Accession Number

2007-6-31

Material Format

textual record (electronic)

Physical Description

1 document (4 jpgs) : col.

Date

[19--]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of scanned copy of the constitution of the B'nai Jacob Congregation of Niagara Falls, 4 pages in four separate files.

Subjects

Synagogues

Communities

Name Access

B'nai Jacob Congregation (Niagara Falls, Ont.)

Places

Niagara Falls (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2008-11-12

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

technical drawing

Physical Description

56 cm textual records

172 photographs

2 technical drawings

Date

[194?]-1998

Scope and Content

Accession consists of minutes of meetings, ledgers, correspondence, notes, and photographs documenting the former B'nai Jacob Congregation in Niagara Falls. The material includes records of the Rose Dunkelman chapter of Hadassah (1940s–1950s), Sisterhood (1970s), the merged Hadassah-Sisterhood (1977–1986), Lundy's Lane Cemetery, and the Niagara Falls Jewish Federation (1943-1966). The records include a file with lists of Torah Fund donations, the constitutions of Sisterhood and of B'nai Jacob, many copied newspaper clippings about the Greenspans and Barbara Frum, and a copy of the 1953 CJC Community Self-Survey. There are also two copies of the 1977 Sisterhood New Year's community directory and textual and graphic material on the Holocaust Memorial at the cemetery. Records also include a photocopied chapter from a young adult book telling the story of Niagara Falls resident Irving Milchberg and how as an adolescent he survived the Second World War in Nazi-occupied Warsaw after escaping from the ghetto.

Accession includes 172 photographs; ninety-six are colour prints from the 1998 Holocaust Memorial dedication ceremony in the cemetery and the rest are special events and shul members in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition there is a collage of twelve photographs picturing music classes and performances. Finally, two oversized landscape technical drawings also relate to the proposed Holocaust Memorial.

Photo Caption 001-007: Festival of Holidays at B’nai Jacob Congregation, Niagara Falls, 1980.

Administrative History

B'nai Jacob Synagogue was a Conservative shul founded in 1918. It amalgamated with the Reform congregation in St. Catharines and became B'nai Tikvah in 1998 and is still located in the original shul building in Niagara Falls.

Use Conditions

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

Subjects

Communities

Synagogues

Name Access

B'nai Jacob Congregation (Niagara Falls, Ont.)

Places

Niagara Falls (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

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Accession Number

2018-6-22

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

1947, 1972-1992

Scope and Content

Accession consists of materials assembled by Stanley Emerson and donated to the Ontario Jewish Archives. Included are: one hardbound book commemorating the Toronto Hebrew Free School's liquidation of its capital debt on May 8, 1947; one spiral-bound book assembled on the occassion of Shomrai Shaboth Congregation's twentieth anniversary testimonial dinner honouring Rabbi Gedalia Felder to be held on Sunday, June 18, 1972; one Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto programme for its annual dinner to be held on Thursday, June 22, 1978; one programme for a Machanaim Testimonial Dinner honouring Dr. Isadore Cass on Wednesday, May 2, 1979; one Associated Hebrew Schools graduation programme for Wednesday, June 27, 1979; one newspaper clipping from the Thursday, June 6, 1985 edition of the Canadian Jewish News relating to Rabbi Gedalia Felder, former spiritual leader of Shomrai Shaboth-Chevra Mishnayoth Congregation; one newspaper clipping from the Thursday, June 13, 1985 edition of the Canadian Jewish News relating to Harold Dessen, former president of Associated Hebrew Schools; and one paperbound book assembled on the occassion of a Sol Edell tribute dinner commoemorating the fiftieth yahrzeit (death anniversary) of HaRav Yosef Weinreb and the establishment of the Saol Edell Family Endowment Fund to be held on Saturday, October 31, 1992.

Subjects

Anniversaries

Schools

Synagogues

Name Access

Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto

Cass, Isadore M., 1916-1996

Dessen, Harold

Felder, Gedalia, 1922-

Shomrai Shabbos Chevrah Mishnayos (Toronto, Ont.)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Dr. Isadore M. Cass fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

40

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

1909-1995

Physical Description

45 cm of textual records

14 photographs : b&w (8 negatives) ; 18 x 13 cm

Admin History/Bio

Dr. Isadore M. Cass (1916-1996), a well-known pathologist and practicing mohel--Jewish ritual circumcisor--for the Toronto Jewish community, was born and educated in Toronto, attending the University of Toronto's medical school. After serving with the army during the Second World War, Dr. Cass returned to Toronto to private practice. He began studying pathology in 1953, and performed research at the Ontario Cancer Institute, Connaught Labs and the Ontario Department of Health throughout his career. He was chief of pathology at Ajax and Pickering hospitals for twenty-three years, until his retirement in 1986.

In 1945, Dr. Cass began doing ritual circumcisions and was the first medical doctor in Toronto to do so. He performed over 40,000 circumcisions throughout Canada and the eastern United States and trained many physicians to perform them as well.

Dr. Cass was a member of the following organizations: New York Academy of Sciences; the Academy of Medicine, Toronto; the Israel Medical Association; General Wingate Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion; and many other associations and societies.

Dr. Cass studied Torah under Rabbi Jacob Gordon and was a Torah reader at Goel Tzedec Synagogue and later, Beth Tzedec. He also studied and taught Torah throughout his life, chairing the Canadian Jewish Congress' Tanach study group for many years, and leading weekly Gemara classes at Beth Tzedec. He belonged to Shaarei Shomayim and Beth Lida synagogues, as well as Lubavitch. In 1987, Dr. and Mrs. Cass were honoured as "Couple of the Year" by Machanaim, The Network of Educational Institutions in Kiryat Gat, Israel, for their great contributions to this charity over the years.

Dr. Cass was married to Miriam Cass and they had four daughters: Sharon, Hylah, Judy, and Elaine. He had four brothers: the late Rabbi Samuel Cass, Harry, Al, and Elie (who was a Reform mohel), and two sisters: Miriam Cass and Zelda Fink. He also had seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Dr. Cass died on January 24, 1996 of cancer.

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of records relating to the personal and professional life of Dr. Isadore Cass. These records include appointment books documenting circumcisions he performed, correspondence, writings, Tanach study group notes, a Machanaim invitation and programme, prayer books, certificates, memorial cards, and photographs.

Name Access

Cass, Isadore M., 1916-1996

Subjects

Physicians

Access Restriction

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

Physical Condition

The prayer book is in poor condition and some of the early daytimers are in fair condition.

Related Material

See also the Ontario Jewish Archives' reference news clipping file under "Cass, Dr. Isadore".

Creator

Cass, Isadore M., 1916-1996

Accession Number

1997-5-1

1997-8-2

Source

Archival Descriptions