Name
Merle Koven
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
17 Oct. 2007
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Merle Koven
Number
OH 324
Subject
Antisemitism
Education
Synagogues
Interview Date
17 Oct. 2007
Quantity
2 mini DVs, 2 archival DVDs, 2 reference DVDs
Interviewer
Sharon Gubbay Helfer
Total Running Time
2 hrs
Notes
Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Merle Koven grew up in Kingston, Ontario and attended Kingston Collegiate. After high school, Merle enrolled in teachers college in Toronto. He later taught school in Kingston. Merle married Philip Koven, a well-known local businessman, philanthropist and community volunteer, who died in 2008. He was owner of Rosen Heating and Cooling, which merged with another old, established city business to form Rosen, Triheat and Anglin, now run by their two sons.
During their forty-five years of marriage, the Kovens raised three children, Adam, Kenneth, and Rebecca. Both Phil and Merle Koven were prominent in the community. In 1982, Merle Koven broke new ground when she became president of Beth Israel in Kingston, possibly the first woman president of an Orthodox synagogue in North America. She was vice chair of Queens 1990s, although she did not have a degree.
The Merle and Philip Koven Bursary in Art History at Queen's University was initially established by Philip Koven in honour of his wife, Merle Koven, both passionate supporters of the arts in Kingston. This fund provides financial support for upper-year students in art history. After Philip Koven passed away in 2008, the fund received many gifts in his memory.
Material Format
moving images
Name Access
Queen's University
Hadassah WIZO Organization of Canada
Bader, Alfred
Geographic Access
Kingston
Original Format
Mini DV
Copy Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Accession Number
2015-9-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-4
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1973-1977
Scope and Content
Accession consists of the Rules and Conditions for the Morris Black Memorial Essay Contest, essays submitted, correspondence from the Board of Jewish Education and the vote casting process for the 1976 contest.
Custodial History
There is no information on the acquisition of this material.
Administrative History
The Morris Black Memorial Essay Contest was established by the Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region's Department of Education and Culture. The rules and conditions stated in a booklet dated 1973 was that the 'prize or prizes for the best essay or essays or oral address or addresses on men famous in Jewish history...'. The Contest was open to 'All Jewish children in the Province of Ontario outside of Metropolitan Toronto and Ottawa.' The essays submitted in 1973 appeared to follow the Rules and Conditions. However, in the 1976 contest, now sponsored by The Board of Jewish Education, there were no restrictions on where the Jewish children lived or on the gender of the person in Jewish history being written about.
Subjects
Education
Children
Name Access
Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region (Toronto, Ont.)
Board of Jewish Education (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-6
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1950-1972
Scope and Content
Accession consists of letters to and from Dr. Joseph Klinghofer, the Educational Director of Canadian Jewish Congress. The correspondence relates to the search for ritual and educational leaders for placement in Jewish communities outside of Toronto such as St. Catharines, Timmins, Belleville, Peterborough, Kirkland Lake, Guelph, Hamilton, Bramalea, North Bay, Windsor, Maritimes, Manitoba and the USA.
Custodial History
There is no information on the acquisition of this material.
Subjects
Education
Religion
Communities
Name Access
Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region (Toronto, Ont.)
Klinghofer, Joseph
Places
St. Catharines (Ont.)
Timmins (Ont.)
Belleville (Ont.)
Peterborough (Ont.)
Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
Guelph (Ont.)
Hamilton (Ont.)
Bramalea (Brampton, Ont.)
North Bay (Ont.)
Windsor (Ont.)
Manitoba
United States
Maritime Provinces
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-24
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-24
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
[195-?]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of an undated document 'Rules and Regulations Concerning the Organization of the Hebrew Schools in Ontario'.
Custodial History
There is no information on the acquisition of this material
Subjects
Education
Name Access
Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region (Toronto, Ont.)
Places
Toronto, Ont.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-25
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-25
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1945-1968
Scope and Content
Accession consists of a bound document on Religious Instruction in Public Schools of Ontario, presented by Rabbi Abraham Feinberg to the Royal Commission on Education and a fact and discussion sheet of similarities and contrasts between Canadian and US Jewries and Judaism.
Custodial History
There is no information on the acquisition of this material.
Subjects
Education
Name Access
Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region (Toronto, Ont.)
Places
Toronto, Ont.
Source
Archival Accessions