Part Of
Zelda Young fonds
Ben Kayfetz segment series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 135; Series 17
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Zelda Young fonds
Ben Kayfetz segment series
Level
Series
Fonds
135
Series
17
Material Format
sound recording
Date
1984-1988
Physical Description
27 audio reels (ca. 1 hr., 45 min.) : 1/4 inch
Admin History/Bio
Born in Toronto in 1916, Benjamin Gershon Kayfetz (1916–2002) was the fourth of five children. He would grow up to become a leading figure in the Jewish community through his work as a Canadian-Jewish public servant, journalist, broadcaster, and human rights activist. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1939 with an honours bachelor of arts degree in modern languages. He then continued his education at the Ontario Teachers College, graduating in 1940 with a specialization in language teaching. In 1943, he joined the war effort, taking on a position with the Department of National Defense in Postal Censorship. After the war, Kayfetz stayed on with the Canadian military and was sent to British-occupied Germany in the immediate post-war years. In Germany, he worked as a telecommunications censor for the Control Commission until 1947. Upon returning to Toronto in 1947, Kayfetz was hired as the National Director of Community Relations by the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), where he worked until 1985. In addition, he also served as the National Director of the Joint Community Relations Committee in 1955 and as the Central Region Executive Director of the CJC in 1973. Ben married his wife Eva Silver in 1954 and over the course of their marriage they had three daughters together: Zena, Tamara, and Rebecca. In addition to his professional activities, Kayfetz wrote articles for various Jewish publications under both his own name and the pseudonym Gershon B. Newman. He also gave a weekly radio address on CHIN radio, in which he addressed various contemporary Jewish issues. He was also actively involved in the Toronto Jewish Historical Society, serving as its president and founder; the Canadian Jewish Historical Society; and the Yiddish Luncheon Circle. After his retirement in 1985, he was awarded the Samuel Bronfman Medal by the Canadian Jewish Congress. In recognition of his efforts to promote human rights, he was also awarded the Order of Canada in 1986. Ben Kayfetz died on 15 February 2002 at the age of eighty-five.
Scope and Content
Series consists of 27 audio reels containing Ben Kayfetz's segment for The Jewish Hour, broadcast by CHIN Radio on Sundays. He comments on several issues related to contemporaty Jewish life in Canada and around the world, news related to the Jewish experience, and his travels in Eastern Europe.
Name Access
Kayfetz, Ben, 1916-2002
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.
Accession Number
1986-12-5
1988-3-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2018-6-22
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
Accession Number
2018-4-13
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-4-13
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1984-1992
Scope and Content
Accession consists of letters to Ben Kayfetz from Florence Hutner and Bernard Wind, a memoriam for Florence Hutner and general writings.
Name Access
Kayfetz, Ben, 1916-2002
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Ben Kayfetz fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 62
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Ben Kayfetz fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
62
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1919-2001
Physical Description
93 cm of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
Benjamin Gershon Kayfetz was born on December 24, 1916 in Toronto, graduating from the University of Toronto in 1939, with a B.A. in modern languages. Between the years 1941 and 1943, he worked as a high school teacher in Huntsville and Niagara Falls. In 1943, he joined the war effort, working for the Department of National Defense in Postal Censorship and was responsible for reviewing prisoner of war mail. After the war, Kayfetz traveled to British Occupied Germany where he worked as a censor of telecommunications with the Control Commission until 1947.
Upon returning to Toronto, he was hired as the National Director of Community Relations by the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), and as the Executive (National) Director of the Joint Community Relations Committee (JCRC), a CJC - B'nai B'rith cooperative organization. He also served as the Central Region Executive Director of the CJC between 1973 and 1978. During his tenure, he worked with various churches, unions and minority groups to develop anti-discrimination laws and for the protection of minority and religious rights. Kayfetz was also actively involved in promoting the welfare of Jewish Communities worldwide, and made visits to Cuba in 1962 and 1965, and Russia in 1985, to study and report on the state of these Jewish Communities. After his retirement in 1985, he was awarded the Samuel Bronfman Medal by the Canadian Jewish Congress. In recognition of his efforts to promote Human Rights, he was also awarded the Order of Canada in 1986.
In addition to his professional activities, Kayfetz wrote articles for various Jewish publications under both his own name and the pseudonym, Gershon B. Newman, and gave a weekly radio address on CHIN radio addressing various contemporary Jewish issues. He was also actively involved in the Toronto Jewish Historical Society (serving as its president), Canadian Jewish Historical Society and Yiddish Luncheon Circle. Ben Kayfetz died in 2002.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of materials produced or acquired by Ben Kayfetz in both his personal and professional capacity. It includes biographical materials, minutes, correspondence, recorded CJC and JCRC meetings, memorabilia, transcripts and recorded versions of CHIN radio broadcasts he delivered, as well as various interviews, speeches, articles, book reviews and works he composed. Fonds also consists of minutes, agendas and other records of various Yiddish and historical associations Mr. Kayfetz was involved in.
Notes
Physical Description note: includes 20 photographs, 107 audio cassettes, 1 Beta video cassette and 1 object.
Fonds includes audio tapes 1-5, 7-32, 35-37, 39-42, 44-45, 47-50, 53-56, 58-64, 66-67, 70-85, A1-A5, A7-A9, A12-A14, A16-A20, A23-A28, A30, A32-A38 and A40-A43.
Name Access
Kayfetz, Ben, 1916-2002
Access Restriction
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
Related Material
Audio tapes AC 246-AC 275 belonged to Ben Kayfetz and are related to this fonds.
Creator
Kayfetz, Ben, 1916-2002
Accession Number
1975-012, 1976-10-4, 1980-12-13, 1982-2-2, 1983-6-2, 1985-4-2, 1987-2-3, 1996-5-4, 1998-3-22, 2000-11-4, 2004-3-1, 2004-5-20, 2006-2-9, 2006-8-4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Dr. Isadore M. Cass fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 40
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
Accession Number
2021-12-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-12-2
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
5 photographs : b&w
Date
1944-1984
Scope and Content
Accession consists of correspondence to Ben Kayfetz from an American friend in Berlin in 1951 and 1952, a 1944 Central Commerce yearbook belonging to Eva Kayfetz (née Silver), five photographs, an armed forces prayer book formerly belonging to Chaplain Rabbi Jacob Eisen, a speech about Soviet Jewry, and Ben Kayfetz's retirement speech.
Custodial History
The donor, Zena Tenenbaum, is Ben's daughter.
Administrative History
Ben Kayfetz was a well-known leader of the Jewish community and advocate for human rights. He completed a degree in modern languages from the University of Toronto. During the Second World War, he worked for the Wartime Information Board reading prisoners-of-war letters, and from 1945 to 1947, worked with the Canadian Control Commission in the British-controlled sector of Germany.
He served with the Canadian Jewish Congress from 1947 to 1985 in various positions, including director of public relations and executive director of the Central Region. He was instrumental in the development of government anti-discriminatory policies and legislation in the 1950s and 1960s onward and received the Order of Canada in 1986.
Ben Kayfetz also founded the Yiddish Luncheon Club, was president of the Toronto Jewish Historical Society, and was a frequent contributor to various periodicals in Canada and abroad, under his own name and his pseudonym, Gershon B. Newman. He was viewed as the local authority on Toronto Jewish history and also had his own radio spot on CHIN.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: correspondence have been scanned and available in PDF format.
Subjects
Prayer books
Yearbooks
Human rights workers
Speeches, addresses, etc
Name Access
Kayfetz, Ben, 1916-2002
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
Community Relations Committee series
Anti-Semitism cases sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 17; Series 5-3; File 273
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
Community Relations Committee series
Anti-Semitism cases sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
17
Series
5-3
File
273
Material Format
textual record
Date
1989
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of correspondence and a report by Ben Kayfetz documenting the appeal hearings in the case against Ernst Zundel, who was under trial for disseminating antisemitic literature.
Notes
Previously processed and cited as part of MG8 S.
Name Access
Kayfetz, Ben, 1916-2002
Zundel, Ernst, 1939-
Subjects
Anti-Jewish propaganda
Trials
Source
Archival Descriptions