Accession Number
1979-9-16
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1979-9-16
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1975
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual records relating to a "Teach-In on Israel" held at the university on 22 January 1975. There is also an announcement of a meeting of the Revolutionary Marxist Group at York.
MG_RG
MG2 P1d
Subjects
Education
Children
Politics and government
Name Access
Jewish Student Federation (York University)
Source
Archival Accessions
Address
193 1/2 Baldwin Street
Source
Landmarks

Nesker & Co., Wholesale and Retail Produce was owned and operated by Joe Nesker and his wife Bella.
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
Accession Number
2015-9-23
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-9-23
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
[194-]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of a bound document entitled 'This Is Our Faith'. The subtitle is 'The Religion of the Jews' and it appears to have been presented at a seminar of religions, under the auspices of Community Programs Branch, Department of Education, Province of Ontario.
Custodial History
There is no information on the acquisition of this material.
Subjects
Religion
Politics and government
Name Access
Cohen, Julius
Places
Toronto, Ont.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-6-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2016-6-12
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
ca. 60 cm of textual records
11 photographs (3 negatives) : b&w ; 20 x 25 cm or smaller
Date
1976-[ca. 1990]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual and graphic records that trace Natan Sharansky's history as a prisoner of political conscience; the broader Refusenik issue; and the community advocacy efforts of Debby and Stan Solomon from 1976 and into the late 1980s at the local, national and international scales. Included are memos and newsletters from the Committee for Soviet Jewry (Ontario Region and national-level); background information as well as petition templates, speeches and planning documentation produced by the Committee to Release Anatoly Sharansky and the Beth Tikvah Synagogue in conjunction with community organizations, including the CJC and its Soviet Jewry social action committees, to support on-going advocacy efforts; correspondence with Canadian and American political representatives at the provincial/state and national levels; white papers/grey literature from non-governmental organizations about the persecution of the Soviet Jewry; planning documentation from the First Annual Sharansky Lectureship on Human Rights in 1980; correspondence, articles and ephemera associated with the granting of Sharansky's honourary law doctorate from York University in 1982; 1985 Freedom Rally/Weekend in Ottawa planning documentation and correspondence; 1987 National Conference on the Soviet Jewry and Mobilization for Freedom planning documentation; 1987 Community Rally at Massey Hall promotional materials; and promotional materials from Sharansky's autobiographical "Fear No Evil" 1988 book launch. Graphic material includes photographs of Sharansky's release during the February 11, 1986 American-Soviet prisoner exchange on the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin.
Identified in the photographs are: Debby Solomon; Stan Solomon; Natan Sharansky; Avital Sharansky; U.S. Ambassador Richard Burt;
Custodial History
Material was collected and/or created by Debby Solomon, Natan Sharansky's cousin. Debby donated it to the OJA.
Administrative History
Debby Solomon is the cousin of Anatoly (Natan) Sharansky, the Soviet born Israeli politician, human activist and author who spent nine years in Soviet prisons. Debby's father Boris Landis (born 1900) and Sharansky's father were first cousins.Their grandfathers were brothers. Debby's father immigrated 1929 to Toronto from Russia as his older brothers were already in Toronto. Debby and her husband Stan Solomon got involved in the community's activism efforts to free Sharansky and other Refuseniks.They were worked for many years on these efforts by planning programs through their synagogue Beth Tikvah and with Sam Filer, a lawyer and volunteer at the CJC who was also a member of Beth Tikvah.
Subjects
Antisemitism
Politics and government
Human rights
Demonstrations
Synagogues
Committees
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-2-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-2-12
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
45 cm of textual records and other material
230 photographs : sepia and b&w ; 23 x 30 cm and smaller
8 sound recordings (50 wav files; 1 microcassette)
1 artifact
Date
1937-2004
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual records, photographs and audio recordings documenting the lives of Dick Steele, his wife Esther, and friend Bill Walsh. The materials are mostly correspondences between Dick and Esther during his internment at the Don Jail and Ontario Reformatory in Guelph, and from Dick and Bill's military service overseas during the Second World War. They also include correspondences between Esther and Bill, Bill and Anne Walsh, "Jack" and Esther, and other family and friends. Some of the letters show evidence of being censored. There are news clippings in English and Yiddish about the family from various newspapers including the Canadian Tribune (a Communist Party paper). There is a letter Esther wrote to campaign for Dick's release from internment, part of women's activism in this period. There is also a photocopy of a memoir written by Moses Kosowatsky and Moses Wolofsky "From the Land of Despair to the Land of Promise" ca. 1930s.
The photographs include Dick and Bill in the army during the Second World War, a signed picture of Tim Buck addressed to Esther and the twins and a photo of Dick delivering a speech related to the Steel Workers. Also included is a recording of edited sound clips of Bill and Esther talking about Dick, Esther speaking about the letters, (how she received letters and flowers from Dick after he had already been killed), Bill reading a letter Dick wrote to Esther that he left with friends in England to send her in the case that he was killed (which he was), recordings of "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2 compiled by Leib Wolofsky's (Bill's nephew), and 5 audio recordings by Adrianna Steele-Card with her grandparents Bill and Esther. There is also a microcassette labelled "Joe Levitt."
The accession also includes the stripe of a German corporal that Bill captured as a prisoner, peace stamps and an early copy of Cy Gonick's A Very Red Life: The Story of Bill Walsh, edited by Bill.
Administrative History
Richard "Dick" Kennilworth Steele is the name adopted by Moses Kosowatsky. He was born in 1909 in Montreal to Samuel Kosowatsky and Fanny Held. He lived in a laneway off Clark Street, below Sherbrooke, where his father collected and recycled bottles. He grew up with his siblings, Joseph, Mortimer, Matthew, Gertrude, and Edward.
Bill Walsh (birth name Moishe Wolofsky) was born in 1910, to Sarah and Herschel Wolofsky, the editor of the Keneder Adler (Montreal's prominent Yiddish newspaper). He attended Baron Byng and then Commercial High School, where he met Dick Steele. Bill recalled that Dick denounced militarism in the school when a teacher tried to recruit students to be cadets.
Bill moved to New York City in 1927. His brother, who was living there, helped him get a job as a messenger on Wall Street. He also worked in the drug department at Macy's while attending courses at Columbia University in the evening. Dick worked on a ship for a year and then joined Bill in New York City in 1928. Dick worked at a chemical plant called Linde Air Products while also studying in the evenings at Columbia University.
In 1931, Dick and Bill boarded a ship together in New York bound for Copenhagen. Together, they travelled across Europe, witnessed a Nazi demonstration in Breslau, Germany, and found work in Minsk and Moscow, Russia. This trip inspired them to become Communists. In 1933, Bill's father was on a Canadian trade mission to Poland, which he left to "rescue" his son from the Bolsheviks. Bill agreed to return to Canada after being advised to do so by the Comintern. He then changed his name to Bill Walsh to protect his family.
In 1934, Bill moved to Toronto. He worked as the educational director for the Industrial Union of Needle Trade Workers and the Communist Party, where he met Esther Slominsky/Silver, the organization's office manager. Dick joined Bill in Toronto soon after. Bill introduced Dick and Esther, who then married. In 1940, Esther gave birth to twin sons, Michael and John Steele. Esther was born in Toronto in 1914 to Joseph Slominsky and Fanny (Blackersany?). Her siblings were Bella, Eileen, Morris, and step-sister Eva. Her father, Joseph, was a cloak maker and Esther also worked in the garment industry. Her mother Fanny passed away in 1920 at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis.
Dick was a metal worker and became a union organizer in the east end of Toronto. He was the head organizer of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee of Canada (SWOC) until 1940, when he was dismissed for being a Communist. Bill helped organize Kitchener's rubber workers into an industrial union and was also an organizer for the United Auto Workers of Windsor, Ontario.
Jack Steele, an alias for Dick's brother Mortimer, fought with the Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Jack Steele was recalled to Canada in October 1937 to rally support for the efforts in Spain, returned to the front in June 1938, and was killed in action in August. Some of Dick's letters to his wife, Esther, are signed "Salud, Jack" and were likely written in 1940 when the Communist Party (CP) was banned by the Canadian government under the War Measures Act.
In November 1941, after Mackenzie King's call for enlistment, Dick wrote to the Department of Justice to ask permission to join the army. He never received a reply. On 1 April 1942, Dick's home was raided and he was interned at the Don Jail until September 1942, when he was moved to the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph. Esther wrote a letter to the minister of justice, Louis St. Laurent, to appeal on his behalf.
Major public campaigning by Communists and the wartime alliance with the USSR after 1941 shifted public opinion toward the CP, and the Canadian government slowly began releasing internees in January 1942. Dick was released in October 1942 and enlisted at the end of the month. Dick died on 17 August 1944 in Normandy, France. He was a tank driver in the Canadian Army.
Bill was similarly arrested in 1941, spending time in jail and then an internment camp with other members of the CP. He joined the Canadian Army in 1943 and fought in Holland and Belgium. Bill was first married to Anne Weir who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1943, just before he enlisted. The family believes this may have been due to drinking unpasteurized milk. Encouraged by Dick Steele to take care of his family should he pass in the war, Bill married Esther Steele in 1946. They had a daughter named Sheri and were members of the United Jewish People's Order. For twenty years, Walsh worked for the Hamilton region of the United Electrical Workers (UE). Bill remained a member of the CP until 1967, when we was expelled for criticizing another union leader. He died in 2004. Esther passed away in 2010 at age ninety-six.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: Library and Archives Canada has the William Walsh fonds and MG 28, ser. I 268, USWA, vol.4, SWOC Correspondence, has various letters from Dick Steele ca. 1938. Museum of Jewish Montreal has an oral history with Leila Mustachi (daughter of Max Wolofsky, Bill's brother) where she speaks about Bill, Dick and Esther. USE CONDITION NOTES: For "Bill Walsh Oral history" Vols.1 and 2, some contributors stipulate that recordings are restricted to personal use only and must not be used for any commercial purpose.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Politics and government
Labour and unions
Name Access
Steele, Michael
Steele, Dick
Walsh, Bill
Walsh, Esther Steele
Places
England
Fort William (Ont.)
Germany
Guelph (Ont.)
Hamilton (Ont.)
Montréal (Québec)
Netherlands
Oshawa (Ont.)
Ottawa (Ont.)
Thunder Bay (Ont.)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Address
332 Spadina Avenue
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Source
Landmarks

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).
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
Source
Landmarks

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

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.
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
Source
Landmarks
Address
182 Brunswick Avenue
Category
Food-related business
Source
Landmarks
Address
295 Spadina Avenue
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Source
Landmarks

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

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.
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
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Source
Landmarks
Address
234 Augusta Avenue
Category
Food-related business
Source
Landmarks
Address
231 Augusta Avenue
Source
Landmarks
Address
231 Augusta Avenue
Category
Food-related business
Source
Landmarks
Address
322 Spadina Avenue
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Source
Landmarks

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.
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
Address
42 St George Street
Source
Landmarks

In 1919, Mr. Mendel Granatstein commissioned Benjamin Brown and Robert McConnell to design a three storey Classical Georgian style house located at 42 St. George Street. The house contained a unique feature -- a retractable roof used on Sukkoth. In 1947, the house was acquired by the University of Toronto and was used for a variety of purposes until it was demolished in 1999. The Bahen Centre for Information Technology now stands in its place.
Address
42 St George Street
Time Period
1919-1999
Scope Note
In 1919, Mr. Mendel Granatstein commissioned Benjamin Brown and Robert McConnell to design a three storey Classical Georgian style house located at 42 St. George Street. The house contained a unique feature -- a retractable roof used on Sukkoth. In 1947, the house was acquired by the University of Toronto and was used for a variety of purposes until it was demolished in 1999. The Bahen Centre for Information Technology now stands in its place.
History
Mr. Mendel Granatstein was a member of one of the early Jewish families of Toronto. In 1895, he founded M. Granatstein and Sons, Ltd., a junk dealing company, and by the early 20th century, he had become one of the most prosperous Jews in Toronto. Mr. Granatstein was also a community leader, having a hand in the foundation of Beth Jacob Synagogue.
Category
Architecture
Residences
Source
Landmarks