Letter from Joshua Urbas to Moishe Singer

Part Of: United Ostrowtzer Hilfs Committee fonds; Letters from Individuals series; Aron and Joshua Urbas correspondence file

Part Of: United Ostrowtzer Hilfs Committee fonds; Letters from Individuals series; Aron and Joshua Urbas correspondence file

Admin History/Bio: Joshua Urbas was born in Ostrowiec to Daniel and Pella (née Goldman). In 1939, he moved to the Kirovohrad region in Ukraine before being evacuated to a Soviet farm in Central Asia in 1941. He later moved north to Osh in Kyrgyzstan and served in the Red Army. The postwar era saw Joshua’s return to Poland, followed by a move to France to reunite with his brother Aron.; He eventually settled in Montreal, where he published a collection of short stories titled Der Onheib (The Beginning). At some point during this time, he met and married his wife, Jeanette. He later moved to Toronto and worked as a tailor. In addition to Der Onheib, Joshua contributed to the newspaper A Home in Ulm, Germany. He was also one of the few foreign authors to be published in Sovetish Heimland, the Soviet Yiddish literary monthly publication.; Joshua passed away on 10 February 1981 in Toronto at the age of sixty-one.

Scope and Content: Item is a letter from Joshua Urbas to Moishe Singer c/o the Toronto Ostrovtzer Aid Society. In this letter, Joshua recalls their lives before the war and details his experiences, including military service in the Red Army and his struggles in postwar France. He also requests assistance from the Ostrovtzer Committee in publishing a book of his poems.

Repro Restriction: Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.