Name

Sam and Jessie Breslin

Number

OH 144

OH 145

Subject

Philanthropy poor

Interview Date

Jul. 1978

Quantity

2

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

Sam was born in 1897 in Toronto and was one of ten children of Chaim "Hyman" Breslin from Russia and Sarah Pearl Breslin (née Papernick) from Poland. Sam married Jessie Cohen in 1917 at the age of nineteen. They had two children.

Material Format

sound recording

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Libby and Richard Dwor

Number

OH 121

Subject

Port Colborne history

Interview Date

Jul. 1978

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Larry Troster

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Libby and Richard Dwor were prominant people in the Port Colborne community.

Richard's parents, Bella and her husband Max Dwor (who predeceased her in 1932), were pioneers and among the founders of the Port Colborne community and its Agudath Achim Synagogue. The synagogue building was formerly the Dwor family residence and was the centre of religious life of the community.

Libby Dwor was born in Peterborough and moved to Port Colborne as a bride-to-be with husband Richard at the age of nineteen. She fell in love with the community.

Libby helped established Port Colborne’s first synagogue, chaired the Hebrew Ladies Society for many years, was involved with the Port Colborne Hospital Auxiliary, was a member and chair of Port Colborne Horticultural Society, was an avid member of Welland and Port Colborne curling clubs and a director of Welland-Port Colborne Concert Association, for which she remained an honorary director.

Richard Dwor died of cancer in 1979. Libby never remarried.

Libby was a member of and very active in the United Israel Appeal and chair of the Women’s Campaign for the province of Ontario for more than eighteen years. She was an avid supporter of the arts in Niagara and Israel, where she financially supported a cultural centre for music and theatre.

Material Format

sound recording

Original Format

Audio cassette

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Paul Yanover

Number

OH 331

Subject

Belleville

Family history

Jewish education

Rabbi Baab

bar mitzvah

Interview Date

31 Oct. 2007

Quantity

1 mini DV; 1 archival DVD; 1 reference DVD:

Interviewer

Sharon Gubbay Helfer

Total Running Time

45 mins

Notes

Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project.

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Paul Yanover's grandfather Yanover came over from Russia in the early 1900s and was a rum runner. His grandparents kept a hen house, where a shohet came to slaughter chickens. Paul's parents were Mr. and Mrs Ben. Yanover of Belleville, and each one had a clothing store. His father's was Esquire for men, and his mother's store was for children.

Paul grew up in Bellville, but limited opportunities led him, at the age of nineteen, to leave town to seek education and employment in Toronto.

In December 1962, Paul married Barbara Edelist, an elementary school teacher and later real estate agent. Paul is a chartered accountant and a real estate broker in Toronto. They have three daughters and six grandchildren.

A chance meeting for Paul led to the planning of a major fiftieth anniversary event for the building of the Victoria Road synagogue of the Sons of Jacob Congregation in Belleville in June 2005. He and Brenda Goldstein (née Black) were the Toronto reunion chairs.

Material Format

moving images

Original Format

Mini DV

Copy Format

DVD

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Harry Fidler

Number

OH 175

Interview Date

1977-1978

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Allan Grossman

Total Running Time

30 minutes 35 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

Harry Fidler was born in 1900 in Ostrovtze. He came to Toronto at age ten in 1910. He married in 1922. Harry was very active with the Ostrovtzer Synagogue and served on the executive since 1922.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Ostrovtzer Synagogue

Grossman, Allan

Fidler, Harry

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 175 Fidler\OH 175 notes.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Harry Fidler and Allan Grossman discuss the decline of the Ostrovtzer Synagogue.

In this clip, Harry Fidler and Allan Grossman reminisce about the Ostrovtzer Synagogue at the Cecil Street location.

Name

I. Weinberg

Number

OH 176

Subject

Ostrovtzer Shul good

Interview Date

1977-1978

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Allan Grossman

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Notes

English and Yiddish

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Israel Weinberg was born in Krasnik, Poland in 1896 and immigrated to Canada in 1920. In 1922, he and David Sussman negotiated the purchase of the building for the Ostrovtzer congregation, which became the Anshei Ostrovtzer Synagogue. It was sold to the City of Toronto in the early 1960s.

“My grandfather was largely responsible for negotiating the sale of the synagogue,” said Debra Friedman. “One of the stipulations was ensuring that various elements of the Ostrovtzer Synagogue remain[ed] in place — the chandelier, the white marble Hebrew founders’ date stone, the marble yahrzeit plaque and the corner stone.”

Material Format

sound recording

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

Address

340 College Street

Time Period

1953-1978

Scope Note

The Raxlen brothers were born in Toronto in Cabbagetown, where their father operated a grocery store. The four brothers included Saul, Benjamin, Alexander and Sam. All of the brothers graduated in medicine during the 1930s, except for Sam, who became a dentist. Together, they opened up the Raxlen Clinic in 1937, which was located on Carleton Street.

History

In 1953, the brothers opened their own private hospital, Doctors Hospital, which was located at 320-340 College Street at Brunswick Avenue. The brothers modernized and expanded the facility so that it could accommodate up to 168 beds by 1955. It soon became the largest privately-held non-profit hospital in North America. By the time the brothers sold it during the late 1970s, it had 554 full-time staff and 500 hospital beds.

Category

Organization

Medical

Source

Landmarks

Name

Mina Sprachman

Number

OH 142

Subject

Architects

Buildings

Occupations

Interview Date

12 Dec. 1978

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman

Total Running Time

AC142: 31:34 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

Abraham Sprachman (1896–1971) was as Toronto-based architect who, in partnership with Harold Kaplan in the firm Kaplan & Sprachman, was well-known for the design of art deco and art moderne movie theatres during the 1930s and 1940s and for designing buildings for Jewish communities across Canada from the 1930s to 1960s.

Abraham married his cousin Mina Sprachman in 1921. They had two children, Mandel and Sheila. Mandel followed in his father's footsteps and became a nationally-recognized and acclaimed architect. Both specialized in theatre design and renovations. Mandel became an architect best known for his restoration of the Elgin Wintergarden.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Kaplan & Sprachman

Kaplan, Harold

Sprachman, Abraham, 1896-1971

Speisman, Stephen

Sprachman, Mina

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Mina Sprachman discusses her husband's architectural firm of Kaplan and Sprachman, its Jewish clientele, and the firm's commissions to design and renovate theatres, hospitals, and synagogues across Canada.

Name

Morris Shankman

Number

OH 107

Subject

Immigrants

Businessmen

Interview Date

2 Jan. 1978

Quantity

2 cassettes (1 copy)

2 WAV files

Interviewer

Miriam Beckerman

Total Running Time

31.08 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003 Digitized 2014

Notes

Most of the interview is inaudible due to the nature of Mr. Shankman's voice. Morris is aged ninety-three at the time of interview.

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Morris Shankman was born in a small village near Minsk, Belarus. He immigrated to New York in 1904 and later to Toronto, where he got married and started his own business.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Geographic Access

Russia

Toronto (Ont.)

Belarus

New York (N.Y.).

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 107 - Shankman\OH107_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Alex Enchin

Number

OH 118

Subject

Businessmen

Synagogues

Interview Date

Jul. 1977

Quantity

1 cassette (1 copy)

1 WAV file

Interviewer

David Enchin

Total Running Time

31.20 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Digitized in June 2014

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Alex Enchin emigrated from Russia to Guelph, Ontario, in 1912. Enchin was one of Guelph's earliest Jewish settlers and an active member of the Jewish community. His son, David, ran two businesses, the Arcade and the House of David, both located in downtown Guelph.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Geographic Access

Guelph (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 118 - Enchin\OH118_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Rabbi Shemen

Number

OH 284

Interview Date

Jul. 1991

Quantity

1

AccessionNumber

2004-1-4

Total Running Time

60 min or less

Biography

Rabbi Nachman Shemen was a talmudic scholar, journalist, scholar, teacher, “mediator par excellence,” and the author of more than twenty books. His contribution to Jewish scholarship included interpretations on biblical, talmudic, rabbinic, and literary studies. The two volumes, published in Tel Aviv in Yiddish, discuss issues that date back to the creation and the Book of Genesis up to more recent current day controversial issues as conversion and assimilation.

The rabbinic scholar was born in Chodel, Poland, a small town near Lublin, just before the outbreak of the First World War. Shemen's great-grandfather was a disciple of the founder of Hasidism in Poland, the “Seer of Lublin.” Both his parents were descendants of chassidism and scholars. When he was just over seventeen years old, he received rabbinic ordination, and In 1930, moved to Canada with his family.

A founder of COR the Kashruth supervisory body, Shemen made COR one of the largest and most respected kosher organizations in North America. For over 40 years, Shemen served as director of the Kashruth Council and Rabbinical Vaad Hakashruth of the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Toronto Jewish Congress. He was one of the founders of Congregation Torah V’Avoda and was associated with the Eitz Chaim Schools where he taught for over 25 years. He was a longtime contributor to Yiddish newspapers and wrote many articles, sometimes using the pseudonym “A Reporter,” on Jewish issues and about the early Jewish community of Toronto. He died in 1993.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

Yiddish

Name Access

Shemen, Nachman, 1912-1993

Original Format

Audio cassette

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Laura Bowman (née Petersiel)

Number

OH 330

Subject

Antisemitism

Communities

Families

Interview Date

31 Oct. 2007

Quantity

1 mini DV; 1 archival DVD; 1 reference DVD

Interviewer

Sharon Gubbay Helfer

Total Running Time

60 mins Microphone disconnected for final 10 minutes; volume is reduced but still audible.

Notes

Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project. No restrictions.

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Laura Bowman (née Petersiel) grew up in Peterborough when antisemitism was latent in the community. She experienced it personally when she went to work as a young teacher in the early 1950s for the Catholic School Board in Campbellford. Laura married Sydney Bowman and they had three children, Carol, David and Gayle, and six grandchildren. She passed away in February 2010.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Peterborough (Ont.)

Original Format

Mini DV

Copy Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Brynie Lacob and Steven Silver

Number

OH 437

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

31 Aug. 2016

Interviewer

Miriam Borden

Total Running Time

AC 437 part 1: 22 min.

AC 437 part 2: 22 min.

AC 437 part 3: 3 min.

Use Restrictions

Please contact Brynie Lacob for permission before posting on the internet.

Please contact Steven Silver for permission before posting on the internet.

Biography

Brynie and Steven first met at a bar mitzvah when Brynie was twelve and Steven was thirteen. The two have been in each other’s lives in one way or another ever since.

Brynie came to Canada in 1988. She chose Canada partly because she had a boyfriend there and partly because she anticipated using it as a stepping stone to the United States. Instead, she found work, earned a master’s degree in psychology, and married. Her first marriage resulted in three children, all of whom she enrolled in Jewish day school.

Steven came to Canada in 1994, a number of years after the rest of his immediate family had immigrated. He became involved in Canada’s film and television industry and today is chief executive officer of Kew Media Group, a special purpose acquisition company. In April 2000, Brynie and Steven began dating. They married in 2006.

Brynie and Steven retain close ties to South Africa, frequently going back. While both are grateful to Canada for the opportunities it has given them, they continue to feel a strong connection to the smells, sounds, and warmth of their country of origin and have discussed returning for a few months each year.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Lacob, Brynie

Silver, Steven

Geographic Access

Durban (South Africa)

Johannesburg (Ont.)

Thornhill (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part 1:

00:42 Brynie discusses her family's immigration to South Africa. Her paternal grandparents and maternal great-grandparents came from Lithuania. Her maternal grandparents were born in South Africa.

01:24 Steven discusses his family history. His paternal grandfather and great-grandparents came from Poland. His paternal grandmother was born in South Africa. His maternal grandmother came from Russia.

03:59 Steven was born in Durban and grew up in Johannesburg from age four. He came to Canada in 1994.

04:11 Brynie was born and raised in Johannesburg. She came to Canada in 1988 at age twenty-one.

04:49 Brynie discusses her family's Jewish practice. Her father's family was traditional. Her mother's family was secular.

06:09 Steven discusses his family's Jewish practice. His paternal grandfather was gabbai at the main synagogue in Durban.

09:05 Brynie discusses her personal practice of Judaism.

10:24 Steven discusses his personal Jewish experience. He attended Jewish day school, belonged to the Habonim youth movement, and attended ulpan in Israel in 1981.

12:09 Steven explains how his Jewish education and involvement in Habonim influenced him and other Jews to get involved with politics in South Africa.

12:55 Brynie discusses her family's involvement in politics. She explains that her mother was involved with the Progressive Reform Party (PRP). Brynie was not actively involved with politics.

14:45 Brynie explains her desire to leave South Africa. At age seventeen, she attended an exchange program for a year in the United States.

15:12 Steven discusses politics in his home and school life. He recalls an accident involving bringing a political activist to his school that left an impression on him.

16:53 Steven discusses his involvement with the National Union of South African Students while attending university. He was president in 1981.

17:30 Steven joined the African National Congress (ANC) when it was unbanned in 1990.

18:14 Steven discusses his involvement with the group End Conscription Campaign (ECC). He discusses getting arrested for his refusal to serve in the army.

20:18 Brynie discusses her relationship with her family's Black nanny.

21:26 Steven discusses his relationship with his family's Black nanny.

Part 2:

00:08 Brynie discusses the factors that led to her decision to leave South Africa.

01:10 Steven discusses his parents' and two young brothers' immigration to Canada in 1986. He explains his decision to remain in South Africa and the impetus that spurred him to leave in 1994.

02:43 Brynie describes her lack of preparedness upon arrival in Canada.

04:00 Brynie discusses her expectations of Canada when she arrived.

05:17 Steven explains the factors that facilitated his adjustment to Canada (e.g. family, employment).

07:28 Steven discusses his early impressions of Canada. He highlights the feelings of security and safety in Canada.

08:59 Brynie and Steven discuss how they met. Brynie was married previously and had three children. Steven and Brynie married in 2006.

12:15 Brynie discusses her children.

12:55 Brynie discusses her professional career in social work and counselling.

13:33 Steven discusses his professional career. He graduated in law. His career focused on documentary and feature films. He current works as chief executive officer of a media company.

15:40 Brynie discusses her reception in Canada.

17:17 Steven discusses his perceptions as a South African in Canada.

18:04 Brynie discusses her involvement in the Jewish community in Toronto.

19:08 Brynie shares her impressions of raising children in Toronto and more specifically in Thornhill.

20:21 Brynie discusses her ongoing connection with South Africa.

Part 3:

00:00 Steven discusses his ongoing to South Africa.

01:05 Steven shares some comments on the current and future situation in South Africa.

01:51 Brynie discusses her outgoing interest in South African news and politics.

Source

Oral Histories

Political Activism

The Place I Call Home

Name

Ida Weisteld

Number

OH 23

Interview Date

10 Jul. 1977

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Doris Newman

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Digitized 2014

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

Ida Weisteld (née Gazer) was born in 1907 in Brantford, Ontario. Her father, Velvel Gazer, settled in Brantford in 1900. Ida attended King Edward Public School and Brantford Collegiate Institute. As a child, she attended Cheder and participated in a boys and girls social group. She took a business course and worked as a bookkeeper after high school. She was married in Toronto in 1933.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Weisteld, Ida

Gazer, Velvel

Geographic Access

Brantford, Ont.

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 23 - Weisteld\OH23_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Fred Schaeffer

Number

OH 24

Subject

Communities

Immigrants--Canada

Rabbis

Synagogues

Interview Date

11 Jul. 1980

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman

Total Running Time

Side 1: 31 minutes

Side 2: 9 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

Fred Schaeffer's wife, Beverley, grew up in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Beverley's grandfather, Hyman Kaplan, emigrated from Vilna, Lithuania in 1907, and after a few years in New York, moved to Toronto. Shortly afterwards, he became the first Jew to settle in Kirkland Lake in 1914.

In the 1920s, the Jewish community in Kirkland Lake built a permanent synagogue and acquired an aron kodesh of eastern European design, its lamps, railings, pews and reader’s desk, from the disbanded Ukrainishe Shul in Montreal. In the 1970s, the Kirkland Lake Synagogue disbanded and Fred and Beverly Schaeffer acquired the aron kodesh, all of its furnishings, the ner tamid, and the parochet. They generously donated these Jewish artifacts to Beth Tikvah Synagogue, Toronto, in 1988, in memory of Isadore Kaplan, father of Beverly Schaeffer and Erich Schaeffer, father of Fred Schaeffer.

Fred married Beverley in Toronto. Like many children from Kirkland Lake, Beverley had moved to the city to attend university. Fred and Beverley are keen collectors of Canadian art. He is a retired civil engineer and a former chair of the Canadian Art Historical Committee at the AGO.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Atkins (family)

Bucavetsky (family)

Cochrane (Ont.)

Etkins (family)

Mallins (family)

Purkiss (family)

Schaeffer, Fred

Geographic Access

Ansonville (Ont.)

Engelhart (Ont.)

Kirkland Lake (Ont.)

Krugerdorf (Ont.)

Ontario, Northern

Timmins (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 24 - Schaeffer\OH24_001_Log.docx

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 24 - Schaeffer\OH24_002_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Fred Schaeffer and Stephen Speisman discuss some of the earliest synagogues established in Northern Ontario.

In this clip, Fred Schaeffer relates colourful anecdotes about the first Jewish settler in the Swastika-Kirkland area, Roza Brown.

Name

Morris Fishman

Number

OH 36

Subject

Antisemitism

Communities

Synagogues

Interview Date

12 Jul. 1977

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Richard Menkis

Total Running Time

Side 1 46 minutes Side 2 17 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

Morris Fishman was born on 29 September 1916 in New Jersey. His family moved to Welland, Ontario when he was an infant. He attended elementary and high school in Welland and completed two years at the University of Toronto. He worked in a family menswear business in Welland. Morris was actively involved in the Jewish community including participation in the Anshe Yosher Congregation, the Jewish Cultural Society, and the Jacob Goldblatt B'nai Brith Lodge. He was married and had two daughters.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Fishman, Morris

Geographic Access

Welland (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 36 - Fishman\OH36_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 36 - Fishman\OH36_002_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Morris Fishman praises the efforts of the non-Jewish community in Welland, Ontario to support the building of a new synagogue following a fire that destroyed the old synagogue in 1954.

In this clip, Morris Fishman discusses the Jacob Goldblatt B’nai Brith Lodge in Welland, Ontario.

Name

Harry Abramsky

Number

OH 49

OH 50

Subject

Kingston

Interview Date

6 Jul. 1982

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman and Marjorie Feldman

Total Running Time

OH49_001: 31.04 minutes

OH49_002: 31.00 minutes

OH50_001: 30.59 minutes

OH50_002: 1:09 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Notes

Poor audio quality in many sections. OH50_002 started in the middle of the story; cut at 1:09.

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

Harry Abramsky was born in Kingston on 29 September 1897. He and his wife, Ethel, were highly respected by citizens and business owners in Kingston. They were also loyal friends of Queen's University. Over the years, they have made many gifts to the university, including funds for the construction of a building that was completed in 1957. In 1974, the building was renamed as Abramsky Hall in their honour. (There is also Abramsky Laboratory in Botterell Hall.) An area within the Agnes Etherington Art Centre is dedicated to the memory of the Abramsky family. The Harry Abramsky Scholarship in the School of Business at Queen's University was also given by Harry Abramsky. Harry Abramsky was a life member of the Royal Kingston Curling Club. He died in February 1988, aged ninety.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Geographic Access

Kingston (Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

CD

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH49_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH49_002_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH50_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 49, OH 50 - Abramsky\OH50_002_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Cyrus Coppel

Number

OH 61

OH 62

Subject

Communities

Families

Interview Date

21 Jul. 1976

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Larry Troster

Total Running Time

061A: 46:22 minuets 061B: 45:27 minuets 062A: 45:55 minuets 062B: 28:58 minuets

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Cassette tapes were digitized in 2012

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Cyrus Coppel, son of Aaron Coppel and Chaya (Gertrude) Seigel, was born in 1911 in Galt, Ontario. Cyrus remained in Galt throughout his life and became a central figure within its Jewish community. Cyrus initially worked as a mechanic and later worked in the office of an auto shop trading in auto parts. Cyrus also traded in livestock as a hobby. Cyrus Coppel was one of the founders of the B'nai Israel Synagogue in Galt.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Coppel, Cyrus

Troster, Larry

B'nai Israel Synagogue (Galt, Ont.)

Geographic Access

Galt (Cambridge, Ont.)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 61, OH 62 - Coppel\OH61_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 61, OH 62 - Coppel\OH61_002_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 61, OH 62 - Coppel\OH62_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 61, OH 62 - Coppel\OH62_002_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Cyrus Coppel discusses the growth of Galt's Jewish community following the Second World War and the need to purchase a new and larger synagogue to accommodate the growing population.

In this clip, Cyrus Coppel discusses the difficulties of raising Jewish children in a small town.

Name

Montague Raisman

Number

OH 64

Subject

Nonprofit organizations

Human rights

Antisemitism

World War, 1939-1945

Zionism

Interview Date

11 Jul. 1982

Quantity

1

Interviewer

Jack Lipinsky

Total Running Time

39:42 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Notes

Low sound volume

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Montague Raisman came to Canada from England in 1926. He was actively involved in B'nai Brith Toronto Lodge and held positions of office. He served as the commanding officer for the B'nai Brith Air Cadet Squadron in Toronto during the Second World War. He was instrumental in the formation of the Joint Public Relations Committee, a united Jewish voice in response to pro-Nazi activity.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Raisman, Montague

B'nai Brith

Lipinsky, Jack

Canadian Jewish Congress

Geographic Access

Toronto

Calgary (Alta.)

Montréal (Québec)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 64 - Raisman\OH64_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Montague describes the formation of the B'nai Brith Air Cadet Squadron during the Second World War. He discusses the recruitment and training of the officers and cadets. He explains how this squadron was instrumental in changing recruitment qualifications to allow entry of new immigrants and Black cadets.

In this clip, Montague Raisman discusses the events leading up to an association between B

Name

John Furedi

Number

OH 78

OH 79

Subject

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Immigrants--Canada

Farmers

Communities

Synagogues

Interview Date

29 Jul. 1976

Quantity

4 cassettes (2 copies)

3 WAV files

Interviewer

Larry Troster

Total Running Time

OH78_001: 45.20 minutes OH78_002: 45.30 minutes

Conservation

Copied to cassette in August 2003

Copied to digital file in December 2013

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

John Furedi was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1925. During the Second World War, John was drafted into the Hungarian Labour Service System (Munkaszolgalat). After the Nazi occupation of Hungary in March 1944, John was deported to the Kistarcsa transit camp. Between 1945 and 1948, John travelled throughout Europe and returned to Budapest during the takeover of Hungary by the Communists. The revolution and anti-Jewish sentiment forced many Jews, including John and his wife Stephanie, to flee Hungary. In 1956, they immigrated to Canada and lived in Montreal for one year. In 1958, with the aid of a six-thousand-dollar loan provided by the Jewish Colonization Association, John became the first Jewish chicken farmer to settle in Beamsville, Ontario. John went on to become an active member of Beamsville's Jewish community and participated in the establishment of the community’s first congregation in 1966.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Name Access

Furedi, John

Jewish Colonization Association

Geographic Access

Beamsville (Ont.)

Hungary

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 78 - Furedi\OH78_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 78 - Furedi\OH78_002_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Paul Szasz

Number

OH 80

OH 81

Subject

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Concentration camps

Communism

Farmers

Communities

Synagogues

Interview Date

29 Jul. 1976

Quantity

4 cassettes (2 copies)

2 WAV files

Interviewer

Larry Troster

Total Running Time

OH80_001: 45.29 minutes OH80_002: 44.23 minutes OH81: 44.20 minutes

Conservation

OH 080 and 081 were both damaged (tape snapped). They were sent out and were repaired and digitized in 2014.

Copied to cassette in August 2003

Digitzed in June 2014

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Paul Szasz was born in 1926 in Tiszakeszi, Hungary, and was a Holocaust survivor. He came from a family of traditonal farmers. During the Second World War, he was drafted into the Hungarian Labor Service System (Munkaszolgalat) and was liberated from Auschwitz in 1945. Paul escaped Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and immigrated to Canada. With the aid of a loan from the Jewish Colonization Association, Paul purchased a farm in Beamsville, Ontario. Paul went on to become an active member of Beamsville's Jewish community and particpated in the establishment of the community's first congregation in 1966.

Material Format

sound recording

Language

English

Geographic Access

Beamsville (Ont.)

Hungary

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 80, OH 81 - Szasz\OH80_001_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 80, OH 81 - Szasz\OH80_002_Log.pdf

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 80, OH 81 - Szasz\OH81_Log.pdf

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Ida Siegel

Number

OH 166

OH 167

Subject

Charities

Women

Interview Date

22 Jul. 1971

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Eva Kayfetz

Total Running Time

OH166A: 47.minutes OH166B: 5. minutes OH167A: 29. 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

Ida Siegel (née Lewis) (1885-1982) was born 14 February 1885 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1894, Ida and her family moved to Toronto. On 14 February 1905, Ida married Isidore Hirsch Siegel. They had six children. An extremely active communal leader, Ida helped found Daughters of Zion in 1899, the Herzl Girls Club in 1904 and Hadassah in 1916. In the mid-1920s, Ida established The Mothers' and Babes' Rest Home,a camp for poor women with young children. She helped organize the first free Jewish dispensary in Toronto which eventually developed into Mount Sinai Hospital. Ida was also very active in womens peace movements, the Toronto Board of Education and the Toronto Bureau (elected to Board, 1930-36) of Jewish Education. In 1917, Ida helped to organize Federation of Jewish Philanthropies which later became the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Hadassah-WIZO of Toronto

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

In this clip, Ida Siegel discusses the formation of Hadassah in Canada and how it evolved into Hadassah-WIZO. She describes the creation of separate Hadassah branches.

In this clip, Ida Siegel explains the events that led up to the formation of a committee that she headed to write a aonstitution for Hadassah. She describes some of the struggles she encountered in the process.

Name

Esther Segal

Number

OH 188

Subject

Synagogues

Zionism

Talmud Torah (Judaism)

Peddlers

Interview Date

30 Jul. 1985

Quantity

2 cassettes (1 copy)

2 WAV file

Interviewer

Nancy Draper

Total Running Time

43:08 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Digitized October 2014

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Esther Segal was born in New York City. She moved to Saint Stephen, New Brunswick, and then to Toronto in 1911. Segal was influential in the National Council of Women’s attempt to repeal the law prohibiting women from jury duty. She served as secretary of the Anshe Shalom Synagogue in Hamilton, Ontario, and was on the Council of Jewish Women and Hadassah.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Dunkelman, Rose, 1889-1949

Geographic Access

Toronto (Ont.)

Hamilton (Ont.)

New Brunswick

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

Side 1: 1:35-2:50: Segal discusses her involvement with the National Council of Women in their attempt to change the law prohibiting women from serving on jury duty. 2:51-4:29: Segal discusses being summoned to serve on jury duty. 4:30-6.25: Segal discusses the United Hebrew Charity of Hamilton and the administration of its public funding. 6:26-7:45: Segals discusses donations made to Hadassah of Hamilton. 7:45-8:24: Segal discusses the reasons for her resignation as secretary of the Anshe Shalom Synagogue of Hamilton. 8:25-9:10: Segal discusses moving to Toronto after resigning from the Anshe Shalom Synagogue and joining the University Avenue Synagogue. 9:15-9:52: Nancy Draper speaking: “The previous portion of Esther Segal’s interview about her early life was unfortunately unrecorded and may be tried to be recorded at a future date.” 9:53-11:05: No audio Personal History 11:06-12.45: Esther Segal was born in New York City to Mendel Kovelesky and Rebecca Freidberg. After Mendel’s passing in 1898, Rebecca married Emmanuel Isaac Canon in 1903. They moved to St. Stephen in New Brunswick and then to Toronto in 1911. 12:46-17.50: Segal recalls her early school days in Toronto and discusses her various jobs working as a bookkeeper. 17:51-18:20: Conversation back and forth between Segal and Draper. 18:21-18:32: Segal discusses her memories of Toronto during the First World War. 18:33-20.25: Segal recalls her sister Anna Selig (née Segal), founder of Canadian Hadassah, who, together with and Rose Dunkleman, organized Hadassah chapters across Canada 20:26-22.40: Segal recalls her father as an ardent follower of the Zionist principle and the main influence on the family’s community mindedness. 22:41-23:03:Segal recalls the family home at 50 Bernard Avenue. 23:04-23.55: Segal recalls her brother who passed away of leukemia at the age of eighteen. 23.56-25:12: Segal recalls her brother Isiah Leo "Cy" Canon, a journalist and also author of “All My Causes.” 25:13-26:18: Segal recalls the Canon family's involvement in the Toronto community. 26:19-28:19:Segal discusses how she met her husband, her marriage in 1924, and the son born to them in 1925. 28:20-29:44:Segal discusses her organizational work in Hamilton with the Talmud Torah, the Council of Jewish Women, and Hadassah, as well as secretary of her temple. 29:45-30.32: Segal recalls an unpleasant situation between herself and Rabbi Baskin of Hamilton’s Anshe Shalom Synagogue. 30.33-31.07:Segal is asked if she remembers Louis Rosenberg of Hamilton. Segal says she does not remember him. Side 2: 0:00-2.30:Side 2 begin mid conversation, Segal recalls a childhood experience while growing up in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. 2.31-5.40: Segal tells the story of how her parents got their start in the peddling business in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. 5.41-5.59: Segal discusses one of her first jobs in Toronto prior to her marriage in 1924. 6.00-11.59: Segal tells the story of her ship voyage to Europe 1918 and meeting with her father in England.

Source

Oral Histories

Name

John Beattie

Number

OH 253

Interview Date

7 Jul. 1983

Quantity

1

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Notes

Antisemitic telephone message featuring the voice of John Beattie, coordinator of the British People's League, a white nationalist organization based in Minden, Ontario.

Biography

William John Beattie (known as John Beattie) was the founder and former leader of the Canadian Nazi Party. The establishment of the Canadian Nazi Party, re-named the National Socialist Party in 1967, marked a re-emergence of organized neo-Nazi activity in Canada.

Beattie organized a number of rallies in Toronto in the mid-1960s and used the Allan Gardens in Toronto to spread hate propaganda. One of these rallies on 30 May 1965 resulted in a violent encounter with Jewish activists who disrupted Beattie’s rally at Allan Gardens. A legal case was made against Beattie for antisemitic and racist comments, and an expose article was written in Canadian newsmagazine Maclean's by private investigator John Garrity, who had been hired by the Canadian Jewish Congress to infiltrate Beattie's movement. As a result of a daubing swastikas on the gateposts of prominent Jewish leaders in Toronto, Beattie was sent to prison for six months, having been convicted of public mischief.

After changing the group’s name to the National Socialist Party, Beattie created a recorded telephone message line. Among the messages recorded was one that claimed that "Blacks were being manipulated by Jew-communists." Beattie disbanded the National Socialist Party in 1978. Soon after, he and John Ross Taylor co-founded the short-lived British People's League, a white nationalist orgnization based in Minden, Ontario. In 1988 and 1989, Beattie organized "Aryan Fest" parties on his property in Minden, Ontario.

Material Format

sound recording

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Marvin Mandell

Number

OH 277

Subject

Boy Scouts

Camps

Interview Date

3 Jul. 2003

Quantity

1 cassette (1 copy)

1 WAV file

Interviewer

Martin Wolfish

Total Running Time

13 minutes

Conservation

Copied to cassette in August 2003

Digitized in February 2015

Notes

The interview ends at 12:59 but Martin continued to converse with Marvin after the formal Q/A.

Biography

Marvin Mandell was a member of the Cubs and Scouts at John R. Wilcox School and became a camper at Camp Tamarack in Bainbridge, Ontario in 1951.

Material Format

sound recording

Geographic Access

Muskoka (Ont. : District municipality)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Transcript

Side 1 00:32: Marvin discusses his involvement with 59E Troop of Cubs and Scouts at John R. Wilcox. While in Cubs, he attended Camp Tamarack. First attended camp in 1951. 1:31: Marvin reminisces about staff and campers. 3:30: Marvin recalls camp experiences including canoe trips, activities, special events, camp fires, etc. 4:49: Martin Wolfish comments that Wayne and Shuster had worked at Camp Tamarack earlier. 6:08: The lake was called “Duck Lake” during that period. Was later formally changed to “Lake of the Summer Sun.” 6:28: Marvin briefly discusses Mr. Edgar Reason, the head of Camp Tamarack. 7:35: Marvin and Martin discuss the Jewish content of the camp. 8:00: Marvin recalls the camp food. 10:10: Marvin recalls an old army truck used to bring food to campers on canoe trips. 11:28: Marvin and Martin recall the camp layout and daily schedule. The interview ends at 12:59, but Martin continued to converse with Marvin after the formal Q/A. Martin mentions that Marvin recalled more names, told an anecdote about Mr. Reason’s “Paddle,” and that Marvin may have a Cub sweater to add to the collection.

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Norine Fenig

Number

OH 303

Interview Date

19 Jul. 2007

Quantity

2 mini DV's, archival and reference copies

Interviewer

Sharon Gubbay Helfer

Notes

Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project.

Physical condition: The last 5 minutes of CD 1 are missing; it may be worthwhile to redigitize the original media

Availability of other formats: Also available as an M4V video file

Use Restrictions

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

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

Biography

Norine Fenig (née Revzen)’s father, Morton, came to St. Catharines from Russia in the early 1900s. Her mother, Caroline, came to Rochester, New York with her family. Her father and uncle went into the scrap metal business, eventually starting Niagara Structural Steel. Norine went to the University of Wisconsin and taught elementary school in Buffalo after graduating. She met her husband Leonard in Rochester, New York and they lived there for a year before moving back to St. Catharines so that Leonard could take over the steel business. Norine and Leonard had two children – Abraham and Celia.

Norine was involved in St. Catharines Young Judaea organization, which was founded in the community in 1931. During that time, they had two groups, one of which was an arts and crafts group led by Norine. She recalls attending meetings with members from Niagara Falls and Hamilton. They organized parties as well as other functions. She states that many of the teens met their spouses this way and “that’s how most of the marriages took place.”

Norine Fenig was a member of her local Hadassah and was also involved in the group bat mitzvah at St. Catharines Congregation B’nai Israel, which occurred in 2003, and the preparation it entailed.

Norine is a keen bridge player, playing duplicate bridge in clubs and competitions in St Catharines, Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Florida. She has reached life master status in the American Contract Bridge League.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

St. Catharines (Ont.)

Original Format

Mini DV

Copy Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Irving Milchberg

Number

OH 333

Subject

Immigrants--Canada

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Holocaust survivors

Refugees--Canada

Interview Date

26 Jul. 2007

Quantity

1 mini DV ; 1 archival DVD ; 1 reference DVD

Interviewer

Sharon Gubbay Helfer

Total Running Time

1 hr

Notes

Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project.

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Irving Milchberg, the Holocaust survivor known from Joseph Ziemian's book "The Cigarette Sellers of Three Crosses Square," used to sell cigarettes to Nazis in Warsaw as an oprhan during the Second World War.

Milchberg, the leader of a group of orphaned Jewish children hiding their identities, used to gather at Three Crosses Square, the centre of the German occupation of Warsaw, to sell cigarettes. The group went wandering around under the very noses of policemen, gendarmes, Gestapo men, and ordinary spies.

Before joining the cigarette sellers, Milchberg twice escaped from the Nazis. The first time he scaled a fence and fled the Umschlagplatz, where Jews were put aboard trains to the Treblinka death camp. The second time, he managed to break the bars of the train taking him to Treblinka and scramble out. His father, mother, and three sisters were all murdered by the Nazis.

In 1945, Milchberg made his way to Czechoslovakia, then Austria, then to a camp for displaced people in occupied Germany, where he learned watchmaking, which became his lifelong occupation. In 1947, he moved to Canada, ending up in Niagara Falls, where he opened his own jewellery and watch business. In 1953, he met his wife, Renee, who had survived the war. They had two children and three grandchildren. Milchberg died in January 2014 at the age of eighty-six.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Niagara Falls, Ont.

Original Format

Mini DV

Copy Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Sam Rose

Number

OH 400

Subject

Canada--Armed Forces

World War, 1939-1945

Royal Canadian Army (RCA) 29 July 2010 1 reference DVD (Wav file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)

Interview Date

29 Jul. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (Wav file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)

Interviewer

Historica Dominion Institute

Total Running Time

51:02

Notes

Sam was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Sam Rose served in the Royal Canadian Army in the Second World War. He participated in the invasion of Juno, acting as a member of the advance party. He was also stationed in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Belgium

France

Germany

Netherlands

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Max Moskoske

Number

OH 401

Subject

Canada--Armed Forces

World War, 1939-1945

Interview Date

29 Jul. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (WAV file); 1 archival DVD (WAV file)

Interviewer

Sam Gojonovich

Total Running Time

14:33

Notes

Max was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Max served in the Royal Canadian Army from 1941 to 1945 as an engineer. He was involved in building roads and bridges in England, Holland, and the border of Germany.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

England

Germany

Netherlands

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Mordechai Soer

Number

OH 402

Subject

Great Britain--Armed Forces

World War, 1939-1945

Interview Date

30 Jul. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (WAV file) ; 1 archival DVD (WAV file)

Interviewer

Sam Gojonovich

Total Running Time

17:02

Notes

Mordechai was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Mordechai enlisted in the British Army in Palestine and served from 1939 to 1945. He was stationed in Italy, Egypt, and Syria performing general transport.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Egypt

Italy

Palestine

Syria

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Sol Zulauf

Number

OH 403

Subject

Canada--Armed Forces

Royal Canadian Army (RCA)

World War, 1939-1945

Interview Date

30 Jul. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (WAV file) ; 1 archival DVD (WAV file)

Interviewer

Historica Dominion Institute

Total Running Time

27:30

Notes

Sol was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on May 13, 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Sol served in the Royal Canadian Army as a tank driver. He was stationed in Europe.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Europe

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Clifton Pezim

Number

OH 404

Subject

Canada--Armed Forces

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)

World War, 1939-1945

Interview Date

30 Jul. 2010

Quantity

1 reference DVD (2 WAV fies) ; 1 archival DVD (2 WAV files)

Interviewer

Shayla Howell

Total Running Time

File 1 : 32:18

File 2 : 2:33

Notes

Clifton was interviewed as part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Clifton served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942 to 1946 as part of the groundcrew that worked on heavy bombers. He was stationed in England and Scotland. After D-Day, he was stationed in Belgium.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Belgium

England

Scotland

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Laurie Manoim

Number

OH 424

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

16 Jul. 2015

Interviewer

Gail Freeman

Total Running Time

OH 424 part 1: 40 min.

OH 424 part 2: 9 min.

Biography

Lorraine “Laurie” Manoim (née Stern) was born on 21 June 1945 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She spent a happy childhood growing up with her two brothers and many cousins. Her parents were founding members of Temple Emanuel, a Reform synagogue.

Laurie’s family is a rich tapestry of nationalities. Her paternal grandparents were from Austria and Germany; her maternal grandfather was from Morocco; her maternal grandmother was from Poland; and her mother was born in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). In addition, Laurie is a descendant of Solica Hachuel, a Moroccan-Jewish martyr who was killed in the early nineteenth century. This background made Laurie’s family stand out from other Jewish families in South Africa, many of whom originally emigrated from Lithuania.

After earning her bachelor of arts, Laurie married and had a son, Gary. She and her husband opened a restaurant, which Laurie ran by herself for the first two years, but ended up divorcing. Not wanting her son to internalize the values of apartheid South Africa, Laurie made the decision to immigrate to Canada with her son.

Laurie and Gary arrived in Canada in 1978. Laurie managed to raise Gary without family support and while holding down multiple jobs. She worked in the restaurant industry for a number of years, even owning a deli at one point, but ultimately decided to go back to school, earning a master’s degree in industrial relations (MIR). After graduating, she worked at the Government of Canada for twenty-eight years. During this time her parents immigrated to Canada and she supported them by having the additional income from students residing in her home for fifteen years. Laurie graduated from Guelph as a master gardener. (Gardening is her major hobby.)

Laurie has a large and diverse social circle and a broad range of interests. She has been back to South Africa many times as her son returned to work there for twenty years before returning to Canada. She has no desire to move back, commenting that she couldn’t go back to an empty life, to being a prisoner of luxury and discrimination.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Manoim, Laurie, 1945-

Geographic Access

Bulawayo (Zimbabwe)

Johannesburg (South Africa)

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part 1:

00:00 Laurie's maiden name was Stern. She was born on 21 June 1945 in Johannesburg. She immigrated to Canada in 1978.

00:55 Laurie's paternal grandparents came from Germany and Austria. Her father was born in South Africa. Her maternal grandfather came from Morocco. Her maternal grandmother came from Poland. Her mother was born in Rhodesia.

01:19 Laurie discusses how her maternal grandfather from Morocco came to Bulawayo in Rhodesia.

02:20 Laurie discusses her childhood. She had two brothers. One brother died at age twenty-two. Her younger brother is married and lives in South Africa.

03:18 Laurie discusses her family's religious observance. Her father came from a small farming town, Schweizer-Reneke. Her parents were founding members of Temple Emanuel, a Reform synagogue.

04:50 Laurie outlines her education: elementary grades at Rosebank (a public school), secondary grades at King David (a Jewish day school).

06:22 Laurie earned a bachelor of arts in sociology and economics at university. She studied computers and market research.

07:53 Laurie got engaged and married. In 1970, she and her husband decided to immigrate. Laurie discusses some of their reasons and their plan. They ran a restaurant to get a cash business.

09:07 Laurie discusses the breakdown of her marriage that ended in divorce. She needed to get court's permission to bring her son with her to Canada.

10:06 Laurie explains her decision to immigrate to Canada.

11:00 Laurie describes her disappointment when her son, Gary, returned to South Africa.

12:38 Laurie considered and abandoned the options of living in Israel and San Francisco.

13:35 Laurie describes her struggles with finding suitable housing, finding stable employment, and raising her young son during her early years in Canada.

17:57 Laurie mentions preparation for her son's bar mitzvah.

18:50 Laurie returned to university to earn a master's degree in industrial relations. She found a government post, where she remained for twenty-six years.

20:30 Laurie shares some of her initial impressions of living in Canada. She compares and contrasts the Jewish communities in South Africa and Toronto, and specifically highlights how the needs of the South African Jewish immigrants differed from other Jewish immigrant groups.

24:43 Laurie identifies some of the challenges she faced when she came to Toronto.

25:34 Laurie describes the circumstances that triggered her parents' immigration to Canada in 1996.

27:04 Laurie describes her mother's artistic training and endeavours.

28:53 Laurie discusses some of the South African traditions she has maintained while living in Canada.

31:06 Laurie rediscovered seven South African childhood friends in Canada, but most of her friends are Canadian.

32:13 Laurie describes her passion for gardening.

34:05 Laurie identifies an incident when she first felt Canadian. She describes how her family in South Africa became dispersed.

35:17 Laurie shares an anecdote about one of her Moroccan ancestors.

37:33 Laurie shares memories of her move to Canada.

Part 2:

00:20 Laurie explains how she was able to secure housing at Bayview Mews after some initial challenges.

03:00 Laurie offers tribute to her work colleagues and gives some examples to justify her admiration.

06:05 Laurie speaks of her relationship with a friend during her life and during her terminal illness.

08:24 Laurie discusses her travel plans for retirement.

Source

Oral Histories

Immigrating Solo to Canada