- Part Of
- Gilbert Studios fonds
- Jewish community events series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 37
- Series
- 7
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 1936-1979
- Physical Description
- 8 negatives : b&w ; 11 x 13 cm
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of photographs taken by Al and/or Nathan Gilbert that document Jewish events held in the city of Toronto. The kind of events included are dedication ceremonies, groundbreaking ceremonies, city council meetings, dinners and walks.
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Gilbert Studios fonds
- Jewish community events series
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 37
- Series
- 7
- Item
- 7
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1936]
- Physical Description
- 1 negative : b&w ; 11 x 13 cm
- Admin History/Bio
- The Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society was founded in 1905 to provide assistance to newly arrived immigrants and to promote a prosperous Jewish community. The Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society's Ladies Auxiliary was founded in 1922 with Mrs. Sophie Torno as the first Chairlady. The Ladies Auxiliary assisted the Society in collecting funds for various philanthropic causes. Moreover, they organized lectures and entertainment.
- Scope and Content
- Item is a negative of the the Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society's Ladies' Auxiliary parade. The image depicts a group of women walking down a street carrying a large banner with the inscription: "Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society Ladies Auxiliary, Friendship, Established 1921." The women have sashes with Pride of Israel across them and 15th Jubilee.
- Name Access
- Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society Ladies' Auxiliary
- Subjects
- Parade
- Societies
- Women
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Level
- Fonds
- ID
-
Fonds 52
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Level
- Fonds
- Fonds
- 52
- Material Format
- multiple media
- Date
- 1921-1986
- Physical Description
- 1.4 m of textual records and other material
- Admin History/Bio
- Dora Till (1896-1987) was a leading member of the Toronto Jewish community. She helped found and served on the executives and boards of many organizations, including the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto, the United Jewish Welfare Fund (UJWF), the Candian Jewish Congress Central Region, and the Baycrest Hospital Women's Auxiliary. She was honoured numerous times in her life with awards and tributes for her contributions to the Jewish community.
- Till was born in New York City on 20 March 1896, one of six children of Max and Yeta Tobias. Her parents had emigrated from Poland prior to 1892. When Dora was four, the family moved to Toronto where Max Tobias worked as a tailor. In her teens, Till was an active member of two social clubs for girls, the Boot and Shoe Society (for mothers and children in need) and the Herzl Girls Club.
- Dora Tobias married Morris S. Till on 21 May 1916, in Toronto. They had two children, Sigmund and Cecile, both of whom she outlived. Sigmund died tragically at the age of 11 after a sudden illness. Cecile married Frank Goldhar and they had two children, Sheila Anne and Meyer Garson.
- In 1918, Till joined the Hebrew Maternity Aid Society and she served as its vice-president for the next fifteen years. This was the beginning of a lifetime career in family welfare, health care and services for the aged. Till helped found and was the first president of the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home located in Bronte and then Tollandale, which provided mothers and children in need with a two-week holiday in the country.
- From the 1920s until the 1940s, Till served on several boards including the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto, and the United Jewish Welfare Fund, as well as the Welfare Fund's Women's Division and Women's Service Council. In 1950, she became the first woman to be named honourary vice-president of the UJWF. In 1955, after many years affiliation with the Jewish Home for the Aged, Dora Till organized the newly built Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care's Women's Auxiliary, becoming its first president. She also served for 40 years on the executive board of the Family and Child Service Bureau, the precursor to Jewish Family & Child Services. Till was an active member of many other Jewish organizations, including the Naomi Chapter of Hadassah and the National Council of Jewish Women, B'nai Brith Women, the Mount Sinai Women's Auxiliary, the Jewish Camp Council, and Toronto United Community Appeal - Community Chest. She was also a member of Goel Tzedec Congregation and its successor, Beth Tzedec Congregation.
- Dora Till was honoured with several awards and tributes in her lifetime for her contributions to Jewish life, health and welfare in Toronto. In 1956, the Dora and Morris Till Bungalow at the Mothers and Babes Summer Rest Home was dedicated. In 1969, she was the first woman to recieve UJWF's Ben Sadowski Award for Jewish Community Service. As well, in 1977, she received the Queen's Silver Jubilee medal for outstanding community service. In 1983 a Baycrest Centre tribute dinner was held in her honour and in 1984, the top floor of the Baycrest Centre was dedicated to her. This was the culmination of a lifetime devoted to social welfare and community service, and it came just a few years before Till's death, on 22 November 1987.
- Custodial History
- The records were in the possession of Dora Till's granddaughter, Mrs. Sheila Gottlieb, until they were donated to the OJA in 1987.
- Scope and Content
- This fonds consists of records documenting the personal and philanthropic activities of Dora Till, including her ongoing involvement with the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home, the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care Women's Auxiliary, the United Jewish Welfare Fund, and to a lesser extent other organizations that she was involved or affiliated with. Till's records of the Mothers' and Babes' Rest Home are some of the few to have survived from this important social service organization.
- The organizational records in the fonds include minutes, correspondence, reports, speeches, financial records, newsclippings, pamphlets, brochures, invitations, architectural drawings, and photographs, primarily of the Mothers and Babes Rest Home and the Baycrest Centre. As well, there are two artifacts: a Baycrest Centre pin and a gold shovel from the groundbreaking ceremony. The personal records in the fonds include family photographs and portraits, writings, newsclippings and general correspondence.
- The fonds has been arranged into eight series: 1. Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association. 2. Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care Women's Auxiliary. 3. Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care Heritage Museum Committee. 4. Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care Furnishings Committee. 5. Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care : other committees. 6. United Jewish Welfare Fund. 7. Other organizations. 8. Personal. The records have been described to the file level, while a selection of photographs have been scanned and described at the item level.
- Notes
- Physical description note: includes 197 photographs (54 negatives), 9 architectural drawings, and 2 objects
- Name Access
- Till, Dora, 1896-1987
- Access Restriction
- Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
- Related Material
- For related material on the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home, please see: Jewish Community Centre of Toronto fonds 61, Federation of Jewish Philanthropies fonds 66, United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds 67, Ida Lewis Siegel fonds 15, and the Rebecca Kamarner family fonds 11.
- For related material on the Baycrest Centre Women's Auxiliary, please see: Pat Joy Alpert fonds 77 and fonds 14.
- For related material on National Council of Jewish Women please see fonds 38.
- Arrangement
- This fonds had previously been arranged and described as MG6 H. The current arrangement was implemented by the archivist in 2010 and as a result, several files from the former MG were culled or merged. Therefore, the former MG finding aid is no longer accurate.
- Creator
- Till, Dora, 1896-1987
- Accession Number
- 1987-1-5
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 1
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- architectural drawing
- Date
- [192-]-1977
- Physical Description
- 46 cm of textual records
- 163 photographs (54 negatives)
- 9 architectural drawings
- Admin History/Bio
- The Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home was first organized in 1919 by Dora Till, Ida Siegel and Lillian Clavir, members of the Hebrew Maternity Aid Society. It was formed in order to provide convalescent care for victims of the influenza epidemic by offering a two week holiday to mothers and young children. First located in a home in Bronte, now Oakville, the Rest Home was officially brought under the auspices of the Hebrew Maternity Aid Society in 1921. By this time the Home had moved from being a convalescent home to being a place of respite in the country for women and children of modest means, although they continued to assist those with poor health. By the late 1930s, a search for a replacement location was underway, as the Bronte Rest Home became ill equiped to deal with the increased demand, primarily due to unsuitable grounds and facilities.
- In 1941, after selling the home in Bronte, the Mothers' and Babes' Rest Home Committee built a second home on eleven acres of lakefront property in Tollandale, near Barrie. In 1948, the Rest Home was admitted into the Jewish Camp Council, which helped the Committee administer the camp and fill staffing vacancies. Following this move, the Hebrew Maternity Aid Society changed its name to the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association, to better reflect the fact that the home was their only remaining activity.
- In 1957, the camp expanded its mandate to include the addition of two new programs at its facitilites: Camp Family Fun for fathers, mothers, and children up to the age of nine and Camp Good Fellowship, a program for senior citizens over the age of 60.
- Dora Till was the Rest Home's founding president for a total of 15 years and remained active with the home until it ultimately closed in 1977.
- Scope and Content
- This series consists of records documenting the operation of the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Homes in Bronte and in Tollandale. The records include minutes, reports, speeches, correspondence, financial records, invitations, brochures and pamphlets, architectural drawings and photographs.
- The records have been arranged into seven sub-series: Executive Committee, Operational functions, Finance and accounting, Building operations and grounds maintenance, Programming and events, Associated groups and General photographs. The records have been described at the file level while a selection of the photographs have been described at the item level and have been digitally scanned.
- Access Restriction
- Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association series
- Operational functions sub-series
- Level
- Sub-series
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 1-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1921-1977
- Physical Description
- 7 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- This sub-series consists of records documenting the operational activities of the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association. Included are general correspondence files, camper records and documents detailing the Association's name change, their inclusion into the Jewish Camp Council, the closing of the rest home in Bronte, the search for a new site in Tollandale and the subsequent closing of the camp in the late 1970s.
- Access Restriction
- Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association series
- Programming and events sub-series
- Level
- Sub-series
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 1-5
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- [192-]-1972
- Physical Description
- 4 cm of textual records
- 29 photographs : b&w ; 23 x 21 cm or smaller
- 1 poster ; 25 x 32 cm
- Scope and Content
- This sub-series consists of records documenting the various programmes offered at the Mothers' and Babes' Rest Home as well as special events, primarily organized for fundraising purposes.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association series
- Associated groups sub-series
- Level
- Sub-series
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 1-6
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1926-1968
- Physical Description
- 3 cm of textual records
- 1 photograph : col. ; 9 x 13 cm
- Scope and Content
- This sub-series consists of records related to acitivites of associated groups, whose existance and purpose was to support the mandate of the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association series
- General photographs sub-series
- Level
- Sub-series
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 1-7
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [193-]-[195-]
- Physical Description
- 131 photographs (54 negatives) : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
- Scope and Content
- This series consists of photographs depicting the campers, staff and grounds of the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Homes in Bronte and Tollandale, Ontario. Included are various group photographs of adults and children participating programming activities as well as images of the cabins and grounds of the homes.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association series
- General photographs sub-series
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 1-7
- Item
- 1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- 1933
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12 x 8 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a photograph of Dora Till leading a summer meeting on the grounds of the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home in Bronte.
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home Association series
- General photographs sub-series
- Campers and staff at Bronte file
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 1-7
- File
- 1
- Item
- 1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [193-]
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (1 negative) : 21 x 26 cm and 7 x 12 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a photograph and corresponding negative of a group of children waiting in line to be served their lunch of a glass of milk and a sandwich. The photograph was taken at the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home in Bronte, Ontario.
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Other organizations series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 7
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1925-1985
- Physical Description
- 6 cm of textual records
- 1 photograph
- Scope and Content
- This series consists of records documenting other organzations that Dora Till was involved with. The records include correspondence, mintues, program booklets, pamphlets, invitations and a photograph. The series is described to the file level and in the case of the photograph to the item level.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Other organizations series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 7
- File
- 6
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1937-1946
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Other organizations series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 7
- File
- 11
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1927-1970
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Personal series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 8
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1932-1984
- Physical Description
- 15 cm of textual records (1 vol.)
- 24 photographs
- Admin History/Bio
- Dora Tobias married Morris S. Till on 21 May 1916, in Toronto. They had two children, Sigmund and Cecile, both of whom she outlived. Sigmund died tragicallyin 1938 at the age of 11 after a sudden illness. Cecile married Frank Goldhar and they had two children, Sheila Anne and Meyer Garson.
- Morris Till (1892-1977) was born in Poland to Solomon and Cyril Till. The family later immigrated to Toronto in 1914. In business, Morris headed the M. S. Till and Company Limited, a lingerie manufacturing company.
- Morris was one of Toronto's prominent communal leaders, holding positions on the boards and executives of Goel Tzedec Synagogue, the YM-YWHA, Jewish Home for the Aged and Baycrest Hospital, B'nai Brith, Mount Sinai Hospital, Zionist Council of Toronto and the United Jewish Welfare Fund. He was primarily responsible for merging the United Palestine and Jewish Welfare fund appeals into one campaign, now known as the United Jewish Appeal.
- Morris Till was honoured on numerous occasions throughout his lifetime, including a citation from the Keren Hayesod United Israel Appeal in recognition of distinquished service to the State of Israel.
- Scope and Content
- This series consists of records documenting the personal life of Dora Till and the many awards and tributes conferred upon her during her lifetime. The records include personal wiritings and speeches, correspondence, newsclippings and photographs. There is one sub-sereis entitled Personal awards and tributes. The records are described to the file level and a selection of photographs are described at the item level.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Personal series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 8
- File
- 7
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1938, 1982
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Personal series
- Level
- File
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 8
- File
- 10
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1932]-1979
- Physical Description
- 17 photographs : b&w and col. ; 36 x 28 cm or smaller
- Scope and Content
- This file consists of portraits and snapshots of Dora Till and the Till family and friends.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Dora Till fonds
- Personal series
- Personal photographs and portraits
- Level
- Item
- Fonds
- 52
- Series
- 8
- File
- 10
- Item
- 1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Date
- [ca. 1932]
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
- Scope and Content
- This item is a portrait of Sigmund Till at approximately six years of age.
- Subjects
- Children
- Repro Restriction
- Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
