Accession Number
2011-4-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2011-4-6
Material Format
graphic material (electronic)
Physical Description
1 photograph (electronic) : b&w ; 14 MB
Date
[ca. 1956]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one electronic copy of a photograph of the Jewish Partisan Unit in Belarus, circa 1956. Anna is pictured in the front row, third from the right. Her husband Abrahm is second from the right.
Custodial History
The item was loaned to the Archives for copying as part of the Russian Jewish War Veteran initiative. The original photograph was returned to the donor on the same day.
Administrative History
Anna was in the Minsk ghetto at the start of the Second World War when she escaped to a partisan detachment in May 1942. She stayed with this detachment until 1944. Originally it was a Jewish group but later grew to include non-Jews as well. Their first fight was in June 1942 when they were surrounded by Germans troops, however they broke through the line and got away through the surrounding swamps. Anna's job was to fill cartridge belts for the machine guns. She later joined the Minsk Partisan Brigade and was charged with guarding the partisan camp and later recruiting new people to the group from Minsk. She participated in a “Rail War”, destroying the rail lines and blowing up Nazi trains. The MPB worked in collaboration with the Minsk Underground (Podpolye). Her husband Abrahm was a commander of another subversion group called the Podryvnaya Gruppa.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Guerrillas
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
Community Relations Committee series
Anti-Semitism cases sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 17; Series 5-3; File 119
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds
Community Relations Committee series
Anti-Semitism cases sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
17
Series
5-3
File
119
Material Format
textual record
Date
1940
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of a series of correspondence with Mr. C. Johnson, who questions Jewish participation in the military in the Second World War.
Notes
Previously processed and cited as part of MG8 S.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 1546
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
1546
Material Format
graphic material
Date
May 1944
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy photograph of members of the Jewish Bielski partisan group in Poland. They are pictured assembled in the Naliboki forest.
Name Access
Bielski partisans (Resistance group)
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Places
Poland
Accession Number
1978-5-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
1992-8-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1992-8-3
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 15 x 10 cm
Date
1941-1943
Scope and Content
This accession consists of a photograph of Anne Tulchinsky in her uniform for the Brantford Red Cross Nursing Auxiliary.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Tulchinsky, Anne
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1998-12-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1998-12-4
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
56 photographs : b&w and col. (27 negatives) ; 20 x 25 cm or smaller
1 postcard
Date
1909-[ca. 1980]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of a collection of copy and original photographs documenting the life of the Dime family and their relatives in locations including Belleville, Oshawa, Toronto, the Muskoka Sanitorium, and Goose Bay, Labrador.
Photo Captions:
001: Sam and Dorothy Dime, Dime’s Drug Store, 568 Jarvis Street, Toronto, [1957?].
002: Street view of Dime’s Pharmacy, 568 Jarvis Street, Toronto, 1960.
003: Sgt. Sam Dime, Pharmacy, Goose Bay Labrador, 1944.
004: Ada Dime, with Ben [Safe] and Sam Dime, secondhand furniture, 56 King St. West, Oshawa, ON, 1921.
005: Sam Dime with dog [4F], Goose Bay, Labrador, 1944.
006: Sam Dime, 56 King St. W., Oshawa, ON, ca. 1920-21.
007: Rabbi Isaac Stein with grandchildren Izzie (left) and Donna, Toronto, 1930.
008: Portrait of Ada Dime (née Aronson) with her brother Sammy Aronson, 273 Yonge Street, Toronto, ca. 1915.
009: Portrait of David and Sammy Tobe, Belleville, ON, [1909]. Photograph by R. McCormick Belleville.
010: Morris Bernard of Belleville, Overseas, First World War, ca. 1918.
011: David Dime, (age 25), 1914. The Dutch Studio Vander Feen, 318 Yonge St. Toronto, ON, [192-?].
012: Unidentified group of children, [19--?].
013: Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Tobe with their children David and Sammy, Belleville, ON, [1920]. Photograph by R. McCormick Belleville.
014: Portrait of David and Ada Dime with daughter Anne, Belleville, ON, ca. 1915.
015: Mickey and Riva Marcus, Belleville, ON, ca. 1917-18.
016: Ada Dime, 30 Simcoe Street, Oshawa, ON, 1930.
017: Tobie Green (m. Dime), her brother Hershel Goldman and Goldie Fryman, St. Patrick Street Between Elm & Dundas, [Toronto], ON, 1924.
018: Cheder class, Oshawa Hebrew Congregation, Beth Zion,45 Albert Street in Oshawa, Ontario, 1922. Back row (L to R): Simma Engel, Rabbi Primack's son, Rabbi Primack's daughter, Annie Dime, Annie Hennick, Sara Rainish. Front row (L to R): Clara Engel (m. Rubin), Maxie Rainish, Irving Oilgissor, Becky Rainish, Sam Dime, [Primack child?], Rabbi Primack.
019: David Dime (back row, right), Muskoka Sands, July ca. 1922
020: Oshawa Belleville group, Belleville, Ontario, ca. 1930. Back row: Mr. Diamond, Goldie Engel, Abe Swartz, [unidentified], Faige Swartz, Sarah Golub, Sue [Sape], Hymie Golub. Front row: Mrs. Lepofsky, Mildred Golub.
021: National Council of Jewish Women, 44 St. George Street, ca. 1943. Also pictured is Betty Stone and Dora Stein (4th left).
022: Sam Dime, Dime’s Pharmacy, 568 Jarvis Street, Toronto, ca. 1951.
023: Dorothy Stein (m. Dime) at closing of canteen, 44 St. George Street, Toronto, 1945. Photographer Globe & Mail.
024: Ada and David Dime, Muskoka Sands, Gravenhurst, ca. 1922.
025: Canadian Jewish Congress Service Mens Club postcard, ca. 1940s.
026: Mrs. Ada Dime, Dime’s Dry Goods, 30 Simcoe St. S., Oshawa, ON, 1926.
027: David Dime (left), with orphans in Baron de Hirsch Farm in Saskatchewan, ca. 1906.
Administrative History
The donor Sam Dime served in the Second World War. In 1947 Sam and his wife Dorothy Dime (née Stein) opened Dime's Drug Store at 568 Jarvis Street in Toronto. The pair operated the Jarvis Street institution for thirty-nine years and officially closed their store in 1986.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Places
Oshawa (Ont.)
Belleville (Ont.)
Muskoka (Ont. : District municipality)
Saskatchewan
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2009-2-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2009-2-1
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
42 photographs : b&w ; 10 x 13 cm
Date
[ca. 1945]
Scope and Content
This accession consists of photographs taken by an unknown individual—likely someone in the government or military—during the Second World War. The photographs feature broken-down army equipment, soldiers, prison scenes, the German and Austrian countryside, destroyed buildings, and deceased and emaciated prisoners of concentration camps.
Custodial History
These photographs were given to Maxwell London following the end of the Second World War by a British officer. They were kept in his house until his death in 2003, at which point they came into the possession of his daughter Sandra London-Rakita. They were given to Susan Jackson of UJA Federation in November 2008, who passed them on to the Archives.
Administrative History
Pte. Maxwell London (1917-2003) was born in Toronto on 15 April 1917 to Morris and Jennie London from Russia. He married Marielle (nee McCall) London in 1957 in Montreal and had 2 daughters: Lynda and Sandra and 4 grandchildren Zachary Elkaim, Justin Elkaim, Ryan Rakita and Brianna Rakita. London was in the Royal Regiment of Canada during the Second World War. He was captured in 1942 at Dieppe and held as a POW in Stalags 8B and 2D. He was liberated at the end of the war and went to England before returning to Canada. He died on 13 December 2003.
Use Conditions
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.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
London, Maxwell, 1917-2003
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2011-11-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2011-11-6
Material Format
graphic material (electronic)
Physical Description
4 photographs : b&w (jpg) ; 15 MB
Date
1940-1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of four electronic copies of original photographs documenting David Smith during the Second World War.
Custodial History
The photographs were loaned to the Archives to be copied and returned. They were returned by courier on 21 November 2011.
Administrative History
Max and Rose Smith opened a resort for Jewish singles in Port Carling, Muskoka in 1938. The resort was kosher and offered Jewish content to visitors. Boys and girls bunked seperately.
Suzanne Smith (née Beskin) and David Samuel Smith met at Cornell University in the spring of 1946, after David returned from service in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Suzanne was living in the United States and attending Columbia University. She worked as a libraian at Cornell. David studied hotel administration. They married in 1947 and moved back to Toronto in 1948.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Digitized material.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2012-4-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2012-4-2
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
30 cm of textual records and other material
Date
[190-]-1994
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the literary and military careers of Leo Heaps, as well as a small selection of family photographs and textual records. Included are various manuscripts and other writings, newsclippings and documents related to Heaps' role as a British paratrooper and his subsequent awarding of the Royal Military Cross. The photographs document the Heaps family, as well as the underground resistance movement in Arnhem, of which he was a part.
The videocassette documents a family trip to Arnhem in 1994 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.
Photo Caption (035): Seargent Alan Kettley of the Glider Pilot Regiment, [194-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2012-4-2. Courtesy of the Heaps Family.
Photo Caption (038): Gilbert Sadi-Kirschen known, head of the Special Air Service mission to Arnhem, [194-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2012-4-2. Courtesy of the Heaps Family.
Photo Caption (046): Major Tony Hibbot (left) about to take off for Arnhem, [194-?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2012-4-2. Courtesy of the Heaps Family.
Custodial History
The records were in the possession of Adrian Heaps, son of Leo Heaps.
Administrative History
Leo Heaps (1923-1995) was born in Winnipeg in 1923, the son of A. A. Heaps and Bessie Morris. His father A. A. was a founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the forerunner of the New Democratic Party. Leo Heaps was raised in Winnipeg and received an education at Queen's University, the University of California, and McGill University. During the Second World War, at the age of 21, Heaps was seconded to the British Army and found himself commanding the 1st Battalion's Transport. He participated in the Battle of Arnhem as a paratrooper.
Leo Heaps was awarded the Royal Military Cross for his work with the Dutch Resistance. His brother, David, had also achieved the same distinction, thereby making them the only Jewish brothers during the Second World War to win the decoration. After the war, Heaps went to Israel and aided their army in the establishment of mobile striking units. Whilst there, he met his wife-to-be, Tamar (1927-). Together they had one son, Adrian, and three daughters, Karen, Gillian, and Wendy.
During the Hungarian Revolution he led a special rescue team to bring refugees out and across the border. In the mid-1960s he returned to Britain where he dabbled in various entrepreneurial projects as well as writing several books, notably "The Grey Goose of Arnhem", telling his own story of Arnhem, the aftermath of the battle, and also the stories of other Arnhem evaders and their dealings with the Resistance.
Leo Heaps spent most of his life in Toronto, Canada, and was amongst the forty Canadian veterans who returned to Arnhem in 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary. He died in 1995.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Publication credit line must read: Courtesy of the Heaps Family.
Descriptive Notes
Physical Description note: Includes ca. 100 photographs; 1 videocassette (ca. 32 min) : col, sd. ; VHS, and 1 presentation piece : 52 x 49 cm.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Heaps, Leo, 1923-1995
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-9-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2017-9-2
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
30 Mar. 1944
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one letter written by Cpl. Abe Fishman to Mrs. M. Title from Fort Jackson, South Carolina. In it, Fishman details life in the American army including his training schedule, camp duties and general family matters.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Fishman, Abe
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2013-6-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2013-6-7
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
[19--]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of a copy of Arnold Mest's memoirs detailing his role during the Second World War.
Administrative History
Arnold Mest (1921-2000) was a radio operator in the Canadian military during the Second World War. Born in Toronto, Mest was a typesetter for the Toronto Telegram. When it went out of business he moved to San Jose, California and worked for the Mercury News.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Mest, Arnold, 1921-2000
Source
Archival Accessions
Name
Jack Gang
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Jack Gang
Number
OH 378
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Stephanie Markowitz
Total Running Time
34:19
Notes
Jack was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Jack was a private in the Polish Army from 1944 to 1946. He was stationed in Europe and involved in liberation campaigns in Poland and Germany.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Germany
Poland
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Jeffery Wolf Ostroff
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Jeffery Wolf Ostroff
Number
OH 379
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
9 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Sam Gojonovich
Total Running Time
17:21
Notes
Jeff was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Jeff served in the British Merchant Navy from 1944 to 1948 as a deckhand / helmsman. He was involved in the Battle of the Atlantic and was stationed in the Arctic Circle.
Material Format
moving images
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Martin Maxwell
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
10 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Martin Maxwell
Number
OH 385
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
10 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Sam Gojonovich
Total Running Time
26:55
Notes
This interview is part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
http://www.thememoryproject.com/search?query=maxwell
Biography
Martin Maxwell born in Vienna in 1924 was transported to England as part of the Kindertransport project. Martin enlisted in the British Air Corps in 1942 and served as a glider pilot in the British Army. Stationed in Europe, Martin was involved in the D-Day and Arnhem campaigns. He was imprisoned as a Jewish prisoner of war in Hanover, Germany and in 1948 participated in the war crimes commission in Washington D.C.
Material Format
moving images
Original Format
DVD
Transcript
.25-1.06: Maxwell, born in Vienna, was one of 10,000 children to be transported to Great Britain as part of the Kindertransport project. 1.07-2.03: Maxwell discusses his service as a glider pilot in the Air Corps of the British Army. 2.04-4.00: Maxwell discusses his participation as a glider pilot in the D-Day operation. 4.01-5.08: Maxwell provides a brief description of his training as a fighter pilot. 5:09-5.30: Maxwell discusses an incident involving his evacuation via submarine from Europe back to England. 5.35-7.12: Maxwell discusses his involvement in General Montgomery’s Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem in Holland. 7.13-7.52: Maxwell discusses an injury he suffered during his participation in Operation Market Garden. 7.53-8.35: Maxwell discusses the armistice which allowed the dead and wounded, including Maxwell, to be moved from the field to a hospital. 8.36-9.00: Maxwell describes an incident that occurred while he was held at SS barracks in Appledorn. 9.01-10.11: Maxwell describes his imprisonment as a Jewish prisoner of war (POW) in Fallingbostel, a camp near Hanover, Germany. 10.12-11.15: Maxwell relates a humorous incident that occurred during his imprisonment in POW camp 11.16-13.10: Maxwell describes the sixty-fifth anniversary of the liberation of Holland. 13.11-13.33: Maxwell discusses photographs taken during the sixty-fifth anniversary. 13.34-14.09: Maxwell talks about his motivation for joining the army. 14.10-14.22:Gojonovich is formulating his next question. 14.23-15.22: Maxwell recalls an antisemitic incident he experienced during his service. 15.23-15.55: Maxwell discusses the eighty Jewish paratroopers buried in the cemetery at Arnhem. 15.56-17.20: Maxwell discusses the events that led to his participation in the War Crimes Commission held in Washington, D.C. in 1948 17.21-18.09: Maxwell discusses his present day work with war veterans and Holocaust education. 18.10-20.42: Maxwell relates the story of a chance encounter with a young girl at Bergen Belsen. 20.43-22.00: Maxwell talks about the honour he received in Holland when he was presented with the torch of freedom.
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Robert Shapiro
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
10 Jun. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Robert Shapiro
Number
OH 386
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
10 Jun. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)
Interviewer
Stephanie Markowitz
Total Running Time
29:26
Notes
Robert was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
Biography
Robert served in the Royal Air Force from 1940 to 1945 as a physical training instructor, flight MAC (Military Aircraft Carrier), and air-sea rescuer. He was stationed in England.
Material Format
moving images
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Accession Number
2010-12-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2010-12-4
Material Format
graphic material (electronic)
textual record (electronic)
Physical Description
6 photographs (jpg and tiff) : b&w and col.
4 textual records (jpg)
Date
1937-2009
Scope and Content
This accession consists of digital copies of several photograhps and documents related to the military career and the famiy of Eugene Katz. Included are two photos of Katz in military dress, one family photo, two photos and an accompanying letter about a memorial to his brother Ephraim, a portrait of Katz and his wife Mara and a few scanned copies of commemorative and Russian war medal booklets, which originally accompanied the medals bestowed on Katz.
Custodial History
The original records are in the possession of the donor. They were loaned to the Archives for copying as part of the Russian Jewish War Vet oral history program and were returned to the donor.
Administrative History
Eugene (Zalman) Katz was born in Vilnius, Latvia in 1925. He was fifteen years old at the onset of the Second World War and witnessed the destruction of his village, Disna, and the murder of his entire family by the Nazis. Katz was one of only twelve people to escape. He later became a partisan and then enlisted in the Soviet army, participating in battles near Konigsberg and Belarus. He was a machine-gunner in the infantry and artillery and helped halt a number of German attacks, including shooting down two tanks. For his heroism, he was decorated with eighteen medals, including the prestigious Medal for Courage.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Related material note: See vertical file under "Katz, Eugene"
Subjects
Soviet Union--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Guerrillas
Source
Archival Accessions
Name
Israel Nutzati
Material Format
moving images
Interview Date
30 Aug. 2010
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Israel Nutzati
Number
OH 409
Subject
Prisoners of war
World War, 1939-1945
Interview Date
30 Aug. 2010
Quantity
1 reference DVD (1 WAV file) ; 1 archival DVD (1 WAV file)
Interviewer
Shayla Howell
Total Running Time
43:20
Notes
Israel was interviewed as part of the Memory Project which was undertaken in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute
Biography
Israel grew up in Palestine and enlisted in the British Army with the Jewish Brigade in 1945. He was stationed in various cities near Italy and throughout Europe and Egypt. Although he did not see any fighting, he was involved in the transport of prisoners of war and guarded army vehicles. He was released from the army in 1946.
Material Format
moving images
Geographic Access
Egypt
Europe
Italy
Palestine
Original Format
DVD
Source
Oral Histories
Accession Number
2021-11-21
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-21
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
13 cm of textual records
Date
1927-1984, predominant 1927-1947
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting the Posluns family. Included are letters to Sam Posluns written in 1927, when Sam was in New York; letters to Sam Poslun written in 1947, when he was in Europe with the Tailor Project; miscellaneous newspaper articles; and a 1984 Negev Dinner book. Of note is a letter addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Posluns from Abby Fuhrman, whose son, David Fuhrman, went to live with the Posluns during the Second World War.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Families
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Posluns (family)
Posluns, Samuel, 1910-1994
Places
Europe
New York (N.Y.).
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-2-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-2-3
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
3 cm of textual records
Date
[1939?]-2020, predominant 1939-1946
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the immigration of Daniel Zultek from Poland to Canada under a Sugihara Visa in 1941 and documents pertaining to Sugihara visas and Chiune Sugihara (also known as Sempo Sugihara), a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania. Included are Daniel’s travelling documents dating from 1939 to 1941—an identification document, an immigration identification card, a quarantine/medical examination card issued by Nippon Yusen (also known as NYK Line), and a ship manifest; correspondence between Daniel and Polish consulates in Toronto and Montreal (1941-1943)—one of the letters (28 May 1942) was obtained by Daniel for the purpose of bringing his brother, who was still in Warsaw at that time, over to Canada; a memorandum from the Jewish Community of Kobe to Daniel (1941); records documenting Daniel's experience in serving in the Polish Armed Units in Canada (1941); work documents pertaining to Daniel’s career at Canada Motor Products (1941-1942); and a brief memoir written by Daniel with notations by his daughter Irene. Also included are newspaper clippings and book chapters documenting Daniel’s immigration to Canada via Japan under a Sugihara visa (1993-2020), a programme book of the Sempo Sugihara Tribute Dinner (1993), and a pamphlet of the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall in Japan.
Custodial History
The records were in the possession of Daniel’s daughter, Irene Henry, before being gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives on Feb. 9, 2022.
Administrative History
Daniel Zultek (1910-1995) was born in Warsaw, Poland, on 1 September 1910, to Leon and Helena Zultek. Leon owned a large freight shipping company on the Vistula River, between Danzig and Gdynia harbours. Leon was a successful businessman, a community leader, a philanthropist, and a life member of the Jewish Kehilla Congress in Warsaw, which was allegedly the largest Jewish institution in Europe voted by the Jewish public. Daniel had been running the family business since 1932 until 1939 when the Second World War broke out. He was nominated to the board of directors of the company in 1938. In January 1939, Leon died of a heart attack. Daniel's mother Helena, sister Natalia, and most family members were murdered by Nazi Germany in concentration camps. The only survivors were Daniel, his elder brother Rafael, Irene (Rafael's first wife, who lived in Argentina), and four cousins name Daniel (surname unspecified), Rita (surname unspecified), Adam Zultek, and Dorka Zultek. On 6 September 1939, Daniel fled Warsaw, where was heavily bombarded by German troops, and headed for Pinsk, a city near the Soviet border. Half a month later, because Soviet troops invaded Pinsk, Daniel escaped to Vilnius in the neighbouring country Lithuania. In June 1940, the Soviet Union entered Lithuania. During that time, Daniel heard that the Japanese consulate in Kaunas was issuing transit visas. Fortunately, on 1 August 1940, Daniel received his visa from Vice-consul Chiune Sugihara. In the same month, he managed to escape Kaunas and headed for Moscow. With a Russian transit visa, he took the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok; from there, he took a ship for Tsuruga Port, Japan. During his stay in Japan, he learned that the British Embassy in Tokyo was recruiting volunteers to join the Polish Armed Forces in Australia, the United States, and Canada. Daniel volunteered and chose Canada as his destination. On 5 June 1941, he embarked on the ship, Hikawa Maru, in Yokohama and arrived in Vancouver on the 17th of the same month. From there, he headed for the Polish military base in Owen Sound, Ontario. Daniel received eight months of military training in Owen Sound but was honourably discharged owing to a cataract in his right eye. Fortunately, he was allowed to remain in Canada. After being discharged, Daniel worked various jobs to make a living. In 1941, he had jobs with Canada Motor Products and Frankel Engineering; from 1942 to 1945, he served de Havilland Aircraft as an inspector; from 1945 to 1948, he worked as a sales representative of an American milkshake and ice cream company named Mr. Gordon. While working at Frankel Engineering in 1941, Daniel met Mr. Epstein who introduced him to farming. In 1948, Daniel bought a one-hundred-acre farm in Brampton, Ontario. In the same year, he attended an agriculture college in Guelph, Ontario. While running the farm, he also opened Caledon Sand and Gravel, a company located in Caledon, Ontario, supplying sand and gravel for construction. His career also involved business in real estate. Daniel married Molly Mandel in 1943 and had three daughters Helen, Leona, and Irene. Molly (nee Mandel) Zultek (1915-1989) was a Torontonian of Russian descent. Her father, Albert Mandel, was one of the founders of the Congregation Knesseth Israel (also known as the Junction Shul) located on Maria Street in the Junction. Molly grew up in the Junction neighbourhood. In 1957, Daniel sold the farm and moved to Forest Hill Village a neighbourhood and former village in Midtown Toronto with his family. Daniel retired in 1988. In addition to business, Daniel also devoted his time to charity and social work. Daniel was an ardent Zionist and visited Israel twenty-seven times. He was director and a member of the board of governors of the Jewish National Fund. He was also a generous contributor to Jewish organizations and sponsored the Hebrew University and its students.
Descriptive Notes
LANGUAGE NOTE: some of the material is in Japanese and has been translated into English. Translated documents are available at S:\Collections\2022-2-3.
Availability of other formats: digital preservation copies for most documents have been created and are available in PDF, JPG, and TIF formats.
Subjects
Immigrants
World War, 1939-1945
Places
Warsaw (Poland)
Lithuania
Japan
Toronto (Ont.)
Owen Sound (Ont.)
Brampton (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2010-5-14
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2010-5-14
Material Format
graphic material (electronic)
Physical Description
27 photgraphs : b&w and col. (jpg)
Date
1940-[2004?], predominant 1940-1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of scanned photographs documenting Esther Mager's experience serving in the Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Also included is one wedding portrait of her husband and one photograph of Esther with her children and grandchildren. The verso of scanned photographs were also scanned to show annotations and dates on the originals.
Administrative History
Esther (nee Mendelson) Mager was born in Montreal on December 3, 1917 to Max and Lillian Ray (nee Bloomfield) Mendelson. Her mother passed away nine months after her birth, duing the flu epidemic of 1918, and her father remarried Sarah Wallman. Max had six additional children with Sarah. From the age of tweleve to about the age of eighteen, Esther worked in her father's jewellery store, Thompson's Jewellery, located on Philips Square. There she performed various jobs such as, polishing jewellery and assisting customers. Around the age of eighteen she began work as an assistant bookkeeper for a company that manufactured refrigerators where she was paid $25 per week.
In 1941, Esther joined up with the Canadian Air Force, where she performed motor transport and was paid $28 per week. She met her husband, Saul Mager, on a blind date in Montreal while on leave from her post in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Saul was in the dress manufacturing business in Toronto. They married in 1945 and had two sons together; Mark (b. 1946) and Howard (b. 1949).
Use Conditions
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.
Subjects
Families
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Sadie Stren fonds
Photographs file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 78; File 3; Item 32
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sadie Stren fonds
Photographs file
Level
Item
Fonds
78
File
3
Item
32
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1939 and 1945]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 18 x 13 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Admin History/Bio
Sgt. Kanter was with the Royal Canadian Artillery.
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of Sergeant Ben Kanter of Brantford, Ontario, in his military uniform, taken during the Second World War.
Name Access
Canada. Canadian Army
Subjects
Portraits
World War, 1939-1945
Accession Number
1978-11-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sadie Stren fonds
Photographs file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 78; File 3; Item 31
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sadie Stren fonds
Photographs file
Level
Item
Fonds
78
File
3
Item
31
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1939 and 1945]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 18 x 13 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print and corresponding negative of Max Rapoport of Brantford, Ontario in his military uniform, taken during the Second World War.
Subjects
Portraits
World War, 1939-1945
Accession Number
1978-11-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Name
Rabbi Dr. David Monson
Material Format
sound recording
Interview Date
1 Dec. 1982
Source
Oral Histories
Name
Rabbi Dr. David Monson
Number
OH 70
Subject
World War, 1939-1945
Religion
Interview Date
1 Dec. 1982
Quantity
1
Interviewer
(not stated, likely Jack Lipinsky)
Total Running Time
OH70_001: 27 minutes OH70_002: 11 minutes
Conservation
Copied August 2003
Use Restrictions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Biography
Rabbi David Monson came to Toronto from Ottawa in June 1939 to serve as the rabbi of the Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue. He served on the board of the Brusnswick Talmud Torah. He was a member of B'nai Zion and B'nai Brith and was the long-serving rabbi of Beth Shalom.
Material Format
sound recording
Language
English
Name Access
Monson, David
Canadian Jewish Congress. Ontario Region
Shaarei Shomayim Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
Lipinsky, Jack
Geographic Access
Toronto
Original Format
Audio cassette
Copy Format
Audio cassette
Digital file
Transcript
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 70 - Monson\OH70_001_Log.pdf
G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 70 - Monson\OH70_002_Log.pdf
Source
Oral Histories

In this clip, Rabbi Monson discusses his early positive working relationships with rabbis within the Toronto Jewish community and explains how sectionalization became a post-war phenomenon.

In this clip, Rabbi Monson discusses the role and responsibilities of the Canadian Jewish Congress in Toronto from 1939 to 1948.

Accession Number
2004-5-54
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2004-5-54
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
23 photographs : b&w (11 negatives) 13 x 18 cm or smaller
Date
1915-[ca. 1966]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of copy photographs documenting the military career of Jack Aarons in England, Egypt, and Palestine during the First World War and at military parades in Toronto after the Second World War. There is also a photograph of the inerior of the Murray House catering kitchen on Steeles Avenue about 1966.
Subjects
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1939-1945
Places
Egypt
England
Palestine
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1984-5-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1984-5-7
Material Format
object
graphic material
Physical Description
1 coin
16 photographs : b&w ; 7 x 10 cm
Date
1939-1945
Scope and Content
This accession consists of one Mount Sinai Lodge A.F. & A.M. No. 522 G.R.C. 25th anniversary coin. The coin has the lodge's coat of arms on the recto and a set of tablets with the words "keep these and good fortune will be yours" on the verso.
Also included are 16 photographs of the Allied Forces (including the Canadian Army) at Bergen-Belsen in April 1945 following the liberation of the camp. Pictured are the general grounds, mass graves with sign markers, a group of (local German?) women crowded around the back of an army truck, army personnel observing and taking photographs of a deceased victim, a crematoria, and Sam Pizel (standing right) and other servicemen with a box of human ashes.
Administrative History
Sam Pizel (?-29 Sept. 2004) was married to Lily and was the brother of Irving Pizel.
Use Conditions
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.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Digitized material.
Subjects
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Pizel, Sam
Bergen-Belsen
Places
Germany
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-8-10
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-8-10
Material Format
textual record
graphic material (electronic)
moving images (electronic)
Physical Description
10 cm of textual records
2240 photographs (jpg and gif)
8 moving images
Date
1944-2015 (predominent 2008-2015)
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records related to the activities of Alex Levin, a Jewish war veteran and Holocaust survivor. Records include letters written to Levin from school children following various speaking engagements; interviews with Crestwood School, CHAT, and Netivot Hatorah; a recording of the Saluting Our Italian Heroes commemorative event; recordings of Remembrance Day ceremonies hosted by the Canadian Jewish War Veterans (Toronto Post); and photographs documenting events attended by Levin including Holocaust remembrance events, Yom Hashoah, Remembrance Day ceremonies, March of the Living, Miracle Dinners and Proms, Azrieli Foundation events including the launch of Levin's book "Under the Yellow and Red Stars", school visits, JWV programs with Sunnybrook veterans, portraits of Levin through the years and various scanned images of Levin's family.
Administrative History
Alex Levin (1932-2016) was born in 1932 in Rokitno, Poland. In 1941, the Germans invaded Rokitno and established a ghetto and formed a Judenrat to carry out their orders. In 1942, the Ghetto was evacuated and the Jews were brought to the town's marketplace to be transported by train to be killed. Levin was ten years old when he escaped into the nearby forest with his brother Samuel where he lived for 18 months in a hole in the ground. He was twelve when he emerged from hiding to find that his parents and youngest brother Moishe had been murdered. In 1944, he joined the Soviet forces as a messenger boy. After the war, he was sent to the USSR and enrolled in cadet school, remaining in the Soviet army until forced out for being Jewish in the 1970s. An engineer by training, Alex came to Canada in 1975 via Austria and Italy, and now lives in Toronto where he regularly speaks about his experiences in the Holocaust.
Subjects
Education
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Levin, Alex, 1932-2016
Source
Archival Accessions
Level
Item
ID
Item 537
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
537
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1943
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative); 13 x 18 cm and 4 x 5 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a copy photograph of Kiwa Torem at Camp Borden, Military W.W. II, 1943.
Name Access
Canadian Forces Base Borden (Ont.)
Torem, Kiwa
Subjects
Military bases
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Places
Ontario
Accession Number
Acquired June 22, 1975.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 538
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
538
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1943
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 18 x 13 cm and 4 x 5 cm)
Scope and Content
Item is a copy photograph of Kiwa Torem at Camp Borden, prior to going overseas, 1943.
Name Access
Canadian Forces Base Borden (Ont.)
Torem, Kiwa
Subjects
Military bases
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Places
Ontario
Accession Number
Acquired June 22, 1975.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4819
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4819
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1942]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 21 x 26 cm and 12 x 10 cm
Scope and Content
This item is a copy photograph and corresponding negative of a Passover seder at the Fort Brady base in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The photo features a large group of servicemen and women from the communities of Sault Ste. Marie in the United States and Canada, seated at several seder tables.
Subjects
Passover
Seder
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Accession Number
1984-5-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2021-10-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-10-4
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 letter
Date
19 Jun. 1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one letter to Nathan "Sonny" Isaacs from Rabbi Jacob Eisen. The letter is dated 19 June 1945. In it, Jacob congratulates Nathan on getting engaged and expresses his regret he could not have been in Toronto when Nathan was welcomed home. He also mentions that Nathan's best friend, Percy, was sad to learn that Nathan had departed Europe just as he arrived.
Administrative History
Nathan Isaacs (né Isaacovitch) was born on 20 November 1922. He enlisted on 5 August 1942. After training, Nathan worked in the kitchen at a Royal Canadian Air Force base in Aylmer, Ontario, while awaiting deployment to Europe. After being flown to Yorkshire, England, Nathan went on to fly thirty-five missions. He was twenty-one when he flew his first.
Following the war, bombers like Nathan received little in the way of recognition on account of the heavy civilian casualties caused by bombing. In 2013, Julian Fantino, minister of veterans affairs, gave out the Bomber Command bar to recognize Second World Bombers, including Nathan. That same year, thanks to a photograph that accompanied a Toronto Star article about Second World War bombers, Nathan was reunited with John Mulholland, the pilot with whom he flew his final mission.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Related groups of records in different fonds external to the unit being described: A photograph of Rabbi Jacob Eisen in uniform can be found in the Military photographs series of the William Stern fonds. A photograph of Rabbi Eisen alongside other Jewish chaplains can be found in the Harry Moscoe fonds.
Subjects
Letters
Rabbis
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Isaacs, Nathan, 1922-
Places
Europe
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2007-6-36
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2007-6-36
Material Format
textual record
graphic material (electronic)
Physical Description
3 photographs : b&w (jpg)
1 textual record
Date
1923-2004
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one issue of the Jewish Standard, from June 2004, two scanned copy photographs of Sid Slepkov during the Second World War, and one scanned copy photograph of Sid's father Morris in front of his clothing store, the Fashion Cloak and Fur Co. in St. Catharines, Ontario.
The photographs are as follows:
1. Sydney Slepkov in decompression chamber, Second World War.
2. Morris Slepkov outside his store, 1923.
3. Sydney Slepkov, 1944.
Custodial History
The original photographs are in the possession of the donor. The OJA was granted permission to scan the photos in June 2007, as part of the Ontario Small Jewish Communities initiative. These copies were then donated to the Archives on 2007-06-04.
Use Conditions
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.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945
Business
Communities
Name Access
Slepkov, Sid
Slepkov, Morris
Places
St. Catharines, Ont.
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 33
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
William Stern fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
33
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Date
[ca. 1913]-1984
Physical Description
264 photographs (98 negatives) : b&w and col. ; 28 x 35 cm or smaller
2 folders of textual records
Admin History/Bio
William (Bill) I. Stern (1921-2007) was born Izick Stern in Toronto on 24 February, 1921, to Moishe (Morris) Shternshis (ca. 1893-1976) and Fanny Rumianek (ca. 1896-1991). He was an active and respected member of both the Toronto and Hamilton Jewish communities.
Bill began his education in Toronto at Grace Street and Givens Street elementary schools. He later attended the Central Technical Institute for chemistry. In the late 1930s, Bill left Central Tech to work for his father, but eventually returned to school until the start of the Second World War. At this time, Bill enlisted in the Royal Canadian Airforce and served as a Leading Aircraftsman for three years in France, Belgium and Germany. At the end of the war, he returned to Central Tech and completed his junior matriculation (grade 12) in January of 1946. In December 1946, Bill married his first wife, Toronto-born Laura Rubinstein (1923-1963). The couple had two children, Hershel (1953-) and Sheila (1957-1996).
From 1946 to 1951, Bill studied social work at the University of Toronto through a government sponsored program for war veterans. When he graduated, he practiced social work at several community institutions such as the Children's Aid Society, the University Settlement House and St. Christopher House, in Toronto. In 1956, he was offered a position as director of activities for the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre (JCC). He remained in Hamilton at this post until 1960 and then returned to Toronto as a divisional director of the United Jewish Welfare Fund, where he initiated the fund's Social Planning Department. In 1963, upon the death of his wife Laura, Bill returned to Hamilton as the director of the JCC, and later the executive director of the Hamilton Council of Jewish Organizations (CJO), a position which he held for nine years from 1964 until 1973.
After two years with the United Jewish Welfare Fund of Buffalo, Bill returned to Toronto in 1975 and briefly served two years as the executive director of the Canadian Zionist Federation, Central Region. He then returned to private practice, working as a community consultant and later as a job placement coach at the University of Toronto's School of Social Work.
Bill was an active supporter of the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and the author of "You Don't Have to Be Jewish", a book on Jewish film. He held several positions with philanthropic organizations such as the United Jewish Welfare Fund, the Jewish Home for the Aged and Baycrest, and the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science. He was also a volunteer at the Ontario Jewish Archives. Bill lived in Toronto with his second wife of more than thirty years, Elizabeth Uptegrove (1952-), until his passing on 18 April 2007.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Bill Stern until they were donated to the Archives.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of photographs documenting the Stern and Rumianek families, individuals and organizations from the Hamilton and Toronto Jewish communities, as well as Bill Stern and his fellow servicemen during the Second World War.
The fonds has been arranged into the following series: Family photographs; Military photographs; Hamilton Jewish community photographs; Toronto Jewish community photographs; and Camp photographs. The photographs have been described at the item level and have been arranged chronologically. The textual material consists of two files containing records related to Bill Stern's professional and philanthropic career, as well as some family invitations.
Name Access
Stern, William, 1921-2007
Subjects
Communities
Families
World War, 1939-1945
Related Material
See "Stern family" clipping file
Creator
Stern, William, 1921-2007
Accession Number
1980-2-1
1981-9-4
1985-6-6
1986-1-8
1991-5-5
1991-5-6
1994-1-4
2004-5-96
2004-5-135
2004-5-141
2005-5-2
2005-5-9
2006-2-8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2018-6-18
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-6-18
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
3 photographs : b&w ; 15 x 10 cm or smaller
2 letters
Date
1930-1948
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Miriam and Moshe Beckerman. Incuded are: one photograph taken of road builders in Palestine in 1930; one photograph of the British Eighth Army (pre-Jewish Brigade), of which Moshe was a part, in the first half of the 1940s; one letter in Hebrew addressed to Miriam by a friend of hers; one photograph (enclosed with the aforementioned letter in an envelope) of Moshe Beckerman, Mrs. Mirsky, and Miriam Beckerman taken in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1948; and one letter sent by Miriam Beckerman, then residing in Tel Aviv, to Esther Berger in Canada and dated January 12, 1948. The last letter briefly mentions the tense situation prevailing in Mandatory Palestine.
Photo Caption (001): British Eighth Army, [194-]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-6-18.
Photo Caption (002): Road builders, Palestine, 1930. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-6-18.
Photo Caption (003): Moshe Beckerman, Mrs. Mirsky, and Miriam Beckerman, Ramat Gan, Israel, 1948. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2018-6-18.
Administrative History
Miriam Beckerman immigrated to British Mandatory Palestine in 1947. Only nineteen years old, she made her way to Kfar Blum, a kibbutz in Hula Valley. After a few months, she relocated to another kibbutz, Ramat Yochanan. After relocating to Ma'ayan Baruch, another settlement, she mer her husband Moshe Beckerman. Moshe had been with the British Eighth Army, serving in the North Africa campaigns. The couple married in October 1947 and moved to Tel Aviv, where Moshe was originally from. In 1952, Miriam and Moshe made the decision to move to Canada.
Descriptive Notes
Conservation: The archivist removed two sticky notes from the back of photographs for preservation reasons. Prior to removing them, he scanned them so that researchers would be able to read what was written on them.
Language: One of the letters is in Hebrew.
Subjects
Families
Palestine
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Beckerman, Miriam
Beckerman, Moshe
Great Britain. Army. Army, Eighth
Places
Canada
Israel
Palestine
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-10-5
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2018-10-5
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
7 cm of graphic material and textual records
1 folder (oversize) of graphic material and textual records
1 scrapbook ; 37 x 31 cm
Date
1916-2008, predominant 1940-1998
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting the Rother family, in particular Irving and Florence Rother. Included are: three of Irving Rother's Second World War letters; professional and educational certificates for Irving Rother; service records for Irving Rother; records documenting the sale of the family's Rother Cigar Store; a letter to Dr. and Mrs. Rother from Lester C. Sugarman welcoming the couple and their family to Holy Blossom Temple; records (including group portraits) of Hadassah-WIZO Rishon Chapter, which Florence Rother belonged to; and an Alpha Phi Pi scrapbook.
Administrative History
Florence Rother (née Warshavsky) was born in 1919. In 1998, she was honoured for her service to the Rishon Chapter of Toronto Hadassah-WIZO. She died at home on 9 July 2016.
Dr. Irving Rother was born in 1919. He studied at the University of Toronto, where he was part of the Phi Delta Epislon Fraternity. He graduated in January 1943 with a Doctor of Medicine degree. During the Second World War, he held the rank of captain in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) and served in Canada, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe. After the war, Rother moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he served on the house staff of Sinai Hospital first as assistant resident on the pathology service and then as intern and assistant resident on the medical service.
In 1953, Dr. and Mrs. Rother and their family became members of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Families
Physicians
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Rother (family)
Rother, Florence
Rother, Irving, 1919-2018
Places
Baltimore (Md.)
England
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-12-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-12-1
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
2 letters
Date
May 1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Shelly Grimson. Included are two Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) letters written by Shelly's uncle Harry Fistell to Shelly's grandmother/Harry's mother. The first letter, written May 1945, describes Harry's impressions after visiting the recently liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The second letter, also written May 1945, describes Harry's feelings upon the Second World War ending and recounts trips to Holland, Antwerp, and Hamburg.
Use Conditions
Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Concentration camps
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Grimson (family)
Grimson, Shelly
Places
Germany
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-7-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2015-7-6
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
[2010?]-[2015?]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of thank you cards from schools where Alex was a speaker, sharing his story of Holocaust survival.
Administrative History
Alex Levin (1932-2016) was born Joshua Levin in 1932 in Rokitno, Poland. (He was also known as Yehoshua and Shike.) Rokitno was occupied in 1941 by Nazi Germany and Alex escaped the Rokitno ghetto with his brother in 1942, hiding in the woods for eighteen months. Soviet troops found him in January of 1944 and invited him to join the 13th Army as a field hospital unit helper. Because his Yiddish nickname was unfamiliar (Shike, from his Hebrew name, Yehoshua), they called him Shura or Shurik, diminutive forms of Alexander, which became his formal name. He became an officer in the USSR and an engineer. He immigrated to Canada in 1975 and brought his family to join him in 1980.
Subjects
Education
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
World War, 1939-1945
Antisemitism
Name Access
Levin, Alex, 1932-
Source
Archival Accessions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4152
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4152
Material Format
graphic material
Date
21 Oct. 1943
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Notes
No location is specified.
Name Access
Grosbein, Ben
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
1986-10-10
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 684
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
684
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1942
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Irving Ungerman in uniform during the Second World War.
Name Access
Ungerman, Irv
Ungerman, Irving
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
1976-12-5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4278
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4278
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1941
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Item is a group portrait.
Notes
For identification, see accession record.
Subjects
Portraits, Group
Women
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
1987-11-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 4993
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
4993
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[between 1939 and 1945]
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Scope and Content
Left to right: David Hart; Alfred Hart.
Name Access
Hart, David
Hart, Alfred
Bathurst St.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Accession Number
1989-12-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Second World War series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 2; Series 4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
Second World War series
Level
Series
Fonds
2
Series
4
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
cartographic material
Date
1942-1995
Physical Description
6 cm of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
During the Second World War, Dunkelman served as a major in the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. After enlisting in 1940, he became a platoon commander. Dunkelman took part in the second wave of D-Day landings in 1944 and later assisted in the final Allied assault on Germany, earning the Distinguished Service Order. He left the army in 1945 after the war had ended. The Queen's Own Rifles Association and the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science organized a reception in 1976 to honour the publication of Dunkelman's autobiography, Dual Allegiance.
Scope and Content
Series consists of records documenting Ben Dunkelman's involvement in the Second World War. Included are newspaper clippings, maps, photographs, and correspondence. Some files deal with Dunkelman's experiences during the war; others relate to Dunkelman's relationship with veterans after the war and, in one case, with his memories of the war. The files cover such subjects as The Queen's Own Rifles, Veterans, the liberation of The Netherlands, Aubrey Cosens (a soldier under Dunkelman’s command who was killed in battle but later honoured with the Victoria Cross), and the prosecution of Nazi war criminals.
Notes
Physical description: Includes 85 photographs, 1 album, and 10 maps.
Name Access
Cosens, Aubrey, 1921-1945 (subject)
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Related Material
See fonds 2, series 6 for more information on Dunkelman's involvement in the Second World War.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 61
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
61
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1945
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 13 x 18 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of the Minegarten house decorated for their son's homecoming from the Second World War in 1945. The house has a banner on the front porch that says "Welcome Home Hymie."
Notes
There is a corresponding negative for this photograph.
Name Access
Minegarten, Hymie
Nisker, Mollye
Subjects
Brick houses
Homecoming
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Places
Kensington Market (Toronto, Ont.)
Oxford Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
1994-10-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1994-10-1
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
6 photographs : b&w (3 negatives) ; 13 x 18 cm and 13 x 10 cm
Date
1943-1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of copy photographs documenting Lt. Jack Troster's Second World War military service as a machine gunner with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. Included is an image of a group of servicemen in Nymegen, Holland, in January 1945, an image of Jack in his uniform (July 1943), and an image of Jack and another servicemen holding up a picture of Hitler possibly in Germany (1945?).
Identified in the photographs are: Jack Troster, Capt. Butler, Lt. W. Sharp, Major MacPherson, Lt. R. Ashman, Lt. Col. R. Ross, Capt. J. Woodward, and Pipe Major Scott.
Use Conditions
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.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1989-2-5
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1989-2-5
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1895-1966
Scope and Content
Accession consists of personal documents of Kate Risidore Devor including registration of her birth in 1895 in London, England; immigration inspection card issued at the Port of Quebec (1912); New York State marriage certificate for Harry Devor and Kate Risidore of St. Catharines, Ontario, married in 1914 in Niagara Falls, and their ketubah (Hebrew marriage certificate). As well, there is a newspaper clipping from the St. Catherines Standard of a speech by her son John, correspondence from two of her sons, Sydney and John serving in the military, and clippings and messages of condolence on the death of her son David while fighting in Italy (1944). These include cards and letters from King George of England, George Drew of Ontario, the Toronto War Memorial Committee, and Sam Bronfman, president of Canadian Jewish Congress. Finally there is Jewish National Fund correspondence documenting the planting of a tree by St. Catherines Hadassah in honour of Kate (1933), and a number of trees by Kate in memory of her brother and son (1966).
Administrative History
Four sons of Kate and William Harry Devor served in the Canadian forces during the Second World War - David, Berko, John, and Sydney.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Digitzed material.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Devor, Kate
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1987-5-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1987-5-4
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 25 cm
1 folder of textual records
Date
1944-1946
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting Saul Sheffer's service in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War as a Sick Berth Attendant and a group photo of the personnel of "I Division" H.M.C. York.
Administrative History
Saul Sheffer held a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto (1938).
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Sheffer, Saul
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2005-9-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2005-9-6
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w ; 25 x 19 cm or smaller
Date
1942-1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of 2 copy photographs of brothers Sam Rogow and Ralph Rogow in their RCAF and Army uniforms (respectively). There is also a copy of letter sent to Mrs. Mary Rogow, parents of Ralph and Sam, from Rabbi Samuel Cass.
Administrative History
Sam Rogow was in the Royal Canadian Air Force and Ralph Rogow was a private in the Canadian Army during the Second World War.
Use Conditions
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.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Digitized material.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Rogow, Ralph
Rogow, Sam
Cass, Samuel
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2006-4-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2006-4-4
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
3 photographs : b&w (tif)
5 documents (tif)
1 folder of textual records
1 DVD
1 videocassette
Date
1941-2004
Scope and Content
Accession consists of copies of electronic copies of photographs, postcards and telegrams as well as newsclippings, a video and a DVD documenting the career of Sam Shapiro in the RCAF and his time as a Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft 3 in Poland.
Administrative History
Sam Shapiro enlisted as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force in September 1940. He received his wings in Brantford and was sent overseas in April 1941 as a sergeant pilot. He was in Squadron ten and flew eight successful missions before his plane was shot down over Holland in August 1941, killing two of the crew.
Shapiro was captured by German forces on 17 August 1941 and was taken to Stalag Luft 3 camp in Poland, where the "Great Escape" took place. Shapiro was not part of the breakout, but did help dig the tunnel that allowed seventy-six of his fellow prisoners to escape.
While a Prisoner of War, Shapiro was promoted to warrant officer. He was liberated on 16 April 1945 and arrived in England five days later. Shortly after arriving home in 1945, Shapiro received the YMCA sports badge for his conduct in the POW camp and the Canadian Volunteer Service medal. He married his fiance Geraldine Perlman in 1945.
Use Conditions
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.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Shapiro, Sam.
Stalag Luft 3
Perlman, Geraldine
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2007-6-27
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2007-6-27
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
12 photographs : b&w and sepia ; 14 x 9 cm and smaller
1 folder of textual records
Date
1944-1945
Scope and Content
This accession consists of photographs taken during the Second World War. Most of the photographs were taken at the Bergen-Belson Concentration Camp. There is also an original letter written by Alex Pancer to his mother in 1945, describing life as a serviceman during the Second World War and a transcription of that letter by the donor.
Administrative History
Alex Pancer (1923-2001) was born in Toronto in 1923. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Airforce in 1942 at the age of 19 and joined the photo reconnaissance unit. He saw combat in France, Germany and Holland. He married Bella Pancer in 1959, and had two sons, Jeff (b. 1960) and Daryl (b. 1963).
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Pancer, Alex, 1923-2001
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2007-7-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2007-7-1
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
object
Physical Description
20 photographs : b&w
2 folders of textual records
2 badges
Date
1943-1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual and graphic materials documenting Alex Pancer's military career during the Second World War, both in Canada and overseas. The images depict Pancer in military dress, portraits of his Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Mobile Field Photographic Section and fellow servicemen, German soldiers, photo images created by Pancer as keepsakes or postcards, and a few reconnaissance photographs. The textual documents include postcards, an RCAF newspaper, Pancer's autograph book and loose sheets containing the names and contact information of fellow servicemen, RCAF correspondence including Pancer's record of birth, last will and testament, life insurance documentation and certificate of education, train berthing and identity cards, a meal ticket, and Pancer's discharge papers. The accession also includes two sew-on jacket badges.
Custodial History
The records were in the custody of Alex Pancer's son, Jeff, until they were donated to the Archives on 2007-07-09.
Administrative History
Alex Pancer (1923-2001) was born in Toronto in 1923. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Airforce in 1942 at the age of 19 and joined the photo reconnaissance unit. He saw combat in France, Germany and Holland. He married Bella Pancer in 1959, and had two sons, Jeff (b. 1960) and Daryl (b. 1963).
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other materials: Digitized material.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Pancer, Alex, 1923-2001
Source
Archival Accessions
Level
Item
ID
Item 3932
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
3932
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1942]
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 13 cm
Custodial History
Donated by Beth Israel Synagogue in Kingston, Ontario.
Scope and Content
This item is a copy print of Bud Dubenofsky standing at the corner of Brock Street and King Street in Kingston, Ontario, shortly after enlisting in the Canadian Armed Forces. He is wearing his uniform.
Subjects
Canada--Armed Forces
World War, 1939-1945
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.
Places
Kingston (Ont.)
Accession Number
1986-3-5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Toronto Holocaust Museum series
Special events and projects sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 67; Series 28-18; File 49
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds
Toronto Holocaust Museum series
Special events and projects sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
67
Series
28-18
File
49
Material Format
textual record
Date
1995
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of programs, the text of a speech, and a media list for the opening of the exhibition Liberation, Survival and Freedom: A Tribute to the Allied Armed Services and the 250,000 Survivors of the Holocaust.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation
Source
Archival Descriptions