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Debby Alter
- Accession Number
- 2017-8-7
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2017-8-7
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 12 photographs : b&w and col ; 26 x 21 cm or smaller
- Date
- 1929-[198-]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of material documenting the life of Debby Alter (née Speyer). Included are: certificates and diplomas for Alter and her brother Lloyd; newspaper clippings relating to Alter and her family; photographs of Alter and her family, and a small amount of correspondence addressed to Alter, primarily from her father.
- Custodial History
- Debby Alter's daughter, Bonnie, donated the records to the Archives following her mother's death in May 2017.
- Administrative History
- Debby Cecil Speyer was born on 18 Aug. 1918 to Boris Speyer and Etta Speyer (née Prager). Debby's father worked as an insurance broker in Toronto. Years later when he became ill, Etta went into real estate, becoming Toronto's first female commercial and industrial real-estate agent in 1935. Debby was one of three children, having two brothers: Mark and Lloyd. Lloyd died in 1943 fighting in the Second World War.
- Debby's connection to Hadassah-WIZO goes back to an early age. She attended the first Hadassah-WIZO Bazaar in 1924, for example, when she was five years old. As a youth, she attended the Goel Tzedec Congregation's religious school and later the Toronto Normal Model School, receiving her diploma in June 1933. She went on to marry Gabriel Alter, with whom she had two children: Bonnie and Lloyd (named after his late uncle). Their daughter, Bonnie, was entered in a lovely child photo-contest as part of the annual Hadassah Bazaar.
- In 1969, Debby was named chairman of the Women's Division of 1969 State of Israel Bonds in Toronto. By that point, she had been a member of Toronto Hadassah's executive board for years. Debby remained involved in Hadassah until her later years, attending the very last Bazaar in 2008, where she was honoured along with other long-time volunteers at a special cake-cutting ceremony. She passed away at her home on Friday, 12 May 2017. A service was held at Holy Blossom Memorial Park the following Sunday. She is survived by her two children, two children-in-law, and three grandchildren.
- Use Conditions
- Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
- Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
- Name Access
- Alter, Debby, 1918-2017
- Hadassah Organization of Toronto
- Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada
- Source
- Archival Accessions