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

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

79

Item

4

Material Format

graphic material

Date

Nov. 1988

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 20 x 25 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a group photograph taken at the Dora Wilensky portrait presentation in Nov. 1988.

Name Access

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

Wilensky, Dora, 1902-1959

Subjects

Portraits

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the records.

Repro Restriction

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

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

79

Item

5

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1987

Physical Description

1 flyer : col. ; 28 x 22 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a flyer for an event - Domestic Violence: A Jewish Family Affair - scheduled to take place Tuesday, 10 March 1987 at the Lipa Green Building. It featured Barbara Harris, Executive Director of Transition Center, as its keynote speaker. David Currie, Chief Social Worker, Forensic Services at the Clarke Institute and Director of OPPORTUNITY, and Geraldine Waldman, a practicing family lawyer, were the panelists. Arlene Perly Rae, a local freelance journalist, served as moderator.

Name Access

Currie, David

Harris, Barbara

Rae, Arlene Perly

Waldman, Geraldine

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the 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

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

79

Item

6

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1988]

Physical Description

1 photograph : col. ; 10 x 15 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of teenagers seeling ribbons for child abuse awareness. Behind them is a poster that reads: "Help Prevent Child Abuse."

Name Access

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the records.

Repro Restriction

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

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

79

Item

7

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1988

Physical Description

1 photograph : col ; 13 x 10 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of a dozen or so individuals in front of a Jewish Family and Child Services banner at the 1988 United Way Walkathon.

Name Access

United Way of Greater Toronto

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the records.

Repro Restriction

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

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

79

Item

8

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1988

Physical Description

1 photograph : col ; 10 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of individuals carrying Jewish Family and Child Service banners at the 1988 United Way Walkathon.

Name Access

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

United Way of Greater Toronto

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the records.

Repro Restriction

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

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

79

Item

9

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1988

Physical Description

1 photograph : col ; 10 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph taken at the 1988 United Way Walkathon. Visible in the photograph is a Jewish Family and Child Services banner.

Name Access

United Way of Greater Toronto

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the records.

Repro Restriction

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

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

79

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1933-2011

Physical Description

ca. 4.8 m of texutal records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Jewish Family & Child was established in 1943 from the amalgamation of a variety of different social agencies formed as early as 1868. These included the Ladies Benevolent Fund, the Free Burial Society, Jewish Family Welfare Bureau, Jewish Children’s Bureau, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and the Ladies Maternal Aid Society. Much of its funding and support after its inception came from the United Jewish Welfare Fund.

The first executive director of the agency was Dora Wilensky. She was a trained social worker who served for twenty-eight years, until her untimely death from cancer in 1959. Jerome Diamond took over in 1960 and Gordon Wolfe succeeded him in 1981. Ron Levin briefly replaced Wolfe after his retirement in 2003, and was succeeded in 2006 by Dr. Richard Cummings who then retired in 2015. As of 2017, Brian Prousky is the organization’s current executive director.

During the early years, fees were established, but the agency never refused to assist clients because of their inability to pay. JF&CS became one of the first agencies to rely on trained social workers. It was also the first social agency in Canada to become unionized.

Over the years the agency’s role has changed and it has expanded significantly, in terms of its staff and services. After the Second World War it played a pivotal role supporting the Holocaust orphans who came to Canada as refugees, particularly in the area of locating foster parents for these children. By 1957, the agency hired its first counsellor and became a member of the United Community Fund of Greater Toronto. The year 1968 marked the start of JF&CS’ new program involving the use of a mobile treatment centre to reach out to Jewish street kids and in 1974 they established the Jerome D. Diamond Adolescent Centre.

In 1981, JF&CS was mandated by the Province of Ontario as a Jewish children’s aid society responsible for the care and protection of all Jewish youth in the GTA. In 1983 they established the Just-A-Second Shop at 3101 Bathurst Street, which took in used goods from the community to pass on to needy families. Two years later they established the Henry G. Goodman Home for developmentally challenged children on Wilmington Avenue. The following year marked the opening of the Elm Ridge Group Living Residence for elderly people. In 1988, they opened a special shelter for abused women and children, and in 1994, they introduced their Homework Club for kids.

The current mission of Jewish Family & Child is to support the healthy development of individuals, children, families, and communities through prevention, protection, counselling, education, and advocacy services, within the context of Jewish values. Their services include counselling, rehabilitation and support, foster care, family services, and community services. These services are offered in a host of different languages including Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, French, and English.

JF&CS is an independent organization that receives its funding from a variety of different sources such as UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, United Way Toronto and York Region, the Government of Ontario, and individual donations.

As of 2017, JF&CS has nearly 130 staff providing more than thirty community services with a budget of almost $20 million. Their main office is located in the Lipa Green Centre for Community Services at 4600 Bathurst Street. They also maintain offices and run services out of their downtown branch at 35 Madison Avenue, their York Region branch inside UJA’s 1 Open Door at the Lebovic JCC, and their Jerome D. Diamond Adolescent Centre in midtown Toronto.

Name Access

Jewish Family and Child

Wilensky, Dora, 1902-1959

Wolfe, Gordon

Diamond, Jerome D.

Subjects

Charities

Children

Families

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the records.

Related Material

See also: Jewish Child Welfare Association fonds (fonds 86); Jewish Family Welfare Bureau fonds (fonds 87); Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto fonds (fonds 66); and, United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds (fonds 67).

Creator

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2004-5-101

2004-1-8

2002-10-38

2006-6-7 (Shelf 03-6,Orphan index cards)

2009-12-9

2010-4-1 (Shelf 34-1)

2010-10-5

2015-8/11

2015-9/1

Source

Archival Descriptions

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