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John Furedi - 29 Jul. 1976

Name: John Furedi

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 29 Jul. 1976

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

Paul Brown [sound recording] – 1973-2001.

Accession Number: 2016-8-10

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-8-10

Material Format: sound recording

Physical Description: 177 audio cassettes

Date: 1973-2001

Scope and Content: Accession consists of material documenting the diverse interests of Paul Brown. Included are: 177 audio recordings of various talks and events, most of which pertain to Judaism, the Holocaust, and Middle East politics and were held in Toronto. Speakers include Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel; New York Times best-selling author Rabbi Joseph Telushkin; former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yisrael Meir Lau; and conservative talk show host Dennis Prager as well many other rabbis and prominent Jewish figures.

Administrative History: Paul Brown (1942-) was born 30 January 1942 in Toronto. As a young student, he attended Hebrew day school on Brunswick Avenue followed by North Toronto College Institute. Later, Brown majored in Psychology at the University of Toronto. After completing his undergradudate studies, he enrolled in a Master of Education program in Guidance and Counselling offered by the Ontario Institute for Sutdies in Education (OISE). Brown taught for 30 years under the North York Board of Education (NYBE) and subsequently the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). He completed his formal teaching career with eight years at Bnei Akiva Schools. Brown is a member of Shaarei Shomayim and Beth Lida Forest Hill Synagogue.

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

Descriptive Notes: Mr. Brown assigned numbers to some of the cassettes.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Israel; Religion

Name Access: Brown, Paul

Places: Toronto, Ont.

Source: Archival Accessions

Elinor Einhorn Grill - 13 Jul. 1976

Name: Elinor Einhorn Grill

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 13 Jul. 1976

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Elinor Einhorn Grill

Number: OH 99; OH 100

Subject: family history; Jewish education; Refugees; Antisemitism; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Farmers; Young Judaea; Camp Elohim; Queen's University Hillel; Rabbi Rosen; St. Catharines; Einhorn, Sol; Israel; Soviet Jewry

Interview Date: 13 Jul. 1976

Quantity: 2

Interviewer: Larry Troster

Total Running Time: 2 hrs 25 minutes

Conservation: February 2009

Notes: Detailed transcription: file://s-oja01\data\Grants\Trillium2005\Oral%20Histories\interview%20summaries\St.%20Catharines%20OH%20099-100.doc Original tapes are damaged. Copies have been made, but the white noise interference is considerable.

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

Biography: Raised and educated in Oshawa, Elinor Grill was an active member of the Jewish community and a keen bridge player. She was married to Earl Grill, with whom she had three daughters.

Material Format: sound recording

Geographic Access: Oshawa (Ont.)

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Audio cassette; Digital file

Source: Oral Histories

Paul Abeles - 14 Jun. 1976

Name: Paul Abeles

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 14 Jun. 1976

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Paul Abeles

Number: OH 87

Subject: Farmers; Immigrants--Canada

Interview Date: 14 Jun. 1976

Quantity: 1

Interviewer: Larry Troster

Total Running Time: 45.05 minutes

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

Biography: Paul Abeles was born on 15 November 1906 in Czechoslovakia. He was a successful businessman and part of a group of four local businesspeople, with Leon Rotberg, Jack Rotberg, and Jack Brown, who bought and rented business properties in the city. The group were also referred to as the “Brantford Companies,” set up to own and manage warehouse properties in the City of Brantford.; Paul was active in the Brantford Jewish community and represented Brantford at the Second Regional Leadership Conference in London, Ontario on 27 March 1960, where over seventy-five representatives of regional Jewish communities gathered. At this conference, Paul was presented with an award of recognition for his volunteer endeavours.; Paul was one of thirty-nine families who immigrated to Canada in 1939 from Czechoslovakia and placed on farms. He was married to Rita Abeles (née (Glaser). He passed away in March 1989.

Material Format: sound recording

Language: English

Geographic Access: Brantford (Ont.)

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Digital file

Transcript: G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 87 - Abeles\OH87_Transcript.pdf

Source: Oral Histories

Max Moskoske - 29 Jul. 2010

Name: Max Moskoske

Material Format: moving images

Interview Date: 29 Jul. 2010

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

Cyrus Coppel - 21 Jul. 1976

Name: Cyrus Coppel

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 21 Jul. 1976

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.

Shelly Grimson [textual record] – May 1945.

Accession Number: 2023-12-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2023-12-1

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 2 letters

Date: May 1945

Scope and Content: Accession consists of material documenting Shelly Grimson. Included are two Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) letters written by Shelly's uncle Harry Fistell to Shelly's grandmother/Harry's mother. The first letter, written May 1945, describes Harry's impressions after visiting the recently liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The second letter, also written May 1945, describes Harry's feelings upon the Second World War ending and recounts trips to Holland, Antwerp, and Hamburg.

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

Subjects: Concentration camps; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); World War, 1939-1945

Name Access: Grimson (family); Grimson, Shelly

Places: Germany

Source: Archival Accessions

Frank Schleifer - 29 Jun. 1976

Name: Frank Schleifer

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 29 Jun. 1976

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Frank Schleifer

Number: OH 84

Subject: Canada--Armed Forces; World War, 1939-1945; Recreation; Families

Interview Date: 29 Jun. 1976

Quantity: 1

Interviewer: Larry Troster

Total Running Time: OH84_001: 45.20 minutes OH84_002: 11.00 minutes

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

Biography: Frank was born on 4 January 1916 in Toronto. His parents were Charles Schleifer and Mary Schleifer (née Noble). At the age of three, his family moved to Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. In 1922, the family moved to Brantford, Ontario, where his mother's family lived. Frank left school at age sixteen to work at the family Cigar and Soda Fountain store when his father became ill. He opened Frank’s Billiard Parlour from 1941 to 1946. He was drafted into the army in 1943, where he served in the artillery and infantry. He started to work in Unemployment Insurance with the federal government. Frank married Bertha (née Moldaver) in 1937. They had one son, Charles, born in 1947. As a youth, Frank was involved with AZA (B'nai Brith youth organization). He was a member of B'nai Brith and served on the executive of the synagogue in Brantford.

Material Format: sound recording

Language: English

Name Access: Schleifer, Frank; Troster, Larry

Geographic Access: Brantford; Sturgeon Falls

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Digital file

Transcript: G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 84 - Schleifer\OH84_001_Log.pdf; G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 84 - Schleifer\OH84_002_Log.pdf

Source: Oral Histories

In this clip, Frank Schleifer shares some early memories of growing up in Brantford, Ontario. He mentions some of the original Jewish families who settled in Brantford.

In this clip, Frank Schleifer describes his involvement in a variety of Jewish activities and groups during his youth, including AZA, summer camp and baseball.

Irving Milchberg - 26 Jul. 2007

Name: Irving Milchberg

Material Format: moving images

Interview Date: 26 Jul. 2007

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

Benzion Micfliker [textual record, textual record (electronic)] – [194-] - 2019.

Accession Number: 2019-10-2

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2019-10-2

Material Format: textual record; textual record (electronic)

Physical Description: 10 cm of textual records; 1 photograph (tiff) : b&w

Date: [194-] - 2019

Scope and Content: Accession consists of handwritten Yiddish poetry by Benzion Micfliker. Benzion (Ben) began writing poetry at the age of sixty-five after the death of his second wife Esther Micfliker (née Blutschitz). The poems, discovered by Benzion's daughter Rita, deal with personal themes of love and loss, reflections on Nazi imprisonment, liberation, relocations, Theodor Herzl, Canada, astronauts, Jewish holidays including Passover, Hanukkah, Purim, summer, nature and more. Seventeen of the Yiddish language poems have been translated into English. In addition, there is a photograph of Benzion and Esther (1940s), a detailed biography of Benzion Mickflker written by his daughter Rita, and newspaper clippings of Benzion's published poetry.

Administrative History: Benzion Micfliker (1910-1989) was born on 29 May 1910 in Chelm, Poland. He immigrated to Canada with his wife Esther and daughter Rita in 1951. Both Benzion and his wife had endured and survived the horrors of the Holocaust. They met after the war and lived in Barletta Italy in a displaced persons (DP) camp, where Rita was born. They settled in Israel for a short time and soon reunited with Benzion's sister Ita and her husband Mendel Silverman in Montreal, where Ben worked as a tailor and foreman and Esther as a seamstress. Benzion passed away at the age of 79 on 16 Jul. 1989.

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

Descriptive Notes: Language: Yiddish; Related material: 2019-10-8; 2019-12-2

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Refugee camps

Places: Montréal (Québec); Poland

Source: Archival Accessions

Tailor Project photos [graphic material] – 1947.

Part Of: Samuel Posluns fonds

Level: File

ID: Fonds 70; File 5

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: Samuel Posluns fonds

Level: File

Fonds: 70

File: 5

Material Format: graphic material

Date: 1947

Physical Description: 51 photographs : b&w ; 17 x 12 cm or smaller

Scope and Content: File consists of black-and-white photographs related to the Tailor Project, including photos taken at Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp showing the Tailor Project team testing candidates. Other photos include scenes of devastation in Hanover, documentation of concentration camps at Belsen and Dachau, and two photos of Posluns with unidentified individuals taken at the Munich Military Post Officers Club. Other identified individuals include Max Enkin and Samuel Herbst.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Refugee camps

Repro Restriction: Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places: Germany

Source: Archival Descriptions

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Sam Lipshitz [graphic material, textual record] – 1945-1946.

Accession Number: 1995-1-3

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1995-1-3

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 1 album; 16 posters

Date: 1945-1946

Scope and Content: Accession includes a scrapbook entitled "Polish Jews in the time of the German occupation, 1939-1945", presented to Sam Lipshitz and H.M. Caiserman by the Central Committee of Polish Jews during their tour of Poland in 1946 as delegates for the Canadian Jewish Congress and United Radomer Relief.; The accession also includes 16 posters created for an exhibition to document their trip and the Holocaust in Poland.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Source: Archival Accessions

Morley Markson [multiple media] – [198-].

Accession Number: 2003-8-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2003-8-1

Material Format: multiple media

Physical Description: 6.6 m of textual records and graphic materials

Date: [198-]

Scope and Content: Accession consists of records relating to Markson's design work for the Holocaust Centre, for Jewish Family & Child Services, and for the film, Growing up in America. These records include textual records, slides, negatives, photographs, films, and sound recordings in various formats.

Use Conditions: Donor retains copyright. Material can be made available for viewing and reference at the OJA. Researchers who require copies for personal use or publication must obtain permission from donor first.; Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Markson, Morley

Source: Archival Accessions

Morris Fogel [object, textual record, graphic material] – [between 1939 and 1944].

Accession Number: 1978-7-6

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1978-7-6

Material Format: object; textual record; graphic material

Physical Description: 1 document; 2 artifacts; 8 photographs : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm and 9 x 7 cm

Date: [between 1939 and 1944]

Scope and Content: Accession consists of photographs taken in the Lodz Ghetto during the Second World War, including images of Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski, chairman, and other members of the Judenrat (Jewish Council). Also included is an invitation to Rumkowski's wedding to Regina Wajnberger (Weinberger) from 27 Dec. 1941 and two Lodz Ghetto coins from 1943.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Fogel, Morris

Places: Lodz, Poland

Source: Archival Accessions

Alfred Talbot Longmore photographs [graphic material] – 1945.

Accession Number: 2011-3-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2011-3-1

Material Format: graphic material

Physical Description: 7 photographs : b&w ; 8 x 8 cm and 7 x 9 cm

Date: 1945

Scope and Content: Accession consists of seven photographs taken by Alfred Longmore at Bergen-Belsen Concentration camp in 1945. The images are extremely graphic and document desecrated bodies, several mass graves and German soldiers loading corpses onto a truck.

Custodial History: The photographs were in the possession of Larry Longmore, the son of Alfred Talbot Longmore. They came to the archives via John Komlos, a docent at the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre.

Administrative History: Alfred Talbot Longmore was born May 1923. From 1943 to 1945 he was a Corporal in the Royal Canadian Air Force, stationed in England and assigned to a British unit. He was trained to rewire incoming planes after action at the front. Longmore was an amateur photographer and film developer and acquired film equipment during the war through the sale of contraband cigarettes. At the end of the war he volunteered for clean up and burial detail at Bergen-Belsen Concentration camp. Volunteers from all three branches of the armed forces were selected for this task. As part of the process, German SS guards were forced to participate in order to remove any deniability on their part of the atrocities committed.; Longmore was not Jewish. He died in February 2007 and is survived by his wife Aileen Mary and their four children, Robert, Susan, Larry and Judy.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Source: Archival Accessions

Holocaust Education Centre|Gerda Frieberg [multiple media] – 1945, 1965-2003.

Accession Number: 2012-3-8

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2012-3-8

Material Format: multiple media

Physical Description: 58 photographs (tif) and other material

Date: 1945, 1965-2003

Scope and Content: Accession consists of records documenting the establishment and activities of Toronto's Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre as well as the personal life and professional activities of Gerda Frieberg. Holocaust Education Centre records include audiovisual material, sound recordings, meeting minutes, financial records, booklets and brochures, photographs, and flyers. Of note is a video of the opening and dedication of the Holocaust Museum in 1985 and the sheet music and sound recordings of the musical score Gerda commissioned for the centre by Srul Glick.; Records in the Gerda Frieberg fonds document her involvement with the Holocaust Education Centre, the Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Canada, B'nai Brith Women, the Federation of Jewish Women's organizations, and her other activities. Included are photographs, newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, and correspondence. Also included is a sound recording from a Federation of Jewish Women's Organizations event and a DVD copy of the film "Mend the World," a CBC documentary that features Gerda and other Toronto Holocaust survivors. The electronic images were scanned from Gerda's personal scrapbooks.

Custodial History: Records were in the possession of Gerda Frieberg until she donated them to the OJA in 2012.

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

Descriptive Notes: Includes 4 audio cassette tapes, 4 VHS tapes, 3 DVDs, 3 cm of textual records, and 8 photographs.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Frieberg, Gerda

Source: Archival Accessions

Lou (Leizer) Hoffer [textual record] – 2016.

Accession Number: 2016-2-13

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-2-13

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Date: 2016

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a typed account of Lou Hoffer's experience as a Holocaust survivor in Transnistria. The account was written on the occassion of the establishment by Lou and Magda Hoffer of the Transnistria Forest Grove in Jerusalem through the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Also included is a printout of a photo of Lou and Magda alongside a brief description of the JNF gift and the original certificate presented to the Hoffers from JNF.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Hoffer, Lou; Hoffer, Magda

Source: Archival Accessions

Transnistria Survivors' Association [moving images] – 2006-2007.

Accession Number: 2016-4-16

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-4-16

Material Format: moving images

Physical Description: 3 DVDs

Date: 2006-2007

Scope and Content: Video recordings of Transnistria Survivors' Association's annual commemomoration ceremonies (Haskara) that took place at Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue in Toronto in 2006 and 2007.

Administrative History: Founded in 1994, the Transnistria Survivors’ Association works to provide a voice for and raise awareness of a lesser known group of Holocaust survivors. Transnistria was the Romanian authorities’ name for the former Ukrainian region located between the Rivers Dniester and Bug. It was placed under Romanian administration following the German and Romanian conquest of Ukraine in the summer of 1941. Prior to the Second World War, Romania was home to the third largest Jewish population in Europe; but beginning with the Citizenship Revision Laws of 1938, the Jews of Romania were deprived their citizenship rights and became the targets of repressive antisemitic policies and laws. Neighbours turned on neighbours. Thousands of Jews were murdered in pogroms, either by Romanian or German troops, Nazi Einsatzgruppen, or the local population. In 1941, the Jews who remained alive in the Provinces of Bucovina and Bessarabia were deported to camps and ghettos in Transnistria. Thousands were jammed into freight trains while others were marched by foot. Many died along the way. Between 1941 and 1944, it is estimated that German and Romanian authorities, along with Ukrainian collaborators, murdered or caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Romanian and Ukrainian Jews in Transnistria. Some of those who survived these tragic circumstances, especially from Bucovina and Bessarabia, and made a new home in Toronto gathered together to lend each other support and to tell their largely unknown story of oppression and survival. The Transnistria Survivor’s Association organized yearly Hazkarah (memorial) services and its dedicated members continue to share their extraordinary stories of survival through speaking engagements at schools, colleges and synagogues. Past presidents include:; 1. Felicia (Steigman) Carmelly; 2.Osias Nadel; 3.Etti Ziegler; 4.Lou (Leizer) Hoffer; As of 2017, the current President is Joe Leinburd.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Transnistria Survivors Association; Hoffer, Lou

Places: Transnistria (Ukraine : Territory under German and Romanian occupation, 1941-1944)

Source: Archival Accessions

Nate Leipciger [multiple media] – 1974-2016.

Accession Number: 2017-6-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2017-6-1

Material Format: multiple media

Physical Description: 95 cm of textual records; 42 photographs : b&w and col. ; 9 x 13 cm and 10 x 15 cm; 5 audiocassettes

Date: 1974-2016

Scope and Content: Accession consists of the records documenting Nathan Leipciger's role as the Chairman of the Holocaust Remembrace Committee, as well as his affiliation with other Holocaust commemoration organizations in Poland and Toronto. Organizations documented in this collection include: the Canadian Jewish Congress Holocaust Remembrance Committee and its Education Sub-Committee, the March of the Living, Yad Vashem, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the International Council to the Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto, the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, the Board of Education of North York, and the Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre (now Neuberger). Events documented include Yom HaShoah programs, the Canadian Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Children, and Holocaust Education Week. Records include Holocaust Remembrance Committee meeting minutes, correspondence (including correspondence between Mr. Leipciger and the director of the museum at Auschwitz), programming material, curriculum development material, event flyers, newsclippings, synagogue newsletters featuring published memoirs by Mr. Leipciger. Also included are architectural drawings of the Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre (now Neuberger), one copy of a small book entitled, "60 Days for 6 Million," published by Tribe UK, and five audiocasettes of recordings from the 22nd International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies conference on the topic of the shared history of Poles and Jews (August 2002, Toronto, Ont.).

Administrative History: Nate Leipciger was born in Chorzów, Poland, in 1928. He survived the Sosnowiec Ghetto and the camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Funfteichen, GrossRosen, Flossenberg, Leonberg, and Dachau. Nate and his father were liberated in May 1945, and immigrated to Canada in 1948. In Toronto Nate attended high school and eventually obtained a university degree in engineering. He later established an engineering firm with several partners. In 1982, Nate chaired the Toronto Holocaust Remembrance Committee, later becoming an executive member of the Canadian Jewish Congress National Holocaust Remembrance Committee. Nate was a member of the International Council to the Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau for fifteen years and has been an educator on March of the Living trips to Poland and Israel for fifteen years. In 2015, The Azrieli Foundation published Nate's 280-page memoir "The Weight of Freedom" as part of their series of Holocaust memoirs by survivors in Canada. In 2016, Mr. Leipciger guided Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on a tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Descriptive Notes: General: Contains photographs of the Holocaust, some of which may be disturbing.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Leipciger, Nate, 1928-

Places: Poland; Toronto, Ont.

Source: Archival Accessions

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto [graphic material, textual record] – 2010-2018.

Accession Number: 2018-3-6

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2018-3-6

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 87 photographs : col. ; 15 x 10 cm; 1 folder of textual records

Date: 2010-2018

Scope and Content: Accession consists of various photos and commemorative books documenting the Tommorow Campaign's L'Chaim celebrations, Holocaust Education Week (2011), the openining of the Joseph & Wolf JCC (2012) and the memorial service program and condolence book created for Barry and Honey Sherman. Included are two photo albums of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto's Tommorow Campaign L'Chaim celebrations honouring Sarah and Chaim Neuberger in 2010 and the Gottdenker Family in 2011. Also included are photos of the 31st Annual Holocaust Education Week on Accountability: 50 years since the Eichmann Trial including the opening night program held on 1 Nov. 2011 at Holy Blossom Temple with historian Deborah E. Lipstadt; a panel discussion on the behavior of German business leaders with Professors Peter Francis Hayes, Doris Bergen and Michael R. Marrus held at the University of Toronto's Munk School for Global Affairs on 3 Nov. 2011; and the closing program and Kristallnacht commemoration with Tami Raveh Hausner, at Beth Tzedec Synagogue, 9 Nov. 2011.; Also included is a commemorative program book in celebration of the grand opening of the Joseph & Wolf Lebovic Jewish Community Campus Phase II on October 14, 2012 and a program from the memorial service for Barry and Honey Sherman (12 Dec. 2017) along with a book of condolences and photos in loving memory of Honey and Barry Sherman.

Custodial History: Photo albums and grand opening commemorative program book were donated by Dara Solomon, Executive Director of the Holocaust Centre and the Ontario Jewish Archives.; Condolence book in memory of Honey and Barry Sherman was donated by Natalie Walden.; Memorial service program transferred by Dara Solomon, Executive Director, Ontario Jewish Archives

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

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Sokolsky, Ted; Wolfe, Elizabeth; Sherman, Barry; Sherman, Honey; Goldfarb, Mira; Hayes, Peter F. (Peter Francis), 1947-; Bergen, Doris L.; Marrus, Michael R., 1941-; Lipstadt, Deborah E.; Hausner, Tami Raveh

Places: Toronto (Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

Toronto Holocaust Museum [multiple media] – [197-]-[200-].

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series

Level: Series

ID: Fonds 67; Series 28

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series

Level: Series

Fonds: 67

Series: 28

Material Format: multiple media

Date: [197-]-[200-]

Physical Description: 5.8 metres of textual records and other material

Admin History/Bio: The Toronto Holocaust Museum's mandate is to foster understanding and knowledge of the Holocaust and related human rights issues and promote dialogue about civil society. Its origins can be traced to the late 1940s, when the Federation of Polish Jews of Canada began organizing an annual event to commemorate the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (now often held in conjunction with Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day). In the 1950s, the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) took over this role and established the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Committee. By the early 1970s, the CJC had renamed this committee the Holocaust Remembrance Committee.; Throughout the 1970s, the scope of the committees work expanded to include liaison with school boards regarding Holocaust curriculum, outreach with Christian communities, school visits by survivor speakers, and the sponsorship of Holocaust-related events. In 1976, the committee became accountable to the newly formed Toronto Jewish Congress (TJC) but continued to report to the CJC Central Region.; By 1976, committee members were discussing the need for a Holocaust memorial in Toronto. Space for such a memorial became available when the Lipa Green building at 4600 Bathurst Street was being planned. A separate committee known as the Toronto Holocaust Memorial Committee formed around 1983 under the chairmanship of Gerda Frieberg to help plan and fundraise for the memorial. Funds were raised through parlour meetings in private homes, grants from the federal and provincial governments, and the sale of memorial tiles which were inscribed with the names of relatives who perished in the Holocaust. The Holocaust Education and Memorial Centre opened in September 1985. It consisted of a Hall of Memories, which housed the memorial tiles, and an audiovisual presentation and text panels on Jewish history and the Holocaust. Soon after the opening, the Toronto Holocaust Memorial Committee merged with the Holocaust Remembrance Committee.; During the early 1980s, while plans were still underway for the memorial centre, the Holocaust Remembrance Committee continued to expand its activities to include the development of annual workshops and symposiums for teachers and students, planning an annual Holocaust Education Week, initiating an oral history program to document the testimony of local survivors, and offering programs for children of survivors. After the Holocaust centre opened in 1985, it began running tours led by survivors for community and school groups in its new facility. The 1990s was marked by increased services and programs for survivors, outreach with younger generations, the establishment of an annual writing contest for high school students, and the establishment of a resource centre that came to be known as the Anita Ekstein Holocaust Resource Library. In 1992, the TJC and CJC transferred responsibility for the centre to the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation, and the centre remains part of that organization today.; Since 2000, the centre has continued to increase its programming. In 2003, it began presenting an annual program to commemorate Raoul Wallenberg Day. In 2007, the museum’s exhibition was fully re-designed and updated. Since its establishment, the centre has sponsored and hosted a variety of temporary Holocaust-related exhibitions and programs across the province and has partnered with other agencies to advocate for human rights, promote Holocaust education, and document survivor testimony. In 2009, the centre was renamed the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust and Education Centre. In 2023, the centre was renamed the Toronto Holocaust Museum to reflect its new state-of-theart museum located on UJA's Serhman Campus.

Scope and Content: Series consists of records documenting the history, governance, operation, programs, and activities of the Toronto Holocaust Museum. Included are meeting minutes, reports, publications, correspondence, photographs, invitations, statistics, financial records, sound recordings, promotional material, forms, studies, ...; Series is arranged into 21 sub-series: 1. Holocaust Education Committee; 2. Executive Committee; 3. Administration; 4. General correspondence; 5. Committees and meetings; 6. Studies and surveys; 7. Youth for Youth subcommittee; 8. Special Services Committee; 9. Christian Jewish Dialogue; 10. Generation to Generation subcommittee; 11. Hidden Children/Child Survivors; 12. Education; 13. Museum; 14. Yom Hashoah; 15. Holocaust Education Week; 16. Raoul Wallenberg Day; 17. Documentation; 18. Projects and events; 19. Survivor speakers, docents and volunteers; 20. Membership; 21. Marketing and publicity; and 22. Subject files.

Notes: Physical description note: Includes ca. 2000 photographs, 5 buttons, 11 audio recordings, 3 DVDs, 3 video cassettes and 2 posters.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

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

Accession Number: 2002-10-30; 2002-10-67; 2004-6-10; 2005-2-3; 2005-3-1; 2006-8-15; 2007-8-7; 2010-6-2; 2011-12-2; 2012-3-8; 2012-3-2

Source: Archival Descriptions

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Sam Rose - 29 Jul. 2010

Name: Sam Rose

Material Format: moving images

Interview Date: 29 Jul. 2010

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

Correspondence, promotional material, and news clippings regarding the Holocaust and Holocaust denial [textual record] – 1995.

Part Of: Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds; General office subject and correspondence files series

Level: File

ID: Fonds 17; Series 2; File 1283

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds; General office subject and correspondence files series

Level: File

Fonds: 17

Series: 2

File: 1283

Material Format: textual record

Date: 1995

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Subjects: Holocaust denial; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Access Restriction: Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Accession Number: 2005-2-2

Source: Archival Descriptions

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Rally for Truth, Light and Freedom video [moving images] – 2006.

Accession Number: 2010-1-5

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2010-1-5

Material Format: moving images

Physical Description: 1 DVD ( ca. 96 min.)

Date: 2006

Scope and Content: Accession consists of one DVD recording of the Rally for Truth, Light and Freedom. The DVD covers the entire presentation, including speakers Linda Frum Sokolowski, Father Raymond De Souza, Peter Van Loan, Michael Bryant, Martin Maxwell, Max Eisen, and William McBurney; keynote speaker Professer Alan Dershowitz; and archival footage of a concentration camp liberation that was screened at the rally.

Administrative History: The Rally for Truth, Light and Freedom: Iran Exposed was held at Beth Tzedec Congregation on Thursday December 21, 2006 to express opposition to Iran's Holocaust denial conference. It was sponsored by a coalition of more than 120 Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, including the Archdiocese of Toronto's Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs, the National Congress of Italian-Canadians, the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, and the Hindu Conference of Canada. Organizational support was provided by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto; Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region; and the Holocaust Centre of Toronto. Mark Anshan of UJA coordinated the event.

Subjects: Holocaust denial; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Source: Archival Accessions

Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah [textual record] – 1995.

Accession Number: 2007-11-7

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2007-11-7

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 3 cm of textual records

Date: 1995

Scope and Content: Accession consists of one dinner invitation and journal entitled "From Tears to Triumph" presented by the Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah at a testimonial dinner marking fifty years since the end of the Second World War. The dinner was in honour of the survivors of the Holocaust and their impact on religious life in Toronto. It was held at the Regal Constellation Hotel in Toronto on Sunday, April 2, 1995 and featured Rabbi Ezriel Tauber as guest speaker. The journal features stories of survivors and photographs depicting Jewish religious life in Europe during and after the Second World War.

Administrative History: Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah was founded in 1945 as Shlomei Emunei Yisroel. It was founded as a school for boys by survivors of the Holocaust who immigrated to Canada with their children.

Descriptive Notes: Shlomei Emunei Yisroel

Subjects: Education; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah (Toronto, Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

Reception in honour of the publication of the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust [textual record, graphic material] – 1990.

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series; Special events and projects sub-series

Level: File

ID: Fonds 67; Series 28-18; File 30

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series; Special events and projects sub-series

Level: File

Fonds: 67

Series: 28-18

File: 30

Material Format: textual record; graphic material

Date: 1990

Physical Description: 1 folder textual records; 5 photographs: col. ; 15 x 10 cm

Scope and Content: File consists of invitations, correspondence, photographs, press releases, and programs from the reception hosted by the Holocaust Centre in honour of the publication of the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Encyclopedias

Source: Archival Descriptions

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Bibliographies [textual record] – 1977-1980.

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series; Public relations sub-series

Level: File

ID: Fonds 67; Series 28-21; File 7

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series; Public relations sub-series

Level: File

Fonds: 67

Series: 28-21

File: 7

Material Format: textual record

Date: 1977-1980

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content: File consists of several editions of annotated bibliographies on the Holocaust.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Bibliography

Source: Archival Descriptions

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Transnistria Survivors Assocation [graphic material (electronic), textual record] – 2005-2012.

Accession Number: 2013-9-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2013-9-1

Material Format: graphic material (electronic); textual record

Physical Description: 3 photographs (tiffs) : col.; 1 folder of textual records

Date: 2005-2012

Scope and Content: Accession consists of graphic material and a textual record documenting the Transnistria Survivor Association. Included are three photos: 1) Member Arnold Buxbaum standing in front of Memorial for Transnistria at Earl Bales Park; 2) Arnold Buxbaum and Joe Leinburd at UJA Foundation Event, 2011-12; 3) Hazkarah, 2005 at Sharei Shomayim Synagogue. There is also a speech by Arnold Buxbaum presented in 2011 at Sharei Shomayim Synagogue.

Custodial History: Originals were loaned for reproducing.

Administrative History: Founded in 1994, the Transnistria Survivors’ Association works to provide a voice for and raise awareness of a lesser known group of Holocaust survivors. Transnistria was the Romanian authorities’ name for the former Ukrainian region located between the Rivers Dniester and Bug. It was placed under Romanian administration following the German and Romanian conquest of Ukraine in the summer of 1941. Prior to the Second World War, Romania was home to the third largest Jewish population in Europe; but beginning with the Citizenship Revision Laws of 1938, the Jews of Romania were deprived their citizenship rights and became the targets of repressive antisemitic policies and laws. Neighbours turned on neighbours. Thousands of Jews were murdered in pogroms, either by Romanian or German troops, Nazi Einsatzgruppen, or the local population. In 1941, the Jews who remained alive in the Provinces of Bucovina and Bessarabia were deported to camps and ghettos in Transnistria. Thousands were jammed into freight trains while others were marched by foot. Many died along the way. Between 1941 and 1944, it is estimated that German and Romanian authorities, along with Ukrainian collaborators, murdered or caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Romanian and Ukrainian Jews in Transnistria. Some of those who survived these tragic circumstances, especially from Bucovina and Bessarabia, and made a new home in Toronto gathered together to lend each other support and to tell their largely unknown story of oppression and survival. The Transnistria Survivor’s Association organized yearly Hazkarah (memorial) services and its dedicated members continue to share their extraordinary stories of survival through speaking engagements at schools, colleges and synagogues. Past presidents include:; 1. Felicia (Steigman) Carmelly; 2.Osias Nadel; 3.Etti Ziegler; 4.Lou (Leizer) Hoffer; As of 2017, the current President is Joe Leinburd.

Subjects: Societies; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Transnistria Survivors Association; Buxbaum, Arnold; Leinburd, Joe; Hoffer, Lou

Source: Archival Accessions

Transnistria Survivors' Association [textual record] – 1994-1998.

Accession Number: 2014-8-6

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2014-8-6

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Date: 1994-1998

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a book of documents related to the Transnistria Surivors' Association, including correspondence, memos, contracts, financial statements and meeting minutes.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Societies

Name Access: Transnistria Survivors' Association (Toronto, Ont.); Hoffer, Lou

Source: Archival Accessions

Lou (Leizer) Hoffer [textual record, graphic material] – [ca. 2000]-2016.

Accession Number: 2017-2-23

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2017-2-23

Material Format: textual record; graphic material

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records; 5 photographs

Date: [ca. 2000]-2016

Scope and Content: Accession consists of textual and graphic material documenting Lou Hoffer's involvement with the Transnistria Survivors' Association and the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre. Included are photographs of Lou with student groups at OISE and Havergal college, an image of Lou lighting a candle with a bar mitzvah student as part of the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre's Bar/Bat Mitzvah Project of Remembrance. Accession also includes a flyer, newspaperclippings and thank you cards.

Administrative History: Lou (Leizer) Hoffer is a Holocaust survivor who is a past president of the Transnistria Holocaust Survivors' Association and was a speaker with the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre in Toronto.; Lou was born in 1927 in Vijnitz, Northern Bucovina, Romania to David and Chaya Sure Drassinover Hoffer. During the Second World War, Lou and his family was deported (along with all the Jewish people in his town) to the death camps of Transnistria (a territory in Ukraine). He was liberated in 1944.; After the war, Lou, his parents and his younger brother, Joe, wandered through various displaced persons camps in Europe. They eventually immigrated to Canada in March 1948 on the ship Nea Helas. He married Madga (nee Pressburger) in 1959. Together they had three sons and one daughter.

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

Subjects: Societies; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Hoffer, Lou; Transnistria Survivors' Association (Toronto, Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

Abraham Najahaus [textual record] – 1963-1980.

Accession Number: 2017-11-4

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2017-11-4

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 7 cm of textual records

Date: 1963-1980

Scope and Content: Accession consists of two items pertaining to the history of the Jewish community of Radom Poland including a book entitled The Book of Radom: The Story of a Jewish Community in Poland Destroyed by the Nazis, edited and complied by Alfred Lipson and published in 1963 by the United Radomer Relief of the United States and Canada Inc. In addition, there is a fifty-fifth anniversary booklet published in celebration of the establishment of the Radomer Mutual Benefit Society of Toronto.

Administrative History: Abraham Najahaus (1910-2007) was born in Radom Poland on 14 July 1910. He emigrated to Toronto in 1948 with his wife Genya Najahaus (née Goldstein, 1910-1987) and infant daughter Helen Najahaus. Genya Goldstein was born on 14 December 1916 in Otwok, Poland. She met and married Abraham in Russia during the Second World War and had their first child Helen in 1947 while living in a DP camp in Stuttgart, Germany. After emigrating to Toronto in 1948, they had a second child Morrey Najahaus. Abraham worked as a tailor and was employed by Wilson Garments at 119 Spadina Avenue.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Societies

Source: Archival Accessions

William Ladner [graphic material, textual record] – [192-?]-[2003?].

Accession Number: 2018-8-15

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2018-8-15

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 27 photographs : b&w and col. ; 10 x 15 cm or smaller; 1 folder of textual records

Date: [192-?]-[2003?]

Scope and Content: Accession consists of material documenting William Ladner's family in Europe and his immigration to Canada. Included are photographs of his family, his immigration identification card, certificate of Canadian citizenship, and a fax from he received from his paternal uncle in the United States.

Administrative History: William Ladner is a Holocaust survivor, born en route from Austria to Antwerp, Belgium in 1940. As a child, William Ladner and his mother fled to Belgium from their home in Austria following the arrest of his father by the Nazis. Will's parents had attempted to immigrate to Switzerland but were turned away. Both of Will's parents perished during the Holocaust. William's father was an [electrician] and his mother a nurse. At the time of their immigration, Belgium was occupied by Germany having capitulated on the terms of unconditional surrender on May 28, 1940. Germany invaded Belgium and Holland on May 10, 1940 (Plan Yellow). Desperate for work, Mrs. Ladner reported to an employment office but was quickly discovered to be Jewish and deported to Malines. Deportation trains from Malines to Auschwitz began on August 4, 1942. Will has records documenting the movement of his parents during the war up until their deaths. Will's mother arranged for his safekeeping during the war by placing him in an orphanage operated by a Catholic Convent before she was deported to Auschwitz where she was murdered. After the war, arrangements were made by a cousin [Schindler] who worked for the British Intelligence in Birmingham, as well as William's mother's sister, who resided in Birmingham, England. Will Ladner immigrated to England in January 1946 to join his aunt. He then moved to Canada.; Photo captions; 001: Kurt Ladner and Willie Ladner reunite, (Dedham, Massachusetts), ca. 2003; 002: Willie Ladner (back) reunites with his paternal uncle Kurt Ladner, and Kurt’s wife Elizabeth Newman, (Dedham, Massachusetts), ca. 2003; 003: Passport photo of Willie Ladner, (Willowdale, ON) 25 Apr. 1997; 004:J Portrait of Berta Berger, (Vienna, Austria), ca. 1938. Written on reverse “Bertha Berger married Ladner, born 30. May 1919 in Vienna Austria.”; 005: Willie Ladner in orphanage attire, (Antwerp, Belgium), ca. 1945. Written in German on the reverse: “Meinem Liebsten Groszmutterchen, Millionen Kusse, Harry William Ladner.”; 006: Willie Ladner (right) holding hands with another child at the orphanage, (Antwerp, Belgium), ca. 1945; 007: Portrait of Berta Ladner with her infant son Willie Ladner, (Antwerp, Belgium), 1940.; 008: Portrait of Berta Ladner, (Vienna, Austria), [1935?].

Descriptive Notes: Related groups of records external to the unit being described: Other records relating to William Ladner and his family can be found in Accession 2018-8-5.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Orphans

Places: Belgium; Austria

Source: Archival Accessions

Carson Phillips [textual record] – 2003-2005.

Accession Number: 2018-11-11

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2018-11-11

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks

Date: 2003-2005

Scope and Content: Accession consists of two scrapbooks documenting Carson Phillips' work in the field of Holocaust education. The scrapbooks contain newspaper articles; promotional postcards; Yom HaShoah remembrance cards; newsletters; and correspondence, much of it related to an exhibition titled Janusz Korczak and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto. The latter was presented by the Regional Jewish Communities of Ontario, a partnership between UJA Federations Canada and Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region. Holocaust survivor Max Eisen features prominently in many of the articles.

Administrative History: Carson Phillips earned his doctor of philosophy degree from York University. Since 2008, he has served as managing director of the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre. He is the recipient of several awards including the 2013 BMW Canada Award from the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies at York University. He also serves on the editorial board of Prism: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Holocaust Educators.

Subjects: Education; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Eisen, Max; Phillips, Carson; Regional Jewish Communities of Ontario

Places: Ontario

Source: Archival Accessions

Bella Diamant fonds [textual record, graphic material (electronic)] – 1926-1947.

Part Of: Bella Diamant fonds

Level: Fonds

ID: Fonds 117

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: Bella Diamant fonds

Level: Fonds

Fonds: 117

Material Format: textual record; graphic material (electronic)

Date: 1926-1947

Physical Description: 3 cm of textual records; 11 photographs : b&w and sepia (tiff)

Admin History/Bio: Bella Diamant (m. Hershenhorn) was the daughter of Moishe and Sarah Diamant. She was born in Ostrowiec (Ostrovietz), Poland and had five siblings: Esther, Chaim Myer, David, Baruch, and Ruth. Bella met her future husband, Samuel Hershenhorn, in Poland. He was the son of Mendel and Miriam Hershenhorn from Drildz. The family arrived in Toronto sometime during the early 1920s; Mendel arriving first followed by Miriam and Samuel. The marriage between Bella and Samuel was arranged by their families and so Bella was sent to Toronto to be with him in 1927. They married on 13 Nov. 1927. Together they had three children: Ruth (Rishie), Esti and Lee. Samuel worked for a slipper and spat manufacturer and then started his own company: The Canadian Spat and Slipper Company. He was a member of the Drildzer Sick Benefit Society. Bella was a housewife. Many of Bella's relatives perished during the Holocaust, including both her parents, her brother David who died with his wife and daughter on a forced march, and her sister Ruth who was murdered by the Nazis alongside her young daughter. Chaim Myer was sent to live with Bella and Samuel in Toronto prior to the onset of the war and therefore survived. Baruch and Esther both survived the Holocaust and eventually moved to New York City.

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of letters written to Bella Diamant Hershenhorn from relatives in Poland and Frankfurt. The pre-war letters are from Bella's father Moishe in Poland as well as Bella's siblings and cousins, usually added as additional notes and postscripts onto Moishe's letters. The post-war letters are from Bella's sister Esther and brother Baruch in Frankfurt, who both survived the Holocaust. The letters are written in Yiddish and Polish and have accompanying English translations. Also included are several scanned copies of photographs depicting Bella on the SS Estonia, en route to Canada (ca. 1927), and with various relatives in Poland prior to immigration.

Notes: REPRODUCTION RESTRICTION NOTE: Donor must be notified prior to publication of letters.

Name Access: Hershenhorn, Bella, ca. 1906-1999

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Letters

Arrangement: The letters have been arranged chronologically.

Places: Ostrowiec (Sokolów Podlaski, Poland); Toronto (Ont.); Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

Accession Number: 2016-12-44

Source: Archival Descriptions

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Dr. H. Fenigstein - 24 Feb. 1976

Name: Dr. H. Fenigstein

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 24 Feb. 1976

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Dr. H. Fenigstein

Number: OH 244

Subject: Warsaw (Poland)--History--Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 1943; Jewish ghettos; World War, 1939-1945; United States--Armed Forces; Concentration camps

Interview Date: 24 Feb. 1976

Quantity: 2 cassettes (1 copy); 2 WAV files

Total Running Time: 58 minutes

Conservation: Copied August 2003; Digitized in 2014

Biography: Dr. H. Fenigstein was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1913. He was raised in an affluent, assimilated neighbourhood. He entered the study of medicine at the University of Warsaw in 1931. He served three years with the Military Academy for Sanitary Officers (i.e., for medical and paramedical graduates) in the Polish army. At the outbreak of the Second World War on 1 September 1939, Dr. Fenigstein worked at a military hospital. In April 1940, he was sent to the Warsaw Ghetto and started to work as the head of the pathology department at the Jewish Hospital. In 1948, Dr. Feningstein published "The History of the Jewish Hospital in Ghetto Warsaw." Some of his research was published in "The Hunger Disease," a collection of research papers that were hidden during the war. With the final liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, Dr. Fenigstein was transported to several labour camps and was liberated by the Americans on 30 April 1945. After the war, he moved to Munich, where he worked for UNRA and the University of Munich. Dr. Feningstein immigrated to Canada in September 1948. Dr. Feningstein died in 1993.

Material Format: sound recording

Geographic Access: Canada; Munich (Germany); Warsaw (Poland)

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Audio cassette; Digital file

Transcript: Side 1 00:00: Dr. Fenigstein graduated from high school in 1931 in Warsaw, Poland and studied medicine at the University of Warsaw. 00:26: Dr. Fenigstein recounts some of his earliest childhood memories relating to Russian occupation of Warsaw. For example, he recalls seeing horse-drawn streetcars carrying wounded Russian soldiers, German soldiers coming to Warsaw in 1916, German soldiers confiscating valuables from his home, bad food, etc. 2:18: Dr. Fenigstein’s family lived in an assimilated part of Warsaw, not with the majority of Jews. 3:00: Dr. Fenigstein’s father was a professional electrical engineer, who graduated from university in France in 1909. 3:30: Dr. Fenigstein lists his education history. 4:48: Dr. Fenigstein recalls a military coup in Warsaw in 1926 by Józef Pilsudski. 6:07: Dr. Fenigstein notes that his personal life was not affected until 1939. In 1939, he had been practicing medicine for three years and had served three years with the Military Academy for Sanitary Officers (i.e., for medical and paramedical graduates) in the Polish army. 6:55: Dr. Fenigstein was mobilized to serve in a military hospital when Germans attacked Poland on 1 September 1939. 7:12: Dr. Fenigstein describes his experiences at the outbreak of the war. 8:00: Dr. Fenigstein was wounded on 25 September 1939. He remained hospitalized as a wounded prisoner of war until April 1940. 8:41: Following his discharge, Dr. Fenigstein started to work in the Department of Pathology at the Jewish Hospital in Warsaw. Dr. Fenigstein explains how the hospital functioned. Over time (i.e., by 1941/42 until liquidation in April 1943), the hospital was fully staffed by Jews, and all the patients were Jews under supervision of German military officers. 10:52: Dr. Fenigstein published a book in Yiddish in 1948, “The History of the Jewish Hospital in Ghetto Warsaw.” Copies are available in Yad Vashem. 11:44: Dr. Fenigstein describes the restrictions placed on activities of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. 12:43: Dr. Fenigstein explains his role in the hospital. He was the head of the Department of Pathology until the first liquidation in the summer of 1942. The chief of the hospital was Dr. Josef Stein. Dr. Fenigstein did teaching and research. Some of his work was published in a book, “The Hunger Disease,” a collection of research papers that were hidden during the war. 14:30: Dr. Fenigstein recounts the events that led up to the first liquidation in the summer of 1942. He mentions that, although they were told that the transports were evacuation from the ghetto, there evidence that came to light to support that the transports led to liquidation. 17:03: Dr. Fenigstein explains that, despite hearing stories about liquidation at the time, he did not want to believe the reports could be true. 18:53: Dr. Fenigstein describes the evolvement of the underground clandestine Jewish resistance. The group was able to resist attempts by the Germans to liquidate the ghetto in January 1943 and on 19 April 1943. 21:05: Dr. Fenigstein gives an account of the Jewish population in Warsaw at the outbreak of the war, at the peak of the Warsaw Ghetto, and after the first two liquidations. He suggests that, of those remaining in the ghetto, several hundred put up a brave, strong resistance against the Germans in April 1943. 24:40: Dr. Fenigstein describes his work in the hospital after the second liquidation. Additionally, he worked in conjunction with the underground military force by stockpiling medical supplies in order to look after the wounded. 26:20: Dr. Fenigstein relates what happened to him after the April 1943 liquidation. He was transported first from Warsaw to Budzyn, a camp near Lublin, and later to another camp, where he worked from 30 April 1943 to 23 May 1944. Side 2 00:43: Dr. Fenigstein continues to recount his personal history. He was transported to a camp in Radom on 25 May 1944, where he worked in a factory building small weapons. Moved by foot 29 July 1944 to a moved-in freight cars arrived 5 August 1944 in Auschwitz. The women and weak were removed from the group. The remainder got back on freight cars. Arrived in a camp in Vaihiengen 9 August 1944. 4:43: Dr. Fenigstein describes the harsh conditions of the camp in Vaihiengen. 6:28: Dr. Fenigstein was selected to be a physician on a transport on 14 October 1944. He became the chief physician at Hessental near Schwabish Hall. 8:30: Dr. Fenigstein describes an outbreak of a typhus epidemic. 10:20: Left Camp Hessental on 5 April 1945 by foot and horse-drawn wagon. Arrived on 11 Aplril 1945 in Allach, near Dachau. 25 April 1945 shipped in open freight cars. Liberated by the Americans on 30 April 1945. 13:23: Dr. Fenigstein recounts that one of the Americans approached them speaking Yiddish. 13:52: Dr. Fenigstein explains that he was able to maintain good relationships with some SS officers due to the fact that he was a physician with some military training who spoke German. As a result, he was allowed to keep a few personal belongings (e.g., a photo, pencil, paper) and have some special privileges. 16:00: Dr. Fenigstein’s first wife was killed by Nazis in Majdanek in November 1943. 16:35: Dr. Josef Stein was killed during the final liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto. 18:05: Adam Czerniakow, head of the Jewish council in the Warsaw Ghetto, committed suicide when he found out that the German were going to liquidate the Jewish population. 18:53: Dr. Fenigstein was thirty years old in 1943. 19:15: Dr. Fenigstein attributes his survival to good luck. He provides some examples. 21:50: Dr. Fenigstein recounts a few examples of how he was able to send messages to his sister amd wife with the help of a few sympathetic Poles. 25:05: Dr. Fenigstein discusses the time of liberation and immediately following liberation. The liberated inmates were transported to SS barracks initially and later sent to stay in SS garrisons in Munich. Then were placed in DP camps. Dr. Fenigstein worked as a physician for UNRA. Worked at the University of Munich. Married his second wife in Munich. Came to Canada in September 1948.

Source: Oral Histories

Sam Pizel [object, graphic material] – 1939-1945.

Accession Number: 1984-5-7

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1984-5-7

Material Format: object; graphic material

Physical Description: 1 coin; 16 photographs : b&w ; 7 x 10 cm

Date: 1939-1945

Scope and Content: This accession consists of one Mount Sinai Lodge A.F. & A.M. No. 522 G.R.C. 25th anniversary coin. The coin has the lodge's coat of arms on the recto and a set of tablets with the words "keep these and good fortune will be yours" on the verso.; Also included are 16 photographs of the Allied Forces (including the Canadian Army) at Bergen-Belsen in April 1945 following the liberation of the camp. Pictured are the general grounds, mass graves with sign markers, a group of (local German?) women crowded around the back of an army truck, army personnel observing and taking photographs of a deceased victim, a crematoria, and Sam Pizel (standing right) and other servicemen with a box of human ashes.

Administrative History: Sam Pizel (?-29 Sept. 2004) was married to Lily and was the brother of Irving Pizel.

Use Conditions: Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Descriptive Notes: Availability of other formats: Digitized material.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); World War, 1939-1945

Name Access: Pizel, Sam; Bergen-Belsen

Places: Germany

Source: Archival Accessions

Mania Kay - 27 Oct. 2007

Name: Mania Kay

Material Format: moving images

Interview Date: 27 Oct. 2007

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Mania Kay

Number: OH 328

Subject: Kitchener-Waterloo; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); immigration; Synagogues; Kitchener Holocaust Committee; keeping kosher; Concentration camps

Interview Date: 27 Oct. 2007

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

Interviewer: Sharon Gubbay Helfer

Total Running Time: 2 hours

Notes: Part of Ontario Small Jewish Communities Project. Copy of notes has been saved here: G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 328 Kay

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

Biography: Living in Oswiecim, Poland, Mania Kay was nineteen years old when the Nazis marched in and captured her and her family. Although her family perished, Mania survived the Holocaust and spent most of her life speaking out against racism and her experiences in Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Mania's mission was to not allow those who perished to be forgotten. Mania was one of the founding members of the Waterloo Region Holocaust Education Committee.; Mania came to Canada in 1948 with her husband, Moishe Yaakov, himself a Holocaust survivor. They lived in Kitchener, Ontario, where they opened a tailor shop. Mania and Moishe raised two daughters, Shirley and Molly. Mania died in November 2012 at the age of ninety.

Material Format: moving images

Geographic Access: Poland; Kitchener (Ont.); Waterloo (Ont.)

Original Format: Mini DV

Copy Format: DVD

Source: Oral Histories

Morris Fishman - 12 Jul. 1977

Name: Morris Fishman

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 12 Jul. 1977

Source: Oral Histories

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.

Marian Domanski [textual record] – 1943-1945.

Accession Number: 2022-5-20

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2022-5-20

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Date: 1943-1945

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a birth certificate issued in November 1943 under the name of Roman-Jan Domanski, which was used by Marian Domanski to survive the Holocaust. Accession also includes an identity card with Marian's photograph and the same falsified name, issued in Radzyn on 25 Jan. 1944 (the notes section of the identity card is separated, with an illegible Polish stamp on the back, dated 23 Nov. 1945).

Custodial History: Records were donated by Marian Domanski's daughter Beata Domanska.

Administrative History: Marian Domanski (1928-2012) was born Moshe Finkielman on 20 June 1928 in Otwock, Poland, south of Warsaw. His father, Abraham Finkielman, died in 1939 as a soldier in the Polish army, and his mother, Brucha Rotenberg Finkielman, passed away in late 1941 from typhus in the Otwock Ghetto. In 1941, Marian began to regularly sneak out of the ghetto to search for food until his mother's death. In April 1942, he escaped the ghetto and posed as a Polish Catholic youth. He worked as a farm labourer in Eastern Poland for some time, until he was told that in order to get a permanent position he would have to register, which would require his birth certificate. In October 1942, in the town of Komarowka, he was caught and deported to the Treblinka extermination camp. He managed to jump off the transport, run away, and hide, eventually finding work as a farm labourer once again. In 1943, he managed to obtain a falsified birth certificate using information about a fellow herdsman, Roman-Jan Domanski, without his knowledge. He was also able to obtain identity papers, working at farms as a Polish Catholic boy until the end of the war. After the war, he traveled to the recovered territories in Western Poland, where he found work and resumed his education by attending evening school and specializing in aerial photography. He opened his own photography business in Wroclaw and was awarded the degree of Master Photographer in 1963, the same year he married his wife, Cesia. In 1968, Marian and his wife and daughter Beata left Poland for Denmark to escape the anti-Jewish campaign that was underway by the government, and in 1970, they emigrated to Canada. He attended a program in Graphic Arts at George Brown College and, after graduating, worked in several printing establishments for many years until retirement. He kept the name Marian Domanski for the remainder of his life. Marian Domanski passed away in 2012.

Subjects: Holocaust survivors; Refugees; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Domanski, Marian, 1928-2012

Places: Poland; Toronto (Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

Concentration camp experiences [textual record] – 1948.

Part Of: Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds; Community Relations Committee series; Research records sub-series; Hate crimes and hate literature sub-sub-series

Level: File

ID: Fonds 17; Series 5-4-6; File 2

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds; Community Relations Committee series; Research records sub-series; Hate crimes and hate literature sub-sub-series

Level: File

Fonds: 17

Series: 5-4-6

File: 2

Material Format: textual record

Date: 1948

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content: File consists of a booklet "Home Again" by Charles Grant based on his personal experience. The contents were originally a series of CBC radio broadcasts.

Notes: General: Previously processed and cited as part of MG8 S.

Subjects: Concentration camps

Source: Archival Descriptions

View in hierarchy

Liberation exhibit 1995 [textual record] – 1995.

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series; Special events and projects sub-series

Level: File

ID: Fonds 67; Series 28-18; File 49

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series; Special events and projects sub-series

Level: File

Fonds: 67

Series: 28-18

File: 49

Material Format: textual record

Date: 1995

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content: File consists of programs, the text of a speech, and a media list for the opening of the exhibition Liberation, Survival and Freedom: A Tribute to the Allied Armed Services and the 250,000 Survivors of the Holocaust.

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation

Source: Archival Descriptions

View in hierarchy

Gathering in Israel [textual record] – 1995.

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series; Special events and projects sub-series

Level: File

ID: Fonds 67; Series 28-18; File 50

Source: Archival Descriptions

Part Of: United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds; Toronto Holocaust Museum series; Special events and projects sub-series

Level: File

Fonds: 67

Series: 28-18

File: 50

Material Format: textual record

Date: 1995

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content: File consists of a flyer promoting the 1995 Gathering in Israel commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps.

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation

Places: Israel

Source: Archival Descriptions

View in hierarchy

Bernard Louis Yale [graphic material, textual record] – 1944-2000.

Accession Number: 2010-5-15

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2010-5-15

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 34 photographs : b&w, some sepia toned ; 17 x 23 cm or smaller; 1 cm of textual records

Date: 1944-2000

Scope and Content: Accession consists of photographs and textual records that document Bernard's activities in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Included are images of Bernard and his photography school classmates; shots taken just after the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was liberated, including shots of captured SS guards and of the Sunday picnics organized for the children; and images taken by Bernard while he was on leave. Accession also includes Bernard's unpublished memoir of his war experience (2000) and one letter written by Bernard to his family while he was stationed in Germany (1945).

Administrative History: Bernard Louis Yale was born in Toronto on 3 May 1922 to Morris Yalofsky and Ann Yalofsky (née Krasnanski). Although Morris and Ann were both born in the Ukraine, they resided in Romania prior to their immigration to Canada in 1922 Morris worked in Toronto as an upholsterer until his untimely death at the age of thirty-five.; Bernard attended Central Commerce high school and upon graduating registered for a chartered accounting course. He worked as an accounting student for the chartered accountant Jules Newman.; During the Second World War, Bernard served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a photographer. He arrived in England in 1944 and was posted shortly thereafter to 443 Squadron, 144 Wing (a Spitfire Wing) in the town of Ford. While stationed there, he was responsible for servicing cinegun cameras that captured the damage caused each time the Spitfires fired ammunition at a target.; From Ford, Bernard moved with his squadron to various other towns including Sainte-Croix-sur-Mer (during the invasion of Normandy), Chartres, Louvain, and other towns in Belgium and Holland. In 1945, his squadron began moving into Germany and encountered slave labourers who had just been liberated. Soon after, Bernard was posted to serve in the occupation forces with 84 Group Disarmament Staff. His unit was responsible for disarming and dismantling the German air force. As part of this unit, Bernard processed photographs of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp guards, the burning of the wooden quarters used for Bergen-Belsen’s inmates, and other structures and remains found there. A squadron leader in Bernard’s unit, Ted Aplin, organized Sunday picnics for the children of Bergen Belsen during the summer of 1945. Bernard captured many photographs of these outings.; After the war, Bernard returned to Toronto and resumed work as a chartered accountant. He married Esther Wineberg in 1950 and together they had three children: Robert Yale (b. 1954), Sharon Yale (b. 1957), and Martin Yale (b. 1960). Bernard passed away on 16 September 2001.

Use Conditions: Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Descriptive Notes: Availability of other formats: Digitized material.; Associated material: See Ted Aplin fonds at Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections at York University, Toronto.

Subjects: Concentration camps; Photographers; World War, 1939-1945

Name Access: Bergen-Belsen (Concentration camp)

Places: Europe

Source: Archival Accessions

Heaps family [textual record, graphic material] – 1929-1982.

Accession Number: 2015-1-7

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2015-1-7

Material Format: textual record; graphic material

Physical Description: 30 cm of textual records; ca. 20 photographs

Date: 1929-1982

Scope and Content: Accession consists of records documenting the Heaps family. Included are general letters and postcards, wartime correspondence, political materials, photographs, and newsclippings. Of note is a 1948 letter written (but perhaps not sent) to David Ben-Gurion describing various issues he was finding with the Israeli army. There is also a great deal of correspondence between Leo, David and A. A. during the war, including some letters describing his escape from Arnhem and a letter describing the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in 1945.

Administrative History: Leo Heaps (1923-1995) was born in Winnipeg in 1923, the son of A. A. Heaps and Bessie Morris. His father A. A. was a founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the forerunner of the New Democratic Party. Leo Heaps was raised in Winnipeg and received an education at Queen's University, the University of California, and McGill University. During the Second World War, at the age of 21, Heaps was seconded to the British Army and found himself commanding the 1st Battalion's Transport. He participated in the Battle of Arnhem as a paratrooper.; Leo Heaps was awarded the Royal Military Cross for his work with the Dutch Resistance. His brother, David, had also achieved the same distinction, thereby making them the only Jewish brothers during the Second World War to win the decoration. After the war, Heaps went to Israel and aided their army in the establishment of mobile striking units. Whilst there, he met his wife-to-be, Tamar (1927-). Together they had one son, Adrian, and three daughters, Karen, Gillian, and Wendy.; During the Hungarian Revolution he led a special rescue team to bring refugees out and across the border. In the mid-1960s he returned to Britain where he dabbled in various entrepreneurial projects as well as writing several books, notably "The Grey Goose of Arnhem", telling his own story of Arnhem, the aftermath of the battle, and also the stories of other Arnhem evaders and their dealings with the Resistance.; Leo Heaps spent most of his life in Toronto, Canada, and was amongst the forty Canadian veterans who returned to Arnhem in 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary. He died in 1995.

Descriptive Notes: Availability of other formats: Digitized material.

Subjects: Concentration camps; World War, 1939-1945; Zionism

Name Access: Heaps, Leo, 1923-1995; Heaps, David; Heaps, A. A.

Source: Archival Accessions

United Restitution Organization, Toronto Office [textual record] – [195-?]-[198-].

Accession Number: 2007-3-5

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2007-3-5

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 12.5 m of textual material and 6 boxes of index cards

Date: [195-?]-[198-]

Scope and Content: This accession consists of 43 cubic foot boxes of closed case files as well as six boxes of index cards created by the United Restitution Organization, Toronto Office. The case files document the Article 2 (boxes 1 - 11) and Hardship (boxes 12 - 43) programs. Most of the documentation within the case files are in German.; The index cards document the BEG and Russlandfaille programs and correspond to records that were transferred to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. The files were created during the early years of the URO that were donated by URO to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. in October, 1990. That institution has approximately 100 boxes of closed case files from the Toronto Office. The index cards DO NOT correspond to any case files that we have as part of our holdings.

Custodial History: After the Toronto URO office closed, the one case worker left moved from the second floor of the Lipa Green Building to the same floor as the OJA the end of March, 2007. Before the move, the OJA was asked to take all of the historical files that were there in boxes, listed them and transferred them to the UJA Warehouse. The index cards are in the OJA vault.

Administrative History: In Canada, the United Restitution Organization (URO) was founded in 1953 under the aegis of the Canadian Jewish Congress. The funds advanced by the Claims Conference were administered by the CJC which also gave support by providing the URO with office space and clerical staff. Offices were set up in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The Winnipeg and Vancouver offices closed in the 1970s and the Montreal office remained open until 2002, after which time the active cases were sent to the Toronto office. The Toronto office officially closed on April 1, 2007. There was one case worker, however, who contintued to tend to any active claims that were left. Her position was transfered to Jewish Family and Child in 2013. The URO dealt with a variety of different types of claims. The first and largest were the BEG cases (Bundesentschaedigungsgesetz), which translates as Federal Indemnification Law for the Compensation of Victims of National Socialist Persecution. This program provided compensation for individuals persecuted for political, racial, religious, or ideological reasons who suffered long-term damage to their health, imprisonment, death of family members, loss of property, reduced income, or reduced professional advancement. The other two major programs or cases covered by the URO were the Hardship Fund and Article 2. The Hardship Fund was established during the 1960s and was open to Jews who emigrated from the former Soviet Union who were not eligible for compensation under the BEG program. The Article 2 program, in turn, arose during the 1990s, after the unification of the German government. It is still operating today and is open to Jewish victims of Nazi persecution who met a certain critiera, and those who are eligible, are provided with a pension paid out in installments every three months each year.

Use Conditions: Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing the records.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Nonprofit organizations

Name Access: United Restitution Organization (Toronto, Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

United Restitution Organization, Toronto Office [textual record] – [195-]-2012.

Accession Number: 2015-1-6

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2015-1-6

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 11 m of textual records

Date: [195-]-2012

Scope and Content: Accession consists of United Restitution Organization (URO), Toronto Office case files for the following funds: Hardship Fund; Hardship Fund, Pre-1965 Austrian; German Social Security (EB); German Social Security (DE); Article 2 Fund; Ghetto Lodz; and the immidiate post-Second World War Wiedergutmachung reparations. There is also a small amount of general operational files.

Custodial History: These records were left in the URO office following the departure of the URO staff person. They were boxed and moved by archives staff.

Administrative History: In Canada, the United Restitution Organization (URO) was founded in 1953 under the aegis of the Canadian Jewish Congress. The funds advanced by the Claims Conference were administered by the CJC which also gave support by providing the URO with office space and clerical staff. Offices were set up in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The Winnipeg and Vancouver offices closed in the 1970s and the Montreal office remained open until 2002, after which time the active cases were sent to the Toronto office. The Toronto office officially closed on April 1, 2007. There was one case worker, however, who contintued to tend to any active claims that were left. Her position was transfered to Jewish Family and Child in 2013. The URO dealt with a variety of different types of claims. The first and largest were the BEG cases (Bundesentschaedigungsgesetz), which translates as Federal Indemnification Law for the Compensation of Victims of National Socialist Persecution. This program provided compensation for individuals persecuted for political, racial, religious, or ideological reasons who suffered long-term damage to their health, imprisonment, death of family members, loss of property, reduced income, or reduced professional advancement. The other two major programs or cases covered by the URO were the Hardship Fund and Article 2. The Hardship Fund was established during the 1960s and was open to Jews who emigrated from the former Soviet Union who were not eligible for compensation under the BEG program. The Article 2 program, in turn, arose during the 1990s, after the unification of the German government. It is still operating today and is open to Jewish victims of Nazi persecution who met a certain critiera, and those who are eligible, are provided with a pension paid out in installments every three months each year.

Use Conditions: Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing the records.

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Nonprofit organizations

Name Access: United Restitution Organization (Toronto, Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

A Blessed Rage for Order : The Life & Art of Lea Vogel [moving images] – 2013.

Accession Number: 2016-4-12

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-4-12

Material Format: moving images

Physical Description: 1 DVD (55 min.)

Date: 2013

Scope and Content: Accession consists of one DVD copy of a film David Nimmo created regarding the life and art of his late wife, Lea Vogel-Nimmo.

Administrative History: Lea Vogel-Nimmo was born in Rozniatov, Poland in 1937. She was saved from the Holocaust as one of the "Children of Tehran" and grew up in Israel. She became an artist and travelled to various countries to study and practice art, including, Florence, Amsterdam, Jamaica and the United States. She married Dr. David Nimmo in 1974 and later moved to Toronto, Canada. She passed away in March 2012 after living with cancer for 21 years.

Use Conditions: Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Subjects: Arts; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Women

Name Access: Vogel-Nimmo, Lea, 1937-2012

Source: Archival Accessions

Alexander Eisen [graphic material, textual record] – 2006.

Accession Number: 2016-11-13

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-11-13

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 7 photographs : col. ; 10 x 15 cm; 1 folder of textual records

Date: 2006

Scope and Content: Accession consists of 7 colour photographs of Eisen speaking to students, a thank you card signed by the students and student art work in response to the Holocaust.

Administrative History: Alexander Eisen was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1929. After the Anschluss in 1938, the Eisen family fled to Hungary. In 1939, Alex’s father was arrested and fled to Palestine, leaving his wife alone with their three children. Alex and the rest of the family endured the hardships of the Budapest Ghetto, but later managed to escape and live in hiding until being liberated by the Soviet Army in 1945. He immigrated with his wife Renate to Canada in 1952. Eisen is a Neuberger Holocaust Survivor Speaker and author of A Time of Fear (2010).

Subjects: Children; Education; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)

Name Access: Eisen, Alexander

Places: Toronto

Source: Archival Accessions

Yolanda Garvin [textual record] – 1944.

Accession Number: 2017-9-3

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2017-9-3

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Date: 1944

Scope and Content: Accession consists of wartime correspondence between Yolanda Garvin (née Goldberger) and her sisters Maria Zilahy and Etel. In 1944, Yolanda was living in Romania, Maria and her husband Steven Zilahy were living in Hungary, and Etel and her husband were living in Yugoslavia. Yolanda's postcard addressed to Maria and Steven Zilahy was written in German and returned in June/July of 1944 with a note that the recipients had moved to Jewish Camp RTS. Etel's postcard to Yolanda is written in Hungarian. Etel's postcard is revealing of the sadness and anxiety experienced while awaiting one's fate as others were being taken away.

Custodial History: The postcards were originally created and owned by the donor's mother and aunt. Lea kept the letters after her mom passed away.

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

Descriptive Notes: Language Note: German and Hungarian

Subjects: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Postcards; Sisters

Places: Hungary; Romania; Yugoslavia

Source: Archival Accessions

Alex Levin [textual record, graphic material (electronic), moving images (electronic)] – 1944-2015 (predominent 2008-2015).

Accession Number: 2015-8-10

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2015-8-10

Material Format: textual record; graphic material (electronic); moving images (electronic)

Physical Description: 10 cm of textual records; 2240 photographs (jpg and gif); 8 moving images

Date: 1944-2015 (predominent 2008-2015)

Scope and Content: Accession consists of records related to the activities of Alex Levin, a Jewish war veteran and Holocaust survivor. Records include letters written to Levin from school children following various speaking engagements; interviews with Crestwood School, CHAT, and Netivot Hatorah; a recording of the Saluting Our Italian Heroes commemorative event; recordings of Remembrance Day ceremonies hosted by the Canadian Jewish War Veterans (Toronto Post); and photographs documenting events attended by Levin including Holocaust remembrance events, Yom Hashoah, Remembrance Day ceremonies, March of the Living, Miracle Dinners and Proms, Azrieli Foundation events including the launch of Levin's book "Under the Yellow and Red Stars", school visits, JWV programs with Sunnybrook veterans, portraits of Levin through the years and various scanned images of Levin's family.

Administrative History: Alex Levin (1932-2016) was born in 1932 in Rokitno, Poland. In 1941, the Germans invaded Rokitno and established a ghetto and formed a Judenrat to carry out their orders. In 1942, the Ghetto was evacuated and the Jews were brought to the town's marketplace to be transported by train to be killed. Levin was ten years old when he escaped into the nearby forest with his brother Samuel where he lived for 18 months in a hole in the ground. He was twelve when he emerged from hiding to find that his parents and youngest brother Moishe had been murdered. In 1944, he joined the Soviet forces as a messenger boy. After the war, he was sent to the USSR and enrolled in cadet school, remaining in the Soviet army until forced out for being Jewish in the 1970s. An engineer by training, Alex came to Canada in 1975 via Austria and Italy, and now lives in Toronto where he regularly speaks about his experiences in the Holocaust.

Subjects: Education; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); World War, 1939-1945

Name Access: Levin, Alex, 1932-2016

Source: Archival Accessions