Name

Hilton and Shirley Silberg

Number

OH 419

Subject

Business

Immigrants--Canada

Families

Occupations

Interview Date

3 Sep. 2015

Interviewer

Naomi Raichyk

Total Running Time

1 hr. 34 min.

Biography

Hilton and Shirley were born in Durban, South Africa in 1951. Although both were involved in the Habonim youth movement, the two did not meet until their first year in pharmacy school. After getting married and serving a brief stint in the military, Hilton left with Shirley on a trip overseas that included Europe and the United Sates, but whose ultimate purpose was the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Upon arriving in Montreal, the couple decided Canada would be a good place to live. By that point, they had resolved that they did not want their children to internalize the racial norms of apartheid South Africa. Cementing their decision was the fact Shirley’s sister was accepted into Canada shortly after the two returned to South Africa.

Hilton and Shirley’s immigration to Canada was complicated by the fact they were regarded by the government as students, not full-fledged pharmacists. When they came to Canada in August 1977, they therefore had to qualify as pharmacists, which they did by attending university while holding down full-time jobs as pharmacy technicians. Once certified, they moved to Dundas, where they opened a series of pharmacies and raised their children.

In 2007, the couple sold their Day Night Pharmacy chain to Rexall Pharma Plus. In 2014 Hilton and Shirley relocated to Toronto and now spend their time between Toronto and Vancouver to be close to their children and grandchildren.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Silberg, Hilton, 1951-

Silberg, Shirley, 1951-

Geographic Access

Dundas (Ont.)

Durban (South Africa)

Johannesburg (South Africa)

Original Format

Digital file

Transcript

00:38 Shirley was born in Durban, South Africa in 1951.

00:44 Shirley discusses her family history. Her maternal grandparents came to Durban in early 1800s from England. They married in South Africa. Her paternal grandparents came to Durban from Lithuania in the late 1800s. They married in South Africa. Her father was a physician specializing in physical medicine; her mother worked as his secretary.

03:31 Shirley describes her privileged early home life.

04:26 Shirley attended Hebrew day school.

05:06 Shirley describes her education and involvement in sports.

07:28 Shirley attended the Habonim youth movement.

08:13 Shirley discusses her early memories of politics and apartheid.

09:57 Shirley describes the impact an overseas trip to Europe and Israel had on her.

12:34 Shirley explains that she and Hilton considered immigrating to Canada and Israel. Her sister had immigrated to Canada and her brother had immigrated to England.

13:31 Hilton and Shirley attended the pharmacy school in Durban.

14:48 Hilton and Shirley married and moved to Johannesburg. Hilton completed mandatory service in the army.

15:37 Hilton was born in Durban on 26 October 1951. He discusses his family history. His maternal grandparents came from Lithuania. His mother was born in South Africa. His father's family came from Lithuania. His father was born in Lithuania. Hilton shares a story about his paternal grandmother's voyage from Lithuania to Pretoria with five children. When his parents were married they moved to Durban in the mid-1950s.

17:46 Hilton discusses his parents. His mother was an occasional secretary. His father was initially a tool and diemaker. Later, he worked in business. Hilton notes that his father was a semi-professional football player.

20:30 Hilton explains that his mother had a strong Jewish identity, but was not religious.

21:06 Hilton discusses his education in public school and Hebrew school.

21:58 Hilton reminisces about his childhood.

23:25 Hilton discusses how he and his sister became competitive ballroom dancers.

25:50 Hilton discusses his bar mitzvah training.

27:02 Hilton was active in the Habonim youth movement.

27:31 Hilton shares his impressions growing up under apartheid. He discusses discrimination, restrictions, and censorship.

30:33 Hilton discusses his mandatory military service.

36:22 Hilton and Shirley discuss how they met and dated.

37:45 Hilton discusses some of the factors that triggered the couple's decision to leave South Africa.

43:07 Hilton and Shirley describe how they struggled to accumulate money before leaving South Africa.

44:12 Hilton describes the efforts made to secure work and a visa for entry into Canada.

48:31 Hilton and Shirley describe the sentiments that surrounded their departure from South Africa.

49:40 Hilton and Shirley arrived in Canada on 25 August 1977.

50:30 Shirley shares anecdotes about her first experiences with household chores.

54:20 Hilton and Shirley discuss their few acquaintances/contacts when they first arrived in Canada.

55:40 Hilton explains how his outlook has changed since he moved to Canada.

57:41 Shirley describes the challenges of juggling work and pharmacy classes at the University of Toronto. Hilton and Shirley share some examples of cultural differences between Canada and South Africa.

1:01:05 Hilton and Shirley worked as pharmaceutical technicians.

1:03:53 Hilton explains how they became partners in a pharmacy in Dundas, Ontario. Hilton and Shirley discuss how they settled in and were welcomed into the Jewish community.

1:10:05 Hilton and Shirley brought Hilton's two sisters, brother, parents, and Shirley's mother to Canada.

1:11:02 Hilton explains the circumstances that led to a split with his partners. He changed the name of the pharmacy from Amherst Pharmacy to Hilton Pharmacy. He describes the growth of the business.

1:18:00 Hilton describes the expansion and success of the business to five pharmacies.

1:20:12 Hilton discusses his involvement in the Jewish and secular communities in Dundas.

1:20:57 In 2007, the business was purchased by Rexall.

1:21:33 Shirley explains the circumstances that prompted their move to Toronto via Vancouver.

1:23:55 Shirley describes a return visit to South Africa with her two youngest children.

1:25:22 Hilton reminisces about a family trip to London and South Africa in 1980.

1:27:08 Hilton describes his discomfort during a visit to Durban, South Africa in 1986.

1:28:40 Shirley relates an anecdote that occurred during their family trip to South Africa.

1:30:46 Hilton reflects on how much he appreciates being in Canada.

1:32:50 Shirley identifies becoming Canadian citizens as a turning point in their new life in Canada.

Source

Oral Histories

https://vimeo.com/230208590

Immigration Tribulations

Who Has Left Over Matzah Balls?

The First Midnight Store

Name

Rheta Rosen

Number

OH 317

Subject

Immigration and settlement

Education

Antisemitism

Clubs

Business

Recreation

Interview Date

19 Sep. 2007

Quantity

2 mini DVs

2 reference DVDs

2 archival DVDs

Interviewer

Sharon Gubbay Helfer

Total Running Time

1:31 minutes

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.

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

Biography

Rheta Rosen (née Rosen) was the daughter of Nathan Rivelis, the owner of Rivelis, a large clothing store in North Bay from 1926 until 1986. The business grew from a small, family-run store into a large department store employing between twenty-five and thirty people. The store was famous for their annual sale held yearly on 16 November. Rheta became a full-time professor in family studies at Ryerson University. She was coordinator of the Learning and Teaching Office and coordinator of the Interpersonal Skills Teaching Centre, Simulation Program. Rheta's area of interest and research lay in the area of intergenerational relationships in the older family. She was a family mediator focusing on issues in the older family, adult children, and their ageing parents. Rheta Rosen died on 22 August 2016.

Material Format

moving images

Name Access

Rosen, Rheta

Geographic Access

North Bay (Ont.)

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Mini DV

Copy Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

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

Norm Albert

Number

OH 311

Subject

Belleville

scrap business

clothing retail

Bar mitzvah

Israel trip

Immigration

Interview Date

18 Sep. 2007

Quantity

2 mini DVs; 2 archival DVDs; 2 reference DVDs

Interviewer

Sharon Gubbay Helfer

Total Running Time

1 hr. 29 mins.

Notes

Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project.

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.

Biography

Norm Albert (1928–2010), the son of Jacob and Lily Albert, was born in Toronto and raised with his brother, Stan, in Trenton and Belleville, Ontario. After attending Belleville Collegiate Institute, Norman joined his father in the Ladies' Retail Business, at the age of nineteen, by opening the Fashion Shoppe in Trenton. Norm's wife, Carole, hailed from Queens, New York. They were married in New York in 1956.

Norman opened another ladies' clothing store in Trenton, the Normandy Shop. A third store, Artistic Ladies Wear, was opened with his brother in Belleville. While toiling in the business of being a retail merchant, Norman and his father joined ranks with a childhood friend, Sidney, to form S & A Investments, a mortgage, loan, and real estate development company. He also ran Kingston Automatic Vending for more than twenty years with his brother-in-law. Norm was on the executive for the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville for seventeen or eighteen years.

Norman enjoyed his retirement years with wife Carole in Florida and at the lake house in Brighton, Ontario. They had three children—Mark, David and Michele—and six grandchildren.

Material Format

moving images

Original Format

Mini DV

Copy Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Monty Grunebaum and Barney Sher

Number

OH 438

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South AFrica

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

6 Sep. 2016

Interviewer

Naomi Raichyk

Total Running Time

OH 438 part 1: 22 min.

OH 438 part 2: 22 min.

OH 438 part 3: 20 sec.

OH 438 part 4: 14 min.

OH 438 part 5: 22 min.

OH 438 part 6: 11 min.

Biography

Monty Grunebaum and Barnie Sher are two of the founding members of Kehillat Shaarei Torah, a Modern Orthodox shul located on Bayview Avenue in North York. Monty, who immigrated to Canada in 1977, says that the impetus for starting the shul derived partly from South Africans wanting to recreate their memories of Jewish life in South Africa in their new country. A group began to look at different venues in the city and applied for a rabbi. Because many of the South Africans who immigrated to Canada were of modest means, it was a challenge raising funds. With the support of the established Toronto community, eventually, the group was able to purchase a property and hire a rabbi. In November 1980, the shul was incorporated as Kehillat Shaarei Torah of Toronto.

Kehillat Shaarei Torah has had four rabbis since its incorporation in 1980. Rabbi Eliot Feldman served the community from 1981 to 1988 and was instrumental in getting the shul established. Rabbi Steven Cohen succeeded Feldman, serving the congregation from 1988 to 1992. Rabbi Reuven Tradburks came next, caring for the community from 1992 to 2009. The current rabbi, Rabbi Joe Kanofsky, has led the community since 2009.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Grunebaum, Monty

Kehillat Shaarei Torah (Toronto, Ont.)

Sher, Barney

Geographic Access

South Africa

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part 1:

00:29 Monty explains the impetus for starting a synagogue for South African Jews in Toronto.

01:37 Monty discusses where he lived in Toronto when he arrived in 1977. He discusses the main locations where South African Jews settled.

02:50 Barnie describes a large presence of South African Jews in the Bayview/York Mills area.

03:11 Barnie discusses the origins of the synagogues in South Africa.

04:14 Barnie discusses the importance of cantorial singing in South African synagogues.

05:20 Barnie describes some of the synagogues and their primary influences from Lithuania and Germany.

06:24 Barnie recounts his first experience at a Toronto synagogue for the High Holidays.

08:13 Monty recounts his first experience at a Toronto synagogue for Rosh Hashanah and how it served as a catalyst to establish a synagogue that would feel more comfortable.

09:47 Barnie describes funeral traditions in South Africa. He contrasts these practices with his personal experience in Toronto.

14:19 Barnie and Monty discuss the early attempts to establish services to meet the needs of their South African Jewish community.

18:21 Barnie highlights the importance of having a separate section in the cemetery in order to maintain South African burial practices.

19:23 Barnie and Monty discuss the role played by Bernard Isaacs in the formation of the synagogue.

Part 2:

00:00 Barnie discusses some of the earliest founders and promoters of the synagogue: Rabbi Whitty, Kurt Rothschild, Harvey Hecker, ?Bernie Gert. He describes fundraising efforts.

01:19 Monty explains how the property for the synagogue was purchased.

03:23 Barnie describes the acquisition of the aron kodesh, pews, and prayer books from an Ontario synagogue donation and from membership donations.

04:25 Monty discusses the limited financial resources of new South African immigrants. Financial support for the synagogues came from membership donations.

05:20 Monty notes that the synagogue attracted a number of Jews who moved from Montreal.

06:26 Barnie discusses the synagogue's first rabbi, Rabbi Feldman.

07:50 Barnie discusses resistance to the synagogue from Jewish neighbours.

09:36 The synagogue's name, Kehillah Shaarei Torah, was the name of Rabbi Feldman's congregation in Syracuse. Barnie and Monty reminisce about Rabbi Feldman.

12:55 The synagogue was incorporated in November 1980.

14:45 Barnie describes the operation of the synagogue before a building was constructed.

19:13 Monty recalls that Beth Tikvah Synagogue lent them Torahs.

19:51 Barnie reminisces about the first Rosh Hashanah in their new building.

20:48 Barnie recounts how the synagogue received a generous donation from the Reichman family.

Part 4:

00:00 Monty lists the rabbis who served the synagogue.

00:26 Barnie recounts a humorous incident about meeting a new rabbi.

02:50 Barnie and Monty discuss Rabbi Tradburks and his contribution to the synagogue and the greater Jewish community in Toronto.

09:29 Barnie discusses an attempt to change the synagogue's direction from Orthodox to Conservative.

10:28 Barnie and Monty continue to reminisce about Rabbi Tradburks.

Part 5:

00:00 Monty discusses Rabbi Joel Kanofsky.

02:40 Barnie identified demographics as a concern for the continuity of the synagogue.

04:50 Barnie continues to discuss membership. Membership has remained relatively steady at a 220-230 family core.

06:00 Barnie and Monty discuss outreach methods and various synagogue services, education, and events.

11:00 Barnie discusses some humorous incidents involving their group of four friends, including a Purim skit and a birthday gag.

18:17 Barnie discusses Rabbi Tradburk's involvement in the formation of the Coby Mandel Foundation, a support group for youth in Israel who have lost family members as a result of terrorism.

Part 6:

00:00 Barnie discusses changes that are occurring in the synagogue with a change of demographics and new membership.

02:24 Monty raises concerns about loss of membership.

04:18 Monty lists some programs and services offered in the synagogue, including a youth program.

04:43 Barnie discusses the current status of the synagogue. He cites some of the problems with the existing synagogue (e.g. no elevator, lack of parking, no banquet hall).

07:34 Barnie mentions the synagogue on Green Lane, another synagogue with a large South African membership.

08:44 Barnie describes the process of hiring a new rabbi for their synagogue.

Source

Oral Histories

https://player.vimeo.com/video/232091886?

Name

Dr. Sydney Wax

Number

OH 406

Subject

Canada--Armed Forces

World War, 1939-1945

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)

Airframe Mechanic

Northern Ontario

Interview Date

13 May 2010

Quantity

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

Interviewer

Stephanie Markowitz

Total Running Time

35:59

Notes

Sydney was interviewed as part of The Memory Project in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.

Biography

Sydney served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as an airframe mechanic. He was stationed in nothern Ontario at bases around Belleville and Trenton.

Material Format

moving images

Geographic Access

Belleville (Ont.)

Trenton (Ont.)

Original Format

DVD

Source

Oral Histories

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

Nathan Rivelis

Number

OH 405

Subject

Immigrants--Canada

Small business

Communities

Interview Date

3 Aug. 2010

Quantity

1 reference CD

1 archival DVD

Interviewer

Rheta (nee Rivelis) Rosen

AccessionNumber

OH 405

Total Running Time

1:11 minutes

Biography

Nathan Rivelis, father of Rheta Rosen (née Rivelis), was born in the early 1900s in the Ukraine. Nathan immigrated to Canada in 1919, making his home in Lachine and Saint-Jérôme, Quebec. In 1926, Nathan moved to North Bay, Ontario. There, he opened a small, family-run clothing store and grew it into Rivelis' Department Store, remaining in business until 1983.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Rivelis' Department Store (North Bay, Ont.)

Geographic Access

North Bay (Ont.)

Québec (Province)

Ukraine

Original Format

DVD

Transcript

0.0-.39: Interviewer checking the tape recorder Family History .40-35.54: Nathan Rivelis was born in the early 1900s in Miskiva, (spelling) a town located between Odessa and Kiev in the Ukraine. Approximately 2,000 Jews lived in Miskiva alongside a small non-Jewish population. The market place was the primary source of income for the Jewish population. Nathan had five siblings: Tzipa, Moshe, Hannah, Eva, and Esther. When Nathan was ten years old, his father passed away, leaving his mother, Bluma Rivelis (née Dubin) to provide for the family on her own. With Nathan’s help, Bluma supported the family by running a grocery store and selling liquor. Nathan describes the difficult life and persecution of Miskiva’s Jewish peasantry from the early 1900s through the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Many Russian Jews fled Russia for America, and it was Abram, Nathan’s brother-in-law, who was the first family member to immigrate to Canada. With money received from Abram, Nathan secured passage to Canada for the rest of the family. Immigration to Canada 35.55-42.47: Nathan arrived in Canada in 1919, making his home in Lachine, Quebec. After six years working as a presser and in dry goods, Nathan opened a business in St. Jerome, Quebec. North Bay 42.48-48.50: In 1926, after vacationing with the Herman family and encouraged by a positive impression of North Bay, Nathan closed his dry goods business in St. Jerome and moved to North Bay. After a brief stint as a peddler, Rivelis purchased the dry goods business of E. I. Green. To help with the business, Rivelis moved his mother and sister Esther to North Bay. After his marriage in 1929, they returned to Montreal. Rivelis grew his small, family-run clothing store to a large department store and remained in business until 1983. Family history continued 48.51-57.21: In this portion of the interview, Nathan discusses his feelings of fear while living in Russia, always worrying what the next day would bring. When Nathan arrived in Canada, he felt free and happy. Nathan discusses his father’s family. Some family members immigrated to Milwaukee while some remained in Russia. 57.28-1.02.29: This is a personal conversation between Nathan and his daughter. They discuss Nathan’s mother, her difficult life in Russia, her life in Canada, and her death at the age of ninety-four.

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Dr. Hana Gelber

Number

OH 13

OH 14

Subject

Antisemitism

Families

Occupations

Interview Date

29 Jul. 1973

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Stephen Speisman

Total Running Time

013 Side One 30 minutes

014 Side One 30 minutes

014 Side Two 30 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.

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

Biography

Hana Gelber (née David) was born in Safed (Tzfat), Palestine in 1907. She studied sciences at the University of Paris-Sorbonne and prepared her thesis at Hebrew University. She graduated from University of Paris-Sorbonne in 1929. Hana moved to Toronto in December 1929 and married Eddie Gelber in March 1930. Hana and Eddie moved to New York where Eddie was completing his final year at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Hana conducted research at the Rockefeller Institute. They returned to Toronto in July 1930. Hana graduated from Medical School at the University of Toronto in 1934. She completed her medical internship in Palestine. Hana and Eddie lived in Palestine from 1934 to 1939. They returned to Toronto in 1939 where they remained until 1954 at which time they made aliyah. Hana worked at Women's College Hospital until 1954. Hana had three children: Edna, Lynn, and David.

Material Format

sound recording

Name Access

Gelber, Hana

Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Women's College Hospital (Toronto, Ont.)

Geographic Access

New York (N.Y.).

Palestine

Toronto (Ont.)

Tsefat (Israel)

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Transcript

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 13, OH 14 - Gelber\OH13_001_Log.docx

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 13, OH 14 - Gelber\OH14_001_Log.docx

G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 13, OH 14 - Gelber\OH14_002_Log.docx

Source

Oral Histories

Name

Dr. Esther Volpe and Ida Siegel

Number

OH 161

OH 162

Subject

Immigrants--Canada

Families

Nonprofit organizations

Interview Date

4 Jan. 1971

Quantity

2

Interviewer

Eva Kayfetz and Stephen Spiesman

Total Running Time

OH161 Side 1: 47 minutes OH161 Side 2: 47 minutes

Conservation

Copied August 2003

Notes

Toronto Historical Society lecture

Use Restrictions

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

Biography

Esther Volpe (née Shulman) was born on 24 February circa 1898. As a child, she and her family briefly lived in Romington, Ontario and Havlock, Ontario. Her family later settled in Toronto. In her youth, she participated in the Herzl Girls' Club. She attended University of Toroonto in the Faculty of Arts. She married Dr. Aaron Volpe in 1921. Esther was involved in several Jewish organizations, including the old Mount Sinai Medical Auxillary, Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, UJA Appeal, JIAS and BBYO and non-Jewish organizations, including Toronto Local Council of Women. She represented the Jewish community of Toronto on the Wartime Price and Trade Board and helped organize the Ontario Food Council.

Ida Siegel (née Lewis) (1885–1982) was born on 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

Volpe, Esther

Siegel, Ida

Kayfetz, Eva

Speisman, Stephen

Hadassah-WIZO

National Council of Jewish Women

Geographic Access

Toronto

Original Format

Audio cassette

Copy Format

Audio cassette

Digital file

Source

Oral Histories

In 1947, Esther Volpe was elected president of the National Council of Jewish Women. In this clip, Esther discusses how, with the support of the United Welfare Fund, the Canadian Jewish Congress, and JIAS, she helped make arrangements for groups of Jewish refugees who settled in Toronto.

In this clip, Esther Volpe explains her involvement in the creation of the Good Age Club, the first recreational program for Jewish seniors.

In this clip, Ida Siegel relates anecdotes from her childhood growing up in downtown Toronto.

Name

Dr. Vivian Rakoff

Number

OH 440

Subject

Canada--Emigration and immigration

Jews--South Africa

South Africa--Emigration and immigration

Interview Date

24 Nov. 2016

Interviewer

Naomi Raichyk

Total Running Time

OH 440 part 1: 31 min.

OH 440 part 2: 3 min.

OH 440 part 3: 2 min.

OH 440 part 4: 21 min.

Biography

Vivian Morris Rakoff was born on 28 April 1928 in Cape Town but was quickly whisked off to Port Nolloth, a small town on the northwest coast of South Africa, where he spent his earliest years. And while Port Nolloth was home to less than a dozen Jewish families, his mother would still braid challah every Friday night.

The family moved to Cape Town when Vivian was six. At age eleven, he had a bruising encounter with apartheid that left a strong impression on him. Having innocently boarded a bus set aside for Black South Africans, he was thrown off by the conductor who told him, “You can’t come here!” Afterwards, he told his aunt he was not going to live in South Africa.

After completing a degree at the University of Cape Town, Vivian set sail for England, where he was planning to study English at Oxford. Instead, he followed friends down to Marseilles where he met Yiddish-speaking Holocaust survivors waiting to set sail for Israel. The encounter was a pivotal one and led Vivian to journey to Israel, where he lived on kibbutz for a year.

After losing his passport, Vivian returned to South Africa, where he completed a master’s degree in psychology. He then travelled to England, this time staying for more than eight years. He studied medicine at University College London and enjoyed the city’s theatres and museums. After completing his degree, he decided it was time to see his parents so he returned once more to South Africa.

While in South Africa, Vivian met a friend who suggested he enroll in McGill University’s psychiatry program. Vivian thus set sail yet again, this time with wife and ten-month-old baby. After an eighteen-day journey, the family arrived in Montreal, where Vivian did his residency. Residency complete, he accepted a job offer in Toronto, where he stayed for the rest of his career, serving as chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and as the namesake for the Rakoff Centre for Positron Emission Tomography. In 2015, the Government of Canada appointed him a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to psychiatry as well as for his role in founding the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Vivian died on 1 October 2020. He was survived by his wife Gina Shochat-Rakoff, son Simon, daughter Ruth, and grandchildren Micah, Amit, Sasaf, and Zoe.

Material Format

moving images

Language

English

Name Access

Rakoff, Vivian Morris, 1928-2020

Geographic Access

Cape Town (South Africa)

Montréal (Québec)

Port Nolloth (South Africa)

Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format

Digital file

Copy Format

Digital file

Transcript

Part 1:

00:29 Vivian discusses the immigration of his father's family to South Africa. His grandfather left Lithuania around the turn of the twentieth century. His grandmother and her children joined him in South Africa. Vivian lists the members of the family.

04:24 Vivian discusses the immigration of his mother's family. His mother, who was born in Chicago, came to South Africa in 1914.

05:00 Vivian's family settled in Port Nolloth. Vivian discusses the economy of the region. He discusses his father's businesses and marriage to his mother, Bertha. Vivian is one of four children.

06:48 Vivian was born on 28 April 1928 and lived in Port Nolloth for his first six years.

07:35 Vivian shares memories of growing up Jewish in Port Nolloth. He recounts anecdotes concerning his father's Zionist leanings.

09:40 Vivian describes his family's Jewish observance and shares memories from his youth.

12:30 Vivian discusses the impact of Zionism in his personal life. He describes his involvement with HaShomer HaTzair and travelling to Israel.

13:13 Vivian describes synagogues in Cape Town. He discusses his Jewish education after his family moved to Cape Town when he was six.

14:26 Vivian discusses the Jewish lives of his grandparents in Lithuania. He discusses the influence of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) and the rise of Zionism.

17:17 Vivian discusses the impact of South African politics on his life. He recalls a poem he wrote for his Zionist youth magazine. He recalls how an incident from his childhood that highlights the oppressive nature of the apartheid regime. The incident influenced his decision to leave South Africa.

21:04 Vivian describes the circumstances that triggered his decision to go to Palestine in 1947. His plan to study in England was interrupted when he decided to join a group of displaced persons in Marseilles who were travelling to Palestine. He remained there for a year.

24:26 Vivian describes his educational studies in South Africa and England.

25:27 Vivian expounds on living in London for eight years.

28:15 Vivian discusses his decision to come to Canada to study Psychiatry at McGill University.

29:18 Vivian describes his journey by steamship to Canada with his wife and ten-month-old baby.

30:13 Vivian discusses his impressions of South Africa when he returned from England.

Part 2:

00:13 Vivian discusses early memories of living in Montreal and how reality differed from expectations. He worked as a psychiatry resident at the Jewish General Hospital, but his wife, also a doctor, was unable to work. He describes a feeling of disappointment when they were not invited for High Holidays.

Part 3:

00:00 Vivian explains that he had decided to leave Montreal in 1967. He discusses Expo 67 and their many visitors.

Part 4:

00:00 Vivian discusses how his first job offer in Toronto at St. Michael's Hospital in 1967 was retracted due to antisemitism. He was then offered a position as director of postgraduate education in the psychiatry department.

01:00 Vivian describes some of the early challenges faced by his family when they arrived in Canada such as financial challenges and antisemitism.

02:28 Vivian and family move to a home on Ridgewood Road where they remain for twenty-three years.

03:00 Vivian contrasts his early experiences in Toronto with those in Montreal.

04:07 Vivian's children attended Bialik Hebrew Day School.

04:16 Vivian describes his family's Jewish observance.

04:52 Vivian explains that his primary connection to the South African Jewish community in Toronto is through relatives.

05:25 Vivian continues to discuss his Jewish observance.

06:25 Vivian discusses some of his family members who came to Toronto.

08:00 Vivian discusses his research concerning the challenges faced by children of Holocaust survivors. He continues to discuss his professional and literary writing.

09:5 Vivian outlines his professional positions: director of postgraduate education, chief of psychiatry at St. Michael's Hospital, chief of psychiatry and professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

10:25 Vivian highlights a personal achievement concerning bringing a positron emission scanner to the Clark Institute (CAMH).

11:50 Vivian discusses his interest in art.

13:17 Vivian discusses some of the challenges encountered by new immigrants.

14:30 Vivian addresses his own decision to immigrate to Canada.

15:41 Vivian addresses his Canadian identity.

15:58 Vivian describes a trip with his grandchildren to Port Nolloth.

17:36 Vivian shares some of his lasting memories of Cape Town.

19:08 Vivian discusses the common destinations for South African Jewish immigration.

20:12 Vivian discusses his experience as an immigrant of Canada.

Source

Oral Histories

Braiding challah with my mother

Montreal was Hostile

On Survivors

Receiving the Order of Canada