Accession Number
2004-6-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-6-12
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
3.3 m of textual records
Date
[ca. 1970]-[ca. 1990]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of the records created or accumulated by the Committee for Yiddish, which operated under the auspices of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region and later, the Toronto Jewish Congress (UJA Federation of Greater Toronto).
Use Conditions
Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.
Name Access
Committee for Yiddish (Toronto, Ont.)
Toronto Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
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
2014-1-10
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2014-1-10
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
1 presentation piece : 50 x 42 cm
Date
[ca. 1982]-[ca. 1983]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one folder of textual records related to the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and one presentation piece in the form of a framed photograph of Hilda Naiman complete with a commemorative plaque.
Custodial History
Records came via Shelly Rotman, Adminstrative Assistant with the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.
Administrative History
Hilda Naiman was the former Executive Secretary of Toronto Jewish Congress when they were located on Beverley Street in Toronto.
Use Conditions
UJA Federation meeting minutes and general correspondence are closed for 10 years from date of creation. Contracts and donor agreements are permanently closed.
Subjects
Nonprofit organizations
Name Access
Haiman, Hilda
Toronto Jewish Congress
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2014-5-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2014-5-7
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
90 cm of textual records
Date
1968-1985
Scope and Content
Accession consists of the general financial ledgers for the United Jewish Appeal (1975-1978, 1980-1982); the United Jewish Welfare Fund (1975-1980, 1984-1985); the Toronto Jewish Congress (1980-1985); the Bequest and Endowment Fund (1968-1985); and the Toronto Hebrew Memorial Park (1983-1985).
Use Conditions
UJA Federation meeting minutes and general correspondence are closed for 10 years from date of creation. Contracts and donor agreements are permanently closed.
Descriptive Notes
Use Conditions note: Some of the ledgers contain payroll information. This information is closed until 30 years after death of the individual documented.
Name Access
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
Toronto Jewish Congress
United Jewish Welfare Fund (Toronto, Ont.)
Toronto Hebrew Memorial Park
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-7-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-7-2
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
20 cm of textual records
Date
1979, 1989-2005
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Shoel Silver's involvement with various committees, including: Project Renewal, NECHAMA. Keren Hayesod, Israel Center for Treatment of Psychotrauma and The Jewish Agency for Israel, UJA and others. Included are reports, correspondence, proposals, a 1979 edition of the Jewish Standard, first edition of the Children's Newspaper in Kfar Gvirol and assorted research material.
Use Conditions
Conditional Access. Researchers must receive permission from the donor prior to accessing the records. Please contact the OJA for more information.
Descriptive Notes
Language: Most of the items are in English, with some items partially or fully in Hebrew.
Subjects
Charities
Israel
Name Access
Jewish Agency for Israel
Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto
Project Renewal (Israel)
Silver, Shoel
Toronto Jewish Congress
Places
Israel
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-10-14
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-10-14
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
7 cm of textual records
Date
1964-2018
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting different public and Jewish organizations in Toronto. Included are: 1964 and 1965 issues of the William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute's Advocate yearbook; a record of the Eglinton chapter of B'nai Brith Women of Canada's opening meeting on 16 September 1992; a booklet with short profiles of the 1998-99 UJA Federation Board of Directors; a 2013 commemorative booklet celebrating Darchei Noam's fortieth anniversary and Rabbi Tina Grimberg's ten-year anniversary at the synagogue; a program for the 8th Annual Symposium in Germanic Studies University of Toronto, which was titled Global Yiddish Culture, 1938-1948; various materials from the 2018 Ashkenaz Festival; newspaper clippings; and informational material for the Canadian Jewish Congress/Toronto Jewish Congress' Heritage-in-a-Box project
Subjects
Festivals
Public schools
Synagogues
Name Access
Ashkenaz Festival
B'nai Brith Women of Canada
Canadian Jewish Congress. Central Region
Congregation Darchei Noam (Toronto, Ont.)
Grimberg, Tina
Toronto Jewish Congress
Troster, Cyrel
University of Toronto
William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute
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
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 27; File 541
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
27
File
541
Material Format
graphic material
Date
29 Mar. 1981
Physical Description
11 photographs : b&w (11 negatives) ; 28 x 28 mm
Scope and Content
File consists of eleven negatives depicting a Toronto Jewish Congress awards event at Beth Tzedec. Sheldon Sper is depicted being recognized with a Leadership Development Award. Wilf Posluns and Irwin Gold are also identified.
Notes
Photos by Graphic Artists Photographers, Toronto.
Name Access
Toronto Jewish Congress
Subjects
Awards
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 27; File 549
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
27
File
549
Material Format
graphic material
Date
26 May 1981
Physical Description
5 photographs : b&w (5 negatives) ; 28 x 28 mm
Scope and Content
File consists of five negatives of a TJC event. Identified in the negatives are James Kay and Mark Gryfe.
Notes
Photos by Graphic Artists Photographers, Toronto.
Name Access
Toronto Jewish Congress
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 27; File 557
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Photographic and audiovisual collection series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
27
File
557
Material Format
graphic material
Date
5 Oct. 1981
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (2 negatives) ; 28 x 28 mm
Scope and Content
File consists of two negatives of two unknown men at the TJC offices.
Notes
Photos by Graphic Artists Photographers, Toronto.
Name Access
Toronto Jewish Congress
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 6156
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
6156
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1987 and 1989]
Physical Description
1 negative : b&w ; 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item consists of an original portrait, which is hanging on the fourth-floor wall, and a copy negative. The negative is housed in the OJA's photo cabinet.
Name Access
Rosenfeld, Herb
Toronto Jewish Congress
Subjects
Portraits
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
Level
Item
ID
Item 6149
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
6149
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[19--]
Physical Description
1 negative : b&w ; 10 x 12 cm b&w ; 10 x 12 cm
Admin History/Bio
Campaign Chairman: United Jewish Appeal 1976.
President: Toronto Jewish Congress1980-1982.
Scope and Content
This item consists of an original portrait, which is hanging on the fourth-floor wall, and a copy negative. The negative is housed in the OJA's photo cabinet.
Name Access
Posluns, Wilfred
United Jewish Appeal
Toronto Jewish Congress
Subjects
Portraits
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
Level
Item
ID
Item 3824-3827
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3824-3827
Material Format
graphic material
Date
Jan. 1982
Physical Description
4 photographs
Scope and Content
Pictured are Rabbi Sheldon Steinberg (Congress Chaplain), Meyer Feldman (Cairman Book Committee), United Synagogue Day School students.
Name Access
Toronto Jewish Congress
Subjects
Genizah
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
1985-11-6
Source
Archival Descriptions
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
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 67
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
67
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1936-2010, predominant 1938-1976
Physical Description
14.3 m of textual records
5593 photographs, 25 x 20 cm and smaller, and other media
Admin History/Bio
The Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto (FJPT) was incorporated in Ontario in March 1917 to coordinate the fundraising activities of Jewish charitable, philanthropic, and social service agencies in Toronto. In 1918, ten separate agencies were funded by the FJPT. By 1937, fourteen agencies were funded. The Great Depression of the 1930s and the development of several newer Jewish aid, education, and medical care organizations created both increased need for resources and growing competition for ever-more scarce dollars. Within a very few years, this funding crisis forced a major review of the organization.
During 1936, a series of special meetings of leading individuals were held to examine the income and expenditures of all Toronto Jewish agencies and also to speculate about the need for a new Toronto Jewish "community chest" as the sole fund-raising organization for a federation of all Jewish agencies, including the FJPT. In 1938, the new United Jewish Welfare Fund was formally constituted. Added to the FJPT's previous list of Toronto client agencies in 1938 were: the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Hebrew National Association, the Jewish Immigrant Aid Association, the Mizrachi Society, the Toronto Free Loan Association, the Geverkshaften, and Old Folks Home, and the United Palestine Appeal, raising the total number of agencies to twenty-two.
When the State of Israel was established in 1948, the UJWF's annual fundraising campaign was combined with the CJC's United Palestine appeal to form a new, combined campaign named the United Jewish Appeal (UJA). In 1967, the UJA name was legally changed to the United Jewish Appeal of Metropolitan Toronto.
In mid-1976, the organization's public name was changed to the Toronto Jewish Congress. Although initially thought of as a merger between the UJWF and the CJC, the actual result was the expansion of the UJWF responsibilities to include local education and welfare services previously shared with the Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region. The UJWF, however, remained the legal senior entity.
In 1991, the public name was again changed to the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto and, in 1999, to UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. By this date, over thirty beneficiary and affiliated agencies, forty-nine affiliated schools and five federation departments were fully or partly funded by the federation.
In June 2010, the organization altered its legal structure, with the senior legal entity becoming the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of 25 series: Annual Meetings, Annual Reports, Board of Directors, Constitution Committee, Executive Committee, Officers Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, Administration Committee, Social Planning Committee, Committee on Capital Needs and Planning, Central Committee on Scholarships in Aid, Joint Committee of the BJE and UJWF Study on Jewish Education, Nominations Committee, Pension Fund Committee, Coordinating Committee, Special Ad Hoc and Temporary Committees, Annual Campaign, Client Agencies, Joint Committee of the CJC and the UJWF, Committee on Community Organization, Sub-Committee on Construction and Administration of Community Schools, Joint Committee on Fundraising, Personnel Committee, Community Leadership Development Council, and Israel at Fifty Community Celebration.
Over 4500 photographs and a variety of other media are managed within Series 17, Campaign records.
Notes
For exact details about the contents of individual series and sub-series, please review their scope and contents notes.
Name Access
United Jewish Welfare Fund
Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto
United Jewish Appeal
Toronto Jewish Congress
Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
Subjects
Charities
Fund raising
Access Restriction
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
Related Material
For records of the predecessor of the UJWF, see Fonds 66, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto fonds.
Further detailed documentation of the proposed merger between the UJWF and the CJC (creation of the TJC) may be found in Fonds 67, Sub-sub-series 5-5-1, Files 171 and 221.
Further documentation on the United Jewish Welfare Fund may be found within Fonds 9, Series 7, records of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society.
For further detailed records of a key community leader's involvement with the UJWF see Accession 1982-8-8, the records of Samuel Godfrey, 1943-1972.
Creator
United Jewish Welfare Fund (1938-)
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
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