- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Fonds
- Fonds
- 117
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- 1926-1947
- Physical Description
- 3 cm of textual records
- 11 photographs : b&w and sepia (tiff)
- Admin History/Bio
- Bella Diamant (m. Hershenhorn) was the daughter of Moishe and Sarah Diamant. She was born in Ostrowiec (Ostrovietz), Poland and had five siblings: Esther, Chaim Myer, David, Baruch, and Ruth.
Bella met her future husband, Samuel Hershenhorn, in Poland. He was the son of Mendel and Miriam Hershenhorn from Drildz. The family arrived in Toronto sometime during the early 1920s; Mendel arriving first followed by Miriam and Samuel. The marriage between Bella and Samuel was arranged by their families and so Bella was sent to Toronto to be with him in 1927. They married on 13 Nov. 1927. Together they had three children: Ruth (Rishie), Esti and Lee. Samuel worked for a slipper and spat manufacturer and then started his own company: The Canadian Spat and Slipper Company. He was a member of the Drildzer Sick Benefit Society. Bella was a housewife.
Many of Bella's relatives perished during the Holocaust, including both her parents, her brother David who died with his wife and daughter on a forced march, and her sister Ruth who was murdered by the Nazis alongside her young daughter. Chaim Myer was sent to live with Bella and Samuel in Toronto prior to the onset of the war and therefore survived. Baruch and Esther both survived the Holocaust and eventually moved to New York City.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of letters written to Bella Diamant Hershenhorn from relatives in Poland and Frankfurt. The pre-war letters are from Bella's father Moishe in Poland as well as Bella's siblings and cousins, usually added as additional notes and postscripts onto Moishe's letters. The post-war letters are from Bella's sister Esther and brother Baruch in Frankfurt, who both survived the Holocaust. The letters are written in Yiddish and Polish and have accompanying English translations. Also included are several scanned copies of photographs depicting Bella on the SS Estonia, en route to Canada (ca. 1927), and with various relatives in Poland prior to immigration.
- Notes
- REPRODUCTION RESTRICTION NOTE: Donor must be notified prior to publication of letters.
- Name Access
- Hershenhorn, Bella, ca. 1906-1999
- Subjects
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
- Letters
- Arrangement
- The letters have been arranged chronologically.
- Places
- Ostrowiec (Sokolów Podlaski, Poland)
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
- Accession Number
- 2016-12-44
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 1
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 19 June 1928
- Physical Description
- 1 postcard
- Scope and Content
- This item is a postcard written to Bella from her brother David. The postcard was written in Polish, and sent from [Kosomie?]. Included are hand-written and typed translations.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 2
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 23 [Dec.?] 1929
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- This item is a letter written in Yiddish to Bella and Shmuel (Samuel) from Bella's father Moishe in Poland. Also included are notes written in Polish from Bella's sister Ruth and her cousin. Included are hand-written and typed translations.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 3
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- [1929 or 1930]
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- This item is a letter written in Polish to Bella and Bella's brother Myer from sisters Ruth and Esther and cousin Bela in Poland. It was written sometime during 1929 or 1930 Included are hand-written and typed translations.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 4
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1 Nov. 1930
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- This item is a letter with six sections. Two sections written in Yiddish were addressed to Bella and her husband Shmuel from Bella's father Moishe. One section in Yiddish was addressed to Bella from her brother Baruch. One section in Yiddish was addressed to Bella's brother Chaim-Myer from their father Moishe. Two short postscripts in Polish were sent to Bella and Myer from their sister Ruth. Included are hand-written and typed translations.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 5
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 15 [April?] 1930
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- This item consists of two letters. One letter, written in Polish, is addressed to Bella from her brother David in Poland. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions. On the reverse side is a letter in Yiddish from David addressed to Bella's brother Myer. This letter has not been translated.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 6
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 12 Oct. 1930
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- This item consists of two letters and greetings on the recto and verso of a single page. One letter written in Polish is addressed to Bella and her brother Myer from their brother David. Also included are greetings in Polish to Bella and brother Myer from a female friend, sister Ruth, sister Esther and cousins Ayrla and Bela. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions. Inside is a letter written in Yiddish, which has not been translated.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 7
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- Sept. 1934
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- This item consists of a letter. The letter written in Yiddish is addressed to Bella and her brother Myer from their father Moishe In Poland. Also included are Rosh Hashana greetings in Polish from sisters Ruth and Esther. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 8
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 21 Nov. 1937
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- This item consists of a letter. The first part of the letter is written in Yiddish to Bella from her father Moishe in Poland. The second part of the letter is written in Polish to Bella from sister Ruth. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 9
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 20 Nov. 1938
- Physical Description
- 1 postcard
- Scope and Content
- This item consists of a postcard. The postcard was written in Yiddish to Bella from her father Moishe in Poland. This letter has been translated in hand-written and typed versions.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 10
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 21 March 1938
- Physical Description
- 1 postcard
- Scope and Content
- This item consists of a postcard. One side of the postcard was written in Yiddish to Bella from her father Moishe. The reverse side was written in Yiddish to Bella from her brother-in-law Ovadyah Barnstein (husband of sister Ruth). This postcard has been translated in hand-written and typed versions.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 11
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 6 Dec. 1938
- Physical Description
- 1 postcard
- Scope and Content
- This item consists of a postcard. The postcard was written in Yiddish to Bella from her father Moishe in Poland. This postcard has been translated in hand-written and typed versions.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 12
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 12 Jan. 1939
- Physical Description
- 1 postcard
- Scope and Content
- This item consists of a postcard. The postcard was written in Polish and Yiddish to Bella from her sister Esther and an unknown author, presumably Bella's father, in Poland. Included is a hand-written translation of the Polish part of the letter.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 13
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 3 Aug. 1945
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- Item is a letter written in Polish, sent to Bella Hershenhorn from her sister Esther, who is living in a DP camp in Bergen. Included is a hand-written and typed translation.
- Subjects
- Holocaust survivors
- Refugee camps
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 14
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 3 Feb. 1947
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- Item is a letter sent to Bella Hershenhorn in Toronto from her sister, Esther with greetings from an unknown author. There is a typed and handwritten translation of the letter.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 15
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 30 Jan. 1947
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- Item is a letter, written on one side in Yiddish, sent to Bella Hershenhorn from her brother Baruch in Frankfurt. On the reverse side is a letter to Bella in Polish from her sister Esther with greetings from Leir Gooshen. Included is a hand-written and typed translation.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 16
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- [after 1947]
- Physical Description
- 1 letter
- Scope and Content
- Item is a letter written in Polish and sent by an unknown author after the war, possibly from Germany. It is queried whether the letter may have been sent to Bella's sister Esther but ended up in Bella's possession. Included is a hand-written and typed translation.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 17
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- 1927
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (tiff) ; 254 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Bella Diamant (fourth from right) aboard the S.S. Estonia en route to Canada. Included is a scan of the recto and verso of the photograph. Written on the back in Polish are several names including Turek and [Mr. Wasszawski?] and the address Reid Ave. 295.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. Both recto and verso were digitized as tiff files and a jpg access copy was made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 18
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- [192-?]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w (tiff) ; 198 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Bella Diamant (on left) possibly with her sister Ruth (on right). The woman in the middle and children are unknown.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy was made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 19
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- 1930
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (tiff) ; 101 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Esther Diamant, Bella's sister. The photograph was given to Chaim Myer by Esther prior to him leaving for Canada to live with Bella and Samuel. Included is a scan of the recto and verso of the photograph. The inscription written on the back in Polish reads: Brother, in the day you are leaving Poland for Canada.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. Both recto and verso were digitized as tiff files and a jpg access copy was made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 20
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- April 1927
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w (tiff) ; 208 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Bella Diamant. The picture was taken in April 1927, before the trip from Poland to Canada.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy were made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 21
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- [ca. 1930]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w (tiff) ; 208 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Myer Diamant.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy were made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 22
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- 1927
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (tiff) ; 263 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Bella Diamant (centre) with cousin on left and [unknown woman] on right. Included is a scan of the recto and verso of the photograph. An inscription in Polish is written on the back.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy were made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 23
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- 1926
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (tiff) ; 257 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Bella Diamant (centre) with [siblings], likely Ruth and Myer. Included is a scan of the recto and verso of the photograph. The inscription written on the back in Polish reads: To my brother-in-law, Ruth.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy were made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 24
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- [194-?]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (tiff) ; 85 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of an unknown woman. This may be Esther Diamant, Bella's sister. Included is a scan of the recto and verso of the photograph. The inscription written on the back is written in Yiddish.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy were made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 25
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- [192-?]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w (tiff) ; 48 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of an unknown man.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy were made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 26
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- 1927
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (tiff) ; 144 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Bella Diamant's cousin Bela (on left) with another cousin (on right). The cousins were the daughters of Bella's father's brother. Included is a scan of the recto and verso of the photograph. The inscription written on the back in Polish reads: To think of me forever, your cousin, we are giving you our picture.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy were made.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Bella Diamant fonds
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 117
- Item
- 27
- Material Format
- graphic material (electronic)
- Date
- [1940?]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w (tiff) ; 228 MB
- Scope and Content
- This item is a scanned photograph of Yeheskel Borenstein son of Ovadya and Ruth Borenstein. Included is a scan of the recto and verso of the photograph. Written on the back in Polish are the dates (19 March 1938 and 11 October 1942) with the name Yeheskel Borenstein son of Ovadya and Ruth.
- Notes
- PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Digitization of the original photograph was done by the OJA Archivist. A master tiff file and a jpg access copy were made.
- Subjects
- Holocaust victims
- Source
- Archival Descriptions