Name

Dr. Coleman Solursh

Number

OH 40

OH 41

Subject

Physicians

Societies

Occupations

Medical care

Interview Date

3 Jan. 1985

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Morris Silbert

Total Running Time

040A: 34 minutes 040B: 31 minutes 041A: 11 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

Coleman Solursh was born in Toronto in 1906. He graduated as a physician in 1932. He worked as a lodge doctor. He was involved in the Toronto Jewish Lodge Doctors Association. He worked in the field of family medicine and was appointed chief of the Department of Family Practice at Mount Sinai Hospital. He was appointed associate chief of medicine at Baycrest, Jewish Home for the Aged. He married Zelda Singer, a third-generation Canadian. Zelda's maternal grandfather was appointed colonization chairman in 1897 for Baron de Hirsch settlement for Jewish immigrants. Zelda's father, Manny Singer, was the first Jewish pharmacist in Toronto. Zelda's uncle, Fred Singer, was the first Jewish member of parliament for Ontario.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Solursh, Coleman

Silbert, Morris

Mount Sinai Hospital

Singer, Zelda

Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care

Geographic Access

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 40, OH 41 - Solursh\OH40_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 40, OH 41 - Solursh\OH40_002_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 40, OH 41 - Solursh\OH41_001_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Dr. Coleman Solursh describes a meeting between executives from the Toronto Jewish Lodge Doctors' Association and representatives from various Jewish Lodges. The meeting resulted in significant changes to the way medical services and payment were provided to the physicians.

In this clip, Dr. Coleman Solursh describes his role as Chief of the Department of Family Practice in the new Mount Sinai Hospital in 1953. He explains how this department pioneered the model for family practice within a hospital setting across Canada.

Name

Arthur Gelber

Number

OH 241

Subject

Antisemitism

Arts

Charities

Interview Date

28 Nov. 1990

Quantity

2 cassettes (1 copy)

Total Running Time

1:6 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Digitized 2014

Use Restrictions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Biography

Arthur Gelber was born on 22 June 1915 in Toronto. He was educated at Upper Canada College. He married Esther Salomon and had four daughters. Arthur was actively involved in Jewish and general community activity. Among his accomplishments, Arthur served as chair of the National Arts Centre Corporation, chair of the Advisory Council Ontario Cabinet, past president of the Canadian Conference of the Arts, past president of the National Ballet, Board of Directors of the American Council for the Arts, Ballet Opera House, National Ballet, Stratford Festival, life director of the National Theatre School of Canada, governor of National Theatre School of Canada, former honorary chair of the Performing Arts Development Fund, and former governor of York University, trustee of the AGO, decorated with the Order of Canada, recipient of the Centennial medal in 1967, Diploma D’honneur 1978, Queen’s Jubilee Medal, vice-president of America-Israel Cultural Foundation, executive of Canadian Jewish Congress, president of Toronto Zionist Council, president of United Jewish Welfare Fund, second chair of the UJA in 1949, chair of the United Jewish Relief Agency, and chair of the United Jewish Appeal.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

United Jewish Relief Agency

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Ontario Arts Council

Geographic Access

Toronto

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Dr. Sydney Wise

Number

OH 278

Subject

Business

Immigrants--Canada

Physicians

Interview Date

29 Sep. 2003

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Ellen Scheinberg

Total Running Time

Side 1: 46 min.

Side 2: 30 min.

Conservation

Digital copy made April 11, 2011.

Use Restrictions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Biography

Dr. Sydney Wise was a Toronto physician and a long-time volunteer at the Ontario Jewish Archives. Sydney was married to Mimi Wise, who had been an active member of Hadassah-WIZO for most of her life. Sydney's father, Anshel Wise, opened a cigar store on Dundas Street, which later turned into a steamship agency called A. Wise Travel Bureau. The latter helped bring immigrants over from Europe.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Wise, Anshel

Wise, Sydney

Scheinberg, Ellen

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

In this portion of the interview, Syd describes his father Anshel Wise’s cigar store and travel business, which opened in the Ward in 1918. Anshel was one of the first steamship agents in Toronto.

In this portion of the interview, Sydney describes his entry into medical school at the University of Toronto. He outlines some of the challenges encountered by Jewish medical students in their search for internship positions.

Name

Cyrel Troster

Number

OH 441

Subject

Arts

Charities

Committees

Interview Date

28 Nov. 2016

Interviewer

Melissa Caza

Use Restrictions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Material Format

moving images

Name Access

Ontario Jewish Archives

Original Format

Digital file

Transcript

OH 441 Part 1 0:22 Cyrel outlines her academic background and discusses her volunteer & professional positions, including Chair of the OJA, Chair of Cultural Planning & Allocation, served on the Board of the Canadian Jewish Congress & Ontario Jewish Congress and currently serves on the Board of OJA. 0:53 Cyrel discusses the history of the Ontario Jewish Archives. Cyrel. & Susan Cohen obtained federal grants to create a local initiative project with the initial focus to collect information on prominent members of the Toronto Jewish community. Cyrel identifies the organizations & individuals who assisted them initially (e.g. Toronto Jewish Historical Society,Victor Sefton) . She discusses the staff, including Steven Speisman, Bess Shockett & Ruth Ladovsky and the location in Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue. 4:53 Cyrel describes the creation of the Sense of Spadina Walking tours which were an offshoot of a living exhibit designed for the Triennial for the Canadian Jewish Congress in 1974. She discusses the contributors to the project, including Steven Speisman, Bess Shockett, Marty Mendelow, Charlie & Peggy Goldsbie and Mrs. Langner, the wife of the Rabbi from the Kiever Synagogue. 6:05 Cyrel describes the successful Sense of Spadina Walking Tours held in June 1974. 7:47 Cyrel discusses the formation of day & evening volunteer committees to help catalogue material in OJA’s new location in the basement of 150 Beverly St. She discusses some of the archival donations e.g. Sidney Harris, Ben Kayfetz. 9:12 Cyrel recalls the move to Lipa Green building in early 1980’s. 9:48 Cyrel describes the OJA office at 150 Beverly. St. She describes some of the historical documents that were discovered in the basement. She discusses the volunteers’ responsibilities. 11:27 Cyrel discusses the function of the OJA committee. She discusses Photo Committee. 13:00 Cyrel discusses early efforts to acquire material for the OJA. 15:56 Cyrel explains why an archive specific to the Ontario Jewish community was established. The effort to establish the OJA arose from a small group of researchers, including Steven Speisman, who recognized the importance of preserving ethnic Jewish history. 17:18 Cyrel explains how the material collected by OJA is unique to & valued by the Ontario Jewish community. 18:48 Cyrel discusses some of the challenges faced by OJA in the early years. 19:58 Cyrel discusses the end result of the Toronto Jewish Historical Society. 20:45 Cyrel discusses the evolvement of the Sense of Spadina Walking Tours. She explains how Ellen Scheinberg, archivist, was pivotal in the advancement of the walking tours. Spadina Walking Tours became a part of “Jane’s Walk”. 24:02 Cyrel shares an amusing story about Henry Papernick, retired lawyer & OJA volunteer. 25:35 Cyrel discusses the contributions made by Brooky Robins, assistant to Steven Speisman. She spearheaded the collection of material from northern Ontario. Also involved was Fred Schaeffer. 26:46 Cyrel discusses OJA hosting various community events to donate materials to the archives. 27:41 Cyrel explains that due to the volume of donated material, off-site storage facilities were used at Yonge & Eglinton. 28:04 Cyrel describes the changes and improvements that occurred after moving to the facilities at Lipa Green. 28:55 Cyrel discusses her responsibilities as Chair of OJA between 1983 and 1998. She mentions that she also served on the Ontario Jewish Congress, Ontario Region Executive & the Toronto Jewish Congress. 30:11 Cyrel explains that Jewish Communist papers were passed on to the collection of Multicultural History at St. Michael’s. 30:36 Cyrel discusses some of the projects and exhibits that OJA pursued. 32:05 Cyrel discusses the efforts made by Sol Edell & Marty Mendelow to fix up the Kiever synagogue in the early 1980’s. 34:25 Cyrel explains why the Kiever synagogue was chosen as a focus for an OJA project. 35:25 Cyrel discusses the special projects & direction of the OJA during the period she was Chair. 36:19 Cyrel discusses the biggest challenges faced by the OJA during her sevice as Chair. OH 441 Part 2 00:00 Cyrel discusses the changes in leadership and operation at the OJA ca 2000. Staff included Brooky Robins, Susan Jackson and Ellen Scheinberg. 1:54 Cyrel discusses the major projects that occurred while Ellen Scheinberg was Director. 3:09 Cyrel discusses her role with the OJA while Ellen served as Director. 4:07 Cyrel discusses the challenges faced by OJA while Ellen served as Director. 5:23 Cyrel discusses the relationship between OJA and other archives and agencies. 8:00 Cyrel addresses the factors that contributed to the success of the Sense of Spadina Walking Tours. 11:13 Cyrel points that out the general groups participating in the Sense of Spadina Walking Tours tend to be Jewish but Jane’ Walk groups are varied & drawn to the neighbourhood. 11:53 Cyrel discusses why the OJA has played a major role in her life. 12:25 Cyrel shares a story from her personal life in order to illustrate the importance of preserving oral histories. 13:51 Cyrel relates a story told to her by Ben Kayfetz about the Strettiner Rebbe on Cecil Street. OH 441 Part 3 00:00 Cyrel describes the efforts of Sol Edell, Susan Brown and Cyrel to put together an audio-visual presentation to mark the opening of the archives. 2:17 Cyrel describes a conceived project that was not realized.

Source

Oral Histories

Address

371 Spadina Avenue

Time Period

1925-1973

Scope Note

Hyman's Books and Art was a popular locale for the literary crowd. Hebraists were known to spend time here, discussing the latest trends in the world of literature. The owner Ben Zimon Hyman was also a Hebrew teacher but had originally trained as an engineer both in Russia and at the University of Toronto.

History

The store was operated by Ben Zion Hyman and his wife Fanny. Their hours were 8:30 a.m. to 1pm daily (except for Saturday). There was a mimeograph machine, pop cooler, newspapers and a bar mitzvah registry. They carried Yiddish and Hebrew books, Judaica, tickets for the Standard Theatre, stationary, and school supplies. The store later moved to 412 Spadina Ave. (Donegan, Spadina Ave., p.138)

Category

Education

Arts

Retail store

Source

Landmarks

Address

542 Dundas Street West

Time Period

1910-1975

Scope Note

The Yiddisher Zhurnal (or the Daily Hebrew Journal) was the primary organ for the Yiddish-speaking population in Toronto. This newspaper covered events in the Jewish world in Toronto and abroad. The paper was also a forum for Yiddish essayists. The long-time editor of the newspaper was Abraham Rhinewine (1887-1932). Born in Poland in 1887, he immigrated to London, England in 1902 and then came to Toronto with his wife Amy in 1907.

History

The newspaper eventually moved to 409 College Street West (at Lippincott). The OJA has the Yiddisher Zhurnal on microfiche from 1915-1959.

Category

Political

Education

Arts

Source

Landmarks

Address

665 College Street

Scope Note

Henry Weingluck (1902-1987) was an artist and Toronto art gallery owner, who immigrated to Canada in 1948 after being imprisoned in concentration camps in France during the Second World War. He studied at art academies in Crakow, Copenhagen, and Berlin and was a pupil of Professor Max Lieberman, president of Berlin's Academy of Arts prior to the Nazi takeover of Germany. Weingluck often depicted Jewish themes in his paintings, in a style he called "academic impressionism." He exhibited in Paris with Kandinsky and Chagall, as well as at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Jewish Museum, Berlin. He painted portraits of such prominent figures as Albert Einstein, Max Schmelin, Yehudi Menuhin, and Chaim Weizmann.

History

From 1933 to 1942, Weingluck lived in France and, during the Nazi occupation of France, was imprisoned in eight concentration camps from 1942 to 1945. The Nazis made use of his artistic talent as a barracks designer and portraitist. During this time, the Germans confiscated 375 of his paintings. After the war, Weingluck moved to Tangiers, Morocco, and then immigrated to Canada to join his brother in Toronto. Henry opened H. W. Art Gallery, at 665 College Street, around 1948, and then Weingluck's Art Gallery and Gift Shoppe at 623 College Street, in the 1950s. In 1950, he married his wife Rae (née Simon), whom he met in Canada. Henry died in Toronto in 1987.

Category

Arts

Retail store

Source

Landmarks

Address

15 Brunswick Avenue

Time Period

1937

Scope Note

At the turn of the twentieth-century, the Jewish population of Toronto grew with large numbers of Eastern European families fleeing hardship back home. Soon, a variety of clubs began forming, providing a place for Jewish boys and girls to participate in athletic and social programming. In 1919, several of the athletic and social groups decided to amalgamate and formed an umbrella organization known as the Hebrew Association of Young Men’s and Young Women’s Clubs. By 1930, they were known as the YM-YWHA (Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association. Through the 1920s and 30s, they occupied a number of facilities in the Brunswick Avenue and College Street area.

History

As a result of the overcrowding and de-centralized facilities, in 1937, the YM-YWHA constructed its own athletic building at 15 Brunswick Avenue, next door to the Talmud Torah, to ease the overcrowding. Similar to the JCCs of today, the early YM-YWHA provided a sense of Jewish identity and camaraderie through physical, educational, cultural and community based programming.

Category

Arts

Education

Private Clubs

Source

Landmarks