Accession Number
2003-9-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2003-9-1
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records and graphic material
Date
1929-1942
Scope and Content
This accession consists of material donated by Sid Caplan. The records document Sid as a child, his parents, and their barbershop, which was located at 468 College Street. The records consist of the wedding ketubah of his parents from 1928 as well as photographs of Sid Caplan and his classmates at King Edward Public School, and finally, photographs of the family barbershop.
Administrative History
Alexander Caplan and Fannie Gangbar married in Toronto in 1928. They had a son named Sid Caplan. The Caplan's ran a barbershop located on College Street near Bathurst Street from the 1930s until the 1970s. The couple both worked there along with their employee, Sid Sugarman.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Barbershops
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-5-43
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-5-43
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
12 photographs : b&w (4 negatives) ; 13 x 18 cm or smaller
Date
May 1948
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photographs and negatives of a parade on College Street, Toronto celebrating the establishment of the State of Israel. Identified is Mrs. Greenberg, the leader of the girl guides. The girl guide carrying the British flag is Gloria Mosoff (her married name is Roden).
Subjects
Israel--History--Declaration of Independence, 1948
Parades
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-5-74
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-5-74
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
6 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Date
1948
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photographs taken on College Street in Toronto of a parade celebrating the establishment of the State of Israel in May 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
Israel--History--Declaration of Independence, 1948
Parades
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Name
Percy Skuy
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
12 May 2015
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Percy Skuy
Number
OH 416
Subject
Canada--Emigration and immigration
Jews--South Africa
South Africa--Emigration and immigration
Interview Date
12 May 2015
Interviewer
Naomi Raichyk
Total Running Time
1 hr. 19 min.
Use Restrictions
NONE
Biography
The child of Latvian immigrants to South Africa, Percy grew up in the small town of Vryheid, South Africa with his parents and two siblings. Years later, when asked what the population of Vryheid was, Percy’s mother replied, “Forty Jewish families.” Those families formed a tight-knit community that was able to support not only a synagogue and a rabbi, but a Talmud Torah school and a butcher’s shop with a kosher section.
At seventeen years old, Percy began an apprenticeship to become a pharmacist. He qualified in 1954 and worked for a year before leaving South Africa to travel the world. He never planned on visiting Canada, but found himself in Toronto for a stopover and ended up liking the city so much he decided to stay. In 1959, Percy became the first South African pharmacist registered in Ontario.
Percy met his first wife, Frances Goodman, in 1960 on a blind date and married her that same year. Together, they had two children: Beth (born in 1961) and David (born in 1963). In 1961, Percy began his thirty-four-year career with Johnson and Johnson Corporation, taking on a number of roles in the company during that time. In 1977, Frances passed away. Two years later, he married his second wife, Elsa Ruth Snider.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Percy is the founder of the only museum devoted exclusively to the history of contraception. The museum is located at the Dittrick Medical History Centre in Cleveland, Ohio.
Material Format
moving images
Language
English
Name Access
Skuy, Percy, 1932-
Geographic Access
Canada
Europe
Israel
South Africa
United States
Original Format
Digital file
Copy Format
Digital file
Transcript
00:30 Percy was born in 1932 in Vryheid in northern Natal, South Africa.
00:41 Percy's parents emigrated from Latvia to South Africa in 1929.
00:53 Percy discusses his parents and their early lives in South Africa and the Jewish community in Vryheid.
04:10 Percy discusses his family's practice of Judaism while growing up.
05:02 Percy's father ran a small business. Later he worked with his brother-in-law to run a mill. At age fifty-nine, his father was killed in an automobile accident.
06:00 Percy discusses his mother. Percy has two siblings: an older brother, Max, and a younger sister, Rita.
07:19 Percy shares some of his childhood memories.
09:29 Percy was involved in the Habonim youth movement.
11:27 Percy reminisces about the establishment of the State of Israel.
13:23 Percy discusses his impressions of apartheid. He discusses his relationships with Black men and women.
15:15 Percy discusses his involvement with an anti-apartheid group.
17:19 Percy shares a story that illustrates his opposition to apartheid. His parents were not politically active.
19:06 Percy discusses how he became interested in pharmacy and the training for pharmacists.
21:21 Percy describes his two years of travel following graduation from pharmacy.
26:58 Percy relates how, en route to a pre-arranged job in the Arctic, he serendipitously secured a job with Glaxo as a medical sales representative on a stop-over in Toronto.
29:49 Percy describes his sales route.
30:46 Percy explains how he became the first South African registered pharmacist in Ontario.
32:31 Percy describes some of his early social/business pursuits in Canada.
34:12 Percy married his wife, Francis, originally from Sudbury. She graduated from the University of Toronto in nursing.
34:26 Following travel to Europe, Israel and South Africa, Percy and Francis decided to return to live in Canada.
35:35 Percy discusses the importance of maintaining family connection despite distance.
36:41 Percy describes the slow trickle of relatives who emigrated from South Africa. He notes that he has no close relatives remaining in South Africa and comments on the disappearance of the Jewish community in Vryheid.
38:39 Percy discusses some of the challenges he faced integrating socially into the Jewish community.
40:36 Percy explains how he became involved with working for the company Ortho.
45:15 Percy explains the factors that guided his integration into Canada.
47:08 Percy discusses his involvement in the Jewish community in Toronto.
48:30 Percy contrasts his own upbringing with how he raised his own children in Toronto.
52:00 Percy discusses his grandchildren.
52:26 Percy is the founder of a museum of the history of contraception. He explains how he developed an interest in the history of contraception and how he collected artifacts.
58:18 Percy describes his work history, his involvement in professional committee work, and his pursuits following his retirement in 1995.
1:00:11 Percy explains how he found a permanent location for the museum at the Dittrick Museum at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
1:02:50 Percy married Elsa in 1979. He discusses their range of hobbies.
1:03:38 Percy discusses the three documentaries he created. The topics included the formation of the Jewish pharmacy fraternity, the history of Jewish pharmacists in Canada, and the extracurricular involvement of Jewish pharmacists in Canada.
1:06:47 Percy addresses some of the issues faced by South African Jewish pharmacists who integrated to Canada.
1:09:20 Percy lists the languages he speaks.
1:10:00 Percy reminisces about his mother. He recalls his mother's relationship with their family servant.
1:13:14 Percy describes his training in pharmacy in South Africa.
1:15:27 Percy shares stories about their family's Black servants.
1:17:40 Percy reminisces about the opportunities that came his way since his arrival in Canada.
Source
Oral Histories

Becoming Canadian

The History of Contraception

40 Jewish Families

Not Long Before the Police Arrived

Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Portraits series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 18; Series 1; Item 29
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Portraits series
Level
Item
Fonds
18
Series
1
Item
29
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1960]
Physical Description
1 negative : b&w ; 10 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a portrait of Gordon Mendly in his studio on College Street.
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Portraits series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 18; Series 1; Item 30
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Portraits series
Level
Item
Fonds
18
Series
1
Item
30
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1960]
Physical Description
1 negative : b&w ; 13 x 9 cm
Admin History/Bio
Sarah (née Rawet) Mendly was born to Shapsa and Feiga Rawet. The family immigrated to Canada sometime around 1926. Sarah was the president of the Toronto Chapter of the B’nai Brith Ladies’ Auxiliary, the Herzl Zion Ladies’ Auxiliary, the Jewish Home for the Aged and Baycrest Hospital. Sarah Mendly was the wife of photographer, Gordon Mendly. She died on 31 December 1992.
Scope and Content
Item is a portrait of Sarah Mendly in her husband's studio on College Street.
Subjects
Immigrants--Canada
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Family photographs series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 33; Series 1; Item 32
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Family photographs series
Level
Item
Fonds
33
Series
1
Item
32
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1946]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 9 x 7 cm and 35 mm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of Bill Stern and his first wife Laura (Rubinstein) Stern, standing in front of the Forestry building at St. George Street and College Street.
Subjects
Married people
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Saint George Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2006-2-8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2013-9-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2013-9-7
Material Format
graphic material (electronic)
Physical Description
5 photographs
Date
1920-1977
Scope and Content
5 electronic copies of black and white photographs relted to Wellts Deli: 1) Peter and Fannie Wellts 2) Peter Wellts with cleaver in hand in the deli. 3) Exterior of Wellts Deli (1959) taken by realtor when it closed. 4-5) exterior of Wellt's Deli taken in 1977 before building was being torn down. The word "Kosher" in Yiddish/Hebrew is still visible.
Administrative History
Wellts Delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (b. August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (b. January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Related material note: an article on the deli from one of the local daily newspapers from 1969 is in a vertical file on Wellt's Deli
Subjects
Delicatessens
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-3-63
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-3-63
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
[192-?]-1953
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material primarily documenting kosher meat scandals and strikes in Toronto in the 1920s and 1930s as well as the Kehilla (Toronto Rabbinical Board). There are complete pages of some documents and portions of others. The documents are flyers (public notices) in Yiddish (with some Hebrew in religious context and quotations) to do with a scandal or several scandals in which it became clear a number of butchers were operating outside Rabbinical Board supervision and therefore selling (assumed to be) treif meat to Toronto Jews. Secondary scandal with Rabbi Yehuda Leib Graubart, who allegedly split off from the Rabbinical Board with six butchers to do business outside the union, with wholesalers, and gaining more money than union butchers and the rabbis working with them. Another thread relates to a strike for cheaper meat, including meetings of women picketers, and then for better conditions for local butchers. The flyers mostly fall between 1920-1940. All are from Toronto. Lists of local butchers’ shops with addresses and names are included.
Additional flyers cover Communist protests and protest meetings against German fascism and pogroms, specifically Hitler's government's prosecution of the Communist Party of Germany related to the Reichstag fire. Also included are a 1953 flyer for the tenth anniversary commemoration of the Latvian-Lithuanian Jews’ annihilation, and an open letter to Rabbi Abraham Aaron Price regarding his title.
Custodial History
There is no information on the acquisition of this material. However, retrieved from the original package in which the material was lodged was a note "Kashruth fliers from E. Miller" or Mitler.
Descriptive Notes
Language: Yiddish with some Hebrew (phrases and quotations).
Subjects
Demonstrations
Kosher food
Rabbis
Places
Augusta Avenue (Toronto. Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Dundas Street West (Toronto, Ont.)
Kensington Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
Queen Street West (Toronto, Ont.)
Spadina Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-11-26
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-11-26
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 21 x 26 cm and 6 x 9 cm
Date
[between 1940 and 1945]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one original negative and one copy print of Paskowetz's Meat Inn on College St.
Administrative History
Paskowetz's delicatessen was located on the north side of College Street between Brunswick Avenue and Major Street. Other businesses in the neighbourhood described by one time area resident Harry Turk included: The [Playhouse Theatre] (next door to Paskowetz's deli); Wellts Delicatessen owned by Peter Wellts (west of Paskowetz's deli), Imperial Gas station at College and Major Streets owned by the Rubinoff family and Beckers Delicatessen, owned by the Becker family, located on the south side of College Street. Milt Moskowitz, a Major Street kid recalls "the fragrance of hot dogs boiling in a big pot in the window. They cost 5 cents and I only ate one that my older brother (he was twenty and working and I was seven) bought me once. Wow. It was delicious."
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
DATE RANGE NOTE: A victory bonds sticker can be seen in the bottom left corner of the deli window.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-2-13
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-2-13
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
ca. 150 photographs : b&w and col ; 21 x 27 cm or smaller
1 photograph : negative print on transparency
1 scrapbook
1 folder of textual records
Date
1925-1996
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photographs documenting the family life of Henry and Bella Rosenbaum. Included are photos from Poland, Italy, Israel, and Canada. In addition, there is a scrapbook of photos prepared by their daughter Brenda on Henry and Bella's thirtieth wedding anniversary in 1976. In addition, there is a more comprehensive biography written by Henry and Bella's son-in-law Eric Bornstein.
Administrative History
Henry "Hanoch" Rosenbaum (1925-2015) was born in Radom, Poland. He was the seventh of eight children born to Rachel Rosenbaum (née Katz) and Moshe Rosenbaum. Henry learned the fate of his parents, two siblings and their families, after the war. All were innocent victims murdered during the Holocaust. Most of Radom's Jews were murdered in Treblinka following the August 1942 liquidation of its ghettos.
Henry Rosenbaum met his Bella Rotbard (1925-2012) in Italy in the aftermath of the Second World War. Although Bella was also from Radom, she did not know the Rosenbaum family. Bella's parents, her sixteen-year-old sister and four-year-old brother along with most of her parents' extended families were murdered in the Holocaust.
While in Italy, the Joint Distribution Committee funded 'mock' kibbutzim, preparing Holocaust survivors for immigration to Palestine and kibbutz life. Bella, a one-time member of the secular Jewish youth movement Hashomer Hatzair in Poland, believed that she was destined to be a kibbutznik. Henry would follow.
Bella and Henry were part of the illegal immigration to Palestine in 1946 and spent their first few days in Atlit, a British Mandate detainee camp. Soon Bella settled on a kibbutz but soon after married Henry. In 1946, Bella and Henry married in their apartment in Ramat Gan. At the time, Henry was serving in the IDF’s motor pool. Finding the weather exasperating her migraine symptoms, Bella, Henry, and their toddler daughter Brenda (b. 1949) immigrated to Toronto in 1952.
With the assistance of a relative, Henry gained employment in a print shop sweeping floors. Shortly thereafter, he advanced to machine operator and, in 1961, he opened his own print shop. Bella found employment in the garment industry sewing collars onto shirts and earning her wages by piece work. Bella stopped working when their son Murray (b. 1961) was born. Henry served as editor for the quarterly Yiddish and English journal the Voice of Radom and was an active life-long member of the Radom Society.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Families
Name Access
Expo 67 (Montréal, Québec)
Rosenbaum, Henry, 1925-2015
Places
Canada
Israel
Italy
Poland
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-6-5
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-6-5
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
textual record (electronic)
Physical Description
ca. 30 cm of textual records
89 photographs : b&w and col. (7 negatives) ; 18 x 13 cm or smaller
1 CD-ROM (textual record)
19 videocassettes (ca. 22 hr.)
Date
[19--?]-2008
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Abe and Margot Zukerman, their family, and the Wierzbniker Friendly Mutual Benefit Society. Included are: awards, identity documents, legal documents, letters, photographs, publications, videocassettes, and vital records.
Photo Caption (015): Abe Zukerman's father, [19--?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2017-6-5.
Custodial History
Mel Perlmutter, stepson of Abe Zukerman and son of Margot Zukerman, donated the records to the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Administrative History
Abe Zukerman (1914-2009) was born in Wierzbnik, Poland in 1914. He was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust. In 1948, he came to Canada, where he became involved in the Wierzbniker Friendly Mutual Benefit Society and married. His first wife, Esther, predeceased him. In 1975, he married his second wife, Margot, who had two children from a previous marriage. In addition to serving as a senior executive member of the Wierzbniker Friendly Mutual Benefit Society for over 50 years, Abe volunteered with United Jewish Appeal and State of Israel Bonds. He passed away 8 Feb. 2009. Margot Zukerman (née Rubin) was born in Berlin, Germany on 31 December 1922. Still a child when the National Socialists came to power, she was denied schooling. She arrived in Toronto in 1939 never having received a formal education. Despite this, she was able to learn English and operate her father's small ladies' wear store in Hamilton for at least a dozen years. In 1944, she married her first husband Alexander Perlmutter, with whom she had two children: one in 1945 and another in 1948. In 1970, she moved to Toronto, where she acted as caregiver to her father. In 1974, she met Abe, whom she married on 14 February 1975. Like her husband, Margot was an active member of Toronto's Jewish community.
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.
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
ASSOCIATED MATERIALS: Other records relating to Abe Zukerman can be found in Accession 2017-9-1.
Subjects
Families
Societies
Name Access
Wierzbniker Friendly Mutual Benefit Society
Zukerman, Abe, 1914-2009
Zukerman, Esther, 1912-1972
Zukerman, Margot, 1922-
Zukerman family
Places
Canada
Israel
Poland
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-6-18
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-6-18
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
3 photographs : b&w ; 15 x 10 cm or smaller
2 letters
Date
1930-1948
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Miriam and Moshe Beckerman. Incuded are: one photograph taken of road builders in Palestine in 1930; one photograph of the British Eighth Army (pre-Jewish Brigade), of which Moshe was a part, in the first half of the 1940s; one letter in Hebrew addressed to Miriam by a friend of hers; one photograph (enclosed with the aforementioned letter in an envelope) of Moshe Beckerman, Mrs. Mirsky, and Miriam Beckerman taken in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1948; and one letter sent by Miriam Beckerman, then residing in Tel Aviv, to Esther Berger in Canada and dated January 12, 1948. The last letter briefly mentions the tense situation prevailing in Mandatory Palestine.
Photo Caption (001): British Eighth Army, [194-]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-6-18.
Photo Caption (002): Road builders, Palestine, 1930. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-6-18.
Photo Caption (003): Moshe Beckerman, Mrs. Mirsky, and Miriam Beckerman, Ramat Gan, Israel, 1948. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-6-18.
Administrative History
Miriam Beckerman immigrated to British Mandatory Palestine in 1947. Only nineteen years old, she made her way to Kfar Blum, a kibbutz in Hula Valley. After a few months, she relocated to another kibbutz, Ramat Yochanan. After relocating to Ma'ayan Baruch, another settlement, she mer her husband Moshe Beckerman. Moshe had been with the British Eighth Army, serving in the North Africa campaigns. The couple married in October 1947 and moved to Tel Aviv, where Moshe was originally from. In 1952, Miriam and Moshe made the decision to move to Canada.
Descriptive Notes
Conservation: The archivist removed two sticky notes from the back of photographs for preservation reasons. Prior to removing them, he scanned them so that researchers would be able to read what was written on them.
Language: One of the letters is in Hebrew.
Subjects
Families
Palestine
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Beckerman, Miriam
Beckerman, Moshe
Great Britain. Army. Army, Eighth
Places
Canada
Israel
Palestine
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-7-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-7-6
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
62 photographs : b&w and col. ; 10 x 15 cm or smaller
4 cm of textual records
Date
1920-2018
Scope and Content
Accession contains material documenting Gabriella Szanto and her family. Included are family photographs, vital records, correspondence, and a 2018 Baycrest calendar that features a portrait and short biography of Gabriella.
Custodial History
Shirley Worth served as the executor of Gabriella Szanto's estate. Following Gabriella's death, Shirley donated the records that make up the accession to the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Administrative History
Gabriella "Gabi" Szanto (née Lazlo) was born in Budapest, Hungary on 26 January 1916. Gabriella's parents, Arnold and Ilonka Lazlo (née Diamenstein), were women's clothing manufacturers who employed twenty-five people. Their skills complemented each other: Arnold had studied design in Berlin for two years while Ilonka was a dressmaker. On 18 May 1919, Arnold and Ilonka had their second child, George.
During the Second World War, Gabi and her mother moved to the outskirts of Budapest where they passed as Catholics, rarely leaving their house. Miklos Szanto—the man Gabriella married after the war—was sent to the Mauthausen concentration camp. Gabriella's brother, George, was sent to a camp in Siberia and did not survive. It is not known where or how Gabriella's father survived the war.
After the war, Gabriella, her mother and father, and her husband Miklos reunited in Budapest. The four lived in the family apartment near the city opera house.
During the period of Communist rule, Gabriella and Miklos bribed their way out of Hungary and travelled to Vienna. From Vienna, they travelled to Australia, where they lived for five or six years, working as a short order cook and a seamstress respectively.
At some point, Gabriella and Miklos made the decision to immigrate to Canada. Their first stop—most likely in the 1950s—was Montreal. There, Gabriella worked for a high-end retailer before moving with her husband to Toronto one year later. In Toronto, Miklos worked again as a short order cook at the Noshery Restaurant on Eglinton, holding this job until he retried. Gabriella, meanwhile, worked as a seamstress until she was in her mid-80s.
In their retirement, Gabriella and Miklos spent two months each winter in Florida. Gabriella died in 2018.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
LANGUAGE NOTE: English, Hungarian, German.
Subjects
Families
Holocaust survivors
Immigrants--Canada
Name Access
Szanto, Gabriella, 1916-2018
Places
Australia
Austria
Canada
Hungary
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-11-10
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-11-10
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
ca. 30 cm of graphic materials and textual records
Date
1936-[2004]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Ray and Rose Wolfe. Included are numerous photographs of Ray and Rose Wolfe with different individuals and at different events as well as a small number of textual records. Individuals identified in the photographs include: Bluma Appel, David Ben-Gurion, George H. W. Bush, Elizabeth Comper, Tony Comper, Mikhail Gorbachev, Golda Meier, Brian Mulroney, Gunthar Plaut, Yitzhak Rabin, Bob Rae, Shimon Peres, Justin Trudeau, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, John Turner, Desmond Tutu, Elizabeth Wolfe, and Morris Wolfe.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Elizabeth Wolfe, daughter of Ray and Rose Wolfe, prior to donation.
Use Conditions
Copyright is not 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: Selected images also available as JPEG and TIFF files.
Subjects
Married people
Philanthropists
Name Access
Wolfe, Ray, 1917-1990
Wolfe, Rose, 1916-2016
Places
Canada
Israel
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2019-5-13
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2019-5-13
Material Format
textual record
object
graphic material
Physical Description
7 cm of textual records and other material
3 objects
Date
[194-]-[201-]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Nathan Isaacs. Included are letters, photographs, service records, a sight log, a book with photographs of fighter planes active in the Second World War, and telegrams congratulating Nathan's family on Nathan coming home. Also included are a number of objects: Nathan's dog tags, navigator wings, and crest; a flask with Nathan's initials on it; another item with Nathan's initials that he received upon enlisting in 1942 and which would have held a mirror, nail file, and possibly a comb; a cigarette lighter made from an empty shell by ground crew; and, finally, a Bomber Command bar that was issued to Nathan in 2013.
Administrative History
Nathan Isaacs (né Isaacovitch) was born on 20 November 1922. He enlisted on 5 August 1942. After training, Nathan worked in the kitchen at a Royal Canadian Air Force base in Aylmer, Ontario, while awaiting deployment to Europe. After being flown to Yorkshire, England, Nathan went on to fly thirty-five missions. He was twenty-one when he flew his first.
Following the war, bombers like Nathan received little in the way of recognition on account of the heavy civilian casualties caused by bombing. In 2013, Julian Fantino, minister of veterans affairs, gave out the Bomber Command bar to recognize Second World Bombers, including Nathan. That same year, thanks to a photograph that accompanied a Toronto Star article about Second World War bombers, Nathan was reunited with John Mulholland, the pilot with whom he flew his final mission.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Six of the photographs and four of the textual records have been scanned and are available as JPEG, TIFF, and/or PDF files.
Subjects
Bomber pilots
Veterans
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Isaacs, Nathan, 1922-
Places
Canada
Europe
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2019-12-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2019-12-3
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
ca. 33 cm of textual records and other material
Date
1913-2014
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting the maternal (Cohn) and paternal (Levy) branches of the donor's family. Included are cards, certificates, death certificates, degrees, diplomas, family trees, letters, an oral history transcript, passports, photographs, reference materials, telegrams, and other records.
Individuals documented in the records include: Al Berns, Etta Cohn, Judah Cohn, Natalie Cohn, Stanley Cohn, Sylvia Cohn, Al Cole, Myer Drazin, Manny Godfrey, Bert Gold, Dan Gold, Jonah Gold, Yenta Kohl, Ann Levy, Corinne Levy, Edgar Levy, Lois Levy, Nancy Levy, Joan Lipton, Joy Matsuzaki, Raymond Mock,Edythe Noss, Harvey Noss, Mark Noss, Walter Lyons, Judy Rubin, Richard Seymour, and Elaine Zimmerman.
Caption (030): Edgar Levy shortly after arrival in Canada, [ca. 1921]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2019-12-3.
Administrative History
The Noss family traces its origins to Russia/Ukraine. The patriarch, Avraham Noss, died after contracting typhus after being badly beaten in a pogrom. His wife, Toiba, died of either cholera, typhus, or influenza (accounts vary). They left behind four children: Raisa, Meyer, Joseph, and Moshe. The extended family took care of the four orphans but did not have enough food to feed them, so the three youngest were put in a Jewish orphanage. The eldest, Raisa, was too old but came every day to visit her brothers. One day, she arrived only to be told, "The missionaries took them away." The entire orphanage was brought to Canada. A Mr. Hershman from Toronto was involved as was a congregation of Christadelphians from Hamilton including a Mr. Farrar who owned a good-quality clothing store.
Raisa remained in Russia, where she received an education from the Communist Party and became an engineer. Meyer kept in touch with his sister for as long as possible, but the two eventually lost touch.
The Drazin family took in Meyer, the eldest brother, although the family never adopted him. Despite this, he changed his name to Drazin. Joseph ("Joe") was adopted but was returned to Children's Aid, where he went from foster home to foster home. He eventually took back the Noss family name. As for Moshe, he was adopted by Moses Levy and Marietta Steinert. Moshe's new parents changed his name to Edgar Steinert Levy. Edgar Levy is thus the same individual as Moshe Noss. Marietta was well-known in the Hamilton community, and a chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women was named after her.
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
Accompanying material: After donating the records in her possession, the donor emailed the archivist a document titled "Noss Family Story," which the archivist used to compose the biographical sketch. The document has been saved with other supporting documentation.
Subjects
Families
Genealogy
Name Access
Cohn (family)
Levy, Corinne,1917-1978
Levy, Edgar, 1915-1980
Levy (family)
Levy, Marietta Steinbert, 1858-1928
Noss (family)
Places
Canada
Source
Archival Accessions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1511
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1511
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1930 and 1935]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Item is a photo of the Kieltzer Sick Benifit Society. Pictured in the back row from left to right are: Gordon Mendly (1902-1998); [unknown]; Avrum Urman (?-1967) (president of Bakers' Union); Nathan (?) Rotfoge (?- 1964); Avromele Stancer (bakery on College St.); Getzel Tannenbaum (recording secretary); [?] Sugar (Sugar Bros. Tailors, College St.).
Seated left to right: Dovid Levy (worked at Eaton's); Aaron Ladovsky (United Bakers, called "Tate Fun Keltzer"); Noson Yasne (president); [?] Bader (vice-president); [unknown].
Notes
Photo by Famous Studios.
Name Access
Bader
Eaton's
Kieltzer Sick Benefit Society
Ladovsky, Aaron
Levy, Dovid
Mendly, Gordon, 1904-1998
Rotfogel
Stancer, Avromele
Sugar Bros. Tailors
Tannenbaum, Getzel
Urman, Avrum
United Bakers
Yasne, Noson
Subjects
Societies
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1978-3-6
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 2912
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2912
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1938
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
For identification information, please see accession record.
Name Access
Belvin House
Nelson, Pearl
Subjects
Weddings
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1981-4-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1471
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1471
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1951
Physical Description
2 photographs : (1 negative)
Notes
Credit: The Jewish Post, Winnipeg.
Name Access
Ben-Gurion, David, 1886-1973
Subjects
Prime ministers--Israel
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1978-1-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1544
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1544
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1935]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Name Access
Gary's Groceries (Toronto, Ont.)
Gary, Joseph
Subjects
Stores, Retail
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1978-11-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1543
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1543
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1935]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Identifed in photo from left: Joseph Gary, Rosie Lachovicz and Goldie Gary.
Name Access
Gary's Groceries (Toronto, Ont.)
Gary, Joseph
Subjects
Storefronts
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1978-11-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 44; Item 23
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
44
Item
23
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[195-]
Physical Description
1 photograph
Name Access
Power Store
Subjects
Storefronts
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Grace Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1988-2-11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3188
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3188
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[194-]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of the interior of Zabrack Dry Goods.
Name Access
Zabrack's Dry Goods
Subjects
Dry-goods
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1982-2-8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3187
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3187
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[194-]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of a woman standing in front of Zabrack Dry Goods.
Name Access
Zabrack's Dry Goods
Subjects
Storefronts
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1982-2-8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 44; Item 22
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
44
Item
22
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[195-]
Physical Description
1 photograph
Name Access
Health Bread
Subjects
Stores, Retail
Streets
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Grace Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1988-2-11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 44; Item 8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
44
Item
8
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1948]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 7 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of H. W. Art Gallery at 665 College Street in Toronto. The location was Weingluck's first gallery in Toronto.
Subjects
Storefronts
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1988-2-11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 44; Item 7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
44
Item
7
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1950]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 7 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Weingluck's Art Gallery and Gift Shoppe at 665 College Street.
Subjects
Storefronts
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1988-2-11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 44; Item 6
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
44
Item
6
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1950]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 9 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a photograph of Henry Weingluck standing in front of his gallery and gift shop at 623 College Street West, Toronto, called Weingluck's Art Gallery and Gift Shoppe.
Name Access
Weingluck's Art Gallery and Gift Shoppe
Subjects
Businesspeople
Portraits
Storefronts
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1988-2-11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3666
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3666
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1915 and 1920]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Pictured in this photograph is Frank Podolsky and his daughter Faye (Schwab).
Name Access
Podolsky, Faye
Podolsky, Frank
Schwab, Faye
Vneeda Cigar Store
Subjects
Cigar industry
Fathers and daughters
Storefronts
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1984-10-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3754
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3754
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1930]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Louis Starkman is pictured on the left.
Subjects
Billiard parlors
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1985-5-14
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3414
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3414
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[193-?]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Subjects
Children
Streets
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Euclid Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1981-3-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 44; Item 21
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Weingluck fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
44
Item
21
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1960 and 1965]
Physical Description
1 photograph
Scope and Content
This photograph depicts a Good Friday procession along College Street. The view is from a second floor window.
Subjects
Good Friday
Processions
Streets
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Grace Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1988-2-11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Toronto Holocaust Museum series
Second Generation sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 28-10; File 26
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Toronto Holocaust Museum series
Second Generation sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
28-10
File
26
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
1986, 1997
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
15 photographs: col. ; 10 x 15 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of photographs and flyers from the protests against Nazi war criminals in Canada and correspondence raising awareness of the issue.
Subjects
Demonstrations
Nazis--Canada
War criminals--Canada
Places
Canada
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gilbert Studios fonds
Miscellaneous collection series
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 37; Series 9; Item 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gilbert Studios fonds
Miscellaneous collection series
Level
Item
Fonds
37
Series
9
Item
1
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1927]
Physical Description
1 negative : b&w ; 11 x 13 cm
Admin History/Bio
Murray Bernard Koffler was born in a four-room flat over his father's drugstore on College Street on 22 January 1924. His parents' names were Leon and Tiana Koffler (née Reinhorn). Murray married Marvelle Seligman, and they had five children: Leon, Theo, Tom, Adam, and Tiana.
Following in his father's footsteps, Murray was educated as a pharmacist and eventually took over the family drugstore when he was twenty-two years old. After making some profitable real-estate investments, he helped to co-found the Four Seasons Hotel chain and created the first self-serve pharmacy in Canada. His entrepreneurial talents led the way to the creation of the giant pharmacy franchise Shoppers Drug Mart.
A world-renowned philanthropist, Murray Koffler’s donations and commitments have helped fund the creation of the Koffler Centre of the Arts, the Koffler Institute of Pharmacy Management, the Canadian Council for Native Business, and the Council on Drug Abuse. He has also held positions on numerous boards and organizations. His tireless efforts and achievements have been recognized with many awards including becoming a member of the Order of Canada in 1977.
Scope and Content
Photograph is of Murray Koffler with his Aunt Anne, outside of Koffler's Drug Store, located at 376 College Street in Toronto.
Name Access
Anne
Koffler, Murray, 1924-2017
Koffler's Drug Store
Subjects
Drugstores
Storefronts
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
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1284
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1284
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1285
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1285
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1286
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1286
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1287
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1287
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1288
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1288
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1289
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1289
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1290
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1290
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photographs : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1291
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1291
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1292
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1292
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1293
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1293
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's ginger ale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles. Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1294
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1294
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1977
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Wellts delicatessen was founded by Peter and Fannie Wellts in the 1910s at 350 College Street. Peter Wellts was born in Tarnigrad, Poland in 1888 and Fannie Brown was born in New York City in 1889. They met in New York and moved with Fannie’s family to Toronto in 1910. Peter worked in the garment district prior at the start of the restaurant business. Fannie’s father David Brown had come earlier from New York to work for Eaton’s in the men’s clothing business. The rest of the Brown family, Fannie’s parents and siblings eventually returned to New York. Peter and Fannie married in Toronto on November 26, 1910. They had two daughters Sylvia (dob August 26, 1911) (m. Walfish) and Ethel (dob January 7, 1928) (m. Rochwerg). They lived in an apartment above the delicatessen. When Ethel married her husband Nathan Rochwerg in 1948, they moved in with Fannie and Peter above the deli. Ethel and Nathan had three children Martin, Arlene (m. Kochberg), and Sidney. When Peter was in his 70s, it was decided that the family would move north into the Bathurst Manor and close the deli. Peter had a heart attack on December 26, 1959, before the move, and Fannie moved in with Nathan and Ethel and their three children. The deli closed in 1959. The deli was known for 5 cent pastrami/corned beef sandwiches sold during the depression. Peter Wellts never let anyone go hungry during this period. They had Vernor's gingerale on tap during a time when everything was in bottles.Deliveries would come in through the backyard by the garage. It was kosher. Ethel remembers people coming in to use the phone in the kitchen or the washroom in the basement.
Subjects
Delicatessens
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Brunswick Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2021-10-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-10-3
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
5 photographs : b&w (15 x 10cm)
Date
[ca. 2000]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of five photographs of the Bagel Restaurant located at 285 College Street. The photographs depict a table setting and framed autographed photo display, a waiter working behind the counter, menu card posted in their front window advertising the breakfast special and afternoon tea, closeup of plated home fries and sliced tomatoes, and a partial view of the chef working the grill next to dozens of eggs.
Photographs by Lisa Abram.
Administrative History
The Bagel Restaurant also knwon as the Bagel and by some the Dirty Bagel, was a popular diner located at 285 College Street, a few doors west of Spadina Avenue. The restaurant opened around 1952 and was favoured by local office workers, garment workers, and students enrolled at nearby U of T. The Bagel specialized in homestyle, eastern European Jewish foods. On the menu were offerings such as chicken soup and kreplach, borsht (both cold beet and hot cabbage varieties), kishka, chicken fricassee, boiled beef (flanken), and kasha (buckwheat). The service, often of note in local newspaper reviews, was described as both caring and instructive: “they fuss over you; they’re surrogate mothers.” The former tenant of 285 College Street was photographer Gordon Mendly, who lived and ran Famous Studios out of the same location from the 1940s–1960s.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Related Material Note: See accession 2022-5-4
Subjects
Restaurants
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Harry Clairmont fonds
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 32; Item 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harry Clairmont fonds
Level
Item
Fonds
32
Item
1
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1960
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of a crowd of people standing outside of a movie theatre in Toronto which may have been the Royal Theatre on College Street.
Notes
Photographer was Gordon Mendly of Famous Studio.
Subjects
Crowds
Motion picture theaters
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Related Material
See Fonds 18, series 3, file 53 for the negative of this image.
Places
College Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
1984-1-6
Source
Archival Descriptions