Accession Number

2007-8-6

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

30 cm of textual records and graphic material

Date

1915-2000

Scope and Content

This accession consists of material accumulated by Vivian Ironstone Field. It includes an NHL contract for her father Joe Ironstone with the Ottawa Senators, a play about her father written in 1996, three volumes of Hadassah minutes, community executive minutes, correspondence and material -- including a photo album -- documenting a community reunion that they held in Sudbury in 1987.

Subjects

Hockey players

Women--Societies and clubs

Name Access

Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada

Ironstone, Joseph, 1898-1972

Places

Sudbury (Ont.)

Ottawa (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2017-8-7

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

12 photographs : b&w and col ; 26 x 21 cm or smaller

Date

1929-[198-]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material documenting the life of Debby Alter (née Speyer). Included are: certificates and diplomas for Alter and her brother Lloyd; newspaper clippings relating to Alter and her family; photographs of Alter and her family, and a small amount of correspondence addressed to Alter, primarily from her father.

Custodial History

Debby Alter's daughter, Bonnie, donated the records to the Archives following her mother's death in May 2017.

Administrative History

Debby Cecil Speyer was born on 18 Aug. 1918 to Boris Speyer and Etta Speyer (née Prager). Debby's father worked as an insurance broker in Toronto. Years later when he became ill, Etta went into real estate, becoming Toronto's first female commercial and industrial real-estate agent in 1935. Debby was one of three children, having two brothers: Mark and Lloyd. Lloyd died in 1943 fighting in the Second World War.

Debby's connection to Hadassah-WIZO goes back to an early age. She attended the first Hadassah-WIZO Bazaar in 1924, for example, when she was five years old. As a youth, she attended the Goel Tzedec Congregation's religious school and later the Toronto Normal Model School, receiving her diploma in June 1933. She went on to marry Gabriel Alter, with whom she had two children: Bonnie and Lloyd (named after his late uncle). Their daughter, Bonnie, was entered in a lovely child photo-contest as part of the annual Hadassah Bazaar.

In 1969, Debby was named chairman of the Women's Division of 1969 State of Israel Bonds in Toronto. By that point, she had been a member of Toronto Hadassah's executive board for years. Debby remained involved in Hadassah until her later years, attending the very last Bazaar in 2008, where she was honoured along with other long-time volunteers at a special cake-cutting ceremony. She passed away at her home on Friday, 12 May 2017. A service was held at Holy Blossom Memorial Park the following Sunday. She is survived by her two children, two children-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Use Conditions

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

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Name Access

Alter, Debby, 1918-2017

Hadassah Organization of Toronto

Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2017-6-8

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

1.4 m of textual records and graphic material

Date

1959-2001

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to Esther Matlow's involvement as both a member and as a former president of Hadassah-WIZO of Canada. By extension, the records also reflect the activities of World WIZO and Hadassah International. Included are meeting minutes and associated board reports; speeches and greetings; general correspondence; Hadassah publicity and informational materials including Orah Magazine; bulletins and president's newsletters; seminar materials; conference materials; and honours and certificates. There is also material related to Matlow's personal affairs, including letters written to news media outlets with her husband Irving, personal correspondence, and several cookbooks including one compiled of Esther's recipes created in 2001 in her honour. Also included is a personal memoir written by Irving Matlow for his children.

Administrative History

Esther (née Climans) Matlow (1930-2012) served as national president of the Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada from Nov. 1990 to Nov. 1993, presiding over the organizations 75th anniversary celebrations. Her term of office spanned an historic period from the events leading up to and including the Persian Gulf War to the signing of the Middle East peace accords. A forty-year member of the organization, she served it in a variety of executive capacities before her election as president. She was married to Irving Matlow for 60 years and had four children, Anne, Ruth, Elaine, and David. Esther passed away on 1 Dec. 2012.

Use Conditions

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

Descriptive Notes

ASSOCIATED MATERIAL NOTE: Library and Archives Canada hold the Esther Matlow fonds, MG31 H187.

Subjects

Women

Nonprofit organizations

Name Access

Matlow, Esther, 1930-2012

Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada

Source

Archival Accessions

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