Name

Max Federman

Number

OH 149

OH 150

Subject

Communism

Immigrants--Canada

Labor unions

Interview Date

19 Mar. 1976

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Ben Schneider

Total Running Time

OH149A: 30. minutes OH149B: 30. minutes OH150A: 1. minute

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Max Federman was born in Poland. In 1919, he moved to Germany where he attended school. He joined his father in Toronto in 1920. A union leader, labour Zionist, and ardent anti-Communist, Max became actively involved in the union movement and served as representative of the Local Fur Workers Union. He was involved in a twenty-year battle with the Communist leadership of the International Furrier Union until they disbanded and merged with the International Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union. Max was involved in Jewish community organizations including the Histadrut, Borochov School, and the United Jewish Welfare Fund.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Federman, Max

Goldman, Emma

Schneider, Ben

Geographic Access

Germany

Poland

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 149, 150, Max Federman\OH 149, 150 notes.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Max Federman describes the conflict between the Federation of Labour and Communist International Union from 1938–1956. He discusses the steps by which the International Fur and Leather Union disaffiliated with the International Union to join the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union in 1956.

In this clip, Max Federman discusses his early involvement with a trade union while living in Germany in 1919.

Name

Al Hershkovitz

Number

OH 111

Subject

Immigrants--Canada

Labor

Labor unions

Refugees--Canada

Zionists

Interview Date

19 Nov. 1985

Quantity

1 cassette (1 copy)

1 WAV file

Interviewer

Phyllis Platnick

Total Running Time

40.30 minutes

Conservation

November 2006

Digitized in 2014

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Al Hershkovitz was a fur union representative who helped organize the project that brought furriers from the displaced persons camps of Europe to Canada in the late 1940s. As a union representative, Al was granted temporary military rank in order to enter the displaced persons camps in Europe. He became part of the selection committee responsible for determining which displaced persons could come to Canada.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Hershkovitz, Al

Federman, Max

Kerbel, Joe

Silver, Harris

Jewish Labor Committee

Canadian Jewish Congress

Jewish Immigrant Aid Society

International Fur and Leather Workers Union

American Federation of Labor

Geographic Access

Toronto (Ont.)

Europe

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 111 - Hershkovitz\OH111_Log.wav

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Max Enkin

Number

OH 113

OH 114

Subject

Antisemitism

Immigrants--Canada

Labor unions

Nonprofit organizations

Occupations

Refugees--Canada

Interview Date

13 Apr. 1986

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Phyllis Platnick

Total Running Time

OH113: 19:40 minuets

OH114:

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Digitized 11/28/2011

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Max Enkin was founder and a leading member of the Jewish Vocational Service of Toronto. The original purpose of the organization was to help survivors of the Second World War find employment. In 1947, as associate administrator and representative for the men's clothing sector in Ontario, Max Enkin became involved in the Tailor Project. The project was designed to identify and select skilled tailors from the displaced persons camps of Europe and help to settle them in Canada.

Max Enkin was awarded the Order of the British Empire in recognition of services to the Wartime Prices and Trade Board.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Enkin, Max

Platnick, Phyllis

Geographic Access

Toronto

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 113, OH 114 - Enkin\OH113_001_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Max Enkin discusses the organizations, government departments, and union representatives involved in the development and implementation of the Tailor Project.

In this clip, Max Enkin discusses the Liberal government

Name

Rabbi Elimelech Ittamar

Number

OH 141

Subject

Education

Immigrants--Canada

Rabbis

Synagogues

Zionists

Interview Date

11 May 1976

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Doris Newman

Total Running Time

Side 1: 46 minutes Side 2: 19 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Rabbi Ittamar was born in Poland. He came to Toronto in 1923. He attended Landsdowne and Ryerson Public Schools in Toronto for one year and then continued his education at a theological seminary in New York, which later became Yeshiva University. Throughout his life, Rabbi Ittamar was an ardent Zionist. From 1930 until June 1932, Rabbi Ittamar served as rabbi of Beth Jacob and Adas Yisroel Synagogues in Hamilton. He then worked as principal of the Seattle Talmud Torah and attended graduate school at the University of Washington for three and a half years. He served for twenty years in Detroit as rabbi and president of Yeshiva. He made aliyah in 5715 (1955), when he was invited by Chief Rabbi Herzog to become secretary of the chief rabbinate. He was married (nee Unger) in 1936 and had two children, Tamar and Yehoshua.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Ittamar, Elimelech

Geographic Access

Toronto

Hamilton

Detroit

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 141, Rabbi Elmelech Ittamar\OH 141 notes.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Rabbi Ittamar shares some of his early memories as a boy in Toronto.

While attending Yeshiva in New York, Rabbi Ittamar headed the debating team. In this clip he describes his first English-speaking public presentation while representing the debating team in 1930 at the Jewish People’s Institute in Chicago.

Name

Dora Till

Number

OH 151

Subject

Immigrants--Canada

Families

Labor

Labor unions

Women

Occupations

Interview Date

4 May 1983

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman

Total Running Time

46 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Dora Till (née Tobias) was born in New York City in 1896. She came to Toronto in 1900. She married Morris Till in 1918. They had one daughter, Cecile. As a youth, Dora was involved with Herzl Girls and the Boot and Shoe Society. Dora was active in community service and contributed greatly to social service work. She was co-founder and first president for the Mothers' and Babes' Summer Rest Home, vice president of the Hebrew Maternity Aid Society, a board member for the Jewish Family and Child Services, an executive for the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, honorary vice president of United Jewish Welfare Fund, on the board of Canadian Jewish Congress and past president of the Naomi Chapter of Hadassah-WIZO.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Herzl Girls Boot and Shoe Society, 1920

Mothers and Babes Summer Rest Home

Baycrest Hospital

United Jewish Welfare Fund

Beth Tzedec Synagogue

Timothy Eaton Company

Till, Dora

Geographic Access

Toronto

Bronte

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Dora Till discusses some of the services provided by Hebrew Maternity Aid.

Dora Till was co-founder and first president for Mothers and Babes Summer Rest Home. In this clip, Dora describes the efforts to solicit and fundraise on behalf of the Mothers and Babes Summer Rest Home.

Name

Kalmen Kaplansky

Number

OH 109

Subject

Antisemitism

Human rights

Immigrants--Canada

Labor

Labor unions

Refugees--Canada

Interview Date

20 Sep. 1985

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Phyllis Platnick

Total Running Time

109A: 60 minutes 109B: 6 minutes

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Kalmen was born on 5 January 1912 in Poland. He worked in Montreal as a typesetter and linotype operator. He was active in the labour and human rights movements in Canada. Kalmen served as the director of the Jewish Labour Committee in 1945. In collaboration with the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian government, and trade unions, the Jewish Labour Committee helped Jewish displaced persons immigrate to Canada by securing them employment. Kalman sat on the Refugee Status Advisory Committee for the federal government.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Kaplansky, Kalmen

Platnick, Phyllis

Jewish Labour Committee

Geographic Access

Toronto

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 109 - Kaplansky\OH109_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 109 - Kaplansky\OH109_002_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Kalmen Kaplansky discusses some of the obstacles to the relocation of displaced Jews to Canada after the Second World War. He describes a tripartite proposal involving consultation and cooperation among trade unions, management, and government, which enabled the immigration project.

In this clip, Kalmen Kaplansky explains that bribery, corruption, and perjury were a way of life after the Second World War. He relates anecdotes as an example.

Name

Stephen Pincus

Number

OH 415

Subject

Immigrants--Canada

Interview Date

26 Apr. 2015

Interviewer

Jessica Parker

Total Running Time

1 hr. 23 min.

Use Restrictions

Restriction noted by interviewee on video/oral history release form: The foregoing is subject to OJA obtaining my prior written consent prior to placing any of the interview on the internet (other than password protected communications)

Researches should be directed to the access copy created by Stephen Pincus.

Biography

Although he grew up in South Africa, Stephen was born in England where his father was studying. When they returned to South Africa in 1963, they visited Israel on the way, and five-year-old Stephen fell in love with the exotic, young Jewish state.

As a teenager, Stephen was active in Habonim, South Africa’s largest Zionist youth movement and became head of that movement in the late 1970s, running the largest Jewish youth camp in the world. Stephen was also elected chair of South Africa’s Zionist Youth Council, the umbrella body for all-Jewish youth organizations in the country. He and his wife Michelle then moved to Israel with a Habonim group that established Kibbutz Tuval in the western Galilee.

In 1982 Stephen came to study in Toronto. He served as administrator of Bialik Hebrew Day School and as camp director of Camp Shalom, while completing MBA and LLB degrees, and was awarded the Gold Medal at Osgoode Hall Law School. Stephen and Michelle started a family and both their own parents immigrated to Toronto.

Stephen is a senior partner and executive committee member at Goodmans LLP, is widely regarded as one of Canada’s leading business lawyers, and has played a pioneering role in the development of the country’s capital markets. He is is the founding chair of the Canada Africa Chamber of Business, a director of Kew Media Group, a member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, chair of the board of Makom, and founder of Kaleidoscope, a unique multi-dimensional Israel engagement program.

He and his wife Michelle; their two married children, Daniel and Lisa; granddaughter Olivia; and therapy dog Mannee all live in Toronto.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Pincus, Stephen, 1958-

Geographic Access

England

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

00:56 Stephen discusses his family background, including notable forebears, his grandparents' immigration in the early 1900s, and the largely Lithuanian composition of the South African Jewish community.

03:04 Stephen discusses his South-African-born parents' backgrounds and how they met.

05:14 Stephen mentions that he was born in England in 1958, while his family was abroad for his father's medical studies. He lived there until they returned to South Africa in 1964.

06:25 Stephen remembers arriving in South Africa and all the family that had come to greet them who hadn't seen his parents for eight years. He mentions that all correspondence happened via mail.

08:01 Stephen describes his family's relationship to Judaism: They were Orthodox in name, but took a pragmatic approach. Stephen went to public school and received a lot of his Jewish education from Habonim.

09:27 Stephen describes his bar mitzvah celebrations. Stephen remembers preparing his speech. He enjoys public speaking and this was a starting point.

10:49 Stephen talks about the Habonim youth movement. Stephen's involvement began in his early teens. He became the head of the movement in the late 1970s and ran the camp for a couple of years. Stephen is organizing a trip this summer to Israel for alumni of Habonim.

14:50 Stephen explains that he has a foot in South Africa, Canada, and Israel.

15:43 Stephen talks about the unique environment in South Africa that contributed to Zionism. He talks about the Soweto Uprising in 1976. Israel was a place where South African Jews could create something better. Stephen finds it ironic that some see in Israel a continuation of apartheid.

19:53 Stephen talks about his parents' view of his involvement in Habonim. He relates a story where his father became upset when Stephen participated in a march protesting a United Nations resolution instead of studying for an exam.

21:37 Stephen's father was risk-averse and practical. He wasn't keen on Stephen moving to Israel and would discourage his son indirectly. Stephen went to Israel anyway.

22:20 Stephen's parents did not give voice to strong political views. Stephen remembers being at a poetry reading at a friend's parents' house when he was eight. It was his first mixed-race experience. Stephen and his friends were politically active in high school and as undergraduate students.

24:27 Stephen explains how Zionism and Israel were his major focus while the South African situation was secondary. Stephen remembers visiting Soweto a number of times.

26:00 Stephen discusses the paradox of under apartheid while opposing it. He sees this as a central issue that white South Africans of his generation faced. He discusses the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings of the 1990s.

28:24 Stephen recounts how Israel fell into the arms of South Africa after being pushed away by various African states in the 1970s.

29:03 Stephen describes his involvement in resuscitating Machon Le'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz, a year-long leadership course for youth leaders in Israel. South African Jews would defer their army service to participate. In 1975, the South African government determined it would not let Jewish students defer for this purpose.

31:16 Stephen discusses his decision to leave South Africa.

32:51 Stephen discusses how not going on Machon is one of his regrets.

33:28 Stephen discusses the places he considered immigrating to. He was focused on going to Israel and was part of a group that went to live on a kibbutz in the western Galilee.

37:24 Stephen discusses previous trips to Israel. The first time he went to the country was when his family went from England to South Africa. This was before the Six-Day War and he remembers barbed wire in Jerusalem. Stephen thinks he probably fell in love with Israel at this time.

38:32 Stephen explains the meaning of the words machon and garin.

39:23 Stephen describes the kupah meshutefet ("common treasury box") economic system. The system didn't last very long.

40:16 Stephen describes how his family and friends reacted to the news that he was making aliyah.

41:09 Stephen discusses a car trip he and his wife took throughout South Africa. He relates how they were caught in a flood and ended up being taken in by a Black family. Stephen reflects on the irony of their situation.

44:07 Stephen discusses he and his wife's arrival in Israel. Stephen was accepted by Hebrew University to study law. Ultimately, he and his wife chose to move to Toronto at the beginning of 1982.

45:06 Stephen shares what he brought with him to Toronto from South Africa.

47:20 Stephen discusses his initial trip to Canada in January 1982. He thinks that it was the coldest winter Toronto experienced until 2014. He discusses some of the hurdles he faced adjusting to the new climate.

51:33 Stephen discusses settling in Canada and going to school.

56:25 Stephen discusses opening an issue of the Canadian Jewish News and seeing that a summer camp was looking for a director. He was director for a couple of years and he and his wife would spend their summer at the camp.

57:05 Stephen discusses how Habonim was different from Camp Shalom, the camp he worked at in Canada.

58:24 Stephen discusses his transition from being involved in a Zionist and socialist youth movement to ending up in business and corporate law. He notes that he has shifted in a number of respects in terms of his perspective on economic values, social values, and religious values.

1:02:55 Stephen discusses his experience integrating into Canadian society.

1:05:20 Stephen contrasts his parents' experience coming later in life with his own experience. They had a wonderful time when they came because there was a large community of retired South African expatriates by then.

1:09:54 Stephen discusses the role of the local Jewish community, and local South African Jewish community, played in his acclimatization.

1:11:59 Stephen discusses how he came to work for Goodmans.

1:14:17 Stephen discusses the differences he has noticed between Canadians and South Africans. He feels that South Africans as a group tend to be more direct than Canadians. In his opinion, South Africans lie somewhere between Israelis and Canadians in terms of directness.

1:17:51 Stephen discusses his journey, coming from a secular Zionist background and starting a program of Jewish learning later in life.

1:20:40 Stephen discusses his own approach to keeping Jewish traditions and customs. He is observant, but not dogmatic.

1:26:11 Stephen discusses his two children. His son is a medical resident and his daughter is finishing up a law/business administration program.

1:27:09 Stephen discusses synagogues he is involved with.

1:29:10 Stephen discusses cultural differences he has experienced raising his children in Canada.

1:33:04 Stephen explains the decisions he and his wife made regarding their children's education.

1:35:15 Stephen describes his children's relationships with their grandparents.

1:37:31 Stephen answers the question, "Do you feel Canadian?"

1:41:55 Stephen discusses his involvement with the Canada-South Africa Chamber of Business.

1:42:42 Stephen discusses the differences in being involved with the ex-South African community more broadly and the ex-South African Jewish community.

1:44:58 Stephen discusses his children's connections to South Africa, which he says are quite limited.

1:46:37 Stephen shares food words and expressions that he shared with his children and which they now use.

1:47:55 Stephen offers a few final remarks about his decision to immigrate to Canada and the relationship between Canadian identity, Jewish/Israeli identity, and South African identity.

Source

Oral Histories

Israel, the Opportunity for New Beginnings

An Indoor Life

Name

Karrie Weinstock

Number

OH 435

Subject

Immigrants--Canada

Interview Date

11 Jul. 2016

Interviewer

Lisa Newman

Total Running Time

OH 435 part 1: 22 min.

OH 435 part 2: 11 min.

OH 435 part 3: 22 min.

OH 435 part 4: 5 min.

Biography

Karrie’s life has long been characterized by both privilege and an acute sensitivity to the challenges facing those less fortunate than herself. Although she grew up in a happy professional family, her childhood was marked by uncertainty. Her father, Jack Unterhalter, was a civil-rights lawyer in the apartheid era, active in left-wing politics, and Karrie recalls him keeping a packed briefcase by the door during the state of emergency in case the authorities should come for him.

As a young woman, Karrie studied to be an English teacher at Homerton College, Cambridge. She then returned to South Africa, where she taught for two years, before moving to Boston to pursue a master’s degree in educational administration, planning, and social policy at Harvard. Upon graduating, she took a position at Milton Academy, an independent school in Boston. She enjoyed her time there but chose to relocate to Toronto, where she had an aunt. For over three decades, she has worked at Branksome Hall, first as an English teacher, then as an administrator, and now in her current role as deputy principal.

In 1985, Karrie married Michael Weinstock, a native Torontonian, whose family embraced her as one of their own. Both Karrie and Michael had been married previously, and, through her marriage to Michael, she inherited three beautiful stepdaughters. Karrie and Michael had a child of their own, a son who shares his mother’s love of South Africa, visiting the country each year.

Recognizing her great fortune in life, Karrie gives back through her volunteer work with the Stephen Leacock Foundation, which, among other initiatives, supports low-fee independent schools in South Africa that are connected to independent and public schools in Canada so as to form a unique triangle of hope.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Weinstock, Karen

Geographic Access

Boston (Mass.)

Cambridge (England)

Jamestown (South Africa)

Johannesburg (South Africa)

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part 1:

00:00 Karrie outlines her immediate family. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.

01:28 Karrie discusses her family history. Her maternal grandfather was born in 1891 in Lithuania. He came to South Africa in 1914 to escape the military. Her maternal grandmother was born in 1903 in Lithuaniaf. Her paternal grandfather was born in 1888 in Poland. Her paternal grandmother, whose parents came from Lithuania, was born in London in 1893.

03:54 Karrie discusses her father's career as a civil rights lawyer. She discusses her father's role as a founding member of the Liberal Party in South Africa.

06:35 Karrie discusses the impact her father's political activism had on her family. She offers examples to illustrate the unique situation in her home while growing up (e.g. political meetings, fear of her father's imminent arrest, visits from political prisoners).

08:26 Karrie offers her impressions of the position taken by the greater Jewish community in South Africa.

09:27 Karrie explains why she and her siblings attended independent schools.

11:00 Karrie discusses her family's involvement in the Jewish community and Jewish practice.

13:15 Karrie discusses how her parents stressed the importance of education and viewed education as a means of leaving South Africa. She discusses the education paths of her siblings as well as her own. Karrie received her teaching qualifications at Cambridge and earned a master's degree in administration planning and social policy at Harvard.

15:34 Karrie lives in Canada. Her sister lives in London. Her brother opted to return to South Africa.

16:38 Karrie relates an anecdote that compares her current situation of seeing her mother once a year with Black workers in South Africa who saw their children once a year.

17:48 Karrie explains that both her sister and brother were unable to return to South Africa for a period of time. In her sister's case it was due to her political activity; in her brother's case, it was due to his refusal to serve in the military.

18:55 Karrie discusses her "charmed" life growing up.

20:54 Karrie discusses her teaching qualifications and first teaching position at an independent school for mixed-race students.

Part 2:

00:56 Karrie discusses her experience at Harvard. Specifically, she mentions a friendship.

06:09 Karrie explains why her parents preferred that she not return to South Africa.

07:09 Karrie relates the story of finding a job at Milton Academy in Boston following graduation.

Part 3:

00:00 Karrie explains how she decided to move to Toronto.

03:45 Karrie explains how she became engaged and married to Clive Lovett in 1979. She explains the factors that contributed to the end of their four-year marriage.

05:16 Karrie discusses her teaching and administrative responsibilities at Branksome Hall.

12:59 Karrie describes meeting and marrying Michael Weinstock. Michael has three children from a previous marriage. Karrie and Michael have one son together.

15:20 Karrie explains how Peter Oliver, a prominent South African-born Toronto philanthropist and businessman, arranged to fund and build an independent school, the Get-Ahead Project School in rural South Africa. She explains her involvement with the project and the connection with Branksome Hall, Rose Avenue Public School, a high-needs school in Toronto, and the Get-Ahead Project School in South Africa.

Part 4:

00:00 Karrie continues to describe the inter-school program that has been set up for students at Branksome Hall, a school in Jamestown; Toronto, and the Get-Ahead school.

02:26 Karrie discusses her role on the board of the Leacock Foundation and her opportunity to further the inter-school program. She cites an example of how they contributed to the Get-Ahead school.

04:17 Karrie reminisces about times when she felt Canadian.

Source

Oral Histories

A Triangle of Hope

A Packed Suitcase by the Door

A Charmed Existence

Name

Max Enkin

Number

OH 132

Subject

Tailor project

Clothing trade

Clothing workers

Refugee camps

Legislators--Canada

Labor unions

Interview Date

24 Mar. 1982

Quantity

1 audio cassette (1 copy)

1 WAV file

Interviewer

Jack Lipinsky

Total Running Time

43.19 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Recopied March 2009 as the original copy done was inaudible.

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Max Enkin was a founder and a leading member of the Jewish Vocational Services of Toronto. In 1947, as associate administrator and representative for the men's clothing sector in Ontario, Max Enkin became involved in the Tailor Project, which was designed to identify and select skilled tailors from the displaced persons camps of Europe and help to settle them in Canada. Max Enkin was awarded the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to Wartime Prices and Trade Council.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Geographic Access

Europe

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 132 - Enkin\OH132_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Fanny Gertzbein

Number

OH 33

Subject

Charities

Immigrants--Canada

Interview Date

2 Oct. 1984

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Morris Silbert

Total Running Time

OH 033: 27:34 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003.

Notes

Language: Fanny often speaks Yiddish with Morris Silbert providing a translation.

Related group of records external to the unit being described: accession 2019-7/2 includes comments by Gella Rothstein on this oral history.

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Fanny Gurtzbein (née Goldhar) immigrated from Poland to Toronto in 1903. Fanny lived with her parents and siblings in Toronto's Ward district. Although raised in poverty, Barney, Fanny's brother, went on to become a successful furrier; Fanny's mother, Tzyerl Goldhar, became the organizer of the Mothers and Babes Summer Rest Home.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

Yiddish

English

Name Access

Goldhar, Myer

Goldhar, Tzeryl

Goldhar, Barney

Gurtzbein, Fanny

Geographic Access

St. John's Ward (Toronto, Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 33 - Gertzbein\OH33_001_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Joe and Minna Loewith

Number

OH 37

OH 38

Subject

Agriculture

Immigrants--Canada

Interview Date

3 Jun. 1984

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Morris Silbert

Total Running Time

OH 037_001: 31 minutes OH 037_002: 31 minutes OH 038_001 8 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Joe and Minna Loewith immigrated to Canada in November 1938 from the Sudetenland. After arriving in Canada, they settled on the Wren Farm outside of Hamilton, Ontario, along with their family and other members of the immigration group. They got married in 1942. Afterwards, they bought a farm from their brother-in-law and then lived with their three sons on the farm.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Loewith, Joe

Loewith, Mina

Silbert, Morris

Geographic Access

Hamilton (Ont.)

Sudetenland (Czech Republic)

Burlington (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 37, OH 38 - Loewith\OH37_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 37, OH 38 - Loewith\OH37_002_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 37, OH 38 - Loewith\OH38_001_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Minna Loewith recalls the events beginning in the summer through the fall of 1938 that led her family to emigrate from Czechoslovakia to Canada.

In this clip, Minna shares some of her earliest recollections of when she and her family arrived in Canada in November 1938.

In this clip, Joe Loewith explains the conditions for Czech immigration to Canada set by the CPR and how they were met.