr. Brown's involvement with the Midrasha L'Morim (Toronto Jewish Teacher's Seminary). Included is a report on upgrading the Midrasha and creating a college of Jewish studies, enrolment statistics, a budget, graduation programmes and invitations, correspondence, a news release, a flyer, an admission application, and a list of contacts.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1945-1982
- Physical Description
- 37 cm of textual records
- 84 photographs
- 1 print
- Admin History/Bio
- The non-denominational and Zionist Toronto Hebrew Religious School (the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto ‘s precursor) was established in 1907 to provide Jewish children with a Jewish education based on Torah values. Originally situated on Simcoe Street, the school moved to Brunswick Avenue in 1925. As the Jewish population in the city grew, additional branches of the school were opened throughout the city. Although classes were originally taught five days a week in the evenings, the first day school opened in 1943 with 25 students. The Associated Hebrew Day School expanded in the late 1950s to include a junior high, and in the 1960s the Community Hebrew High School (now TannenbaumCHAT) opened. Dr. Alexander Brown began his career with Associated as the Principal of Shaarei Shomayim Hebrew School from 1942 to 1948. He later served as Principal at Associated.
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of textual and graphic material documenting Dr. Alexander Brown's involvement with the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto. Included are meeting notices, agendas and minutes, reports, speeches, articles, press releases, publications, correspondence, photographs, invitations, programmes, financial records, statistics, lists, constitutions, and educational resources.
- Notes
- Photographers and photography studios are identified on the photographs.
- Name Access
- Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto
- Physical Condition
- Many of the photographs have begun curling along the edges and have become stiff due to poor storage conditions. Some photographs also have had sections cut out of them.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 2
- File
- 53
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- [ca. 1960]-[ca. 1980]
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- United Jewish Welfare Fund Study Committee on Jewish Education series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 3
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1972-[ca. 1980]
- Physical Description
- 4 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of textual records documenting Dr. Alexander Brown's participation on the UJWF's Study Committee on Jewish Education. Included are meeting notices and minutes, correspondence, reports, studies, and questionnaires.
- Related Material
- For other material at the OJA related to the UJWF's Study Committee, please see Fonds 67, series 9-3.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Jewish communal activities series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 4
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1934-1982, predominant 1958-1982
- Physical Description
- 7 cm of textual records
- 37 photographs
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of textual records documenting Dr. Alexander Brown's various Jewish communal activities. Included are meeting minutes, speeches, publications, correspondence, invitations, flyers, photographs, biographies, newspaper clippings, brochures, a list, and a program.
- Notes
- Photographers and photography studios are identified on the photographs.
- Physical Condition
- A number of the photographs are starting to curl along the edges and have become stiff due to poor storage conditions.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Jewish communal activities series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 4
- File
- 9
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1963-1982
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of meeting agendas and minutes, correspondence, newsletters documenting national and regional conferences on Jewish education, and an issue of the Canadian Jewish Congress's Quarterly Report (Vol. 1, no. 2).
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dr. Alexander Brown fonds
- Jewish communal activities series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 95
- Series
- 4
- File
- 15
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 28 May 1972-[ca. 1974]
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Admin History/Bio
- Phyllis Gordon Solomon was the daughter of Wilferd and Balfoura Gordon and granddaughter of Rabbi Jacob Gordon.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and a booklet documenting the life and death of Phyllis Gordon Solomon.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions