Name

Toba Fluxgold

Number

OH 8

Subject

Bakeries

Immigrants--Canada

Interview Date

1975

Quantity

1 cassette (1 copy) 2 WAV files

Interviewer

Sheldon Steinberg

Total Running Time

1:02 min.

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Digitized December 2014

Use Restrictions

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

Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.

Biography

Toba Fluxgold was born in Warsaw, Poland and immigrated to Toronto with her father, older brother, and sister. Toba's father ventured into the bakery business and, in the early 1920s, opened his own kosher bakery in Toronto. Following her father's death in 1929, Toba’s brother Morris expanded and modernized the bakery and later sold it to Carmel Bakery. After her marriage in 1925, Toba moved to Arthur, Ontario, and returned to Toronto after the birth of her first child.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Yiddish

Geographic Access

Arthur (Ont.)

Elizabeth Street (Toronto, Ont.)

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

Warsaw (Poland)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

Transcript exists for this oral history.

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Bertha Allen

Number

OH 7

Subject

Business

Motion picture theaters

Interview Date

Jan. 1975

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Lillian Bernstein

Total Running Time

Side 1: 36 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

Bertha Allen (née Herbert) was married to Herbert Allen. Herbert, his brothers Jule and J. J., and his brother-in-law Louis Rosenfeld were pioneers in the motion picture industry in Canada. They opened a chain of theatres across Canada in the 1910s and 1920s. In Toronto, they built several theatres including the Tivoli Theatre, Bloor Theatre, College Theatre, Parkdale Theatre, Beach Theatre, St. Clair Theatre, Danforth Theatre, and Hollywood Theatre.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Allen, Bertha

Allen, Jule

Allen, J. J.

Rosenfeld, Louis

Geographic Access

Brantford (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 7 - Allen\OH7_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

Address

542 Dundas Street West

Time Period

1910-1975

Scope Note

The Yiddisher Zhurnal (or the Daily Hebrew Journal) was the primary organ for the Yiddish-speaking population in Toronto. This newspaper covered events in the Jewish world in Toronto and abroad. The paper was also a forum for Yiddish essayists. The long-time editor of the newspaper was Abraham Rhinewine (1887-1932). Born in Poland in 1887, he immigrated to London, England in 1902 and then came to Toronto with his wife Amy in 1907.

History

The newspaper eventually moved to 409 College Street West (at Lippincott). The OJA has the Yiddisher Zhurnal on microfiche from 1915-1959.

Category

Political

Education

Arts

Source

Landmarks

Name

Sol Gebertig

Number

OH 20

Subject

Motion picture industry

Interview Date

17 Apr. 1975

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman

Conservation

Copied August 2003.

Use Restrictions

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

Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.

Biography

Sol Gebertig was one of several Jews who were pioneers in the Canadian film industry and helped build the motion picture business in the country.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Gebertig, Sol

Speisman, Stephen, 1943-2008

Geographic Access

Beaches (Toronto, Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Sarah Green

Number

OH 4

Subject

Families

Immigrants--Canada

Neighborhoods

Interview Date

7 Jan. 1975

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Sophie Milgram

Total Running Time

38 minutes 44 seconds

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

Sarah Green (née Patlik) grew up living in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood. The family home and scrap yard business were both located on Maria Street, which served as the centre for Jewish life in the Junction during the early 1900s. Sarah Patlik was involved with numerous charitable organizations including the Ontario Hospital School of Orilla and the Rubinoff and Naftolin Mishpocha.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Green, Sarah

Geographic Access

Kingston (Ont.)

Maria Street (Toronto, Ont.)

Portland Street (Toronto, Ont.)

Stanley Street (Toronto, Ont.)

West Toronto Junction (Toronto, Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 4 - Green\OH4_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Lawrence Kert

Number

OH 5, OH 6

Subject

Gold miners

Lawyers

Politicians

Prisoners of war

World War, 1914-1918

Interview Date

6 Oct. 1975

Quantity

3 WAV files

4 cassettes (2 copies)

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman

Total Running Time

1:30 min.

Conservation

Copied to cassette in August 2003

Digitized between December 2014 and February 2015

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Lawrence Kert was born in 1896 and graduated as a lawyer in 1920 from the University of Toronto's Osgoode Hall. Kert served as a lieutenant in the Canadian Army during the First World War and became a prisoner of war when his plane was shot down in Germany. After his return to Toronto, Kert became a member of the J. Singer & Company law firm. Kert was instrumental in organizing the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto and the Oakdale Golf and Country Club; he also sat on the board of the Goel Tzedec Synagogue. Kert passed away in 1976.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto

Goel Tzedec Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)

Geographic Access

Englehart (Ont.)

Mattawa (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

OH 005 Side 1: 00:24: Lawrence discusses his family’s arrival to Canada. His parents were born in Vilna and came to Montreal in the early 1880s. His parents met in Canada and were married in Sherbrook. 1:45: Lawrence explains how his father settled in Mattawa, Ontario, near North Bay. 3:15: Lawrence discusses the large Kert family, which settled in Canada and the United States. All the Kerts were related. He mentions one branch in Ottawa, Abram Kert, and shares an anecdote about a cousin, Big Isaac, who lived in Montreal. 6:23: Lawrence’s parents were Henry Isaac and Rachel Isaac (née Vineberg). 6:43: Lawrence chronicles his father’s start in Canada. Initially, his father peddled around Cornwall, Ontario. Then wet to the Klondike. By 1890, he had generals stores set up in Mattawa and Peterborough. He later returned to the Klondike for a short time. He remained in Mattawa for fifteen years. The family moved to Montreal in 1903. 8:34: Lawrence recalls one other Jewish family in Mattawa, the Stern family. 10:31: Lawrence explains why his father returned to Montreal. His father was invited to supply produce to the contractors who were constructing the Timiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway in northern Ontario from 1903 to 1905. 13:10:Lawrence explains how his father was able to earn the contract with the railway. 13:49: Lawrence’s father opened a store in Leskeard. 14:29: Lawrence shares an anecdote about the initial discovery of silver in Cobalt by Fred LaRose, a blacksmith. 15:40: Lawrence explains how his father agreed to build a hotel in the new town site of Englehart in 1904. 17:07: Lawrence’s father sold the produce business to a cousin, Charlie ?Bernstein, who maintained the business in Cochrane for about fifty years. 17:54: The hotel burned down in 1918. Lawrence’s family lived in Englehart from 1905 to 1921/22. 18:22: Lawrence discusses his father’s participation in communal activities in Mattawa and Englehart. He was elected to serve on the school board. He was a supporter of the Conservative Party. Lawrence describes both his parents as socially involved and well-liked. 21:18: Lawrence’s mother was active in the Daughters of the Empire. 21:36: Lawrence discusses the Jewish communities of Englehart and neighbouring Krugersdorf. The synagogue was burned down by a bush fire in 1906. Lawrence had his bar mitzvah in Englehart. After the synagogue burned down, services were held in private homes, including the hotel. 25:38: Lawrence discusses other Jews who lived in Englehart. He lists names and describes their businesses. 27:51: Lawrence discusses Jewish life, practice and education in Englehart in the time period of 1905/06 to 1911. OH 005 Side 2: 00:33: Lawrence recounts a story involving a cousin who was staying with his family at the hotel. 3:24: Lawrence explains that his father built a hotel in Englehart in 1904 and stayed until 1920. The hotel was destroyed by a fire. Lawrence explains why his father did not rebuild the hotel. 4:18: Lawrence’s father started to work in the fur business. He sold the raw furs to St. Louis or to Montreal. 5:16: In 1922, Lawrence’s family moved to Montreal. 5:41: Lawrence was born in 1896. He moved to Englehart at age nine. 6:00: Lawrence discusses his Jewish education. His family belonged to Shaarei Shomayim in Montreal. When they moved to Englehart, they had a teacher. 7:10: Lawrence mentions a warm relationship between his father and Rabbi Jacobs, the head of Holy Blossom on Bond Street in Toronto. 9:13: Lawrence attended the Bond Street synagogue. 9:50: Lawrence became a member of Goel Tzedek. 10:00: Lawrence and his sibling attended high school in Hillbury. He reports not experiencing of antisemitism. 11:39: Lawrence explains how he moved from Englehart to study law at the University of Toronto in the summer of 1914. 12:55: At the outbreak of the war, Lawrence participated in the officers’ training corps at the University. He explains his training and describes how, in 1915, at age eighteen, he qualified as an officer with the Algonquin Rifles. While overseas, he trained as a pilot. 15:42: Before going overseas, Lawrence was the officer in charge of a scout troop in his battalion. 16:20: Lawrence describes the accommodations made for veterans who returned to University of Toronto in 1919. He explains how he was able to complete three years of law school and graduate in the summer of 1920. 18:28: Lawrence lists some of the prominent graduates from his year. 19:01: Lawrence explains that was shot down over Germany in 1917, where he spent the remainder of the war. 20:15: Lawrence explains where he resided while going to university. 21:43: Lawrence describes his involvement with the Jewish community in Toronto. He attended Goel Tzedek and had Jewish friends. 22:42: Lawrence discusses how he got involved at Goel Tzedek and lists some of the families who were members. He explains how he got know Toronto relatives of his oldest brother’s wife. 26:29: Lawrence suggests that university students were welcomed by both clergy (he cites Rabbi Price) and the lay community (he cites the Coopers). 27:22: Lawrence became a charter member of the first B’nai Brith Lodge in 1920. 28:32: Lawrence articled with a non-Jewish firm: Faskin-Robinson. After graduation, Lawrence started a small law firm with Joe Singer. They stayed together for forty-five years.

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Isidore Kaplan

Number

OH 9

OH 10

Subject

Business

Communities

Interview Date

3 Jun. 1975

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Sophie Milgram

Total Running Time

009A: 29 minutes 009B: 41 minutes 010A: 30 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Notes

Reduced sound quality at times.

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Isidore Kaplan was born in Vilna in 1910. His father was the first Jew to settle in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Isidore's father, a successful businessman, opened a general store in 1915 and a movie theatre in 1923. The Jewish community of Kirkland Lake grew to 135 families and was able to support a synagogue, kosher butcher, and after-school cheder at its peak.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Kaplan, Isidore

Milgram, Sophie

Geographic Access

Cobalt (Ont.)

Englehart (Ont.)

Kirkland Lake (Ont.)

Krugerdorf (Ont.)

Swastika (Ont.)

Vilnius (Lithuania)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 9, OH 10 - Kaplan\OH9_001_Log.doc

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 9, OH 10 - Kaplan\OH9_002_Log.doc

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 9, OH 10 - Kaplan\OH10_001_Log.doc

Source

Oral Histories

Isidore Kaplan's father was the first Jewish resident of Kirkland Lake, Ontario. In this clip, Isidore relates his father's journey in 1912 from Toronto to Kirkland Lake in northern Ontario via Engelhart and Swastika.

In this clip, Isidore Kaplan describes the decline of Kirkland Lake, Ontario

Name

Belle James

Number

OH 16

Subject

Families

Rabbis

Interview Date

21 Apr. 1975

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman

Total Running Time

Side One: 46 minutes

Side Two: 5 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

Belle James (née Levy) was born in Toronto in 1908. Her father, Rabbi Meyer Levy, became chief rabbi of Toronto in 1905/6.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

James, Belle

Levy, Meyer

Weiss, Lottie

Geographic Access

Toronto, Ont.

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 16 - James\OH16_001_Log.docx

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 16 - James\OH16_002_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Barney and Tillie Nosov

Number

OH 11

Subject

Families

Religion

Interview Date

22 Sep. 1975

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Fred Schaeffer

Total Running Time

side 1: 43:39 minutes

side 2: 43:36 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Notes

Most of the interview is conducted with Barney Nosov. Wilfred Kideckel is also featured on the tape, and Tillie Nosov is interviewed briefly.

Use Restrictions

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

Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.

Biography

Barney Nosov arrived in Canada in 1916. Nosov lived in Ansonville, Ontario. He was a merchant, owned a store, and was also in politics for many years.

Wilfred Kideckel was born in Kreugerdorf on a farm in 1917. His father was one of the first immigrants to the area. Kideckel had ten people in his family. He moved to Ansonville and got married. Kideckel moved to Toronto in 1942.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Nosov, Barney

Nosov, Tillie

Kideckel, Wilfred

Geographic Access

Ansonville (Ont.)

Cobalt (Ont.)

Cochrane (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 11 - Nosov\OH11_Transcript.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Newman

Number

OH 19

Subject

Families

Interview Date

4 Jan. 1975

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Stephen Spiesman

Conservation

Copied August 2003.

Use Restrictions

Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.

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

Biography

Ben Newman was born in July 1920 in St Catharines, Ontario. He married Sheila Gould from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ben's father, Abraham, immigrated to St. Catharines from Russia in 1909, living with his aunt and uncle and helping them with their junk business. His wife, Mary, and two children followed later. Four more children were born in Canada: Norman, Benjamin, Rebecca, and Gordon. Benjamin took over the company after Abraham’s retirement and turned it into one of the largest steel manufacturers in Canada. Ben Newman was active in all phases of Jewish life in the community and was the first Jewish aldermen in St. Catharines, a position he held for several years.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Newman, Benjamin

Newman, Sheila

Geographic Access

St. Catharines (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Jennie Goldstein and Mr. and Mrs. Boris Coopersmith

Number

OH 147

OH 148

Subject

Theater, Yiddish

Interview Date

26 Jan. 1975

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Stephen Spiesman

Total Running Time

OH147A: 44. minutes

OH148B: 45. 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

Jennie Goldstein emigrated from Russia to Toronto in 1914. While living and working in the Ward, Jennie married Harry Goldstein, who was noted as both a "dresser" and an actor in Toronto's Lyric and Standard Theatres. After Harry's passing, Jennie became a supplier of costumes for the Yiddish theatre. In 1920, to help support the family, Jennie opened a deli stand alongside the original Shopsy's deli located in the area of Kensington Market. Jennie and Harry's daughter Bess married Boris Coppersmith whose parents, Yossel and Nessie, owned a variety store at Spadina Avenue and Baldwin Street.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Coopersmith, Bess

Coopersmith, Boris

Goldstein, Jennie

Harris, Harry

Lyric Theatre

Pasternak, Chanina

Speisman, Stephen

Standard Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)

Geographic Access

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

Kensington Market (Toronto, Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Jennie Goldstein describes the early years of Toronto's Yiddish theatres such as the Tivoli and the Standard and cantors such as Harry Harris and Chanina Pasternak.

In this clip, Jennie Goldstein describes the performances and cantors of the Lyric Theatre circa 1914.