Name

J. B. Salsberg

Number

OH 71

Subject

Labor movement

Labor unions

Women

Demonstrations

Interview Date

Sep. 1985

Quantity

1

Total Running Time

OH71_001: 44:50 minuets OH71_002: 35:55 minuets

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

Joseph Baruch Salsberg (1902–1998) was a labour leader, political activist, politician, newspaper columnist, and a man who dedicated his life to Yiddishkeit and the advancement of social justice. He was active in various Jewish organizations, including the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and the New Fraternal Jewish Association. In 1938, he was elected as alderman on Toronto’s City Council; in 1948, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is well remembered by contemporaries, such as Sam Lipshitz, as a "champion of the people," committed to social justice, the plight of the working-class, and the preservation of Jewish culture.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union

Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998

Geographic Access

Toronto

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 71 - Salsberg\OH71_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 71 - Salsberg\OH71_002_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Joseph Salsberg discusses the events that led to the birth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) in America and the ILGWU's influence on the Canadian garment industry.

In this clip, Joseph Salsberg discusses the first sit down strike by tailors in Canada in recognition of women

Address

193 1/2 Baldwin Street

Time Period

1920-

Scope Note

Nesker & Co., Wholesale and Retail Produce was owned and operated by Joe Nesker and his wife Bella.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

332 Spadina Avenue

Time Period

1917-unknown

Scope Note

Walerstein's ice cream parlour was owned by Abraham Walerstein, who was originally from Hamilton, Ontario. He opened it in 1917 and it became a hang out for Social Democrats.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

399 Spadina Avenue

Time Period

1915-

Scope Note

N. Hoffman Grocery was owned and operated by Nathan (Nahum) Hoffman and his wife Rivka. They first owned a grocery store at 339 Centre Avenue in St. John's Ward. In 1915, they moved their store to Spadina Ave.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

175 Baldwin Street

Time Period

1911-1974

Scope Note

The Perlmutar Bakery was opened in 1911 by Arrin Perlmutar who had immigrated to Canada from the Ukraine by way of London, England. He opened the bakery on the main floor of his home while his family of seven lived upstairs. The bakery had a wood-burning brick oven until the 1960s, when the city forced them to convert to electric.

History

The bakery was best known for their onion buns and rye bread. Electric mixers were used for cakes and bread but almost every other step was done by hand. Bread baking was started by 10:00 pm so that there would be fresh bread to deliver in the morning. The bakery closed in 1974.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

29 Baldwin Street

Time Period

1915-1970

Scope Note

Mandel’s opened between 1913-1920. It was initially owned by Harry Mandel. After 1944, it was owned by one of his sons William Mandel. And, in the 1950s, it was owned by the brothers Saul, Abraham, Ben, and William Mandel, from approx. From 1960 to approximately 1965, it was owned by William Mandel (exclusively).

History

Mandel's Creamery manufactured cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and butter milk under the labels Mandel Bros. & Silver Brand. They also manufactured for private label brands and other wholesale and retail customers. They also sold wholesale butter, eggs, and hard cheese which they did not manufacture. Low salt & low fat cottage was a specialty sold to institutions such as Baycrest Hospital. Their customers included supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants, institutions, resorts, and summer camps. There were also retail sales out of the store front at 29 Baldwin St. The business was sold around 1965 to Mr. Bricks and Mr. Caplan who then sold it to Western Creamery some years later.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

170 Brunswick Avenue

Scope Note

Kalmen Greenspan & Sons was a butcher shop located on Brunswick Avenue.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

319 Augusta Avenue

Time Period

1930

Scope Note

Sam Gryfe started out peddling baked goods in Hamilton, Ontario around 1915. A store eventually opened at 319 Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market and operated during the 1930s. The bakery is now located on Bathurst Street. The bakery was also known as Crown Bakery. There was also a location in cottage country at Jackson's Point on Lake Simcoe.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

182 Brunswick Avenue

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

295 Spadina Avenue

Time Period

1921-1983

Scope Note

Harry and Jennie Shopsowitz started Shopsy's Delicatessen, a family business in 1921. Harry died in October 1945 and the business was passed along to his sons, Sam Shopsowitz and Izzy Shopsowitz. The business grew and became known as Shopsy’s. Eventually, Sam opened a meat processing plant, in addition to the restaurants, and by 1947, he became known as the "the corned beef king" in advertisements. Shopsy's corned beef and hotdogs were sold in grocery stores.

History

Shopsy's became an institution in the city where the likes of Bob Hope, Al Waxman, Dennis Hull, and Scott Bowman were regular customers. Sam suffered a stroke in 1982 and died in September 1984 at age 63. After 62 years on Spadina, the restaurant moved to Yonge Street at Front Street in March 1983.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

71 Kensington Avenue

Scope Note

This store was owned and operated by Harry Trachter and his wife Becky (Cooper) Trachter.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

649 College Street

Scope Note

Moishe (Morris) Shternshis (ca. 1893-1976) was married to Fanny Rumianek (ca. 1896-1991). Moishe Stern owned and operated a dairy and delivered milk and other dairy products.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

420 College Street

Scope Note

Joseph Gary and Goldie (nee Lawrence) Gary married in 1921 in Rochester, N.Y. Shortly thereafter they moved to Toronto. Joseph and Goldie had three children; daughters Ethel (Halter) and Shirley (Cohen), and son Leslie. They owned and operated a grocery store on College Street. In 1950, after three years of visiting the region, Joseph and Goldie purchased a home on Amelia Street in Pontypool, ON. As the area was a popular summer resort spot for vacationing Jews from the 1940s to the 1960s, Joseph and Goldie decided to build 10 cottages on their land for rental, which they named Gary's Cottages. The area was relatively cheap and had a pond as its swimming spot. Kosher meals would often be brought in for the vacationers who arrived on two trains daily from Union station. The cottages were sold around 1970 and are no longer in existence, however their home is still standing.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

234 Augusta Avenue

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

231 Augusta Avenue

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

322 Spadina Avenue

Time Period

1946-1991

Scope Note

Opened in 1946 when the neighbourhood was still teaming with Jews working and living in the neighbourhood, this deli was one of the last to close in the area, in 1946. The Switzer family lived at 35 Nassau Street.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

338 Spadina Avenue

Time Period

1920-1986

Scope Note

United Bakers Dairy Restaurant was first established by Aaron and Sarah Ladovsky in 1912 on Dundas Street at Bay Street in the Ward. They moved the restaurant to 338 Spadina Ave. in 1920. Aaron Ladovsky was involved in a number of community organizations. He was instrumental in founding the Kieltzer Society of Toronto in 1913; a community based immigrant-aid association extending aid to Kielcers in Poland and around the world. Ladovsky remained an active member of the organization until his death on April 5, 1960. His restaurant provided a welcome gathering place for the Jewish community, serving traditional dishes and maintaining a friendly open-door policy. Aaron Ladovsky was known for his generosity and claimed that no one, whether they had money or not, left his restaurant hungry. The United Bakers' menu was mainly based on Sarah’s original recipes, and continues to be so to this day.

History

Aaron and Sarah had twin sons, Herman and Samuel. During the Second World War, Herman served overseas as an electrician in the Canadian army show with comics Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. After returning from the war, he married Dora Macklin in 1947, a registered nurse from Regina. He also began to take over management of the family business. Later, Herman's son Philip and daughter Ruth would follow in his footsteps, first helping to run the restaurant with him and later taking over management. United Bakers remained on Spadina Avenue for 66 years - until 1986 when it moved to its current location at 506 Lawrence Avenue West, off of Bathurst Street. Herman was an active fixture in the restaurant until his death on January 6, 2002. He also supported and was involved in the work of the Ontario Jewish Archives over the years.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

275 Spadina Avenue

Time Period

1925-

Scope Note

Goldenberg's restaurant, which was kosher, was located at 275 Spadina Ave and was owned by Mr Joseph S. Goldenberg. He made additions to the restaurant in 1929 and 1935 by architect Benjamin Brown.

History

The restaurant was originally located in the Ward at 63 Elizabeth Street.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks

Address

350 College Street

Time Period

1912-1959

Scope Note

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. 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.

History

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.

Category

Food-related business

Source

Landmarks