Accession Number
1984-5-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1984-5-7
Material Format
object
graphic material
Physical Description
1 coin
16 photographs : b&w ; 7 x 10 cm
Date
1939-1945
Scope and Content
This accession consists of one Mount Sinai Lodge A.F. & A.M. No. 522 G.R.C. 25th anniversary coin. The coin has the lodge's coat of arms on the recto and a set of tablets with the words "keep these and good fortune will be yours" on the verso.
Also included are 16 photographs of the Allied Forces (including the Canadian Army) at Bergen-Belsen in April 1945 following the liberation of the camp. Pictured are the general grounds, mass graves with sign markers, a group of (local German?) women crowded around the back of an army truck, army personnel observing and taking photographs of a deceased victim, a crematoria, and Sam Pizel (standing right) and other servicemen with a box of human ashes.
Administrative History
Sam Pizel (?-29 Sept. 2004) was married to Lily and was the brother of Irving Pizel.
Use Conditions
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Digitized material.
Subjects
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Pizel, Sam
Bergen-Belsen
Places
Germany
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2006-2-10
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2006-2-10
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
32 photographs : b&w ; 16 x 10 cm
Date
[ca. 1940]-[ca. 1949]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of thirty-two copy photographs of the Smith family, including images of the donor's father David during the Second World War while stationed in Quebec City, Halifax, England and eventually imprisoned in prisoner of war (POW) camp Stalag Luft III in Germany. In addition there are photographs of the donor's grandparents Max and Rose's singles resort at Port Carling in the Muskokas called Smith's Bay House and holiday photos from Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and a Passover seder. Additional locations of photos include Young Judaea's Camp Hagshama in Perth, Ontario and Toronto city street views of Bloor Street and Palmerston Boulevard.
Administrative History
Max and Rose Smith opened a resort for Jewish singles in Port Carling, Muskoka in 1938. The resort was kosher and offered Jewish content to visitors. Boys and girls bunked seperately.
Rose Smith sold the resort in 1955 shortly after Max passed away.
According to David Smith's daughter Miriam "What my dad and my aunt told me is that Smith's Bay House is where the young people went, not the older folks, as is stated in Andrew's article. I think the discrepancy is that after the war, when the soldiers came home, there were more young people around working and going on vacation. They told me that my grandfather would go around at 11pm, making sure all the visitors were sleeping where they should be and that there were no shenanigans going on! Also of note, the first summer they opened, 1938, in the first group of visitors included a young man who would become my aunt's husband. They met there. My aunt loved to tell that story."
Suzanne Smith (née Beskin) and David Samuel Smith met at Cornell University in the spring of 1946, after David returned from service in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Suzanne was living in the United States and attending Columbia University. She worked as a libraian at Cornell. David studied hotel administration. They married in 1947 and moved back to Toronto in 1948.
Use Conditions
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Subjects
Fasts and feasts--Judaism
Summer resorts
World War, 1939-1945
Places
Germany
Halifax (N.S.)
Muskoka (Ont. : District municipality)
Perth (Ont.)
Québec (Province)
Québec (Québec)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Name
Max Federman
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
19 Mar. 1976
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Max Federman
Number
OH 149
OH 150
Subject
Communism
Immigrants--Canada
Labor unions
Interview Date
19 Mar. 1976
Quantity
2
Interviewer
Ben Schneider
Total Running Time
OH149A: 30. minutes OH149B: 30. minutes OH150A: 1. minute
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Max Federman was born in Poland. In 1919, he moved to Germany where he attended school. He joined his father in Toronto in 1920. A union leader, labour Zionist, and ardent anti-Communist, Max became actively involved in the union movement and served as representative of the Local Fur Workers Union. He was involved in a twenty-year battle with the Communist leadership of the International Furrier Union until they disbanded and merged with the International Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union. Max was involved in Jewish community organizations including the Histadrut, Borochov School, and the United Jewish Welfare Fund.
Material Format
sound recording
Name Access
Federman, Max
Goldman, Emma
Schneider, Ben
Geographic Access
Germany
Poland
Toronto (Ont.)
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 149, 150, Max Federman\OH 149, 150 notes.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Max Federman describes the conflict between the Federation of Labour and Communist International Union from 1938–1956. He discusses the steps by which the International Fur and Leather Union disaffiliated with the International Union to join the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union in 1956.

In this clip, Max Federman discusses his early involvement with a trade union while living in Germany in 1919.

Name
Edna Jacobs
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
Dec. 1985, Mar. 1986
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Edna Jacobs
Number
OH 125
Subject
Families
Travel
Education
Occupations
Antisemitism
Girl Guides
Religion
Volunteers
Interview Date
Dec. 1985, Mar. 1986
Quantity
1
Interviewer
Nancy Draper
Total Running Time
Side 1: 36 minutes Side 2: 46 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Edna Jacobs (née Frankel) was born on 20 March 1904 in Toronto. Her parents, Sigmund and Paula Frankel, were early immigrants from Germany. Edna attended Havergal from kindergarten through high school. She studied general arts for two years at the University of Toronto. She married Arthur Jacobs, the son of Rabbi Solomon Jacobs, in 1936. Together, they had one daughter, Patsy, and a baby who died during infancy. Edna was involved with the Girls Club and the Junior Council of Jewish Women.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Toronto Girl's Club
Toronto Council of Jewish Women
Geographic Access
Toronto
Germany
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 125 - Jacobs\OH125_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 125 - Jacobs\OH125_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Edna Jacobs shares memories from a trip she and her family took to Biblis, Germany to celebrate her grandparents’ golden anniversary.

In this clip, Edna Jacobs reminisces about several prominent Toronto Jewish families.

Name
Roy Waisberg
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Roy Waisberg
Number
OH 369
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file)
1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Marie Eve Deleris
Total Running Time
23:57 seconds
Notes
This interview is part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
http://www.thememoryproject.com/search?query=waisberg
Biography
Roy Waisberg born in Toronto in 1920. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force with 409 squadron as an airplane electrician from 1941 to 1945. Stationed overseas in various cities in Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany, Roy married his wife Hila while serving in Europe. Hilda came to Canada as a war bride.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Belgium
France
Germany
United Kingdom
Original Format
DVD
Transcript
00:00: Roy served in the RCAF with the rank of aircraftsman, second class. 00:21: Roy was born in Toronto and lived in the Queen and Broadview area. His parents immigrated to Canada from Russia circa 1904. 00:59: Roy briefly addresses his Jewish upbringing. 1:46: Roy explains why he enlisted. 2:56: Roy discusses other Jews who served with him. In particular, he mentions (?)Wunch and Norman Layton (formerly Leibowitz). Norman later became president of General Wingate Branch and is buried in that section of the cemetery. 5:08: Roy comments that Jews in his squadron were treated well. He did not follow kashrut. 620: Roy shares some memories. 7:30: Roy lists the countries in Europe in which he was stationed. He points out that Normandy was a war zone. He describes his duties as an electrician in the ground crew. 9:02: Roy mentions his contact with civilians while overseas and continues to list locations where he served. 11:40: Roy recalls when the war was over. 14:21: Roy discusses how he met and married his wife while he was serving in Europe. His wife, Hilda, came to Canada after the war with other war brides. 18:04: Roy explains that his wife adjusted well to Canada. He discusses how they brought his mother-in-law to Toronto and how they cared for her. 19:43: After the war, Roy worked in his father’s business selling lighting fixtures and electrical parts. 22:25: Roy discusses his involvement in Jewish life (e.g., attending synagogue daily).
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Harold Wolfman
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Harold Wolfman
Number
OH 377
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Shayla Howell
Total Running Time
30:36
Notes
Harold was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Harold served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1941 to 1945 as an air frame mechanic. He was stationed in England, France, Holland, Belgium, and Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Belgium
England
France
Germany
Netherlands
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Jack Gang
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Jack Gang
Number
OH 378
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Stephanie Markowitz
Total Running Time
34:19
Notes
Jack was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Jack was a private in the Polish Army from 1944 to 1946. He was stationed in Europe and involved in liberation campaigns in Poland and Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Germany
Poland
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
David Abells
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
14 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
David Abells
Number
OH 389
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
14 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Shayla Howell
Total Running Time
39:26
Notes
David was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
David served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942 to 1945 as a wireless operator. He was stationed in Europe in Normandy, Holland, Denmark, Belgium, and Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Belgium
Denmark
Germany
Netherlands
Normandy (France)
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Hyman Arlin
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
14 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Hyman Arlin
Number
OH 393
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
14 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file) 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Stephanie Markowitz
Total Running Time
27:33
Notes
This interview was part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/1113:hyman-arlin/
Biography
Hyman Arlin was born in 1924. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and served as a tank gunner with the Canadian Artillery from 1942 to 1946. Hyman was stationed in Europe and was involved in the liberation of the Netherlands and the occupation of Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Germany
Netherlands
Original Format
DVD
Transcript
00:15: Hyman was born in Bailystok, Poland in 1923. He came to Montreal with his family at age two. 00:59: Hyman explains why and when he moved to Toronto. 2:04: Hyman explains that while his father, a teacher of “cantors and rabonim,” was Orthodox, the family home was quite liberal. 2:58: Hyman explains his reasons for enlisting in the army at age nineteen in 1942. He completed basic training in Camp Shiloh, Manitoba, where he learned to drive a tank and took a course in signaling. 4:39: Hyman went overseas and was stationed in England at Camp Borden. He explains he met his future wife there. They were married two years later. 5:41: Hyman served in Belgium, Holland, and Germany. He was part of the occupation of Germany. 6:04: Hyman recalls the voyage overseas and to Camp Borden. He learned to drive a tank. 7:01: Hyman recalls his first time he saw action in Holland near the end of the war. 7:34: Hyman remained for six months after the war to serve in occupied Germany. 7:50: Hyman returned to Canada in May 1946. Betty, his wife, arrived in September 1946. 8:18: Hyman shares an anecdote from the war. He describes his regiment being saved by other Canadian troops when they were surrounded by three companies of Nazi paratroopers. 9:36: Hyman recalls an incident when he briefly served as an interpreter in charge of repatriation of Austrian prisoners of war in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. 11:45: Hyman’s three brothers and brother-in-law served in the Canadian army. 12:09: Hyman relates an anecdote involving meeting up with one of his brothers in Brussels. 15:14: Hyman reports that he did not encounter any direct antisemitism while serving in the army. 17:37: Betty speaks of the her family’s evacuation from London. 19:04: Hyman relates how he and Betty met and courted. He describes how he snuck out of camp to visit her. 21:40: Following the war, Hyman returned to Montreal. He worked as a grocery clerk in 1946. In 1947, he opened his first grocery store. 22:35: His first child was born five years later. 24:49: Hyman relates that he was the youngest of eleven children. He describes the demands of running a small grocery business. He notes that, because of time constraints, he was not involved in the Jewish branch of the Canadian Legion until he moved to Toronto.
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Sam Rose
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
29 Jul. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Sam Rose
Number
OH 400
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Royal Canadian Army (RCA) 29 July 2010 1 reference DVD (Wav file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interview Date
29 Jul. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (Wav file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Historica Dominion Institute
Total Running Time
51:02
Notes
Sam was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Sam Rose served in the Royal Canadian Army in the Second World War. He participated in the invasion of Juno, acting as a member of the advance party. He was also stationed in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Belgium
France
Germany
Netherlands
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Max Moskoske
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
29 Jul. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Max Moskoske
Number
OH 401
Subject
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
29 Jul. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Sam Gojonovich
Total Running Time
14:33
Notes
Max was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Max served in the Royal Canadian Army from 1941 to 1945 as an engineer. He was involved in building roads and bridges in England, Holland, and the border of Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
England
Germany
Netherlands
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 33; Series 2; Item 21
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Military photographs series
Level
Item
Fonds
33
Series
2
Item
21
Material Format
graphic material
Date
May 1945
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 24 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of Bill Stern in Celle, Germany with six other army and airforce servicemen. They are sitting in an army jeep, holding their rifles. Seated on the far right is Bill Stern and leaning against the jeep on the far left is Jimmy Thompson.
Notes
The photograph is mounted on cardboard.
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Places
Germany
Accession Number
2004-5-96
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2017-2-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-2-12
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
45 cm of textual records and other material
230 photographs : sepia and b&w ; 23 x 30 cm and smaller
8 sound recordings (50 wav files; 1 microcassette)
1 artifact
Date
1937-2004
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual records, photographs and audio recordings documenting the lives of Dick Steele, his wife Esther, and friend Bill Walsh. The materials are mostly correspondences between Dick and Esther during his internment at the Don Jail and Ontario Reformatory in Guelph, and from Dick and Bill's military service overseas during the Second World War. They also include correspondences between Esther and Bill, Bill and Anne Walsh, "Jack" and Esther, and other family and friends. Some of the letters show evidence of being censored. There are news clippings in English and Yiddish about the family from various newspapers including the Canadian Tribune (a Communist Party paper). There is a letter Esther wrote to campaign for Dick's release from internment, part of women's activism in this period. There is also a photocopy of a memoir written by Moses Kosowatsky and Moses Wolofsky "From the Land of Despair to the Land of Promise" ca. 1930s.
The photographs include Dick and Bill in the army during the Second World War, a signed picture of Tim Buck addressed to Esther and the twins and a photo of Dick delivering a speech related to the Steel Workers. Also included is a recording of edited sound clips of Bill and Esther talking about Dick, Esther speaking about the letters, (how she received letters and flowers from Dick after he had already been killed), Bill reading a letter Dick wrote to Esther that he left with friends in England to send her in the case that he was killed (which he was), recordings of "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2 compiled by Leib Wolofsky's (Bill's nephew), and 5 audio recordings by Adrianna Steele-Card with her grandparents Bill and Esther. There is also a microcassette labelled "Joe Levitt."
The accession also includes the stripe of a German corporal that Bill captured as a prisoner, peace stamps and an early copy of Cy Gonick's A Very Red Life: The Story of Bill Walsh, edited by Bill.
Administrative History
Richard "Dick" Kennilworth Steele is the name adopted by Moses Kosowatsky. He was born in 1909 in Montreal to Samuel Kosowatsky and Fanny Held. He lived in a laneway off Clark Street, below Sherbrooke, where his father collected and recycled bottles. He grew up with his siblings, Joseph, Mortimer, Matthew, Gertrude, and Edward.
Bill Walsh (birth name Moishe Wolofsky) was born in 1910, to Sarah and Herschel Wolofsky, the editor of the Keneder Adler (Montreal's prominent Yiddish newspaper). He attended Baron Byng and then Commercial High School, where he met Dick Steele. Bill recalled that Dick denounced militarism in the school when a teacher tried to recruit students to be cadets.
Bill moved to New York City in 1927. His brother, who was living there, helped him get a job as a messenger on Wall Street. He also worked in the drug department at Macy's while attending courses at Columbia University in the evening. Dick worked on a ship for a year and then joined Bill in New York City in 1928. Dick worked at a chemical plant called Linde Air Products while also studying in the evenings at Columbia University.
In 1931, Dick and Bill boarded a ship together in New York bound for Copenhagen. Together, they travelled across Europe, witnessed a Nazi demonstration in Breslau, Germany, and found work in Minsk and Moscow, Russia. This trip inspired them to become Communists. In 1933, Bill's father was on a Canadian trade mission to Poland, which he left to "rescue" his son from the Bolsheviks. Bill agreed to return to Canada after being advised to do so by the Comintern. He then changed his name to Bill Walsh to protect his family.
In 1934, Bill moved to Toronto. He worked as the educational director for the Industrial Union of Needle Trade Workers and the Communist Party, where he met Esther Slominsky/Silver, the organization's office manager. Dick joined Bill in Toronto soon after. Bill introduced Dick and Esther, who then married. In 1940, Esther gave birth to twin sons, Michael and John Steele. Esther was born in Toronto in 1914 to Joseph Slominsky and Fanny (Blackersany?). Her siblings were Bella, Eileen, Morris, and step-sister Eva. Her father, Joseph, was a cloak maker and Esther also worked in the garment industry. Her mother Fanny passed away in 1920 at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis.
Dick was a metal worker and became a union organizer in the east end of Toronto. He was the head organizer of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee of Canada (SWOC) until 1940, when he was dismissed for being a Communist. Bill helped organize Kitchener's rubber workers into an industrial union and was also an organizer for the United Auto Workers of Windsor, Ontario.
Jack Steele, an alias for Dick's brother Mortimer, fought with the Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Jack Steele was recalled to Canada in October 1937 to rally support for the efforts in Spain, returned to the front in June 1938, and was killed in action in August. Some of Dick's letters to his wife, Esther, are signed "Salud, Jack" and were likely written in 1940 when the Communist Party (CP) was banned by the Canadian government under the War Measures Act.
In November 1941, after Mackenzie King's call for enlistment, Dick wrote to the Department of Justice to ask permission to join the army. He never received a reply. On 1 April 1942, Dick's home was raided and he was interned at the Don Jail until September 1942, when he was moved to the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph. Esther wrote a letter to the minister of justice, Louis St. Laurent, to appeal on his behalf.
Major public campaigning by Communists and the wartime alliance with the USSR after 1941 shifted public opinion toward the CP, and the Canadian government slowly began releasing internees in January 1942. Dick was released in October 1942 and enlisted at the end of the month. Dick died on 17 August 1944 in Normandy, France. He was a tank driver in the Canadian Army.
Bill was similarly arrested in 1941, spending time in jail and then an internment camp with other members of the CP. He joined the Canadian Army in 1943 and fought in Holland and Belgium. Bill was first married to Anne Weir who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1943, just before he enlisted. The family believes this may have been due to drinking unpasteurized milk. Encouraged by Dick Steele to take care of his family should he pass in the war, Bill married Esther Steele in 1946. They had a daughter named Sheri and were members of the United Jewish People's Order. For twenty years, Walsh worked for the Hamilton region of the United Electrical Workers (UE). Bill remained a member of the CP until 1967, when we was expelled for criticizing another union leader. He died in 2004. Esther passed away in 2010 at age ninety-six.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: Library and Archives Canada has the William Walsh fonds and MG 28, ser. I 268, USWA, vol.4, SWOC Correspondence, has various letters from Dick Steele ca. 1938. Museum of Jewish Montreal has an oral history with Leila Mustachi (daughter of Max Wolofsky, Bill's brother) where she speaks about Bill, Dick and Esther. USE CONDITION NOTES: For "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2, some contributors stipulate that recordings are restricted to personal use only and must not be used for any commercial purpose.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Politics and government
Labour and unions
Name Access
Steele, Michael
Steele, Dick
Walsh, Bill
Walsh, Esther Steele
Places
England
Fort William (Ont.)
Germany
Guelph (Ont.)
Hamilton (Ont.)
Montréal (Québec)
Netherlands
Oshawa (Ont.)
Ottawa (Ont.)
Thunder Bay (Ont.)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-10-10
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-10-10
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
7 cm of graphic material and textual records
Date
1925-1980
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting the Kirschner family, in particular Maurice and Gertrude Kirschner. Included are family photographs, wedding telegrams, marriage certificates, certificates of naturalization, and passports. Individuals identified in the photographs include: Ann Kirschner, Chaim Kirschner, Gertrude Kirschner (née Taylor), Hannah Kirschner, Helen Kirschner, Joseph Kirschner, Maurice Kirschner, Shlomo Kirschner, Ruth Lowe, Bernice Taylor, Leah Taylor, and Saul Taylor.
Administrative History
Gertrude Kirschner (née Taylor) was born on 29 November 1907 in Toronto, Ontario. She lived with her parents at 770 Markham Street and finished high school. On 3 July 1932, she married Maurice Kirschner, with whom she had two daughters: Helen (b. 1934) and Elaine (b. 1942). The couple lived at 770 Markham Street until they bought their first home at 46 Gloucester Grove. They became founding members of Beth Sholom Synagogue on Englinton Avenue. Gertrude died 7 June 1982.
Maurice Kirschner was born on 13 August 1904 in Lyck, Germany. He was trained as a watchmaker and opened a watch repair shop on Bay Street, just north of Queen. The shop was demolished to make way for the new city hall. Maurice subsequently went to work for Sayvette, where he remained for the rest of his career. He died on 15 February 1980.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Digital copies (jpg, tif) have been created for thirty-one documents.
Subjects
Families
Immigrants--Canada
Married people
Name Access
Kirschner (family)
Kirschner, Gertrude
Kirschner, Maurice
Places
Germany
Ontario
Soviet Union
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-8-14
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-8-14
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
multiple media
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records ca. 2cm of textual records
12 photographs : b&w and col ; 30 x 35 cm or smaller
1 scrapbook
Date
1900-1950, [196?], 1970-1995
Scope and Content
Accession consists of 12 photographs (ca. 1900-1930, 196?) of members of the Schönberger family, including family portraits, class portraits, and a group photograph of the United Cloth Hat & Cap Makers Union Local No. 41. Accession also contains a scrapbook (ca.1937-1945) kept by Walter Schoenberger consisting of ca. 90 photographs and other graphic materials (eg. cigarette cards, photographic postcards) documenting his life in Vienna, England, Quebec and Toronto. This scrapbook includes photographs of Schoenberger's internment at a Kitchener Camp in Kent, England, as well as photographs of a parade at Old City Hall in Toronto.
Accession also consists of 1 folder of textual records, including Canadian citizenship and naturalization documents, a Vienna drivers license, one postcard, wedding invitations and certificates, newspaper clippings, personal writings, and a death certificate. There are also a number of documents ca. 1939-1942 relating to Walter Schoenberger's time at the Kitchener Camp in England, including letters from the Red Cross, the American Embassy to Vienna, the American Consulate General in London, the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society, the Central Council for Jewish Refugees Agricultural Committee, and Tip Top Tailors.
Accession also includes Victory Bonds certificates (1943-1945), an issue of the Toronto Star from December 3, 1992, a Toronto Transit Commission map, a program for a "Life Begins at 65" celebration for George Burns, and a book entitled "Collective Poems - The Terrace Holocaust Survivors Group" consisting of poetry by Holocaust survivors. Also included are documents relating to the Schwab family.
Ancestor chart of Mindy Schönberger
Custodial History
Collection of Walter Schoenberger, donated by daughter Mindy Pollishuke.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Tailors
Immigrants--Canada
Labor unions
Clothing workers
Postcards
Refugee camps
Refugees
World War, 1939-1945
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
England
Austria
Germany
Source
Archival Accessions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1253
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1253
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1898
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of members of the Frankel family on a visit to Biblis, Germany.
Front, left to right: Carl Frankel; Egmont Frankel; Beno Frankel. Lena Frankel is holding Roy Frankel.
Name Access
Frankel, Beno
Frankel, Carl
Frankel, Egmont
Frankel, Lena
Frankel, Roy
Subjects
Families
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Places
Germany
Accession Number
1977-4-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Samuel Posluns fonds
Level
File
ID
Fonds 70; File 5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Samuel Posluns fonds
Level
File
Fonds
70
File
5
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1947
Physical Description
51 photographs : b&w ; 17 x 12 cm or smaller
Scope and Content
File consists of black-and-white photographs related to the Tailor Project, including photos taken at Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp showing the Tailor Project team testing candidates. Other photos include scenes of devastation in Hanover, documentation of concentration camps at Belsen and Dachau, and two photos of Posluns with unidentified individuals taken at the Munich Military Post Officers Club. Other identified individuals include Max Enkin and Samuel Herbst.
Subjects
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Refugee camps
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Places
Germany
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Samuel Posluns fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 70
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Samuel Posluns fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
70
Material Format
cartographic material
graphic material
textual record
Date
1925-1984
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
91 photographs : b&w ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller
1 map : 46 x 65 cm
Admin History/Bio
Samuel Posluns (1910–1994) was born in Toronto to Abraham Isaac Poslaniec (1870–1922) and Sheindel Saltzman (1872–1960). He had three brothers and three sisters: Joseph, Louis, Abe, Gertrude Miriam, Anne, and Sarah. His father, Abraham, established the family-run clothing firm Superior Cloak Company in 1916. In 1934, it was bankrupted and closed after a lengthy strike. In 1936, Samuel opened his own business, Popular Cloak Company. In 1967, the Posluns family purchased Tip Top Tailors, in partnership with entrepreneur Jimmy Kay. A year later they incorporated their new venture under the name of Dylex as a holding company for the Tip Top chain of stores.
During the Second World War, Samuel Posluns served as a member of the air force reserves. After the war, he was elected president of the United Jewish Welfare Fund in 1947. That same year, in collaboration with the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Jewish Labour Committee, Posluns helped lead the Tailor Project along with Max E. Enkin, which was aimed at helping Jewish displaced persons immigrate to Canada by securing them employment as tailors. A committed advocate for Jewish education, Posluns also served as the first president and founding chair of the Board of Jewish Education (BJE) in 1949. He remained honorary president for life and continued to attend meetings until health problems held back his participation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Posluns was also a founding board member of the North York General Hospital.
Samuel Posluns died in Toronto in 1994.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records related to the Posluns family and their clothing business, Popular Cloak Company. The records include correspondence, financial records, periodicals and newsletters, photographs, certificates and personal identification. The fonds also includes textual documents and photos documenting Samuel Posluns' involvement in the Tailor Project.
Name Access
Bergen-Belsen (Concentration camp)
Canadian Jewish Congress
Enkin, Max E.
Jewish Labour Committee
Popular Cloak Company
Posluns, Samuel, 1910-1994
Subjects
Clothing trade
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Immigrants--Canada
Access Restriction
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
Creator
Posluns, Samuel, 1910-1994
Places
Germany
Accession Number
1997-7-6
2004-5-79
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3042
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3042
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1920
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 7 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a passport photograph of Zelig Nisker, taken in Troisdorf, Germany.
Name Access
Nisker, Zelig
Subjects
Portraits
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Places
Germany
Accession Number
1974-001
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3733
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3733
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1943
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of a group of internees at the Ilag Kruezburg, O/S in Germany. Pictured in the background is the asylum where the internees were held. All of the original patients of the asylum were murdered by the Nazis. The man indicated with an "X" was a friend Charles Grant. Other individuals identified in the photograph are brothers Leonard Fishel and Bernard Fishel.
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Places
Germany
Accession Number
1981-2-8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4485
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4485
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1908]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w (hand-tinted) ; 30 x 37 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of Chana Leah Levine and her four children. The photograph has been hand tinted with watercolour paint.
Subjects
Children
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Physical Condition
This photograph is in very poor condition. It is cracked and chipped, several large pieces are missing and it has tape residue in several areas.
Places
Germany
Accession Number
1980-1-10
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4079
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4079
Material Format
graphic material
Date
May 1945
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy photograph and corresponding negative of Camp Ludwigsdorf in Germany. The camp was a concentration camp that was used as a displaced persons camp after the war.
Subjects
Concentration camps
Refugee camps
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Places
Germany
Accession Number
1978-7-11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4078
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4078
Material Format
graphic material
Date
May 1945
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 10 x 12 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy photograph and corresponding negative of the electric fence at Camp Ludwigsdorf in Germany. The camp was a concentration camp that was used as a Displaced Persons camp after the war.
Subjects
Concentration camps
Refugee camps
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Places
Germany
Accession Number
1978-7-11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Scheuer family fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 47; Item 2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Scheuer family fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
47
Item
2
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[187-?]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 6 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a photographic portrait of Benno Scheuer as a young boy taken in a studio in Stuttgart.
Notes
Albument print mounted on cartes-de-visite.
Studio: F. Willmann, Stuttgart.
Subjects
Children
Repro Restriction
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Physical Condition
One corner of the card is chipped.
The print has started to lift off its support.
Places
Germany
Accession Number
1989-4-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2022-5-15
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-15
Material Format
textual record
object
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
1 armband : white fabric ; 18 x 5 cm
Date
1947-1948
Scope and Content
Accession consists of Leslie Mezei's certificate of identity in lieu of passport, issued on 2 Dec. 1947 by the Office of the Military Governor, US Zone of Germany. It contains Leslie's picture and signature, as well as the 13 Jan. 1948 Canadian stamp of arrival in Halifax. Also included is the armband worn by Leslie on his way to Canada, which says, "Sponsored by the Canadian Jewish Congress. Chief Welfare Officer Ethel Ostry-Genkind."
Custodial History
Records were donated by Leslie Mezei himself.
Administrative History
Leslie (Laszlo) Mezei was born in Budapest, Hungary, on 9 July 1931. After the war, he and his siblings stayed at the Leipheim DP camp, in Germany, and at a children's camp in Prien am Chiemsee, in Southern Germany. After going on the Exodus 1947 illegal immigration to then Mandatory Palestine, they were sent back to Prien, where a Canadian social worker signed them up for immigration. They arrived in January 1948 on board the USS General SD Sturgis, an American troop carrier that had been used for carrying refugees. They landed at Pier 21, in Halifax. Then, they took a train to Montreal, and, after spending some time at the YMHA, Leslie was taken in by the Winkler family, with whom he stayed with for five years. After completing his basic education, he enrolled at McGill University for a BSc in mathematic and physics followed by an MA in meteorology in Toronto, where he got married in August 1953 to his fiancée, Annie Wasserman, a Holocaust survivor from Poland. Leslie became a computer programmer in 1954 and a systems analyst in 1958. His wife, Annie, with whom he had two children, Frances and Michael, developed a brain tumor and died in January 1977. After Annie's death, Leslie started to work with the interfaith movement. He later married Kathy, a seventh-generation Canadian of English, Irish, and Scottish background. Between them, they have five children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. In 2021, Leslie was awarded a certificate of recognition signed by the mayor of Toronto, the president of the Interfaith Council, and the head of the Toronto Sufi Order International. In 2019, the Azrieli Foundation published the Holocaust story of his family in a book titled "A Tapestry of Survival."
Descriptive Notes
Physical Description note: Armband has been measured in flattened position.
Subjects
Holocaust survivors
Refugee children
Immigrants--Canada
Name Access
Mezei, Leslie (Laszlo), 1931-
Places
Germany
Halifax (N.S.)
Montréal (Québec)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-6-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-6-3
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
4 photo albums
Date
1928-1943
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Willi Holz. Included are four photo albums that belonged to the same. The first three albums consist of photographs taken in Germany between the years 1928 and 1936. The fourth album consists of photographs taken in Germany between the years 1936 and 1939 and Canada circa 1943. The photographs primarily depict individuals (family members, friends), but street scenes, airplanes, and landscapes are also depicted.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Camille Norton, Willi Holz's stepdaughter, prior to Camile donating them to the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Administrative History
Willi Israel Holz was born on 6 April 1912 in Breslau, Germany (today Wroclaw, Poland). From 1919–27, he attended elementary school in the same city. Starting in 1927, he attended technical high school. In 1929, he joined the Kommunistischer Jugendverband Deutschlands (Young Communist League of Germany). In 1931, he received his electrician's license. Apart from a period of unemployment in 1932, he worked from 1931–38 with several firms, acquiring experience in electrical installations. In 1933, he lost his membership in the German Metal Workers' Union (Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband) on racial grounds.
In 1938, Willi was put in a Nazi concentration camp. In January 1939, he was released from the concentration camp. He nevertheless had to report to the Gestapo headquarters on a monthly basis until he was able to leave Germany. This proved difficult, as Willi tried and failed to immigrate to a number of countries, including Palestine, Bolivia, and China. (In the latter case, the Republic of China granted Willi and his mother visas, but there were no ship tickets available.) In February, Willi applied to be accepted for a transit camp for Jewish emigrants that was located in Richborough, England; in July, he was accepted. He arrived in Richborough on 8 August 1939. Willi's mother was unable to come with him.
From Richborough, Willi was moved between several locations before departing from Liverpool, England, on the SS Ettrick. He arrived in Quebec, Canada, on 13 July 1940 at Internment Camp "L." (He was interned as an enemy alien.) From there, he was transferred to Internment Camp "N" in Sherbrook. In January 1941, he was provided with an affidavit for immigration to the United States, but he was unable to enter owing to an unspecified condition. In 1942, Willi's mother was deported to eastern Europe (she died in Auschwitz). In November of that same year, Willi was transferred to yet another camp.
In February 1943, Willi was released from internment for work at Stark Electrical Instrument Co. in Toronto, Ontario. In 1944, Willi started working as foreman of the machine shop for the same company. In 1946, the plant at which Willi was working ended up moving to a different location, and Willi started work on the production line. That same year, Willi appeared before a county court judge to take the oath of allegiance. He became a Canadian citizen on 4 May 1946.
Willi died on 10 October 1979. His funeral took place at Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel.
Use Conditions
Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
Descriptive Notes
Language: Captions are in German.
Availability of other formats: Digitized material.
Subjects
Electricians
Holocaust survivors
Immigrants--Canada
Name Access
Holz, Willi, 1912-1979
Places
Canada
Germany
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-12-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-12-1
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
2 letters
Date
May 1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Shelly Grimson. Included are two Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) letters written by Shelly's uncle Harry Fistell to Shelly's grandmother/Harry's mother. The first letter, written May 1945, describes Harry's impressions after visiting the recently liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The second letter, also written May 1945, describes Harry's feelings upon the Second World War ending and recounts trips to Holland, Antwerp, and Hamburg.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Concentration camps
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Grimson (family)
Grimson, Shelly
Places
Germany
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
Community Relations Committee series
Research records sub-series
Hate crimes and hate literature sub-sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
17
Series
5-4-6
File
35
Material Format
textual record
Date
1965
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of correspondence related to the German Statute of Limitation on Nazi War Criminals. Also included are other correspondence related to Germany, including information on a CBC program about Jewish survivors living in Germany and the treatment of a Jewish grave.
Notes
General: Previously processed and cited as part of MG8 S.
Places
Germany
Source
Archival Descriptions