Accession Number

2013-2-3

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

20 cm of textual records

ca. 100 photographs

Date

[190-]-2012

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to three generations of the Ladovsky family and their restaurant, the United Bakers Dairy Restaurant. Also included is a small amount of material related to Jewish organizations in Toronto, such as the Kieltzer Society and B'nai Brith, as well as the Bakery and Confectionary Union. Records include family and business photographs, correspondence, newsclippings, UB menus and other ephemera, and records related to family simchas and celebrations.

Custodial History

The records were created and accumulated by Aaron Ladovsky, Herman Ladovsky and Ruthie Ladovsky.

Administrative History

Aaron Ladovsky was born in 1888 in Kielce, Poland. He immigrated with his wife Sarah to Toronto in 1906 at the age of 18. Soon after arriving, Aaron Ladovsky worked to help form a Jewish bakers’ union to advocate for collective rights among Jewish Bakers. In 1912 he opened the United Bakers Dairy Restaurant at Dundas and Bay Streets (known then as Agnes and Terauley Streets respectively) in the heart of the Ward. That same year, the couple had twin sons Herman and Samuel, who were born on September 23, 1912.

Only a short time later, in 1920, Aaron moved the location of his restaurant to 338 Spadina Avenue, just north of Dundas. He and his family lived in an apartment upstairs. Herman and Samuel attended Hester How Elementary School until 1919, Lord Lansdowne Public School once the family moved to Spadina, and later Central Commerce. The twins worked in the family business in the 1920s delivering fresh breads and buns by horse cart.

Aaron Ladovsky was involved in a number of community organizations. He was instrumental in founding the Kieltzer Society of Toronto in 1913; a community based immigrant-aid association extending aid to Kielcers in Poland and around the world. Ladovsky remained an active member of the organization until his death on April 5, 1960 . His restaurant provided a welcome gathering place for the Jewish community, serving traditional dishes and maintaining a friendly open-door policy. Aaron Ladovsky was known for his generosity and claimed that no one, whether they had money or not, left his restaurant hungry. The United Bakers' menu was mainly based on Sarah’s original recipes, and continues to be so to this day.

During the Second World War, Herman served overseas as an electrician in the Canadian army show with comics Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. After returning from the war, he married Dora Macklin in 1947, a registered nurse from Regina. He also began to take over management of the family business. Later, his son Philip and daughter Ruth would follow in his footsteps, helping to run the restaurant with him and later taking over managment. United Bakers remained on Spadina Avenue for 66 years – until 1986 when it moved to its current location at 506 Lawrence Avenue West, off of Bathurst Street. Herman was an active fixture in restaurant until his death on January 6, 2002. He also supported and was involved in the work of the Ontario Jewish Archives over the years. Today, Philip and Ruth carry on the family tradition of running United Bakers Dairy Restaurant.

Descriptive Notes

To be integrated into the Ladovsky family fonds 83.

Subjects

Families

Restaurants

Name Access

Ladovsky, Herman

Ladovsky, Aaron

United Bakers Dairy Restaurant (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

17

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[192-]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 16 x 11 cm on matte 24 x 16 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of the Ladovsky family in Kielce, Poland. They are the relatives of Herman Ladovsky.

Notes

Originally cited as photo #3832.

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.

Physical Condition

There are cacks at two corners of the matte.

Accession Number

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

13

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[191-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 14 cm on matte 15 x 23 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of the Ladovsky family, in Kielce, Poland. The family were relatives of Herman Ladovsky, of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 3833.

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

1

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[190-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 14 x 9 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of members of the Ladovsky family, in Kielce, Poland. The family are relatives of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Formerly cited as photo # 3834.

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Hoffman family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

6

Material Format

textual record

architectural drawing

moving images

Date

1946-1981

Physical Description

17 cm of textual records

10 architectural drawings

ca. 9 film reels : 16 mm

Admin History/Bio

Max and Celia Hoffman were married in 1958 in Hamilton and had two sons. Max was the owner of Hamilton Plumbing and Heating Supplies. Both were active in a number of Jewish community organizations in Hamilton such as the Council of Jewish Organizations, Adas Israel synagogue and the Union of Jewish Congregations of America, Ontario Region. They were also involved in fundraising on behalf of Yeshiva University, which is located in New York City. Max Hoffman died in 1964 and Celia moved to Toronto in 1966 when she married Sol Edell.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of correspondence, ledgers, publications, home movies and architectural drawings relating to the family life, business and community activities of Max and Celia Hoffman. There are three series: Business Series, Community Activities Series and Personal Series.

Name Access

Adas Israel Congregation (Hamilton, Ont.)

Council of Jewish Organizations

Federation

Hoffman (family)

Subjects

Families

Creator

Hoffman family

Places

Hamilton (Ont.)

Accession Number

2002-12-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Edelstein family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

111

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

text

Date

1890-2005

Physical Description

2 m of textual records

30 photographs

4 posters

2 artifacts

12 books

1 CD

Admin History/Bio

Isaac Edelstein (1889-Dec. 1954) was born to Ronya Edelstein (née Silver) ([18--?]-June 1921) and Abraham Edelstein (1846-[19--?]). The family moved to Canada in 1913, arriving in Quebec before settling in Toronto. Isaac, the eldest, had five siblings: Archibald, Bessy, Lilian, Goldie, and Harry. Isaac married Ida (Hebrew name: Chaya) (1898-1978), who immigrated to Canada from Gomel district in Homiel Province, Belarus.

Isaac was a tailor and Ida was a dressmaker. Isaac and Ida had two children: Rony (nickname Renne) Rabassa (b. 4 Jan. 1931) and Albert (nickname Abi) Edelstein (26 Sept. 1925-1 May 2021).

After meeting through shared involvement in Habonim, Albert married Ruth (née Blumenstein) (15 Sept. 1928-30 Mar. 2023) on 2 Jan. 1949. They had 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.

Albert received vocational training as a watchmaker at Central Technical School, and spent the majority of his career as a retailer, operating a jewelry store with his wife Ruth. He was the president of the District Jewelers Association (1983-1984) and the chairman of the Queen Broadview Business Improvement Area in the 1990s. Ruth and Albert's children were educated in the Jewish day school system. Ruth was involved in the National Council of Jewish Women.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting the personal lives of members of the Edelstein family and their communal affiliations.

Name Access

Edelstein (family)

Subjects

Families

Creator

Albert Edelstein

Accession Number

2000-1-1

2000-2-2

2000-3-3

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Pappenheim family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

113

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1906-2005

Physical Description

2.0 m of textual records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Albert Pappenheim (1921-1984) was born to Jonas (1877-1941) and Irma (1881-1941) Pappenheim in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He had three siblings, Ernst (b. 1911), Karla (m. Goldschmidt) (1912-1989), and Ruth (m. Possen) (1915-2010). From 1936-1938, Albert studied at the Jewish Teachers Seminary (ILBA) in Wurzburg, Germany, but his studies were interrupted due to Kristallnacht. Albert was sent to study at a yeshiva in England, but was declared an illegal immigrant with the start of the war and was interned and sent to Canada in 1940. He was interned at Ile aux Noix in Richelieu River in Quebec along with other yeshiva students. Upon his release from the camp, he resumed his rabbinical studies and became a prominent rabbi and community leader in Toronto. He married Rhoda Helen (née Kabatznik) Pappenheim (1925-1987) who was born to Eli and Sarah Kabatznik. Rhoda studied to be a teacher at Toronto Normal School. Albert and Rhoda had a daughter Irma. Albert's sister and brother-in-law Karla and Max Goldschmidt emigrated to Palestine. Sister and brother-in-law Ruth and Leo Possen eventually joined Albert in St. Catharines after the war.

Albert received a BA in Oriental Languages in 1947 and MA in 1949 at the University of Toronto. He also continued his training at Yeshiva Torath Chaim Toronto under Rabbi Abraham Price and took the rabbinic exam in 1949. He led the Congregation B'nai Israel in St. Catharines, Ontario from 1948-1953. In 1953, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky to be the rabbi of Ohava Zion Congregation. While in Lexington, he was also a lecturer at the University of Kentucky in Hebrew and Biblical History. In 1956, he returned to Canada to be the rabbi of Beth David Congregation in Downsview, Toronto. Beth David amalgamated with B'nai Israel Synagogue in 1960 and with Beth Am Congregation in 1977. Albert also served on many rabbinical organizations and committees. He was the Chairman of the Education Committee for the United Synagogues of America, Ontario Region; Secretary of the Rabbinical Assembly, Central Region, Canada; and Chairman of the Religious Affairs Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Central Region. His service and contributions to the rabbinical community was recognized through an honourary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1975.

Custodial History

The records were donated by Irma Pappenheim, daughter of Albert and Rhoda Pappenheim in three accessions. Some of the letters created and accumulated in researching the Pappenheim family history were in the custody of her aunt Karla.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting the life and activities of Rabbi Albert Pappenheim and his family, including genealogical research conducted by his daughter Irma Pappenheim. The majority of records document Albert's activities as a rabbi at B'nai Israel Congregation in St. Catharines, Ontario; Ohava Zion Congregation in Lexington, Kentucky; and Beth David B'nai Israel Beth Am Congregation in Toronto. Records include sermons and related research, newspaper clippings, newsletters, bulletins, scrapbooks, photographs, correspondence, and administrative records. Also included are copies and originals of family correspondence and related material chronologically documenting the Pappenheim family history from the 1930s onwards, including translations. Other records document Albert's personal life and education with some material related to his wife Rhoda and her mother Sarah Kabatznik and include posthumous tributes, letters, and clippings.

Fonds is arranged into six series: 1. Personal, 2. Posthumous material, 3. Sermons and writings, 4. Rabbinical activities and congregational records, 5. Genealogical research 6. Scrapbooks

Notes

Physical Description Note: Includes ca. 250 photographs, 4 scrapbooks, 2 CDs, 3 audiocassettes, 1 audio disc and 1 USB key.

Duplicate copies of genealogical research, sermon notes, and other publications were culled.

Arrangement

Original order was preserved whenever discernible with sermons and writings largely organized into subject files and genealogical research in chronological order.

Creator

Pappenheim (family)

Accession Number

2005-10-1

2017-1-14

2017-8-12

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Cowan family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

102

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1902-2002

Physical Description

90 cm of textual records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Saul Cowan (1910-2002) was the seventh of nine children born to Zvi Hirsh (Harris) Cohen (1872-1954) and Chana Leah (Annie) (née Gollom) Cohen (1873-1960). His siblings were Woolf Cowan (Colvin) (1896-1987), Kate Cowan (b.1898) (m. Wener), Jack Cowan (1900-1992), Rivka (Reva) Cowan (1902-ca.2002) (m. Lieberman), Moe Cowan (b.1904), Jeanne Cowan (b.1906) (m. Kallman), Norman Cowan (b. 1909) and Miriam Cowan (b. 1919) (m. Rose).

The Cowan family immigrated to Toronto from England with their six oldest children circa 1908. Harris worked as a tailor in England and as an operator in men's clothing factory Tip Top Tailors in Toronto.

Saul graduated from the University of Toronto in 1931 in honours philosophy.

In 1932, Cowan married Lillian Rosenthal (1910-1978), the daughter of Morris (1883-1967) and Nessie (Celia) (née Soren) Rosenthal (1881-1969). Together, they had two children, Michael (b. 1939) and Trudy (b. 1941). The Rosenthal family ran a boarding house on Hanlan's Point and had a place at Belle Ewart. In 1945, Morris and Celia purchased Wapaska Lodge on Muskoka Bay just outside Gravenhurst and ran it as a family resort from 1948-1965.

Lillian, who was a public school teacher, passed away in 1978 and the following year Saul married Libbie Aiken (d. 2006). Libbie had been the head physiotherapist at the Toronto General Hospital during the late 1940s.

Saul pursued a career with the North York Board of Education serving as both trustee and chairman from 1958 to 1976. He was also very involved with the Jewish community and the growing North York community. He was also involved with organizations such as B'nai Brith, Canadian Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (CPPNW), and the North York Social Planning Committee. He was a founder of the York Finch General Hospital.

Trudy studied physical and occupational therapy at the University of Toronto but changed career direction when she moved to Calgary in 1969 and became involved in historical organizations such as the Glenbow Museum, the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation, and the Lougheed House Conservation Society. She married Leonid Luker (b. 1937) in 1982.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting the Cowan (Cohen) family and their connected branches including the Rosenthal, Soren, Gollom, Aiken, and Altshuller families. The records originated from Saul Cowan, his first and second wives, Lillian Rosenthal and Libbie Aiken, and his daughter, Trudy Cowan Luker. Records include photographs of family members at graduations, weddings, school, religious events, camping activities, and milestone celebrations. Textual records include traditional and email correspondence, marriage certificates, passports, immigration documents, family histories, theatre and concert programmes, and newspaper clippings. Many of the records document Saul Cowan's personal and professional activities. The majority of the material relates to the Cowan and Rosenthal families.

Notes

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Includes 386 photographs, 2 audiotapes, and 6 objects.

Four books from the collection have been removed and integrated into the OJA's library holdings. These include titles Have I Ever lied To You Before? by Jerry Goodis, My Outlook by Jack Cowan, When Partners Become Parents by Carolyn Pape Cowan and Philip A. Cowan, and Front Page Challenge: History of a Television Legend by Alex Barris.

Name Access

Cowan (family)

Subjects

Families

Accession Number

2008-6-11

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Farb family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

96

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1919-1944

Physical Description

21 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm

Admin History/Bio

Nathan Farb was one of the first Jews to arrive and settle in Pontypool, which was a popular summer resort spot for vacationing Jews from the 1940s until the 1960s. The area was relatively inexpensive and had a pond as its swimming spot. Kosher meals would often be brought in for the vacationers who arrived on two trains daily from Union Station.

Custodial History

The original photographs were loaned to the archives for copying in 2005. They were subsequently returned to the donor.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of twenty-one copy photographs of the Farb family as well as the Bernsteins, Crystals, and other Jewish families who lived and owned resorts in the Pontypool area.

Name Access

Bernstein family

Crystal family

Farb (family)

Subjects

Recreation

Creator

Farb family (Pontypool, Ont.)

Places

Pontypool (Ont.)

Accession Number

2005-8-5

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Gary family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

97

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1947-1967

Physical Description

10 photographs : b&w ; 9 x 15 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

Joseph Gary and Goldie Gary (née Lawrence) married in 1921 in Rochester, New York. Shortly thereafter they moved to Toronto. Joseph and Goldie had three children: daughters Ethel (Halter) and Shirley (Cohen) and son Leslie. In 1950, after three years of visiting the region, Joseph and Goldie purchased a home on Amelia Street in Pontypool, Ontario. As the area was a popular summer resort spot for vacationing Jews from the 1940s to the 1960s, Joseph and Goldie decided to build ten cottages on their land for rental, which they named Gary's Cottages. The cottages were sold around 1970 and are no longer in existence; however, their home is still standing.

Custodial History

The original photographs were loaned to the archives for copying and were subsequently returned to the donor.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of ten copy photographs documenting the Gary family and their cottages in Pontypool.

Name Access

Gary (family)

Gary, Goldie

Gary, Joseph

Subjects

Recreation

Creator

Gary family (Pontypool, Ont.)

Places

Pontypool (Ont.)

Accession Number

2005-9-3

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Scheuer family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

47

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Date

[187-]-1959

Physical Description

6 folders of textual records

2 window plates : brass

58 photographs : b&w ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

The Scheuer family dates back to at least the eighteenth century in Germany to Moise Scheuer (1765-1846) and Esther Ackerman (1770-1847). Their son, Isaac Scheuer (1809-1889), married Hannchen (Johanna) Strauss (1815-1878) in 1843. Isaac and Johanna had six children: Gabriel (1844-1922), Camilla (1845-1916), Edmund (1847-1943), Emma (1853-1916), Ida (1855-1902), and Benno (Benjamin) (1857-1921).

While Gabriel, Emma, and Ida remained in Europe, Camilla, Edmund, and Benno immigrated to Canada in the late nineteenth century. Camilla came to Hamilton, Ontario after her marriage in 1866 to Herman Levy, co-founder of the Levy Brothers jewellery business. Edmund became a partner in the business when he first immigrated to Canada in 1871, and lived with Camilla and Herman. Camilla became the acknowledged leader of Jewish women in Hamilton. She served in organizations such as the Deborah Ladies' Aid Society, which eventually became an auxiliary of Temple Anshe Sholom, Canada's oldest Reform congregation, often referred to as the Hughson Street Temple. Edmund established the first Sabbath School in Ontario at Anshe Sholom in 1872 and served as president from 1873 to 1886.

After he was established in Hamilton, Edmund returned to Europe in 1873 to marry Oda Strauss (1854-1913) at Forbach, Lorraine, and then brought her back to Canada with him. The couple moved to Toronto in 1886, where he established a wholesale jewellery business on Yonge Street called Scheuer's under his company Edmund Scheuer Limited. Scheuer's was one of the oldest jewellery firms in Toronto and the oldest established wholesale diamond importer in Canada. Edmund's brother, Benno, also worked for the business as the accountant and then secretary-treasurer. Benno was married to Gatella Strauss (1859-1903) and they had three children: Eddie Jr. (1884-1967), Rhoda (1886-1963) and Isadore (1887-1969). Eddie Jr. and Isadore also worked for their uncle's business. Eddie Jr. started as a clerk and then became vice-president, while Isadore started out as a travelling salesman and jeweller. When their uncle retired in 1922, Eddie Jr. took over as president and his brother Isadore became vice-president of Scheuer's.

In addition to his jewellery business, Edmund Scheuer also taught and supervised the religious school at Holy Blossom Synagogue. He went on to serve in every official capacity at Holy Blossom, including vice-chairman and treasurer of the building committee for the Bond Street building. He also founded The Jewish Free School at 206 Beverley Street for Jewish girls and wrote his own textbook for the school, the first Jewish religious school book printed in Toronto. In 1892, he founded the first Jewish benevolent society in Toronto and was later president of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies. In 1927, the Beverley Street building, which housed Federation offices, was dedicated in his honour and named the "Scheuer House".

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting the Scheuer family in Germany, Hamilton, and Toronto. The fonds is made up primarily of photographs of Scheuer family members and friends. It also includes some textual records, including correspondence, marriage certificates, a Toronto Jewish Free School text book, and Holy Blossom Temple Bulletins. Also included are two brass "Scheuer's" window plates which were likely from Edmund Scheuer's jewellery business of the same name.

Notes

Associated Material Note: See the CJC National Archives collection for Edmund Scheuer at: http://www.cjc.ca/template.php?action=archives&Type=1&Language=EN&Rec=253

Name Access

Scheuer (family)

Subjects

Families

Related Material

See OJA vertical file cabinet for "Scheuer, Edmund" and "Levy, Camilla"

See MG3 A1 Holy Blossom

See MG2 G1C - Edumund Scheuer's Zionist Free School

Saarbrücken City Archives - May have records pertaining to Edmund's brother Gabriel Scheuer (1844-1922) who remained in Germany.

Arrangement

The textual records have been arranged in chronological order into five files. The objects have been described as one file. The fifty-eight photographs have been described as two files and thirty-nine items arranged chronologically

Accession Number

1989-4-2

2004-7-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

12

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[193-]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of a Ladovsky family wedding dinner, in Kielce, Poland. The family were relatives of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 3842.

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

2

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[190-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 11 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of a male member of the Ladovsky family, taken in Kielce, Poland. The individual is a relative of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photograph # 3835.

Name Access

Ladovsky (family)

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

4

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[190-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 11 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of three male members of the Ladovsky family, taken in Kielce, Poland. They are relatives of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 3837.

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.

Physical Condition

A layer of a small section of the bottom of the cardboard backing has peeled off.

Accession Number

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

5

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[190-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 7 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of a female member of the Ladovsky family, taken in Kielce, Poland. She is a relative of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 3838.

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Family and Child fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

79

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1933-2011

Physical Description

ca. 4.8 m of texutal records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Jewish Family & Child was established in 1943 from the amalgamation of a variety of different social agencies formed as early as 1868. These included the Ladies Benevolent Fund, the Free Burial Society, Jewish Family Welfare Bureau, Jewish Children’s Bureau, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and the Ladies Maternal Aid Society. Much of its funding and support after its inception came from the United Jewish Welfare Fund.

The first executive director of the agency was Dora Wilensky. She was a trained social worker who served for twenty-eight years, until her untimely death from cancer in 1959. Jerome Diamond took over in 1960 and Gordon Wolfe succeeded him in 1981. Ron Levin briefly replaced Wolfe after his retirement in 2003, and was succeeded in 2006 by Dr. Richard Cummings who then retired in 2015. As of 2017, Brian Prousky is the organization’s current executive director.

During the early years, fees were established, but the agency never refused to assist clients because of their inability to pay. JF&CS became one of the first agencies to rely on trained social workers. It was also the first social agency in Canada to become unionized.

Over the years the agency’s role has changed and it has expanded significantly, in terms of its staff and services. After the Second World War it played a pivotal role supporting the Holocaust orphans who came to Canada as refugees, particularly in the area of locating foster parents for these children. By 1957, the agency hired its first counsellor and became a member of the United Community Fund of Greater Toronto. The year 1968 marked the start of JF&CS’ new program involving the use of a mobile treatment centre to reach out to Jewish street kids and in 1974 they established the Jerome D. Diamond Adolescent Centre.

In 1981, JF&CS was mandated by the Province of Ontario as a Jewish children’s aid society responsible for the care and protection of all Jewish youth in the GTA. In 1983 they established the Just-A-Second Shop at 3101 Bathurst Street, which took in used goods from the community to pass on to needy families. Two years later they established the Henry G. Goodman Home for developmentally challenged children on Wilmington Avenue. The following year marked the opening of the Elm Ridge Group Living Residence for elderly people. In 1988, they opened a special shelter for abused women and children, and in 1994, they introduced their Homework Club for kids.

The current mission of Jewish Family & Child is to support the healthy development of individuals, children, families, and communities through prevention, protection, counselling, education, and advocacy services, within the context of Jewish values. Their services include counselling, rehabilitation and support, foster care, family services, and community services. These services are offered in a host of different languages including Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, French, and English.

JF&CS is an independent organization that receives its funding from a variety of different sources such as UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, United Way Toronto and York Region, the Government of Ontario, and individual donations.

As of 2017, JF&CS has nearly 130 staff providing more than thirty community services with a budget of almost $20 million. Their main office is located in the Lipa Green Centre for Community Services at 4600 Bathurst Street. They also maintain offices and run services out of their downtown branch at 35 Madison Avenue, their York Region branch inside UJA’s 1 Open Door at the Lebovic JCC, and their Jerome D. Diamond Adolescent Centre in midtown Toronto.

Name Access

Jewish Family and Child

Wilensky, Dora, 1902-1959

Wolfe, Gordon

Diamond, Jerome D.

Subjects

Charities

Children

Families

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing the records.

Related Material

See also: Jewish Child Welfare Association fonds (fonds 86); Jewish Family Welfare Bureau fonds (fonds 87); Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto fonds (fonds 66); and, United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds (fonds 67).

Creator

Jewish Family and Child (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2004-5-101

2004-1-8

2002-10-38

2006-6-7 (Shelf 03-6,Orphan index cards)

2009-12-9

2010-4-1 (Shelf 34-1)

2010-10-5

2015-8/11

2015-9/1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Frankel and Draper family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

104

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1895-2009

Physical Description

21 cm of textual records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Gottschall Frankel (1832–1918) and his wife Mina Meyer (1841–1921) were born in Biblis (Hessen) and Aschaffenburg, Germany, respectively. Gottschall died in Biblis and is buried in Alsbach, Germany. Mina passed away in Toronto and is interred in the old Holy Blossom Cemetery.

Leo Frankel (1864–1933) was one of nine children born in Biblis, Germany, to Gottschall and Mina. His siblings were Salmon (1874–1906), Benno (d. 1921), Ike (d. 1950), Louis (1879–1952), Maurice (1865–1935), Sigmund (1866–1936), Ida (1870–1952) (m. Levy) and Herman (1871–1939). Three of the siblings are buried in Montreal, and the rest are buried in Toronto.

Leo immigrated to Canada in 1881 at the age of seventeen. In 1886, he established Frankel Brothers (scrap metal and processing) in association with his brothers. The siblings were eventually succeeded by several sons of the original partners. The company subsequently became Frankel Steel Ltd. and Steel Structures Corporation.

Leo married Helena "Lena" Mayer of Florsheim, Germany, on 2 July 1890 in New York City. They had three sons: Egmont Leo (1891–1964), Carl Milford (1894–1984), and Roy Hecker (1896–1983). The family lived at 504 Jarvis Street, the former Goodman residence in Toronto, from 1908.

Carl married Dorothy Jacobs (1903–1987), who was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents were Bernard Jacobs of Texas and Henrietta Altheimer of Arkansas. Carl and Dorothy had two daughters: Nancy Jean Frankel (b. 1928) and Carol Nina Frankel (1930–1999).

Carl was a prominent member of the Toronto Jewish community, active in Holy Blossom Temple, several Masonic lodges, and was a founder of the North Toronto YM-YWHA.

His daughter Nancy attended Jarvis Collegiate Institute and was confirmed at Holy Blossom Temple. She married Darrell (Drapkin) Draper (1922–1992) of Fort William/Port Arthur in 1949. Darrell had studied at the University of Toronto and became a lawyer and judge. The couple's three children are Dr. Paula Jean Draper (b. 1953), a historian; Phillip Jacobs (b. 1954), a real estate lawyer; and Kenneth Lewis (b. 1957). Collectively, the siblings have six children and several grandchildren. Nancy Draper has been a longtime volunteer at the Ontario Jewish Archives.

Nancy's sister Carol married Mandel Sprachman (1925–2002), the son of a renowned architect Abraham Sprachman of the firm Kaplan and Sprachman. Mandel followed his father into the profession, specializing in cinemas and theatres, including the award-winning restoration of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres (1985–1989).

The Frankel family genealogy is wide in scope, extending from Germany and England to the United States and Canada. One notable ancestor with German lineage is Israel Beer Josephat, who changed his name to Paul Julius Reuter and founded the Reuters News Agency.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting the Frankel and Draper (Drapkin) families and their connected branches, such as the Jacobs (English in origin), Josephat, Meyer, and Altheimer (all German in origin) families. Records include: photographs of the exterior and interior of the Frankel home at 504 Jarvis Street, Toronto; formal individual and group photographs taken in Toronto and other cities of family members at various gatherings and of Nancy Frankel's confirmation class at Holy Blossom; pictures of Darrell Drapkin (later Draper) and his Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity brothers at the University of Toronto; group photographs of members of the Palestine Lodge of Masons, of which Carl and his brother Egmont were members; and a variety of candid shots in many locations including outside the Frankel family home in Biblis, Germany.

Textual records include: essays and programs concerning Holy Blossom, publications from Camp Wabi-Kon and Jarvis Collegiate yearbooks, and material from the Ulyssean Society at Hart House, the Oakdale Golf and Country Club, and the Carmel Chapter of Hadassah documenting Nancy's involvement with these organizations.

Objects include a souvenir matchbook from the wedding of Darrell Draper and Nancy Frankel and a membership coin and badge in a leather case documenting Carl Frankel's involvement with Masonic lodges.

Notes

Physical description note: Includes 250 photographs, 3 objects,1 CD, and 1 video cassette.

Name Access

Draper (family)

Draper, Nancy (1928-)

Frankel (family)

Subjects

Families

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Levine and Cass family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

25

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Date

[188-]-1973

Physical Description

188 photographs : b&w, some sepia toned ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

3 cm of textual records

Admin History/Bio

Aaron and Sarah (née Snider) Levine (1832-1915) were from Minsk. Sarah immigrated to Toronto with her children in 1887. In 1892, Abraham (1940-1897) and Rachel Cass (1838-1903) came to Toronto with their younger chilldren, following their elder children who had immigrated before them.

The Levine children consisted of the following individuals: Annie (m. Salamansky) (1861-1931); Moses (Moishe) Joseph (1864-1919); Michael (1869-1918); Abraham; Sam; and Rebecca (m. Samuels) (b. 1875).

The Cass children consisted of: Fayge (m. Sax) (1861-1942); Anna (Hannah) (m. Segel) (1863-1930); Martha (m. Soskin) (1866-1946); Dave Cass (1869-1959); Dora (m. Levy) (b.1870); Sarah (m. Levine) (1876-1978); Annie (m. Smith) (1880-1952); Bill Cass; and Phillip Cass.

Sarah Snider Levine lived with her son, Moses, and daughter-in-law Sarah for thirteen years. The couple first lived on Chestnut Street and then moved to Centre Avenue. They later relocated to Spadina Avenue near Dundas around 1903, and finally, moved to 224 Beverley Street near College.

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of family photographs that document the Cass and Levine families of Toronto. The records were donated by Mary Soskin, who was the daugher of Moses and Sarah (née Cass) Levine. The records document the donor's matriarchal and patriarchal families. In turn, the records also include photographs of her own family, as well as families related to her or her parents through marriage, such as: the Salamansky (Salem), Thuna, Bliss, Samuels, Soskin, Cass, Segel, Sax, Weiner, Levy, and Rosenbes families. The photographs date from the late nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. The fonds also contains one file of textual records

The fonds has been arranged into 18 series by family, as well as one series for photographs that cannot be linked to an individual family and another for images that could not be identified. The series consist of the following: Series 1, Moses Levine family; Series 2, Michael Levine family; Series 3, Abraham Levine family; Series 4, Abe Levine family; Series 5, Harry Levine family; Series 6, Salamansky (Salem) family; Series 7, Thuna family; Series 8, Bliss family; Series 9, Samuels family; Series 10, Soskin family; Series 11, Cass family; Series 12, Segel family; Series 13, Sax family; Series 14, Weiner family; Series 15, Levy family; Series 16, Rosenbes family; Series 17, Miscellaneous family members; Series 18, Unidentified photographs.

The items have been arranged chronologically within each series.

Name Access

Cass (family)

Levine (family)

Subjects

Families

Related Material

1982-8-3

AC 1: Soskin, Mary (Levine)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

3

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[190-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 11 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of a member of the Ladovsky family, taken in Kielce, Poland. The woman is a relative of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 3836.

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

6

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[190-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w : 18 x 12 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of four female members of the Ladovsky family, taken in Kielce, Poland. They are relatives of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 3839

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

7

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[190-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w : 18 x 12 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of a female member of the Ladovsky family, taken in Kielce, Poland. She is a relative of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 3840.

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2012-10-13

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

11 photographs : b&w and col. (2 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

Date

1917-1956

Scope and Content

Accession consists of records related to Aaron Ladovsky. Included is an urgent memo from Kielce asking for relief money and the accompanying receipt from Anshel Wise's steamship agent office for the remittance of the requested money (1939), a letter to Ladovsky c/o of the United Jewish Relief Conference from the CJC (1944), a Kieltzer Sick Benefit Society of Toronto dues booklet (1917), a Kieltzer Landmanshaften in Israel pamphlet (1953), and a receipt from the Standard Theatres Ltd. for payment of $60 for Ladovsky. This payment was made two months after the theatre first opened in 1921 and was likely payment for seats. The photographs depict Aaron Ladovsky with family in Kielce (1928), the dedication of a monument to the Kielce martyrs at a Jewish cemetery in Paris (between 1945 and 1950), a negative of a Canadian Jewish Congress meeting (1943), the exhumation of Kielce Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, a photo of Ruthie, Herman and Philip Ladovsky at United Bakers, (1990s), and an exterior view of United Bakers on Spadina Avenue (1956).

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Jewish Family Welfare Bureau fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

87

Material Format

textual record

architectural drawing

Date

1928-1943

Physical Description

67 cm of textual records

1 architectural drawing

Admin History/Bio

Sometime around 1919, the Family Welfare Committee was set up within the newly created Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto (FJPT) to perform social welfare work with Jewish families. Around 1931, the Committee was reorganized as an independent member agency of the FJPT and renamed the Jewish Family Welfare Bureau (JFWB). At the same time, Dora Wilensky (1902-1959), a professionally-trained social worker, was hired as the agency’s executive director. Throughout its existence, most of its funding came from the FJPT (later the United Jewish Welfare Fund).

Located at 179 Beverley Street, the JFWB’s core activities included: relief provision; helping families meet basic needs, such as medical care, heating and clothing; housekeeping assistance; counseling; and case work. The JFWB’s major concerns shifted over time from a rise of immigration and desertion cases in the 1920s to the dramatic increase of wife abuse, suicide, and unemployment cases during the Great Depression of the 1930s. After the outbreak of the Second World War, the JFWB sought ways of assisting soldiers and their families, such as, investigating special government grants to soldiers.

In an attempt to meet community needs, the JFWB initiated various programs, such as a Homemaking Club to teach women house management skills, and a Clothing Centre to provide families with inexpensive household goods. It also partnered with other local Jewish organizations in the early 1940s in the Liaison Project for troubled Jewish youth. In the 1930s, the Jewish Employment Service and Hebrew Free Burial Society became departments of the JFWB and, in 1941, the JFWB began guaranteeing loans for clients through the Hebrew Free Loan Association. In the same year, the Jewish Big Sister Committee became affiliated with the agency and the Jewish Big Brother Movement followed soon after.

In 1936, the JFWB became one of the first unionized social agencies in Canada when it formed the Staff Association with the Jewish Child Welfare Association (JCWA), another member of the FJPT. Although the JFWB’s focus was work with families and the JCWA’s focus was work with children, both agencies found it necessary at times to work with both children and families. In order to prevent service duplication and reduce confusion over casework responsibility, the Joint Application Bureau was set up within the FJPT to review all case work applications and determine the appropriate agency to provide assistance. However, a merger between the agencies was still believed necessary to improve service to the community and ease confusion. Discussions regarding the co-ordination of services between the JCWA and the JFWB began as early as 1935 and in February 1943, the JCWA and JFWB merged to form the Jewish Family and Child Services (JF & CS).

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of textual records and one architectural drawing documenting the programs, operation, finances, and special studies of the Jewish Family Welfare Bureau as well as its relationships with other organizations. Included are reports, meeting notices, agendas and minutes, correspondence, memos, budgets, statistics, theatrical scripts, newsclippings, and one architectural blueprint. A number of the records relate to special short-lived committees and projects that the JFWB participated in with other agencies, such as the Jewish Big Sister Committee, Jewish Big Brother Committee, Jewish Child Welfare Association, the Jewish Community Centre Association, the Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association, and the Jewish Old Folks' Home.

Records have been arranged into the following 19 series: 1. Board of Directors; 2. Executive Director; 3. Jewish Federation Communal Council; 4. United Jewish Welfare Fund Men's and Women's Service Council; 5. Case Committe; 6. Joint Meetings and Committees; 7. Joint Application Bureau; 8. Homemaking Club; 9. Clothing Centre; 10. Liaison Project; 11. Operational statistics; 12. Finance and accounting; 13. Human Resources; 14. Special projects and studies; 15. Publicity; 16. Liaison with other social welfare organizations; 17. Canadian Association of Social Workers; 18. Welfare Council of Toronto; and, 19. Conferences.

Notes

Associated material note: for related records held at the City of Toronto Archives, see also: Welfare Council of Toronto records in the University Settlement House fonds (fonds 1024, series 658); and, Department of Public Welfare records in the Former City of Toronto fonds (fonds 200).

Name Access

Jewish Family Welfare Bureau

Jewish Community Centre Association

Young Men's-Young Women's Hebrew Athletic Association (Toronto, Ont.) (subject)

Jewish Old Folks Home (Toronto, Ont.)

United Jewish Welfare Fund (Toronto, Ont.) (subject)

Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto (subject)

Wilensky, Dora, 1902-1959

Subjects

Charities

Children

Families

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director and the head of Jewish Family and Child prior to accessing some of the records.

Related Material

See also: Jewish Child Welfare Association fonds (fonds 86); Jewish Family and Child Services fonds (fonds 79); Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto fonds (fonds 66); and, United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds (fonds 67).

Arrangement

Records relating to programs, committees and liaison with other organizations that continued after the formation of JF & CS are arranged with that fonds.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Thelma Harris Rose Family fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

115

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Date

1880-2017

Physical Description

1040 photographs (2 vol.) : b&w, sepia and col. (168 negatives)

5 cm textual records

13 artifacts

Admin History/Bio

Thelma Harris Rose was born in 1922 in Toronto. Her parents were Samuel Aaron Harris (1888-1982) and Rose Geldzaeler Harris (1892-1966). Thelma had one sibling, Sydney Harris (1917-2009). Samuel Aaron’s parents, Samuel (1869-1936) and Sarah Ruben Harris (1869-1940) immigrated to North America from Lithuania and Belarus respectively during the 1880s. They met in Michigan and married in 1892 in Detroit. The couple raised Sarah’s son from a prior relationship, Samuel Aaron, and had two more boys, William (1895-1955) and Louis (1906-1986). The Harris family moved to Toronto around 1900 and opened up the first Jewish delicatessen in the city at 233 Queen Street West. They constructed a purpose-built deli across the street from that location and relocated to the new shop at 178 Queen St. West in 1910. A couple of years later, Samuel purchased the tobacco store next door to their business, operating it from around 1913 until his death. Samuel Aaron worked with his parents in the deli for a number of years, and after marrying Rose in 1916, he ventured into the clothing industry and later sales. His brothers William and Louis went on to become successful local doctors and respectively married Tillie Shayne and Helen Gallander.

Rose’s parents, Yetta Shumer Geldzaeler (1870-1952) and Mark Geldzaeler (1862-1932), hailed from Galicia and married in Toronto in 1890. The Geldzaeler’s had 5 children who survived to adulthood: Ben (1891-1974) who married Hortense Cohen; Rose (1892-1966); Rachel (1897-1941) who married Isidore W. Ruskin; Alfred (1901-1918); and Frances (1907-2002) who married Simon Ramm. Tragically, Solomon (1899-1902) passed away as a young child and Alfred perished of the Spanish flu during the great pandemic at the end of the First World War. Mark was a religious instructor who also served as the assistant chazan and the shamus at Holy Blossom Synagogue on Bond Street. During that period, the family lived in accommodations behind the shul. Because of his religious expertise and position, Mark Geldzaeler commanded tremendous respect within the Jewish community.

Rose and Samuel Aaron Harris lived at 107 Yorkville Avenue, across from the early Mount Sinai Hospital. Thelma married Albert Rose (1917-1996) in June, 1942. The couple eventually had two sons and a daughter. Thelma earned an undergraduate degree and an M.Ed. at the University of Toronto. Albert was gold medallist in Political Science and Economics at the University of Toronto and pursued his graduate studies at the University of Illinois, receiving his PhD in macroeconomics and statistics in 1942. He then enlisted in the Canadian Army and served in the Intelligence Corps until he was demobbed at the end of 1945. During most of his career, he was a professor and later Director of the School of Social Work at the University of Toronto, ultimately becoming the first Dean of their Faculty of Social Work. Albert Rose was an expert in and advocate for public housing and social welfare, as well as a prominent community leader who was actively involved in variety of municipal and Jewish organizations.

Thelma’s older brother, Sydney Harris, completed a law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School, and married Enid Perlman in November, 1949. The couple eventually had two sons. Sydney engaged in the general practice of law for three decades before being appointed Judge of the Ontario Provincial Court (Criminal Division) in 1976. He retired in 1992 but went on to serve as a Small Claims Court Judge, referee for the LSUC and lay appointee of Council for the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors. He was also active in Jewish causes and organizations, primarily the Canadian Jewish Congress, of which he was national president from 1974 to 1977, and the Canadian Council of Reform Congregations. He was also a civil liberties activist who promoted legislation aimed at eradicating hate speech and literature, along with capital punishment. Sydney Harris was also an active supporter of the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s.

For more details about the many families documented within this fonds along with their respective businesses, careers and achievements, please consult the biographical and published reference materials in box 8.

Custodial History

The records in the fonds were assembled by the donor, Jeff Rose, from accumulations created and/or collected by Rose and Samuel Aaron Harris, Thelma Rose, Sydney and Enid Harris, Ruthe Rosenberg, Frances Ramm, Alfreda Henry, Tillie Harris, Marion Harris with permission, and by the donor himself. The donor hired Heritage Professionals to conduct the archival work – appraisal, selection, processing, preservation, arrangement and description – of the records. There was some specialized preservation and digitization work conducted on the photo albums to protect them and enhance their longevity. Finally, two conservators were commissioned to produce around ten high quality archival prints from the negatives and repair one of the artifacts.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records relating to the Rose, Harris, and Geldzaeler families, and some of their connected branches, including the Perlman, Ruskin, Ruben, Shumer, Shayne, Spiegel, and Rothbart families. The fonds is mainly comprised of loose photographs, photo prints, negatives and two photo albums documenting the different branches of the donor’s family. There are also some textual records and thirteen artifacts. One of the artifacts has been housed with the textual records. The remaining twelve artefacts are located in boxes 6 and 7. The two photo albums have been scanned for preservation purposes and are available in digital form.

The photographs mainly document the Harris and Geldzaeler families, and to a lesser extent, other branches of the family. The images capture the families’ lives and activities in Toronto and surrounding areas from the late nineteenth century to the early 2000s. The visuals include individual and family portraits, photobooth strips, and informal images of the family engaged in a variety of activities. Examples of the activities include: family get togethers, children playing outdoors, outings to the park or other Toronto locales, graduations, and military images. There are also many images capturing family vacations to the cottage, Bobcaygeon, Wasaga Beach, Niagara Falls, and Washington D.C. Finally, the fonds includes a photograph of Sydney Harris with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Chicago. Some of the files in the fonds contain negatives that were mostly grouped with and correspond to the photographs.

The fonds is arranged into twelve series: 1. Harris family, 2. Geldzaeler family, 3. Ruben family, 4. Shayne family, 5. Shumer family, 6. Perlman family, 7. Ruskin family, 8. Rose family, 9. Spiegel family, 10. Photo Albums, 11. Artifacts, 12. Reference materials. The first nine series are arranged by family and the last three pertain to special types of materials within the fonds. The sub-series are arranged by individual family member, couple, or family within each branch of the family.

Notes

ACCESS RESTRICTION NOTE: The records are open to the public except for series 1-3, file 4; and series 1-4, file 2. Researchers interested in viewing these files require permission from the donor. The photo albums are restricted for preservation purposes. The albums have been digitized and researchers can review the PDF copies of those records. There is also a family portrait of the Geldzaeler children in series 2-1, file 2 that is encased in glass and very fragile. It has been preserved and protected and a corresponding copy print is available and can be viewed by the public.

ATTRIBUTION NOTE: When citing records from this fonds, the full name of the fonds – Thelma Harris Rose Family Fonds – must be used by all parties and for all purposes as part of the reference.

Access Restriction

Conditional Access. Researchers must receive permission from the donor prior to accessing the records. Please contact the OJA for more information.

Physical Condition

The records are in good condition except for a small number of photographs that have some mirroring and tears. Some of the metal artifacts are also slightly tarnished.

Related Material

For other fonds and records documenting Sydney Harris, please see accessions 1976-7-1, 2015-4-3, 2008-8-10, 2008-11-14, 2016-3-56 and fonds 17 (CJC) and fonds 75 (JVS). For records relating to Mark Geldzaeler, Yetta Shumer Geldzaeler, Benjamin Geldzaeler and the Shumer family, see accession 1977-2-1 (items 1229, 1228, 1230, 1231, 1232). For additional records documenting Mark Geldzaeler's writing, see accession 2014-6-5. For records relating to the Harris family there are photo albums in accession 1986-7-6 and a photo of the Harris Delicatessen in accession 1982-6-5 (item 3283). For documentation relating to Albert Rose’s activities within the Jewish community one can consult the following fonds: 9 (JIAS), 14 (Baycrest), 61 (JCC), 67 (UJWF) and 75 (JVS). Finally, there is also a portrait of Albert Rose from the 1940s in item 748.

Arrangement

The fonds is arranged in series, sub-series and files. Artifacts are described at the item level.

Creator

Rose, Jeff

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

31

Material Format

graphic material

Date

April 19, 1952

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

This item is a photograph of Eleazer Ladovsky and his family in Israel. There are Hebrew or Yiddish writing on the verso of the photograph. Eleazer is a cousin of Herman Ladovsky of Toronto.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 3846.

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

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Level

File

Fonds

83

File

1

Material Format

textual record

Date

1936-1953

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of a collection of letters sent to Aaron Ladovsky requesting help through his work with the Kieltzer Society.

Accession Number

1983-11-6

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

15

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1920]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w ; 24 x 18 cm on matte 32 x 24 cm

Scope and Content

Item is 2 copies of a portrait of Aaron Ladovsky seated in a chair.

Notes

Photograph by Famous Photo Studios, G. Mendlevich, Prop., 402 Spadina Ave., Toronto

Originally cited as photo # 6222.

Subjects

Portraits

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

1999-11-4

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

9

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 17 x 8 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a portrait of Aaron Ladovsky in a suit and bowler hat.

Notes

Original photo by Michlethwaite, 243 Yonge St., Toronto.

Originally cited as photo #1618.

Name Access

Ladovsky, Aaron

United Bakers

Subjects

Portraits

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

1978-12-7

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

10

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1910]]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 18 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a portrait of brothers Jack Ladovsky and Aaron Ladovsky with Shia Moshenberg. Jack is on the left, Aaron in the middle, and Shia on the right.

Notes

Originally cited as photo # 1619.

Name Access

Ladovsky, Jack

Ladovsky, Aaron

Moshenberg, Shia

Subjects

Brothers

Portraits

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

1978-12-7

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ladovsky family fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

83

File

9

Item

23

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1943

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 7 cm

Scope and Content

Photograph of Herman Ladovsky and Elly Rotenberg in England in 1943.

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

2004-5-21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Part Of

Shirley Baine fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

3

Material Format

textual record

Date

1936-1991

Physical Description

8 cm of textual records

Admin History/Bio

Shirley (Gertzbein) Baine (1910-2005) was born in Lithuania in 1910. She came to Toronto to live with her extended family during the 1930s. She later married Arthur Baine, a widower who had two children. Together, they had three additional children of their own.

Soon after her arrival in Canada, Shirley Baine became very involved in the Mizrachi organization. She was first a member of the Bruria Girls, during the late 1930s, and then joined the Etzion women's chapter later in her life. The role of both groups was to raise funds and provide support for Palestine (and later Israel). In 1972, she was honoured by this chapter with an inscription of her name into their Golden Book. She died in Toronto in 2005.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting Shirley Baine's activites in the Mizrachi movement as well as other initiatives. The fonds includes minutes of meetings, a dance program, a list of members from the Etzion chapter, correspondence, speeches, and a yiskor book.

Name Access

Baine, Shirley, 1910-2005

Subjects

Religious Zionism

Related Material

For related material on the Mizrachi movement, please see MG2 J1A.

Arrangement

By activity and chronological

Creator

Baine, Shirley, 1910-2005

Accession Number

2003-3-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Solomon Edell fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

4

Material Format

multiple media

Date

[ca. 1900]-2010

Physical Description

3.1 metres of textual records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Sol Edell (1919-2000) was a prominant member of the Toronto Jewish community who initially pursued a career as a pharmacist and was later founder and president of the property development company, Elmdale Investments. He held positions as board member or chair in a wide variety of religious, educational and social service organizations and institutions both in Canada and Israel. In Toronto, these included: Clanton Park Synagogue, Adas Israel Synagogue, Jones Avenue Cemetery, Canadian Jewish Congress and the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto (formerly Toronto Jewish Congress, and now the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto).

Edell was born in Toronto on 5 March 1919, the son of Pesach and Molly Edell. He attended Harbord Collegiate and graduated from the Toronto College of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, in 1943 while on leave of absence from the army. He was enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War and served in the signal corps.

After he completed his army service, he opened Edell’s Drug Store at 1978 Queen Street in Etobicoke in 1948, the first shomer Shabbat drug store in the city. He operated a second store at 494 Spadina Avenue in the late 1940s. In 1955 the Queen Street location was expropriated by the City of Toronto. Subsequently, Edell founded Elmdale Investments, the company which built and managed the Elmhurst Plaza in Etobicoke. He reopened the drug store, which was renamed Elmhurst Drugs in the plaza. He also invested in two retail textile stores, Deltex Drapery and Dodd’s Drapery which had been founded by group of businessmen including his cousin Israel Edell.

In 1952 he married Dolly Weinstock, the daughter of Moishe and Sylvia Weinstock. They lived in the newly developed suburb of North York with their four children: Ethel, Simcha, Malka and Joseph. After 10 years of marriage, Dolly died and in 1966, he married Celia Rogen Hoffman.

Sol Edell was a founding member and first president of the Clanton Park Congregation. He was actively involved in the construction of the synagogue and its development. He continued to be affiliated with Shomrai Shabbos where his grandfather Rabbi Yosef Weinreb had been the rabbi. He was also involved with Adas Israel, the synagogue in Hamilton where his wife Celia had been an active member.

He was chair of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region -- Toronto Jewish Congress Archives Committee, which subsequently became the Ontario Jewish Archives. During his tenure, the archives was responsible for the reconstruction of the Kiever Synagogue which had been built in the early 1900s but had fallen into a state of disrepair by the 1960s.

Sol Edell was also involved in a number of Zionist organizations. He was the founding chair of the Aliyah Support Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, whose mandate was to assist Torontonians who had moved to Israel and ease their transition into Israeli society. He was also an active member of the Mizrachi organization and its affiliated institutions. Another one of Sol Edell’s interests was ensuring the preservation of local cemeteries. He was president of the Jones Avenue Cemetery and on the board of Pardes Shalom and the Bathurst Lawn Cemetery, Clanton Park section.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting Sol Edell's business activities, community involvement and personal life. Included is correspondence, meeting minutes, photographs, financial records, legal records, publications, audio-visual material, invitations, newspaper clippings, artifacts, lists, reports, speeches, and architectural drawings.

The fonds is organized into the following eleven series: Personal; Edell's Drug Store and Elmhurst Pharmacy; Elmdale Investments; Deltex Drapery and Dodd's Drapery; Adas Israel Synagogue; Clanton Park Synagogue; Shomrai Shabbos; Aliyah; Cemetery and funeral home; Historical materials; and, Activities and organizations.

Notes

Physical description note: includes 739 photographs, 232 architectural drawings, 11 audio cassettes, 9 audio reels, 13 film reels, 7 videocassettes, 4 slides, 1 plaque, 4 badges, and 1 key.

Name Access

Edell Solomon, 1919-2000

Clanton Park Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)

Edell, Dolly

Edell, Celia

Edell's Drug Store

Elmhurst Pharmacy

Jones Avenue Cemetery

Canadian Jewish Congress/ Toronto Jewish Congress Archives

Aliyah Support Committee

Subjects

Business

Pharmacists

Access Restriction

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.

Physical Condition

The bulk of the architectural drawings are currently being stored rolled up. They should be flattened and encapsulated in melinex.

Film and sound reels should be digitized.

Related Material

See fonds #5 for material related to Paul Edell.

See accession #2012-10/9 for material related to the Edell family.

Creator

Edell, Solomon, 1919-2000

Accession Number

2002-12-2

2008-8-29

2011-5-4

2012-10-9

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Paul Edell fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

5

Material Format

textual record

Date

[191-]-1978

Physical Description

13 cm of textual records

Admin History/Bio

Paul Edell (1882-1966) was the owner of a Toronto printing business and a prominent member of Shomrai Shabbos Congregation.

Edell was born in Poland and emigrated to Toronto in 1910. He married Molly Weinreb in 1915 and they had 5 children: David, Sol, Ethel, Connie and Sara. When he arrived in Canada he found work as a clerk and salesman. He later apprenticed as a printer and in 1921, he opened his own business, Royal Printing, at 113 Elizabeth Street in Toronto. Edell continued to work at the business until his retirement in the 1960s. His customers included many Jewish businesses, institutions and organizations. Edell was also involved in a number of community activities, mostly centered around religious matters. He served as president of Shomrai Shabbos Congregation for many year and was also involved in the maintenance of the Jones Avenue cemetery. He passed away in 1966.

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of records related to Paul Edell's business and community activities. Included is business and synagogue correspondence, property documents, certificates and a ledger book.

Name Access

Edell, Paul, 1882-1966

Royal Printing

Shomrai Shabbos

Subjects

Businesspeople

Immigrants--Canada

Synagogues

Physical Condition

Ledger book is in poor condition and requires conservation work.

Related Material

For records related to Paul Edell's son, please see the Solomon Edell fonds 4.

For further records on the Edell and Weinreb families, see accession 2012-10-9.

Creator

Edell, Paul, 1882-

Accession Number

2002-12-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

David Pinkus fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

138

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

graphic material (electronic)

architectural drawing

philatelic record

sound recording

cartographic material

object

Date

1854-2021

Physical Description

ca. 2.4 m of textual records

ca. 600 photographs : b&w and col. (ca. 90 negatives); 30 x 35 cm or smaller

other material

Admin History/Bio

David Pinkus (1924-2021) was born on May 11, 1924, at the Toronto General Hospital to Isadore Pinkus (1887-1947) and Molly (Mollie) Pinkus (née Parelstein) (1892-1990). Isadore was born in Kiev Gubernia of the Russian Empire; Molly was born in Podolia Gubernia of the Russian Empire and later moved to Ukraine with her family. Isadore and Molly met and married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1910 and moved to Toronto in 1911. The Pinkus family settled in Kensington Market in around 1914 and was one of the first Jewish settlers to the Kensington neighbourhood. David spent his entire life living in the Kensington Market area. He lived on 83 Huron Street until 1927 when the Pinkus family moved to 34 Nassau Street, which has been the house of the Pinkus family ever since. David had two siblings: brother Max and sister Goldie.

In his childhood, David attended the Brunswick Talmud Torah daily and learned Hebrew. He had his bar mitzvah at the Kiever Shul. David attended William Houston School until 1930 and Ryerson Public School until grade eight. Later, he attended Harbord School for high school and was also involved with sports at Harbord Collegiate and YMHA. In 1947, David obtained his Bachelor of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. After graduation, he worked at Goodyear for one year and returned to the University of Toronto as an instructor of engineering drawing and machine design. Later, he worked at various places such as Canadian Industries Limited in Maitland, Toronto Iron Works, and Avro Aircraft Limited.

David’s father, Isadore, was one of the founders of the Kiever Synagogue. David’s involvement with the Kiever Synagogue started in 1947, following Isadore’s death. David served as president and held positions on the executive of the Kiever Shul and played a principal role in the restoration of the shul. He also served on Toronto’s Board of Health as well as the boards of the Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, and St. Christopher House. In addition, David was an active community leader and local historian. He did genealogical research for many Toronto Jewish families. David had been recognized by the National Jewish Federation of North America as a Jewish community hero in 2011. He passed away on May 6, 2021.

Custodial History

Records received after the death of David Pinkus through Joseph Solomon, the executor of David Pinkus’ estate. Records have been selected by archivists following a site visit at David’s home at 34 Nassau Street, Toronto.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of textual records, graphic material, sound recordings, architectural drawings, artifacts, and a small number of philatelic records, most of which document David Pinkus’ career and personal life, the Pinkus family, the Kiever Shul, the Kiever Cemetery, as well as Mount Sinai Cemetery Association (Mount Sinai Memorial Park) and the Dawes Road Cemeteries (Amalgamated Dawes Road Trustees), of which the Kiever Congregation is a member organization. Also included are documents and photographs of other individuals and families, which David collected for his genealogical research, and those that are pertaining to Kensington Market and other congregations and cemeteries.

Textual records include correspondence; scrapbooks; education records; identification documents; research notes and clippings relating to David’s genealogical research; documents pertaining to his Kensington Market activism and community work; files on David’s engineering career and his role as president of the Kiever Shul; and files documenting the Pinkus family members, such as funeral documents, notebooks, family correspondence, voters’ lists, and records relating to Pinkus Fruit Co. and 34 Nassau Street. Also included are records documenting the Kiever Shul, which include meeting minutes, ledger books, financial documents, legal documents, membership lists and application forms, address books, high holiday service cards, and historic papers dating from the 1920s and 1930s. Textual records documenting the Kiever Cemetery, Mount Sinai Memorial Park, and the Dawes Road Cemeteries are mainly comprised of cemetery maps, burial plot cards, burial record books, by-laws and regulations, and meeting minutes. Also present are records pertaining to other congregations and cemeteries, such as constitution books, brochures, booklets, and copies of legal documents.

Photographs mainly feature David Pinkus and the Kiever Cemetery, with a small number featuring the Pinkus family members, the Junction Synagogue (Congregation Knesseth Israel), the Great Choral Synagogue of Kyiv, and those that David collected for his genealogical research.

Architectural drawings of this fonds include the restoration and renovation plan for the Kiever Shul and the alteration plan for Mount Sinai Cemetery Administration Building.

Also present are sound recordings, including cassettes and microcassettes of David Pinkus; and artifacts, including felt patches, pin back buttons, medals, Toronto foot-pedlar registration badges, and a wooden gavel of the Kiever Shul.

Fonds has been arranged into the following series: David Pinkus’ personal records; Kensington Market; David Pinkus’ genealogical research; the Pinkus family; the Kiever Shul; the Kiever Cemetery; Mount Sinai Memorial Park; the Dawes Road Cemeteries; and other associations, congregations, and cemeteries.

Notes

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION NOTE: Also included are 22 architectural drawings, 7 maps, 4 audio cassettes, 2 microcassettes, 1 optical disc, 8 drawings, 2 prints, 1 photo collage, 34 pinback buttons, 15 Toronto padler-on-foot registration badges, 8 felt patches, 3 medals, 3 brooches, 1 wooden gavel, 2 tax tokens, 2 postage stamps, 1 sales tax stamp, and 9 revenue stamps.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: Books that were initially included in this fonds have been removed and incorporated into the OJA’s library collection. These books are: Spadina Avenue by Rosemary Donegan with an introduction by Rick Salutin, Toronto No Mean City by Eric Arthur revised by Stephen A. Otto, Canadian Jewish Directory edited by Edmond Y. Lipsitz, The Toronto Jewish Directory, and The Canada Year Book 1905 (second series).

HISTORY/BIO NOTE: Information is sourced from OH 413 and the content of the fonds.

Name Access

Pinkus, David, 1924-2021

Kiever Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)

Mount Sinai Cemetery Association (Toronto, Ont.)

Mount Sinai Memorial Park (Toronto, Ont.)

Dawes Road Cemetery (Toronto, Ont.)

Amalgamated Dawes Road Trustees (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Families

Synagogues

Genealogy

Cemeteries

Access Restriction

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.

Repro Restriction

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Related Material

See accessions 2004-1-5, 2004-1-6, 2004-2-1, 2008-11-9, 2016-3-48, and 2021-10-1 for additional information on the Kiever Shul; and OH 413 for more information on David Pinkus and the Pinkus family.

Arrangement

Records came into the OJA with no discernible order. Arrangement has been imposed by the archivist.

Creator

Pinkus, David, 1924-2021

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Kensington Market (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

2021-7-3

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Samuel Crystal fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

145

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1967

Physical Description

149 photographs : b&w and col. ; 18 x 13 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

The youngest child of Abraham Crystal and Sarah Crystal, Samuel "Sam" Crystal was born in Pontypool, Ontario, on 16 September 1927, where he grew up with his eight siblings. At the age of seventeen, Sam went to work for the Toronto Telegram, which brought him to Toronto. After his time at the Telegram, Sam worked for the Public Relations Board of Canada and, later, the Oshawa Group.

In 1948, Sam married his wife, Shirley, with whom he had three children: Ken, Ellen, and Michael. In 1967, he travelled to Israel for the first time as part of a UJA fact-finding mission. According to his son Ken, the trip "profoundly moved him" and "brought home his sense of Judaism." It was on that trip that Sam came to know Samuel Posluns; fifteen years later, Sam's son Ken married Samuel's daughter Lynn. Sam went on to travel to Israel several times subsequently.

Sam passed away on 12 January 2021.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of 149 photographs that were taken on a trip to Israel Sam took in December 1967.

Notes

Availability of other formats: Digitized material.

Name Access

Crystal, Samuel, 1927-2021

Subjects

Zionism

Repro Restriction

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Creator

Crystal, Samuel, 1927-2021

Places

Israel

Accession Number

2023-11-9

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Gerald Tulchinsky fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

149

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

[185-?]-2017

Physical Description

4.36 m of textual records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Tulchinsky (1933–2017) was born in Brantford, Ontario, in 1933 to Harry Tulchinsky and Anne Tulchinsky (née Stemeroff). Gerald spent his childhood and teen years growing up in Brantford as one of four children. His parents owned and operated the Mayfair dress shop on Colborne Street. The Tulchinsky family were active members of their community and were involved with the Beth David Congregation and the Sharon chapter of Hadassah-WIZO. Anne received multiple awards for her volunteer work.

Gerald Tulchinsky left Brantford in order to attend university. He received his undergraduate degree from McGill University and went on to receive his PhD in history from the University of Toronto in 1971.

Gerald married his wife, Ruth Tulchinsky (née Rice), in 1961, and, after spending the first few years of their marriage in various Canadian cities, they settled in Kingston, Ontario. Tulchinsky and his wife had three children: Steve, Ellen and Laura.

Dr. Gerald Tulchinsky’s professional career as a historian began with a focus on Canadian business and labour; later, his research interests expanded to include Canadian Jewish history. He briefly taught at the University of Saskatchewan before becoming a professor at Queen’s University, where he taught in the history department from 1966 to 2000. During his time at Queen’s, Tulchinsky expanded interest in the field of Canadian Jewish studies through his encouragement and supervision of graduate students. As professor emeritus, he was involved in creating the Jewish studies program at Queen’s, which he later became the director of after his retirement from the history department in 2000. In 2005, Tulchinsky became the recipient of theLouis Rosenberg Award, which honoured his contributions to the field of Canadian Jewish studies.

It was also during this time at Queen’s that he became known as a leading scholar on Canadian Jewish history. Over the course of his career, he published six books, including "The River Barons Montreal Businessmen and the Growth of Industry and Transportation 1837–53," "Taking Root: The Origins of the Canadian Jewish Community," "Branching Out: The Transformation of the Canadian Jewish Community," "Canada’s Jews: A People's Community," "Joe Salsberg: A Life of Commitment," and "Shtetl on Grand." The latter is a collection of short stories based on his experiences growing up Jewish in Brantford.

In addition to his books, he wrote and edited dozens of articles on business, immigration, transportation, and antisemitism during his career. Towards the end of his life, he had been working on a book on the history of the Canadian clothing industry.

Tulchinsky died on 13 December 2017. He was eighty-four.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records created and accumulated by Dr. Gerald Tulchinsky. The records relate to his personal life and professional career. The majority of the records are textual and primarily consist of his research on J. B. Salsberg, Canadian Jewish history, business, labour, and the Canadian clothing industry. The records include photocopied research materials, such as articles, statistical reports, and scanned newspaper pages. The records also include research notes; interviews; correspondence; grant applications; photographs; six audio cassettes and two VHS tapes; newspaper clippings; and lecture notes and course syllabi; as well as drafts of Dr. Tulchinsky’s manuscripts, poems, short stories, and articles. Also included among the records are daily planners; some family photographs; birthday and congratulation cards; a passport; a travel diary; a record of the Tulchinsky family tree; Anne Tulchinsky’s volunteer awards and other records; and various materials related to the Tulchinsky family’s involvement in the Brantford Jewish community, the Beth David Congregation, and the Sharon chapter of Hadassah-WIZO.

The fonds is divided into the following six series: 1. Drafts and manuscripts, 2. Research, 3. Personal and family, 4. Correspondence, 5. Teaching materials, and 6. Miscellaneous.

Notes

Associated material: Records of the parish of Gerald Tulchinsky are also held by Queen's University Archives.

Name Access

Tulchinsky, Gerald, 1933-2017

Subjects

Authors

College teachers

Historians

Creator

Tulchinsky, Gerald, 1933-2017

Places

Canada

Accession Number

2008-7-1

2014-8-4

2015-2-2

2016-2-7

2016-5-10

2017-9-4

2018-1-4

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Morley Torgov fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

108

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Date

1938-2011

Physical Description

5.2 m of textual records and graphic material

Admin History/Bio

Morley Torgov (b. 1927) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer and former commercial lawyer.

Torgov was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to Allan (b. Russia, 8 July 1895-1964?) and Janey (née Colish) Torgov (b. England, 1901-d. Sault Ste. Marie, July 1926). Allan Torgov owned and operated a clothing store in Sault Ste. Marie named Allan's. Morley married Anna Pearl (née Cohen) in 1948 and had two children, Sarah Jane Steinberg and Alexander Torgov (b. 1959-d. 2009), and four grandchildren.

Torgov was educated at the University of Toronto, receiving his bachelor of laws degree from Osgoode Hall and was called to the bar in 1954. He became a partner in the law firm Olsch, Torgov, Cohen and specialized in commercial law. While practicing law in Toronto during the 1960s, he turned to writing. Torgov's first book, A Good Place to Come From (1974), a comic memoir of growing up Jewish in Sault Ste. Marie, was made into a CBC miniseries and won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. Torgov continued to write other books including the Outside Chance of Maximillian Glick (1982), which won him his second Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. The CBC produced a television series based on this work and the book was published in several languages. This success was followed by St. Farb's Day (1990), which won the Toronto Book Award and the National Jewish Book Award for fiction. Other published works include the Abramsky Variations (1977), the War to End All Wars (1998), Stickler and Me (2002), Murder in A-major (2008), and the Mastersinger from Minsk (2012).

Torgov's writings also include several screenplays for television and film and numerous essays and articles for the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Montreal Gazette, the Canadian Lawyer and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Torgov has been honored by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, naming their annual award the TORGI after Torgov, the first recipient of that award in 1984. In 2005, he received the Order of Mariposa, a lifetime recognition award from the Leacock Society. In 2010, he received the Order of Canada as an acknowledgement of his contributions to Canadian society.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of material related to the life and work of Morley Torgov. Included are literary drafts and working papers, reviews, speeches, presentations, public addresses, memorabilia, sketches and drawings, photographs, correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles, and Torgov's original file folders with jottings of ideas and references for future use.

Notes

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: The scope and content for most of the file level descriptions are taken verbatim from the original description provided by Mr. Torgov at the time of donation and therefore is written in the first person.

Name Access

Torgov, Morley, 1927-

Subjects

Authors

Related Material

Researchers should consult the Morley Torgov fonds at the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library for other records.

Arrangement

Records were arranged at the file level by the creator. This original arrangement has been maintained by the archivist.

Places

Sault Ste. Marie (Ont.)

Accession Number

1984-12-8

1986-12-6

1989-12-7

1990-12-10

1992-12-4

1995-12-4

1998-12-2

1999-12-3

2000-12-2

2002-12-6

2003-12-4

2004-12-1

2005-3-2

2005-12-3

2006-12-6

2007-12-16

2008-12-7

2011-12-3

2018-8-18

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Gilbert Studios fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

37

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1895]-1979

Physical Description

690 photographs : b&w and col. negatives ; 26 x 21 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

Gilbert Studios was originally called Elite Studios and was located at 513 Queen Street West, Toronto. The owner, Nathan Gittelmacher, immigrated to Toronto from Kiev, Ukraine after the First World War. He first worked as a photographer at Empire Studios, and then in 1922, opened up his own studio, Elite Studios, at 513 Queen Street West, which serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events. The studio moved to 615 Queen St. West in July 1923

.During the 1940s, the family changed its name to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. His son, Al Gilbert, was born in 1922, and started working in the family business in 1941, when he was 19 years of age. He eventually assumed control of it after his father retired. He moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and then later to Davenport Road, its current location.

Early on in his career, Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer. At that time, he mostly catered to the Jewish community, photographing brides, rabbis, businessmen and communal events and celebrations. Over the years, he branched out and photographed prominent individuals from the Italian community of Toronto, as well as well as many of the mayors and councilmen and women from Toronto, due to his multi-year contract with the city. In addition, he photographed some of the most important people of our time – from Canada and abroad – including artists, politicians, scientists, philanthropists, athletes, and religious figures.

Over the years, Al won many competitions, awards and accolades. He is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) photographer of the year award. He has also been named a Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. Al was also the first recipient of the Yousuf Karsh award. In 1990, he was recognized for his contribution to the nation as an artist with the Order of Canada award. Finally, in 2007, he was awarded the Professional Photographers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He died in 2019 at the age of 96.

Gilbert Studios is still in business today.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of images taken by Nathan and Al Gilbert. In addition, there are some images the Gilbert family acquired, from the early 1900s, that have historical significance to the Toronto Jewish community.

Although the Gilberts photographed a variety of people and organizations, the individuals and groups included in this fonds are either Jewish in origin or connected to the Jewish community.

The fonds has been arranged into nine series: Negev dinners; B'nai B'rith Sportsmen Lodge dinners; Zionist Centre cornerstone ceremony; Al Gilbert portraits; Nathan Gilbert portraits; weddings; Jewish Community events; Jewish clubs businsesses and organizations; and Miscellaneous collection.

Notes

Positive digital scanned images are available for all of the described negatives.

Name Access

Elite Studios (Toronto, Ont.)

Gilbert, Al, 1923-2019

Gilbert, Nathan

Gilbert Studio

Physical Condition

Some negatives are suffering from vinegar syndrome.

Related Material

See also the Albert Gilbert fonds (Reference # R9086-0-X-E) at Library and Archives Canada

Creator

Gilbert Studios (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

1991-6-2

1991-4-4

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ralph Hyman fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

35

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

[193-?]-[1982?]

Physical Description

71 cm of textual records

ca. 25 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

Ralph Hyman (1906–1989) was a Toronto journalist who also played an active role in Jewish community organizations. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1906, the son of Russian parents, Sarah and Hyman Radutsky. The name was changed to Hyman in Scotland. Several years after his birth, the family immigrated to Wellington, New Zealand, where they stayed until Ralph was seventeen. In 1924, they moved again, this time to Los Angeles. There, Ralph began his journalism career with the Glendale Times. In 1925, the family moved to Toronto, where Ralph got a job as a reporter for the Toronto Star. In 1928, he moved to the Mail and Empire. When the Mail and Empire merged with the Globe to form the Globe and Mail in 1936, he became a reporter and a political and feature writer. Ralph remained at the Globe and Mail unitl his retirement in 1971. A few months after his retirement, he returned to work as editorial consultant to the Canadian Jewish News. In 1972, he was appointed editor of that publication, a position he filled until his final retirement in 1980.

Ralph Hyman was active in the Joint Community Relations Committee, the Toronto Newspaper Guild and the Toronto Men's Press Club. He was married to Edith Etigson, and they had two children: Gerald David and Roger Leslie.

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of records relating to the life and career of journalist and news editor, Ralph Hyman. The records include newspaper articles and books written by Ralph Hyman, correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, periodicals, and ephemera.

Name Access

Hyman, Ralph, 1906-1989

Subjects

Editors

Journalists

Physical Condition

Newspaper articles are in poor condition.

Creator

Hyman, Ralph, 1906-1989

Accession Number

1990-6-3

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Ajalon Lodge fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

72

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Date

1929-1986

Physical Description

ca. 1.25 metres of textual records

ca. 15 scrapbooks

ca. 20 objects

Admin History/Bio

The Ajalon Lodge was first organized on 10 March 1929 as the Ajalon Club of Young Judaea. The founding members were Abe Bohnen, Hyman Cohen, Isaac Gringorten, George (Hamell) Himmelstein and Lou Hochman. The group met at the Zionist Institute at 206 Beverley Street in Toronto. The name was selected by Abe Bohnen and Mark Zimmerman, the Young Judaea supervisor, from a map of Palestine which hung in the Young Judaea library.

The first leader of the club was Morris Kertzer followed by Al Zimmerman. In 1930 the lodge began to record its activities in scrapbooks, which it later named the Ajalon Archives. The archivists over the years included Max Schwadron, Ben Marks, Myer Bromberg, and Willie Zimmerman.

The club was actively involved in Young Judaea literary, social, and fundraising activities. In 1935, the club graduated from the Young Judaea movement and become a lodge of the Zionist Order Habonim. By 1939 however, the Ajalon, Balfour, Bialik, and Jaffa lodges merged into the Toronto Habonim Lodge due the waning membership as many men went off to war. After the war, the four lodges returned to their original state. In 1940, the lodge acquired club rooms on the third floor of the Zionist Building and in 1944 several wives of lodge members organized the Ajalon Ladies Auxiliary. By 1953, Habonim became the Zionist Men’s Association of Canada, an affiliate organization of the Zionist Organization of Canada and by the 1960s, Ajalon Lodge became directly affiliated with ZOC. Over the course of its existence membership in the lodge has been between 40 and 90 members.

Ajalon Lodge participated in many fundraising campaigns for Jewish organizations in Toronto, such as the Jewish National Fund and the United Palestine Appeal. Many of its members also served on the board of directors for organizations such as the Toronto Zionist Council and Young Judaea. The lodge was involved in several fundraising initiatives, including the establishment of a kindergarten in Ashkelon, Israel in 1972. In later years the Ajalon Lodge was affiliated with the Zionist Organization of Canada.

Custodial History

The records were in the custody of both Willie Zimmerman and Meyer Bromberg before they were donated to the Archives in 1984, 1988, and 1994.

Scope and Content

This fonds primarily consists of the records collected and created by the Ajalon Archives Committee, under the direction of Max Schwadron, Ben Marks, Myer Bromberg, and Willie Zimmerman. The archives are organized into scrapbooks by year and relate first to activities of Ajalon Club as a chapter of Young Judaea and then to Ajalon Lodge as a chapter of the Zionist Order Habonim. Later scrapbooks represent the lodge’s activities as part of the broader Zionist network affiliated with the Zionist Organization of Canada. The scrapbooks consist of photographs, event invitations, pamphlets and flyers, correspondence, editorial writings, newsletters, newsclippings, meeting minutes, activity reports, and ephemera. They begin in 1929 and run to 1983.

Also included in the fonds are the meeting minutes, financial reports and general correspondence files of the lodge, as well as several artifacts collected by Meyer Bromberg while he was the acting archivist.

Name Access

Ajalon Lodge (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Zionism

Physical Condition

Some of the early scrapbooks are in poor condition. The pages are brittle and are crumbling along the edges. As well, the scrapbooks require tissue-paper linings between the pages to separate the various media contained within and to prevent any further degredation, particularly of the photographs. Many of the photos in the later scrapbooks require rehousing in acid-free melanex.

Related Material

Related material can be found in the Zionist Organization of Canada fonds 28, the Meyer Bromberg fonds, the Maurice Berg fonds and the Willie Zimmerman fonds 41.

Creator

Ajalon Lodge (Toronto, Ont.)

Accession Number

1984-11-2

1988-6-5

1994-10-3

2005-4-4

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Sadie Stren fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

78

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

graphic material (electronic)

Date

[189-]-1997

Physical Description

15 cm of textual records

176 photographs : b&w ; 20 x 25 cm or smaller

2 photographs (jpg) : b&w

Admin History/Bio

Sadie Stren (1915-2014) was born on April 19, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. Her father and mother had come from a small town in Russia. Samuel Goldberg, her father, arrived to stay with family in Brantford, Ontario in 1910 and began working as a peddler. He moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1912 where he worked for the Ford Motor Company and later owned a confectionary store. Emma, Sadie’s mother, came from Russia to reunite with Samuel after he began living in Detroit and the couple married and started a family there.

Sadie grew up in a predominately Jewish neighbourhood in Detroit with her parents and her sister Sarah. She graduated from what is now Wayne State University and worked as a social studies teacher in Detroit for approximately 10 years, until she married at age 31. Sadie first met her husband, Maurice "Maurie" Strenkovsky (1910-1995), while visiting relatives in Brantford. By the time the two had met, Maurie was going by the last name Stren, although it is not certain when he began to do so. He served in the Second World War and corresponded with Sadie during their courtship. The two married in 1947, five years after meeting. The couple initially lived in Detroit, where their son David was born on August 28, 1948, but soon moved to Brantford, where Sadie gave birth to a daughter, Patti, on August 8, 1949. Maurie became a manufacturer of surgical dressing and continued in this profession until his retirement.

When Sadie first moved to Brantford, she joined several Jewish women’s organizations, including Hadassah. She continued to be actively involved in both Jewish and non-Jewish community organizations for the remainder of her life. She ran and taught the Beth David Sunday school in Brantford for many years, and in 1976, was honoured for her work as Sunday school supervisor by the Beth David Sisterhood. During her time in Brantford, Sadie served on the board of directors for eight different organizations, and was the president of four. She was a member of the board of directors for the Family Service Bureau and was elected president in 1966. She was also a past president of the University Women’s Club and a former board member of the YM-YWCA. Her husband was quite active in the community as well. Maurie Stren’s commitments included serving as president of B’nai B’rith Brantford from 1965-1966 and as District Governor of the Lions Club from 1963-64, among other things.

Upon moving to Toronto, Sadie became a member of the Baycrest Women’s Auxiliary and volunteered at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Aphasia Institute.

Sadie was an amateur historian who served as the Brantford Jewish community's archivist and historian for a number of years. She had been collecting sources of Brantford Jewish history in her home since at least the 1970s in order to assemble the history of Brantford's community. Sadie was also an author who wrote about the history of the Brantford community, spoke at conferences, and was a contributor to the Canadian Jewish Historical Society Journal in 1981. She passed away on December 9, 2014.

Custodial History

The records were donated by Sadie Stren in five different transfers from 1976-2006. The first accession was received as a part of the small communities project in 1976 and included only photographs. Subsequent accessions included photographs and textual documents relating to both Sadie’s family and the Brantford community. Sadie is an author and she acquired some of the materials when researching the history of the Brantford community.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of material created and collected by Sadie Stren related to the Brantford Jewish community, as both a member of the community and an author researching its history. Among the records are newspaper and article clippings, correspondence, research notes, records of the Brantford Hebrew Association, miscellaneous printed and published material, Hadassah minutes, records related to Congregation Beth David and its Hebrew school and photographs.

The Brantford Hebrew Association records include 3 ledger books which span the years between 1909 to 1952, legal documents for the Association including the original letters patent incorporating the Brantford Hebrew Association in 1911.

Notes

Some of the photographs are modern copies of older photographs.

Some early accessions contained photocopies of orginal documents that were eventually donated in later transfers. These photocopies were culled.

Many photographs were described at the item level at the time they were accessioned, but there are quite a few photographs in the fonds which have not yet been described in detail.

Name Access

Stren, Sadie, 1915-2014

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Volunteers

Related Material

For additional material related to the Brantford Jewish community see also accession #1978-11-4, accession #2009-2-5, oral history #AC91, and accession #2004-5-71.

Creator

Stren, Sadie, 1915-

Places

Brantford (Ont.)

Accession Number

1976-6-9

1977-5-6

1978-11-3

2005-11-10

2006-12-1

Source

Archival Descriptions