Level
Item
ID
Item 2516
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2516
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1930
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Admin History/Bio
Sammy Luftspring (1915–2000) was a professional boxer and Canadian welterwight champion. Luftspring married Elise and together they had two children, Brian and Orian.
Scope and Content
Sammy Luftspring was fourteen years old at the time of this photograph.
Name Access
Luftspring, Sammy, 1916-2000
Subjects
Boxers (Sports)
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
1981-1-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 2517
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2517
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1938
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Admin History/Bio
Sammy Luftspring (b.1915-d.2000) was a professional boxer and Canadian Welterwight Champion. Luftspring married Elise and together they had two children, Brian and Orian.
Name Access
Luftspring, Sammy, 1916-2000
Subjects
Boxers (Sports)
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
1981-1-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 2514
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2514
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1938
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Admin History/Bio
Sammy Luftspring (b.1915-d.2000) was a professional boxer and Canadian Welterwight Champion. Luftspring married Elise and together they had two children, Brian and Orian.
Scope and Content
Item consists of a copy of an advertisement for Adam Hat, featuring Welterweight Champion of Canada Sammy Luftspring.
Name Access
Luftspring, Sammy, 1916-2000
Subjects
Boxers (Sports)
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
1981-1-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 2513
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2513
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1939
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Name Access
Luftspring, Sammy, 1916-2000
Subjects
Boxers (Sports)
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
New York (N.Y.).
Accession Number
1981-1-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
ID
Item 2512
Source
Archival Descriptions
Level
Item
Item
2512
Material Format
graphic material
Date
11 July 1936
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)
Admin History/Bio
Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack were boxers. Harry Sniderman was a baseball pitcher.
Scope and Content
Identified in this photograph from left to right are: Sammy Luftspring; Harry Sniderman; Norman "Baby" Yack.
Name Access
Luftspring, Sammy, 1916-2000
Sniderman, Harry
Yack, Norman (Baby)
Subjects
Boxers (Sports)
Pitchers (Baseball)
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
1981-1-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
1981-1-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1981-1-7
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1936
Scope and Content
This accession consists of one photocopy of the diary of Sammy Luftspring, recounting an aborted trip to Barcelona, Spain for a competition during his boycott of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Name Access
Luftspring, Sammy, 1916-2000
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 16
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
16
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1937
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy Luftspring with his father, Yossel Luftspring, on Nassau Street, outside the family home.
Notes
Image is located on Page 51 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Subjects
Fathers and sons
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
Nassau Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
2011-9-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2011-9-4
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
1 photograph : col. ; 19 x 24 cm on matte 28 x 36 cm
Date
[ca. 1983]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one photograph of Sydney Cooper with Sammy Luftspring. Writing on the mat reads: Sydney Cooper and Canadian Welterweight Champion Sammy Luftspring. Writing on the verso reads: To my friend Sydney Cooper, You are nice people. My best wishes always. Sincerely, Sammy Luftspring.
Custodial History
The item was dropped off to Brenda Cooper of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto by Sydney Cooper's daughter, Tobie Bekhor.
Subjects
Boxers (Sports)
Name Access
Luftspring, Sammy, 1916-2000
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Jewish Community Centre of Toronto fonds
Jewish Community Centre Archives Committee series
Photograph collection sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 61; Series 2-2; File 43
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Jewish Community Centre of Toronto fonds
Jewish Community Centre Archives Committee series
Photograph collection sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
61
Series
2-2
File
43
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1961-1974
Physical Description
5 photographs : b&w ; 18 x 13 and 9 x 13 cm
Scope and Content
This file consists of photographs depicting boxers at the YM-YWHA. Four of the photographs are of individuals, including Merle Dawson, volunteer instructor at the Bloor and Spadina YM-YWHA. The fifth is of a group of boxers posing at the Bloor "Y".
Subjects
Boxers (Sports)
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 27
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
27
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1955
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Sammy Luftspring with Rocky Marciano, the heavyweight boxing champion. Photograph was taken at the Mercury Club in Toronto.
Notes
Image is located on page 58 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Rocky Marciano and Sammy Luftspring were both managed by Al Weill during their respective careers.
Name Access
Marciano, Rocky, 1923-1969
Mercury Club (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Nightclubs
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 21
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
21
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1940
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of members of the Luftspring family at the Slipia Synagogue Section of Dawes Road Cemetery in Scarborough, Ontario. Sammy's mother, Bella Luftspring, passed away on 24 March 1940. The family is standing around her grave stone. Sammy Luftspring is seen on the left side of the image.
Notes
Image is located on page 35 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Subjects
Sepulchral monuments
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
Scarborough (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
emigrated from Eastern Europe. In the 1930s, Luftspring became famous as a boxer, known for his fighting prowess as well as his
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
1
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1922
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy Luftspring at age six at the family home on Baldwin Street in Toronto. Sammy is holding two puppies.
Notes
Image is located on page 27 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook
Subjects
Boys
Puppies
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
Baldwin Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
5
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1933
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
This photograph of Sammy Luftspring was taken while he was a junior counselor at Camp B'nai Brith in Orillia, Ontario.
Notes
Image is located on page 50 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Camp B'nai Brith (Orillia, Ont.)
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
Orillia (Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 18
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
18
Material Format
graphic material
Date
6 Nov. 1938
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a wedding photograph of Elsie and Sammy Luftspring. Taken at the McCaul Street Synagogue (Beth Hamidrash Hagadol) on 6 November 1938.
Notes
Image is located on Page 17c of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
McCaul Street Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Weddings
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
McCaul Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 25
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
25
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1952
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Sammy Luftspring performing with the Nat King Trio at Yeshiva Hall, location unknown.
Notes
Image is located on page 30 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Come out fighting scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 2; Item 3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Come out fighting scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
2
Item
3
Material Format
graphic material
Date
Oct. 1974
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy Luftspring performing at the opening of the Oriental Palace, a club in Toronto that Sammy often hosted at.
Notes
Image is located on Page 4 of the 34 x 30 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Oriental Palace (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Nightclubs
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Accession Number
1998-3-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
1998-3-3
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1 scrapbook
Date
[1928?]-[1985?]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one scrapbook documenting the personal and athletic (boxing) activities of Sam Cynamon. The majority of the material relates to life in Winnipeg and Montreal.
Subjects
Athletes
Boxers (Sports)
Places
Montréal (Québec)
Winnipeg (Man.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
4
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1934
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Group photograph of Sammy Luftspring and his campers while Sammy was a junior counsellor at Camp B'nai Brith in Orillia, Ontario. Also pictured is Neddie Adler, another counsellor.
Notes
Image is located on page 50 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Camp B'nai Brith (Orillia, Ont.)
Subjects
Camps
Portraits, Group
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
Orillia (Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 6
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
6
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1934
Physical Description
1 tintype
Scope and Content
Item is a tintype of Sammy Luftspring and Elsie Goldman (m. Luftspring) at Sunnyside Beach. This photograph was taken while they were still dating. They married in 1938. Item would have been produced as a souvenir.
Notes
Image is located on page 13 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Subjects
Couples
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
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 10
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
10
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1936
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
The People's Olympics, in Barcelona, Spain was intended as a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics planned for Berlin during the period of Nazi rule. The newly-elected, left-wing Popular Front government in Spain decided to boycott the Berlin Olympics and host its own games following its election in February 1936. Invitations were made to the nations of the world. Buildings built for the 1929 World's Fair were supposed to be used for an Olympic Village. The games were scheduled to be held from 19 July to 26 July and would have therefore ended six days prior to the start of the Berlin games.
A total of 6,000 athletes from twenty-two nations registered for the games, including boxers Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack from Canada.
Many of the athletes were sent by trade unions, workers' clubs and associations, socialist and Communist parties, and other left-wing groups rather than by state-sponsored committees. Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack were sent with donations from the Canadian Jewish Congress.
With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War just as the games were to begin, the alternate games were cancelled.
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy Luftspring mid-ocean aboard the SS Alaunia on route to Barcelona and the People's Olympics.
Notes
Image is located on page 2 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
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
Barcelona (Spain)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 29
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
29
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1971
Physical Description
1 photograph : col.
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Sammy Luftspring, Muhammed Ali, and Murray Pezim in Vancouver. Murray Pezim was a Vancouver business person and promoter. He had organized the fight between Muhammad Ali and George Chavulo, the event at which the photograph was taken.
Notes
Image is located on page 29 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Ali, Muhammad, 1942-2016
Pezim, Murray, 1921-1998
Subjects
Businesspeople
Repro Restriction
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Vancouver (B.C.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
7
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1935
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Jack "Spider" Armstrong was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but he made Toronto his home. He became the featherweight chamption of the world in 1940. He died in 1990.
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy and Jack "Spider" Armstrong play-boxing at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary while on a boxing tour.
Notes
Image is located on page 50 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Armstrong, Jack
Fairmont Palliser Hotel (Calgary, Alta.)
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
Calgary (Alta.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 14
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
14
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1936
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
The People's Olympics, in Barcelona, Spain was intended as a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics planned for Berlin during the period of Nazi rule. The newly-elected, left-wing Popular Front government in Spain decided to boycott the Berlin Olympics and host its own games following its election in February 1936. Invitations were made to the nations of the world. Buildings built for the 1929 World's Fair were supposed to be used for an Olympic Village. The games were scheduled to be held from 19 July to 26 July and would have therefore ended six days prior to the start of the Berlin games.
A total of 6,000 athletes from twenty-two nations registered for the games, including boxers Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack from Canada.
Many of the athletes were sent by trade unions, workers' clubs and associations, socialist and Communist parties, and other left-wing groups rather than by state-sponsored committees. Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack were sent with donations from the Canadian Jewish Congress.
With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War just as the games were to begin, the alternate games were cancelled.
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy Luftspring aboard the SS Alaunia on route to the People's Olympics in Barcelona.
Notes
Image is located on page 22 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
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
Barcelona (Spain)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 22
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
22
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1943
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Sammy Luftspring at Niagara-on-the-Lake when he was serving with the reserves as a trainer. He was a member of the Toronto Scottish Regiment. He was unable to enlist for active duty because of the injury to his eye and resulting blindness. As a result, his only participation in the World War II was as a trainer in Ontario.
Notes
Image is located on page 15c of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
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
Niagara-on-the-Lake (Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 26
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
26
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1953
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Sammy, Elsie, and Brian Luftspring at Brian's bar mitzvah at the Barclay Hotel, Toronto.
Notes
Image is located on page 55 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Barclay Hotel (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Bar mitzvah
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
8
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1935
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Davey Paul (né Peters) was born in 1916. He was a Canadian featherweight boxer who boxed from 1935 to 1938. Paul won Canadian Golden Gloves flyweight title in 1935. He is a member of the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame and had over fifty professional fights in his career. He also was a physical training officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. After the war he went into the retail business. He died in 1998.
Scope and Content
Item is of three boxers photographed together.
Notes
Image is located on page 32 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
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
Spadina Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 17
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
17
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1937
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Photograph is of Sammy Luftspring in what is known as a "ready pose" in boxing: he has one foot behind him and his fists up. He is pictured in the backyard of his family home on Nassau Street in Toronto.
Notes
Image is located on page 50 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
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
Nassau Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 12
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
12
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1936
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
The People's Olympics, in Barcelona, Spain was intended as a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics planned for Berlin during the period of Nazi rule. The newly-elected, left-wing Popular Front government in Spain decided to boycott the Berlin Olympics and host its own games following its election in February 1936. Invitations were made to the nations of the world. Buildings built for the 1929 World's Fair were supposed to be used for an Olympic Village. The games were scheduled to be held from 19 July to 26 July and would have therefore ended six days prior to the start of the Berlin games.
A total of 6,000 athletes from twenty-two nations registered for the games, including boxers Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack from Canada.
Many of the athletes were sent by trade unions, workers' clubs and associations, socialist and Communist parties, and other left-wing groups rather than by state-sponsored committees. Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack were sent with donations from the Canadian Jewish Congress.
With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War just as the games were to begin, the alternate games were cancelled.
Scope and Content
Photograph features Sammy Luftspring with an unknown child on his way to Barcelona to participate in the People's Olympics aboard the SS Alaunia.
Notes
Image is located on page 17 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
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.
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 28
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
28
Material Format
graphic material
Date
10 May 1971
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Sammy Luftspring refereeing a fight between George Chuvalo and Jimmy Ellis at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Notes
Image is located on page 18 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Chuvalo, George, 1937-
Ellis, Jimmy, 1940-2014
Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd.
Subjects
Boxing matches
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Come out fighting scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 2; Item 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Come out fighting scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
2
Item
1
Material Format
graphic material
Date
9 Jun. 1922
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of the Luftspring family. Picture was taken at the Cecil Street Synagogue to mark the wedding of Max Lightstone and Goldie Grossman.
Front row (left to right) are: Jean, Freida, Sammy. Back row (left to right) are: Annie, Bella Luftspring (Sammy's mother), Pearl, Sammy's grandfather, Molly, Sammy's grandmother, Clara, Yossel Luftspring (Sammy's father), Rose.
Notes
General: Image is located on page 28 of the 34 x 30 cm scrapbook.
Subjects
Families
Portraits, Group
Weddings
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
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 9
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
9
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1936
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
The People's Olympics, in Barcelona, Spain was intended as a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics planned for Berlin during the period of Nazi rule. The newly-elected, left-wing Popular Front government in Spain decided to boycott the Berlin Olympics and host its own games following its election in February 1936. Invitations were made to the nations of the world. Buildings built for the 1929 World's Fair were supposed to be used for an Olympic Village. The games were scheduled to be held from 19 July to 26 July and would have therefore ended six days prior to the start of the Berlin games.
A total of 6,000 athletes from twenty-two nations registered for the games, including boxers Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack from Canada.
Many of the athletes were sent by trade unions, workers' clubs and associations, socialist and Communist parties, and other left-wing groups rather than by state-sponsored committees. Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack were sent with donations from the Canadian Jewish Congress.
With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War just as the games were to begin, the alternate games were cancelled.
Scope and Content
Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack aboard the SS Alaunia en route to Barcelona and the People's Olympics.
Notes
Image is located on page 24 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
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
Barcelona (Spain)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 11
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
11
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1936
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
The People's Olympics, in Barcelona, Spain was intended as a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics planned for Berlin during the period of Nazi rule. The newly-elected, left-wing Popular Front government in Spain decided to boycott the Berlin Olympics and host its own games following its election in February 1936. Invitations were made to the nations of the world. Buildings built for the 1929 World's Fair were supposed to be used for an Olympic Village. The games were scheduled to be held from 19 July to 26 July and would have therefore ended six days prior to the start of the Berlin games.
A total of 6,000 athletes from twenty-two nations registered for the games, including boxers Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack from Canada.
Many of the athletes were sent by trade unions, workers' clubs and associations, socialist and Communist parties, and other left-wing groups rather than by state-sponsored committees. Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack were sent with donations from the Canadian Jewish Congress.
With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War just as the games were to begin, the alternate games were cancelled.
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack in a casual boxing match on route to Barcelona for the People's Olympics aboard the SS Alaunia.
Notes
Image is located on Page 11 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Subjects
Boxing matches
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
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 19
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
19
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1938
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy celebrating his knockout win over Frank Genovese, earning him the title of Canadian welterweight champion. He is pictured with Playfair Brown (a fight promoter) and Uncle Doc Cooke (Sammy's manager) at Union Station in Toronto.
Notes
Image is located on Page 54 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
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
Union Station (Toronto, Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Come out fighting scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 2; Item 4
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Come out fighting scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
2
Item
4
Material Format
graphic material
Date
29 Mar. 1985
Physical Description
1 photograph : col.
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy Luftspring riding down Yonge Street in the Canadian Cancer Society Parade with Earl Walls, Jim Proudfoot, and Stan Brock. This photograph was taken the same year Sammy was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Notes
Image is located on page 53 of the 34 x 30 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Brock, Stan, 1936-2018
Canadian Cancer Society
Proudfoot, Jim, 1933-2001
Walls, Earl, 1928-1996
Subjects
Parades
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Yonge Street (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 30
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
30
Material Format
graphic material
Date
Oct. 1974
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of Sammy Luftspring, Brian Park, Sang Yua, and Sheldon Gross at the Oriental Palace, a nightclub in Toronto that Sammy often hosted at.
Notes
Image is located on page 24 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Oriental Palace (Toronto, Ont.)
Subjects
Nightclubs
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 15
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
15
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1936
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
Norman "Baby" Yack was born Benjamin Norman Yakubowitz in Toronto in 1915. As an amateur bantamweight boxer, Yack won over ninety of one hundred fights. In 1936, he opted out of competing in the Berlin Olympics as a protest to Nazi rule. Instead, he travelled to Barcelona with fellow Jewish boxer Sammy Luftspring to compete in the People's Olympics, which was cancelled at the last minute due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Later that year, Yack turned professional and, under the management of Steve Rocco, became the fourth ranked bantamweight in the world. Yack retired in Toronto. He died in 1987.
Harry Sniderman was a well-known Toronto sportsman. In 1936, Sniderman organized the financial backing from the Canadian Jewish Congress that allowed himself, Sammy Luftspring, and Norman "Baby" Yack to go to Barcelona to participate in the People's Olympics. His role at the event was to act as coach and organizer for the athletes. Later in life he was the owner of the Warwick Hotel, which was located at the corner of Jarvis and Dundas Street.
Scope and Content
Photograph of Sammy Luftspring, Harry Sniderman and Norman "Baby" Yack aboard the S.S. Alaunia as they travelled to Barcelona for the People's Olympics. They are dressed casually and are standing on the deck of the ship.
Notes
Image is located on page 75 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Name Access
Sniderman, Harry
Yakubowitz, Norman
Subjects
Pitchers (Baseball)
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.
Creator
Unknown
Places
Barcelona (Spain)
Accession Number
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
ID
Fonds 82; File 1; Item 13
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Sammy Luftspring fonds
Sammy Luftspring scrapbook file
Level
Item
Fonds
82
File
1
Item
13
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1936
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
Admin History/Bio
The People's Olympics, in Barcelona, Spain was intended as a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics planned for Berlin during the period of Nazi rule. The newly-elected, left-wing Popular Front government in Spain decided to boycott the Berlin Olympics and host its own games following its election in February 1936. Invitations were made to the nations of the world. Buildings built for the 1929 World's Fair were supposed to be used for an Olympic Village. The games were scheduled to be held from 19 July to 26 July and would have therefore ended six days prior to the start of the Berlin games.
A total of 6,000 athletes from twenty-two nations registered for the games, including boxers Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack from Canada.
Many of the athletes were sent by trade unions, workers' clubs and associations, socialist and Communist parties, and other left-wing groups rather than by state-sponsored committees. Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack were sent with donations from the Canadian Jewish Congress.
With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War just as the games were to begin, the alternate games were cancelled.
Scope and Content
Photograph is of Sammy Luftspring and Norman "Baby" Yack in a casual boxing match on their way to Barcelona and the People's Olympics aboard the SS Alaunia.
Notes
Image is located on page 19 of the 65 x 48 cm scrapbook.
Subjects
Boxing matches
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
2009-10-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harry Clairmont fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 32
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harry Clairmont fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
32
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1930]-1975
Physical Description
50 cm of textual records
48 photographs : b&w ; 25 x 103 cm or smaller
Admin History/Bio
Harry Wolf Clairmont (1907-1977) was a Toronto labour activist, involved for many years in the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). Clairmont was born in Chmielnik, in the province of Kielce, Poland, and moved to Canada in December, 1923. He began working in the garment industry as an operator's helper at the J. and G. Cloak Shop in Toronto, and soon became involved in the labour movement and the ILGWU. Claimont held many positions with the ILGWU, including recording secretary of the Operators' Local 14 and business agent of Sportswear Local 199. He was also an active member of the Jewish Workers' National Alliance, the Young Communist League and the Canadian Trotskyist movement. He was married and had two children. He passed away in 1977.
Scope and Content
The fonds documents Harry Clairmont's involvement in the Canadian labour movement, as well as his interest in socialism and communism. Included are publications of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, the Arbeiter Club, the Communist League of America, and the Revolutionary Workers' Party, and records relating to Clairmont's involvement in these organizations and union locals. These records include correspondence, membership cards, pamphlets, clippings, newsletters, anniversary books, bulletins, journals, speeches, financial reports, minute books, and photographs. The small notebook, which only has a few filled page, consists of minutes from the meetings of the Unzer Kamf Worker's Club. The larger notebook, which is completely full, consists of minutes from the meetings of "Local 14." The first page of the latter (starting from the Yiddish side) is a list of the executive in English.
Name Access
Clairmont, Harry, 1907-1977
Subjects
Communism
Labor movement
Socialism
Physical Condition
Most records are in good condition.
Several photographs have been rolled and cannot be flattened.
One photograph is partially attached to glass and will need to be separated by a conservator.
Related Material
See also MG2 E1a
Creator
Clairmont, Harry, 1907-
Accession Number
1979-11-18
1984-1-6
2004-6-3
1998-3-7 [old accession #]
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Cassel fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 93
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Henry Cassel fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
93
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1900]-2000, predominant 1929-1947
Physical Description
8 cm of textual records
3 albums (ca. 210 photographs)
2 photographs
Admin History/Bio
Heinz Kassel (1912-2009) (later changed to Henry Cassel) was a German refugee during the Second World War who was classified as an enemy alien by the British government. He spent two years in an internment camp for prisoners of war (POWs) in Quebec. He later became a naturalized Canadian citizen and enlisted in the Canadian military.
Heinz was born on October 25, 1912 in Aschaffenburg, Germany to Adolf and Olga Kassel. Adolf owned a successful banking business which he had inherited from his father. The family resided above the bank and lived a comfortable life during these early years. They moved to Frankfurt around 1920 after Adolf sold his business to buy a partnership in a bank there.
Heinz’s parents had hoped that he would one day become a corporate lawyer. In 1931, in preparation for his future career, he began studying law and economics at Frankfurt University. He enjoyed his initial university years. However, after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, he became alarmed when his non-Jewish university friends began ignoring him and when the German government passed laws forbidding Jews from practicing law in court. Determined to leave Germany and seek out a better life elsewhere, he begged his parents to immigrate with him to the United States. They refused to go, unwilling to leave behind the life they had worked so hard to build. In accordance with his parents’ wishes, Heinz relocated to nearby Italy instead of the US in 1934. He learned Italian and eventually secured a job with an engineering firm.
Sensing that the political climate in Italy was becoming dangerous for Jewish people, Heinz applied for immigration to the US in early 1939. Eager to leave Italy, he relocated to London to await the approval of his US visa. He left just in time: Britain declared war on Germany less than a week after his arrival. His parents, in turn, managed to escape to Holland. Soon after Britain’s declaration, all immigrants from enemy countries were considered enemy aliens and suspected of being spies.
On May 12, 1940, the British military arrested Heinz and interned him with other German immigrants and POWs. He believed his detainment was only a precautionary measure and that he would be cleared within a few days. However, the British shipped him to the Isle of Man where he remained for several months. Fearing an invasion, the British shipped 3,000 of the POWs, including Kassel, to Quebec, where he was briefly interned at a POW camp set up at the Plains of Abraham. In October 1940, he was moved with 736 other refugees to an abandoned railway yard (later known as “Camp N”) in Newington, near Sherbrooke, Quebec. While there, he confronted a great deal of antisemitism from the guards.
While he was interned in Quebec, the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) interviewed him and other Jewish prisoners in order to lobby for their release. Realizing that the internees were not POWs, the Canadian government declared the camp a refugee camp in 1941. By October 1942, the CJC was successful in helping Heinz secure employment with Benjamin Pape & Company in Toronto.
Heinz met Reta Freeman in Toronto and they were married in November 1944. Reta was born and raised in Toronto. After their nuptials, they were both briefly classified as enemy aliens and had to report to the RCMP on a regular basis. Shortly thereafter, Heinz enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army and was sent to basic training in Manitoba. On January 21, 1946 he was granted landed immigrant status, and in April of that year, he became a citizen.
After the war, Heinz learned that his parents as well as other relatives had been transported to concentration camps and had not survived. He was certainly one of the few fortunate ones to leave the country, despite the circumstances of his removal. He resented being interned for so long, but did not blame the British for rounding him up with other Germans based on their initial fears regarding enemy aliens. His feelings about Canada's treatment of him during that time, however, were not as sympathetic.
The couple lived their lives in Toronto. They first resided at 2346 Yonge Street. Heinz legally changed his name to Henry Cassel. He worked as an accountant and later was a controller for the United Jewish Welfare Fund. The couple had two children: Andrew (b. 1947) and Richard (b. 1951). Reta passed away in August 1962 and Henry later remarried Esther Cassel. He passed away at the age of 96 on February 15, 2009.
Custodial History
Records were created and accumulated by Henry Cassel. His sons donated them to the OJA after his death.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records documenting the life of Henry Cassel, particularly his attempt to emigrate from Europe prior to the Second World War and his internment in Canada as a German prisoner of war (POW). Included is personal correspondence between Cassel and his parents; correspondence written by Cassel to potential employers and Canadian Jewish agencies; legal documents and certificates, such as Cassel's birth certificate and passport; family photo albums documenting the family and lives of Henry Cassel and his wife Reta; Cassel's autobiography; a journal and notebook written by Cassel during his internment; and, other internment records, such as government forms and poems and songs written by internees. Also included are newspaper clippings, articles, financial statements, genealogical research, and antisemitic ephemera collected by Cassel. Of particular note are newsletters that were produced during the 1990s by ex-internees who had kept in touch over the years. Records are arranged into 16 files.
Notes
Textual records in the fonds were reduced from ca. 20 cm to 8 cm. Please see accession record for further details about the culled material.
Associated material notes: for related records at other archives, please see: the UJRA case files at the National CJC Archive in Montreal and the holdings at Library and Archives Canada (such as, the Directorate of Internment Operations series in the Department of National Defense fonds R112-0-2-E)
Name Access
Cassel, Henry, 1912-2009
Subjects
Europe--Emigration and immigration
Prisoners of war
Access Restriction
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.
Related Material
See: Canadian Jewish Congress case files in RG 282 and accession #2005-10-1.
Creator
Cassel, Henry, 1912-2009
Accession Number
2010-4-5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Maurice Solway fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 13
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Maurice Solway fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
13
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1919-1989
Physical Description
11 cm of textual records and other material
Admin History/Bio
Maurice Solway (1906-2001) was a violinist, music teacher, composer, author and actor who lived and worked for most of his life in Toronto. Although he was highly respected as a musician in Toronto, and thoroughly immersed in the city’s musical culture from the 1920s until the 1980s, his greatest fame came to him later in life, as an actor in the Academy Award nominated NFB short film “The Violin”.
Maurice Solway's family lived at 164 York Street, Toronto, where he was born, in 1906. His parents, Jakob (b.1877) and Roza Solway (b.1877), had only just emigrated that year from Halofzen, Russia, where Jakob had been a musician and band leader. In Canada, Jakob adopted his father's trade and worked as a Kosher butcher, in Toronto’s St. John’s Ward. As a youth, Maurice played the violin in variety programmes with his sister, Dora, accompanying him on piano. His father was his first teacher, but he quickly showed enough promise to warrant private lessons with Harry Adaskin, and later with Dr. Luigi von Kunits, at the Canadian Academy of Music. He also studied at the Hambourg Conservatory in Toronto with Henri Czaplinsky and Geza de Kresz, starting in 1921.
Solway began his professional career with the New Symphony, which later became the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). During the 1920s, he also played in the Famous Players Cinema orchestras that accompanied silent films, and performed lunch concerts in Toronto hotel and department store orchestras, professional venues that would disappear by the 1930s.
From 1926 to 1928, Solway left Canada to study in Brussels with the highly regarded violinist, Eugène Ysaÿe. There he befriended other students of Ysaÿe, such as Nathan Milstein, William Primrose, Viola Mitchell, Robert Velton, and Joseph Gingold.
Upon his return to Toronto, Solway gave several recitals that were both critically and publicly well-received. Few such opportunities, however, existed in Canada at the time, and Solway was obliged to find work in-between solo concerts. He also suffered an injury to his left hand while moving a piano in 1929 that required him to adjust his technique for three fingers and interfered with his being able to play comfortably for a number of years.
He was married in 1930 to Anne Cass (1907-1994), and they had a son, Stephen. Facing his financial obligations to his new family, he opted for the more dependable income of orchestral playing versus the riskier and transitory life of a soloist. Besides classical music, he played with jazz groups like the Jolly Bachelor’s Orchestra, Oscar Peterson, Jerome Kern, and Percy Faith, and on numerous recordings for the CBC, CFCA, and CKGW radio stations. He also played chamber music with the Joyce Trio, founded by Simeon Joyce (piano) and featuring Charles Mathe (cello).
In 1952, Solway retired from the TSO, dedicating himself to his chamber playing and radio work. He founded the Solway String Quartet (SSQ) in 1947, with Marcus Adeney (cello), Nathan Green (viola) and Jack Groob (violin). The quartet played a mixed repertoire that included standard classical music with more widely recognized popular songs and new compositions, especially works by Canadian composers such as Howard Cable, John Weinzweig and Jean Coulthard. Sponsored by the Ontario Board of Education and the CBC, the SSQ played rural Ontario towns and broadcast concerts for a wide demographic of music listeners. In 1955, they performed the Canadian debut of the Castelnuovo-Tedesco Quintet for guitar and strings with Andres Segovia. The SSQ, with frequent changes in personnel, continued performing until 1968. Other players in the SSQ included Robert Warburton, Martin Chenhall, Murray Adaskin, Arthur Milligan, Charles Dobias, Eugene Hudson, Berul Sugerman, Joseph Pach and Ivan Romanoff.
In 1973, Solway was invited to act in a short children’s film “The Violin,” co-produced by George Pastic and Andrew Walsh. Solway also contributed the original music to the film, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1975. Following the success of the film, Solway also appeared on television, making guest appearances with Sharon, Lois and Bram, on the Elephant Show and Mr. Dressup. During this time, his wife Anne traveled with him and managed his appointments.
Solway was also a violin teacher throughout his career. In 1989, he published a preparatory book, Fiddling for Fun: the Visual and Aural Art of Violin Playing, in which he outlined a new theory for violin practice that proposed an easy to use visual system for familiarizing students with intervals and fingerboard positions.
He also wrote an autobiography, Recollections of a Violinist, in 1984, and continued to lecture and speak about music. In 1981 and 1983 he devised a lecture performance series to commemorate Ysaÿe, the proceeds of which went to the establishment of a music scholarship at the Royal Conservatory. As he began to play less frequently in the 1980s, he also began to compose more regularly, completing more than one hundred compositions, primarily works for solo violin and for violin and piano. As a composer, he returned frequently to folk themes and completed a series of songs based on his travels around the world. Among his folk themes are songs inspired by his visits to such diverse countries as Norway, Maui, Japan, Israel and Spain.
Maurice Solway was affiliated with the Beth Tzedec Synagogue and frequently contributed to charity concerts and fundraising efforts for organizations such as the Inner City Angels, a cultural society for disadvantaged children. He died in 2001 in Toronto.
Scope and Content
The Solway fonds is arranged into twelve files. The documents relate to Solway's professional activities as a musician, educator, composer, actor and author. These include printed texts, photographs, original music scores, promotional materials, programmes, audio cassettes, articles, correspondence, radioscripts and a video.
Notes
Includes 31 photographs, 2 v. of text, 1 videocassette (VHS) and 17 audio cassettes.
Name Access
Solway, Maurice, 1906-2001
Subjects
Musicians
Related Material
Fonds 25, Series 11, Item 9: Photo cabinet, photo #179 (oversized)
Photo cabinet, photo #501
Two titles in the archives library collection (1984-12-6) (1 title missing 15 Aug. 2006)
A vertical file has been created for Maurice Solway.
Creator
Solway, Maurice, 1906-2001
Accession Number
1988-10-9
1991-3-3
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Mimi Wise fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 16
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Mimi Wise fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
16
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
object
Date
[ca. 1915]-1994
Physical Description
3 cm of textual records
15 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
8 artifacts
Admin History/Bio
Mrs. Mimi Wise (1920-2004) was a native Torontonian and an active member and supporter of the city's Jewish community. She volunteered her time with a number of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, such as the Jewish Book Fair, the Reena Foundation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the North York Harvest Food Bank. She was known and respected for her many years of work and involvement with Hadassah-Wizo. Her primary focus was on education, with specific emphasis placed on the promotion of Israel within Canada. Mimi travelled to Israel many times during her life, often working as a trip co-coordinator.
Mrs. Mimi Wise was born in Toronto in 1920 to Joseph Marin and Sonia (Stern) Marin. She had an older sister Ruth (Steiner) and a younger brother Jay. The family lived across from the Woodbine Racetrack in the east end of Toronto known as the Beach, until 1928, when they moved to the Christie Street and Davenport Road area. Joseph Marin was one of the founders of the Beach Hebrew Institute and the family were active members of the shul. Mimi's parents were ardent Zionists and their home was often used as a meeting place for Zionists around the world, which included a visit from Golda Meir. Sonia Marin was a supporter of Hadassah-Wizo and of Pioneer Women.
Mimi attended McMurrich Public School and then Oakwood Collegiate High School. In 1938, she met her future husband, Dr. Sydney Wise, and the following year, Sydney began his medical internship at the Columbus Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Mimi stayed behind in Toronto and continued her studies at the University of Toronto. In 1941, she graduated with a degree in physiotherapy, although she never practiced. In 1942, Sydney and Mimi married and Mimi joined her new husband in the United States. In 1944, Sydney was sent overseas with the United States army and Mimi returned to Toronto and began work with the Combined Palestine Appeal. Upon his return to Toronto, Sydney became a pediatrician and opened his own practice. The couple later had two children, Mark and Joel.
In 1948, Mimi became the founding president of the Rishon Chapter of Hadassah-Wizo. During the 1950s and 1960s, she became further involved with Hadassah as the director of the Education Department, from 1957 to 1959, first vice-president from 1959 to 1961, and president of Hadassah Wizo of Toronto, from 1961 to 1963. Mimi also held the position of national co-chairman of the 1972 national convention in Toronto, and in 1973, organized the week-long "Shalom Israel" fair at Yorkdale Shopping Centre on the occasion of Israel's 25th anniversary.
In 2003, Mimi received the Ontario Volunteer Service Award from the Province of Ontario, in honour of her commitment to volunteerism. Mrs. Mimi Wise passed away in 2004.
Custodial History
The records were in the possession of Mimi's husband, Dr. Sydney Wise, who donated them to the Archives in 2003, 2004 and 2006.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of records related to Mimi Wise's personal life and organizational activities. It includes photographs, textual records and artifacts. The textual records relate to Mimi's work with Hadassah, including her installation speech as president, certificates, programs for conventions and luncheons, an invitation to meet Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and several speeches. There is also an electronic copy of a 1944 memorial card for Joseph Marin.
The artifacts include two pairs of Pierre Cardin silk stockings given to Mrs. Wise in 1967 by the Baroness Alix de Rothschild; a president's pin set with pearls, given to Mimi in 1963 at the end of her term; a gold maple leaf pin worn by participants on a Hadassah trip to Israel; a pin given to Mimi inscribed with Guardian of Youth Aliyah, given in exchange for a monetary donation; a pin given to Mimi inscribed with MDA, which is the Mogen Dovid Adom ambulance service; and a Canadian Hadassah-Wizo diamond jubilee gold medallion given to Mimi in Jerusalem in 1977.
There are item level descriptions for all fifteen photographs, which include images of the Rishon Chapter and the National Executive of Hadassah-Wizo, family photographs, and portraits of Mimi.
Name Access
Wise, Mimi, 1920-2004
Subjects
Volunteers
Creator
Wise, Mimi, 1920-2004
Accession Number
2003-6-6
2003-9-3
2004-5-118
2006-3-13
2006-4-6
2006-7-2
2006-8-2
2006-8-14
2006-9-7
2010-1-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 18
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Gordon Mendly fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
18
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[ca. 1955]-1973
Physical Description
1453 negatives ; b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
Admin History/Bio
Gordon Mendly (1904–1998) was born Gordon Gimpel Mendlevich in Kielce, Poland on 3 May 1904. He was the son of Israel and Masha Mendlevich. He immigrated to Canada in 1924 as a photographic apprentice and immediately began working out of his home at 305A Queen Street West. This first studio was called International Studio. In 1932, he started Famous Studios, which was located at his residence at 285 College Street. His final studio was at 3145 Bathurst Street, which he sold to fellow photographer Nir Bareket, upon his retirement in 1977. Mendly was married to Sarah (née Rawet) Mendly. He died on 5 January 1998, at the age of ninety-three.
As a studio photographer, Mendly photographed many members of the Jewish community in Toronto. He was also commissioned for weddings and special occasions, along with various events organized by Jewish organizations and agencies. In particular, it is the latter of these commissions that are most illustrative of the Toronto Jewish community. These include events such as the Zionist Organization of Canada's conventions, Cloakmaker Union rallies, and Jewish Old Folks’ Home bingo nights. His work has won awards in both Canada and the United States.
Mendly was also involved in many of the organizations that he photographed. He was the past president of the Herzl Zion Club; an executive member of the Canadian Jewish Congress Central Region, JIAS and Toronto B’nai Brith Central Region; board member of the Jewish Home for the Aged and Baycrest Hospital; vice-president of the Men’s Service Group of the Jewish Home for the Aged; on the executive of the Judaea Lodge, Knights of Phythias No. 52 and the Keltzer Sick Benefit Society; chairman of Jewish National Fund; affiliated with the Brunswick Avenue Talmud Torah and the American Society of Photographers; and co-chairman of the 1956-1961 UJA Metropolitan Division.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of approximately 1449 black and white and colour cellulose acetate negatives, dating from circa 1955 to 1973. The negatives consist of individual and group portraits, Toronto Jewish businesses, special events, meetings and conferences held by various Jewish organizations and agencies in Toronto, and a small sampling of commissioned wedding, anniversary and bar mitzvah portraits. The fonds has been arranged into the following series: Portraits, Events and organizations, Businesses, and Weddings, anniversaries and Bar Mitzvahs. The series have been described to the file and/or item level.
Name Access
Mendly, Gordon, 1904-1998
Subjects
Photographers
Physical Condition
Approximately 100 negatives, predominantly from the 1950s, are suffering from vinegar syndrome, as is evident from the odour emanating from them, as well as the general visual conditions. These negatives have been segregated from the rest of the collection and have been housed in boxes CS14-CS16
Some of the negatives are also suffering from “bluing” or “silver mirroring” -- the consequence of oxidative-reductive deterioration. Although this is a slow process, eventually the silver ions will create a fogged effect on the photograph, drastically reducing the quality of the image.
Creator
Mendly, Gordon, 1904-1998
Accession Number
2005-2-1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Lipa Green fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 20
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Lipa Green fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
20
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
[190-]-1979
Physical Description
42 cm of textual records
69 photographs : b&w and sepia (23 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
Admin History/Bio
Lipa (Louis) Green (1899–1976) was born on 15 April 1899 in Usupow, Poland. He immigrated to Toronto in 1910 and later began work as a bricklayer. In 1924, Lipa married Fanny Green and had three sons: Abraham (Al), Harold and Sam; and three daughters: Deana (Weiman), Rookie (Goldstein), and Shavy (Tishler). In 1948, with partner, Arthur Weinstock, he founded the Greenview Construction Company, later to be renamed Greenwin. Green's sons, Al and Harold, along with Weinstock's son-in-law Al Latner, later became involved in the business.
Green was a prominent Jewish communal leader and philanthropist in Toronto and was affiliated with organizations such as the Labor Zionists (Farband), the Jewish Vocational Service and the Jewish Public Library. He was a strong advocate of the Yiddish language and was involved with many Yiddish committees, both at the local and national levels. The current building for Jewish agencies in Toronto is named the Lipa Green Building for Jewish Community Services.
Custodial History
The records were in the possession of Lipa's son, Harold, before being donated to the OJA in January 1978.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of records documenting Lipa Green's personal life as well as his professional and philanthropic endeavours. Included are financial documents, event invitations and programs, meeting minutes, photographs, personal, business and organizational correspondence, speeches and writings, a scrapbook, records on a cooperative Jewish summer resort near Pickering, Ontario, as well as some material produced by other organizations and collected by Green during the course of his life. Most of the personal correspondence, speeches and other writings are in Yiddish, including Green's reminiscences on his life in Poland and his bar mitzvah. The files have been grouped according to personal records, business records, organizational records and ephemera.
Name Access
Green, Lipa, 1899-1976
Subjects
Businesspeople
Immigrants--Canada
Philanthropists
Physical Condition
Some of the photographs are in very poor condition and require conservation work.
Related Material
See Gordon Mendly Fonds 18 for a portrait of Lipa Green.
Arrangement
The records had been previously arranged as MG6 A. Many of the files were kept or combined, but several new files were also created to better reflect the records in the fonds. Several files were also culled as they did not relate to the mandate of the OJA. See the accession record for further information on the culled materials.
Creator
Green, Lipa, 1899-1976
Accession Number
1978-1-4
2004-5-150
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harry Simon fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 23
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Harry Simon fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
23
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
1931-[198-]
Physical Description
25 cm of textual records
17 photographs (6 negatives)
Admin History/Bio
Harry Simon (1909-1993) was born in Russia on 15 July 1909 and immigrated to Canada with his parents and two younger brothers in 1923. In 1930, he married Eva Millman and together they had two sons, Morris and Norman. Simon was involved in a number of labour unions and organizations during his lifetime, namely the Fur Workers' Union, the AFL-CIO, the Canadian Labour Congress and the Labour Zionist Movement.
In 1926, at the age of 17, Simon left his schooling in Toronto and went to work in a fur factory. He joined the International Fur Workers' Union and at the age of 20, Simon held the distinction of being the youngest business agent elected to a union in Canada. He joined the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in 1933 and ran as a political candidate in the 1937 provincial election for the St. Andrew riding in Toronto.
Simon also served as the Canadian representative for the American Federation of Labour from 1944 to 1956. In 1956, he was appointed to the Canadian Labour Congress, becoming the CLC's Ontario regional director of organization until his retirement in 1974. Simon also held the position of national chairman of the Jewish Labour Committee of Canada and as president of the Labour Zionist Movement of Canada. He was also a member of the national executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress.
After his retirement Simon often spoke about labour issues at various functions and events when requested. He died on 22 December 1993 at the age of 84.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of the records related to the professional career of Harry Simon. This includes meeting minutes, general correspondence, speeches, posters, flyers, booklets, programmes and photographs. The bulk of the material is in the form of correspondence sent to or from Harry Simon. There is also a small amount of biographical material and a number of photographs, which have been described at the item level.
Name Access
Simon, Harry, 1909-1993
Subjects
Immigrants--Canada
Labor leaders
Physical Condition
Some photographs require conservation work.
Arrangement
The files were originally arranged by Harry Simon according to organization. This original order has been maintained by the archivist.
Creator
Simon, Harry, 1909-1993
Accession Number
1988-5-6
Source
Archival Descriptions
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
Part Of
Benjamin Brown fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 49
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Benjamin Brown fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
49
Material Format
multiple media
Date
1902-1949
Physical Description
ca. 1500 architectural and technical drawings
6 photographs : b&w ; 38 x 30 cm or smaller
16 cm of textual records
Admin History/Bio
Benjamin Brown (ca. 1888-1974) was the first practicing Jewish architect in Toronto. Born in what is now Lithuania, he arrived in Toronto at an early age and soon after, quit school to take a job in a garment manufacturing factory to help out his impoverished family. Not finding this career to his liking, Brown enrolled in the Ontario School of Art and Design with the intention of becoming an artist. When this profession proved financially unfeasible, Brown decided to pursue a career in architecture. After completing his high school equivalency, he enrolled in the University of Toronto architectural program, graduating in 1913. Soon after, Brown opened up a practice with fellow architect Robert McConnell, which lasted until the early 1920s. After the partnership ended, Brown set up an independent practice, which he maintained until his retirement in 1955.
Scope and Content
The fonds documents Brown’s design work and renovations of existing buildings through his original drawings, renderings, and building blueprints. The fonds consists of approximately 1500 drawings that are organized into about 150 projects. These projects include single-family residences, apartment buildings, commercial and industrial buildings, as well as synagogue and other community buildings. Many of Brown's buildings were designed in the Art Deco style, with some containing Georgian, Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Tudor and Romanesque elements.
Brown's most important commissions include the Beth Jacob Synagogue located on Henry Street, which was one the largest synagogues in Toronto, and the Balfour Building, an office tower built in the Art Deco style. The designs of Mendel Granatstein’s mansion, which contained a retractable roof for Sukkoth, and a colour sketch of the Primrose Club, which is currently the University of Toronto Faculty Club, may also be of interest to researchers. The fonds also includes some of Brown's files containing articles and illustrations from architecture and design journals of the early twentieth century, which he used as a resource to assist him with his work.
Fonds includes six photographs, one of the Balfour Building, one of Cumberland Hall, and four of Brown as a young man.
Notes
Architectural plans of a lead mine in Burnt River Ontario have been sent to the Kawartha Lakes Archives.
Name Access
Brown, Benjamin, 1890-1974
Subjects
Architects
Creator
Brown, Benjamin, 1890-1974
Accession Number
1975
1987-9-3
1989-10-6
2004-5-109
2004-5-139
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
David Vanek fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 1
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
David Vanek fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
1
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
1906-1999
Physical Description
12 cm of textual records
10 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
Admin History/Bio
David Vanek (1915–2008) was born on a farm in Whitchurch Township, York County, Ontario in 1915. He was the sixth of seven children born to Jacob and Jesse Vanek, Jewish-Russian immigrants from the Ukraine who immigrated to Canada in 1913. The family lived in the Newmarket-Oak Ridges area, where they owned a farm and the Vanek Grocery and Confectionary Store in Oak Ridges. The family also owned Cedarholm Park in Lake Wilcox, which had a bandstand and cottages and sold refreshments. They opened the park specifically for Jews who were being excluded from other nearby social venues. The family also lived in Toronto.
Vanek completed his elementary school education at Annette Street Public School and attended Richmond Hill High School and Harbord Collegiate. He was admitted to the honour law course at the University of Toronto. In 1936, he graduated with a bachelor of arts in honour law and went on to law school at Osgoode Hall. While in law school he worked for Carswell’s Canadian Law Abridgement and was editor of the Obiter Dicta student publication at Osgoode Hall. He received his bachelor of laws in 1939.
During the Second World War, Vanek served in the Canadian Intelligence Corps and Field Security in England from 1943 to 1945. Following his military service, he returned to Toronto where he tried private practice briefly before beginning a new career as a lecturer in the newly-created Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. He taught a variety of subjects, including legal bibliography, real property, and public international law.
A community activist, Vanek was the founder of the Lawrence Manor Ratepayers Association. In 1963, he ran for the Ontario Provincial Legislature as a Conservative candidate but failed to win the seat. He was the founder of the Credit Counselling Service of Metropolitan Toronto, which was established in 1965. Vanek was also actively involved in the new Reform congregation Temple Sinai and served as its third president.
In September 1968, Vanek was appointed to the magistrates' court. A few months later, the Provincial Courts Act came into being and he became a judge of the provincial court's criminal division. Vanek presided over and wrote judgements in many significant cases, including Weightman and Cunningham, involving the residual power of a trial judge to stop unfair prosecution, and Squires, involving the lawful exclusion of cameras from the courtroom. His best-known case was that of Susan Nelles, a nurse who was charged with the death of four babies at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children in the early 1980s. He also served as president of the Ontario Provincial Judges' Association. In 1989, after twenty-one years on the bench, David Vanek retired. A decade later, he published his autobiography, "Fulfilment : Memoirs of a Criminal Court Judge," which documents his life and career.
David Vanek married Joyce Lester in 1942, and the couple had three children. Vanek died in 2008.
Custodial History
The records were donated to the Ontario Jewish Archives by David Vanek in July 2000. The records were used to help with the researching of his autobiography.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of textual records and graphic material that document Vanek's family history and career as a prominent lawyer and provincial court judge in Ontario. The fonds includes family records from Russia, newspaper articles, correspondence and documentation relating to his military service during the Second World War, and press clippings and photographs of his family and community activities. The fonds has been arranged into the following series: Personal records, Military service records, Occupational records, and Community organizations.
Name Access
Vanek, David, 1915-2008
Subjects
Judges
Lawyers
Creator
Vanek, David, 1915-2008
Accession Number
2000-7-5
Source
Archival Descriptions