- Accession Number
- 1975-004
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1975-004
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1883-1922
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of ten deeds of sale for a parcel of land in Toronto at 909 Dundas Street West (119 Arthur Street) and Strachan Sreet (Bellwoods Avenue) from 1883 to 1922. The first transaction was between Joseph Phillips and his wife, Elizabeth Jane Phillips, and James Crocker. The last documents, both of which are dated June 5, 1922, record the sale of the land from W. T. O. Parry and Wexler Woolfe to Samuel Dvoretsky and Samuel Dvoretsky to W. T. O. Parry.
- Places
- Dundas Street West (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2009-8-8
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2009-8-8
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 6 photographs : b&w : 12 x 17 cm on matte 18 x 25 cm or smaller
- Date
- 1912-1983
- Scope and Content
- The accession consists of six photographs of the Rosen family of Kitchener. The pictures are all portraits involving multiple generations of the family taken between 1912 and 1944. The people pictured include Aaron J. Rosen, his parents, his children, and one with his brother Israel Rosen. There is also a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship issued to Aaron Rosen. It is dated 1951, however it makes reference to his naturalization in 1911. Later documents include a copy of the Rosen-Shpizel family tree, and a letter written by the donor recounting her mother's reminiscences of life in Kitchener. The letter was written to accompany photographs that the donor loaned to Mr. Donald Bierstock in Kitchener, who was compiling a history of Beth Jacob congregation for its 75th anniversary.
- Custodial History
- The photographs belonged to Aaron Rosen's daughter Mary until she passed them on to her son in the early 1990s. He gave them to his sister Phyllis, the donor, in July 2009.
- Administrative History
- Aaron J. Rosen (1879-1973) was born in Checholia, Russia, the son of Avraham Zvi Rosen and Pesa Cohn. He was the first of his family to come to Canada, in 1903. He came ahead of his wife Sima Leah (1873-1948), and their son Irving (d. 1962). In Kitchener, Aaron established himself in the peddling business, founding Rosen Rag & Metal. After his wife and son joined him, they had two more children, Mary (1908-1996) and Joseph (1906-1916). Joseph died of diphtheria at the age of ten. He was one of the first to be buried in the Beth Jacob Cemetery.
- Aaron Rosen was one of the founders of Beth Jacob Congregation in 1908, and was among those who signed the mortgage for the synagogue in 1924. The family rented a house at 156 Church Street, and later lived next to the Rosen Rag & Metal warehouse at 123 Strange Street. In 1927, Aaron brought over his brother Israel with his family and their parents.
- In 1938, Aaron's daughter, Mary Rosen, married Ben Coles. They settled in Toronto. They had two children, Alan and Phyllis (the donor). Irving Rosen married Tillie Minsky and his children (in the photos) are Estelle and Gerry.
- Sima Leah Rosen predeceased Aaron, and when he was 70 he remarried, wedding Rebecca (usually called Bayla) Kaplan (grandmother of Robert Kaplan, MP and Attorney General). The marriage was religious but not civil. Aaron Rosen died at the age of 93 in 1973. He is buried next to his first wife at Roselawn Cemetery in Toronto.
- Subjects
- Communities
- Families
- Name Access
- Rosen, Aaron, 1879-1973
- Rosen, Sima Leah, 1873-1948
- Places
- Kitchener (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2012-10-13
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2012-10-13
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 11 photographs : b&w and col. (2 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
- Date
- 1917-1956
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records related to Aaron Ladovsky. Included is an urgent memo from Kielce asking for relief money and the accompanying receipt from Anshel Wise's steamship agent office for the remittance of the requested money (1939), a letter to Ladovsky c/o of the United Jewish Relief Conference from the CJC (1944), a Kieltzer Sick Benefit Society of Toronto dues booklet (1917), a Kieltzer Landmanshaften in Israel pamphlet (1953), and a receipt from the Standard Theatres Ltd. for payment of $60 for Ladovsky. This payment was made two months after the theatre first opened in 1921 and was likely payment for seats. The photographs depict Aaron Ladovsky with family in Kielce (1928), the dedication of a monument to the Kielce martyrs at a Jewish cemetery in Paris (between 1945 and 1950), a negative of a Canadian Jewish Congress meeting (1943), the exhumation of Kielce Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, a photo of Ruthie, Herman and Philip Ladovsky at United Bakers, (1990s), and an exterior view of United Bakers on Spadina Avenue (1956).
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-6-7
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-6-7
- Material Format
- object
- Physical Description
- 17 pins
- Date
- [19--]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of 17 pins, 9 of which have been identified. The pins that have been identified are as follows; four Order of Foresters pins, two Order of the Moose pins, a Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society pin, a Canadian Medical Association/Ontario Medical Association pin and a Zion Magen David pin.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2017-6-5
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2017-6-5
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- textual record (electronic)
- Physical Description
- ca. 30 cm of textual records
- 89 photographs : b&w and col. (7 negatives) ; 18 x 13 cm or smaller
- 1 CD-ROM (textual record)
- 19 videocassettes (ca. 22 hr.)
- Date
- [19--?]-2008
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of material documenting Abe and Margot Zukerman, their family, and the Wierzbniker Friendly Mutual Benefit Society. Included are: awards, identity documents, legal documents, letters, photographs, publications, videocassettes, and vital records.
- Photo Caption (015): Abe Zukerman's father, [19--?]. Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2017-6-5.
- Custodial History
- Mel Perlmutter, stepson of Abe Zukerman and son of Margot Zukerman, donated the records to the Ontario Jewish Archives.
- Administrative History
- Abe Zukerman (1914-2009) was born in Wierzbnik, Poland in 1914. He was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust. In 1948, he came to Canada, where he became involved in the Wierzbniker Friendly Mutual Benefit Society and married. His first wife, Esther, predeceased him. In 1975, he married his second wife, Margot, who had two children from a previous marriage. In addition to serving as a senior executive member of the Wierzbniker Friendly Mutual Benefit Society for over 50 years, Abe volunteered with United Jewish Appeal and State of Israel Bonds. He passed away 8 Feb. 2009. Margot Zukerman (née Rubin) was born in Berlin, Germany on 31 December 1922. Still a child when the National Socialists came to power, she was denied schooling. She arrived in Toronto in 1939 never having received a formal education. Despite this, she was able to learn English and operate her father's small ladies' wear store in Hamilton for at least a dozen years. In 1944, she married her first husband Alexander Perlmutter, with whom she had two children: one in 1945 and another in 1948. In 1970, she moved to Toronto, where she acted as caregiver to her father. In 1974, she met Abe, whom she married on 14 February 1975. Like her husband, Margot was an active member of Toronto's Jewish community.
- 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.
- Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
- Descriptive Notes
- ASSOCIATED MATERIALS: Other records relating to Abe Zukerman can be found in Accession 2017-9-1.
- Subjects
- Families
- Societies
- Name Access
- Wierzbniker Friendly Mutual Benefit Society
- Zukerman, Abe, 1914-2009
- Zukerman, Esther, 1912-1972
- Zukerman, Margot, 1922-
- Zukerman family
- Places
- Canada
- Israel
- Poland
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1999-11-5
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1999-11-5
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 14 photographs : b&w (7 negatives) ; 19 x 36 cm or smaller
- Date
- 1918-1956
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a letter from the Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel and the following photographs:
- 1 copy photograph and negative of the executive board, manager, chairman, business agents and standing committee of Local 117, International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), 1942.
- 1 copy photograph and negative of the graduating class of the Jewish Folk School (later Bialik), 18 June 1961. This photograph is on the centre page of the program for the graduation exercises.
- 1 original photograph (oversized), 1 copy photograph and 1 negative of a group at a Farband event held at 24 Cecil Street, [193-]. Identified individuals include: A. B. and Sophie Bennett, Ida and Charles Krakower, Avrom Green, Shifra Brik Wassor, Sarah and Abraham Freeman, Dora Israelson, Florence Manson, Leah Langer, Leibel Bograd, Mr. Abella, Mr. Levinson, Mrs. Drutz, Shirley Kreitzer, Manny Kreitzer, Harry Shore, Zlate Straff, Nachman Levinsky, Irving Weinrot, Chaike Levinsky, Hymie Langer, Abie and Bailke White, Elsie Freeman and Ruth Freeman.
- 1 original photograph (oversized), 1 copy photograph and 1 negative of a Farband group at Queen's Park, ca. 1918. Identified individuals include: Harry Hyde, Kramer, Sigmund Socol, Mrs. Socol, Nellie Hyde, Rubinoff, Florence Manson, Leah Gold, Harry Freeman, Abe Freeman, Sarah Freeman, Yisroel Freeman, Joe Brody, Abe White, Leibel Bogrod and Fishel Wolestein.
- 1 original photograph of the 10th anniversary of the Farband Folk Shul, 1935. Identified individuals include: Louis Straf, Ralph Goldman, Willie Solkin, Bernie Berger, Mike Kirshenbaum, Ethel Raicus, Anne Sokoloff, Isaiah Rabinovitch, Elsie Freeman, Meltzer, Rita Steinhouse, Ruth Freeman, Bernice Najer, Bobby Zweig, Dorothy Zelitsky, Yitte Starkman, Ethel Fleishman, Lami Frankel, Pearl Freeman, Margaret Gottlib, Anne Sorotsky, Shirley Frimer, Shirley Goldhar, Chavi Abella, Gert Greene, Myrtle Kachuk, Mottle Sachs, Laible Manson, Helen Jacobs, Molly Fruitman, Raizle Cohen, Helen Wynne, Ann Goldman, Pearl Goodman, Hy Kirshenbaum, Helen Brodsky, Pearl Klebanoff, Esther Frankel, Lil Weinberg, Frances Rubinoff, Goldie Green and Sara Steinman.
- 1 original photograph, 1 copy photograph and 1 negative of the Ontario District Convention of Y.N.A.F. (Yiddish National Arbeiter Farband), July 13-14, 1918. Identified individuals include: Shloime Heller, Abie White, Zalman Cohen, Diamond, Hy Kirshenbaum, Abe Freeman, Shatz, Manson and Rose Diamond.
- 1 original photograph and 1 negative of a Farband convention, [193-]. Identified individuals include: Samuel Hurwich, I. Weinrot, Kalman Wagner, Yisroel Meriminsky, Abraham Freeman, Abraham Rhinewine and Hersh Meyer (Hy) Kirshenbaum.
- 1 original photograph and 1 negative of the (executive?) of the Farband, [193-]. Identified individuals include: Israel Freeman, Abraham Rhinewine, Yisroel Mariminsky, Sonia Marin, Joseph Marin, Shloime Heller, Nachman Lovinsky, Sam Hurwich, Hersh Meyer Kirshenbaum, Abraham Freeman, Max Manson, Irving Weinrot and Louis Coldofsky.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2000-8-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2000-8-2
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 10 photographs : b&w (2 negatives) ; 21 x 26 or smaller
- Date
- 1912-1945
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of textual records and graphic material related to Abraham Freiman and his family. Included are photocopies of JIAS correspondence, Canadian government correspondence and Abraham's wedding invitation. There are three original certificates for the Jewish National Workers Alliance and the Young Men's Hebrew Association Mutual Benefit Society and a Yiddish newsclipping depicting the "Managers, chairmen, executive board members and business agents for local 117 ILGWU for the term 1935-36." There are also several photographs of Freiman family members, Abraham Freiman's marriage to Sarah Lerner and Abe Freiman at the Brunswick Avenue YMHA.
- Administrative History
- Abraham Freiman was born in Russia in 1893, the son of Schmuel and Baila Freiman. On 18 September 1910, he arrived at Halifax on the S. S. Volturno, destined for Toronto. In 1914, he married Sarah Lerner (b. 1892) in Toronto at the Anshei England Congregation. In 1918 he entered into work with Freeman's Dress Exchange, the family business now known as Freeman Formalwear.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1975-002
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1975-002
- Material Format
- textual record
- architectural drawing
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 1 drawing
- Date
- 1907-1943
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a Russian passport document (1907), Abraham Layefsky's permit to leave Canada with photograph (1917), his United States non-resident alien border crossing identification card (1943), and a blueprint of the Mozirer section of Roselawn Cemetery in Toronto.
- Administrative History
- Layefsky was a contractor who built a chapel on the grounds of the Roselawn Avenue cemetery.
- Subjects
- Contractors
- Name Access
- Layefsky, Abraham, 1882-
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1994-5-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1994-5-2
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 12 photographs : b&w ; 30 x 35 cm or smaller
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1919-[ca.1932]
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of five photographs of the Arbeiter Ring (Workmen's Circle), two photographs of unidentified men, two photographs of the Jewish brigade in Palestine after the First World War, and three photographs of Jewish soldiers in the Polish army during the interwar years. The accession also contains a small amount of textual material, related to the career of Sarah Rhinewine, Abraham's sister.
- Most of the Arbeiter Ring photographs feature Abraham Rhinewine, who was a member of the Circle and also the editor of the Toronto Daily Hebrew Journal (Yiddisher Zhurnal), and Isaac Matenko, who was a teacher and principal of the Workmen's Circle Peretz School in the Junction. The photos include group portraits of members of the Circle, teachers, staff and students of the Peretz School, and a meeting of Jewish journalists at the Arbeiter Ring convention in Toronto.
- Some identified individuals include: Abraham Rhinewine; I. Weinrot; Dr. S.B. Hurwich; Yisroel Meriminski; Kalman Wagner; Mr. Freeman; Mr. Coldofsky, Mr. Bromberg; Paul Frumhartz; Mr. Rigelhaupt; Mr. Kleiman; Dave Gordon; Yisroel Libman (Paul Mann); "Daddy" Brick; Isadore Tepperman; Morris Nisnevitch (Nesbitt); Shulamith Rhinewine; Helen Nelson; Eva Langbord; and Toby Rosenberg.
- Custodial History
- The photographs were in the possession of Aviva Bakerspigel, the daughter of Abraham Rhinewine, before they were donated to the Archives.
- Administrative History
- Abraham Rhinewine (1887-1932) was born in Poland and immigrated to London, England in 1902, at the age of 15. There he met his wife, Annie and together they immigrated to Toronto in 1907. They had two (possibley three) children, Shulamith and Avivah (Bakerspigel). Abraham had a sister named Sarah, who was involved with UNRAA after the Second World War and was the Assistant Director of Jewish Family and Child Services for many years. Abraham was a prominent scholar and the editor of the Toronto Daily Hebrew Journal.
- 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.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1988-8-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1988-8-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 1 photograph : col. ; 9 x 9 cm
- 1 photographic printing plate : b&w ; 8 x 5 cm
- Date
- 1893-1962
- Scope and Content
- Accession includes a photostat of Sprachman's Polish birth certificate, a letter in Polish dating from 1893, Sprachman's public school diploma and school attendance certificate, a letter from Sprachman's public school principal attesting to his good character, membership certificates from architects' professional associations, a programme for a Beth Tzedec reception (3 Oct. 1961) honouring Sprachman and Abraham Ginsburg, a signed copy of the 1962 partnership agreement between Harold Kaplan and Abraham Sprachman, Kaplan & Sprachman business cards, and a photograph of Kaplan and Sprachman taken at their office at 46 Yorkville Ave. in Toronto. In addition there is a photographic printing plate of a portrait of Abraham Sprachman.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-12-35
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-12-35
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 18 photographs : b&w (9 negatives) : 25 x 25 cm and 9 x 12 cm
- Date
- 1911-1942
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of 18 photos of the members of the Adath Israel Congregation at several functions at the synagogue. Some of the photos are in the sanctuary but many are in the social hall at celebratory activities.
- Name Access
- Adath Israel Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-8-17
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-8-17
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder
- Date
- 1897-1920
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of material documenting one engagement and two weddings. Included (image file 001) is the engagement agreement of [Mana?] Israel ben Yehuda [Shpibel? Shpirel?] and Chana bat Avraham Moshe [Melb? Melm?] Fox, with a future wedding date of [month?] 19, 1897 and a dowry of 8,000 dollars.
- The first ketuba (image file 002) is for the marriage of Avraham Aharon bar [Amalia?] and [Chai? Tai?] Rachel bat Israel. The wedding took place in Toronto on Sunday, June 27, 1920, and was witnessed by Moshe bar [Eliyahu?] Simcha Hoffman and Shlomo (Solomon) Shuster.
- The second ketuba (image file 003) is for the marriage of Israel ben Yehuda and Chava bat Avraham Moshe. The wedding took place in New York on Thursday, February 2, 1899, and was witnessed by Moshe ben Alexander and Eliezer ben David. The document also mentions amounts which are either for Chava's dowry or to be paid in the event of their divorce.
- Descriptive Notes
- Language: Hebrew, Aramaic.
- Subjects
- Ketubah
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- New York (N.Y.).
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2022-2-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2022-2-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 8 photographs : b&w ; 9 x 14 cm or smaller
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- [ca. 1913]-1923
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of 8 photographs and three letters addressed to Fannie Adelman from Berul Sugarman, as well as one recital program. The photographs depict:
- A young child, dressed in white, standing on a large chair and holding and violin and bow, likely Abie Sugarman
- An unknown child in a dark sweater with two buttons on the shoulder, standing in front of a small table holding a violin at his side.
- A head-and-shoulders shot of a young man, likely Abie Sugarman, perhaps about age 8 or 9. A note in pencil on the back of this photo reads "A MERRY XMAS GREET your father and mother and sister"
- A portrait of Abie Sugarman, perhaps about age 10 or 11, holding his violin as if to play, standing beside a seated gentleman who might be his instructor Broadus Farmer
- A full-length portrait of Abie Sugarman holding his violin as if to play, about age 13
- A portrait of Abie Sugarman standing with his violin tucked under his right arm and his bow hanging from his right hand, about age 13. There is a ring visible on his right hand
- A small head-and-shoulders photo of Abie Sugarman, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties
- A portrait of Fannie Adelman, taken in 1923 when she was 13 or 14, about two years after these letters were written to her.
- The other items are: the programme of a recital given at The Hambourg Conservatory Recital Hall on Tuesday June 21, 1921; a partial letter from Abie Sugarman to Fannie Adelman, dated June 29, 1921; a two-page letter from Abie Sugarman to Fannie Adelman, undated; a four-page letter from Abie Sugarman to Fannie Adelman, undated; a stamped empty envelope. It is believed by the donor that at least one of these letters was in this envelope, and delivered by hand despite the stamp. All three letters were send from 240 Dundas St. West, where the Sugarman family was living at the time.
- Administrative History
- Berul Sugarman (Abram Berul Sugarman) was born to Jacob (Jake) and Annie (Starkman) Sugarman on 28 May 1908, in Toronto, where he lived for most but not all of his life. The Sugarman family appears to have lived briefly in Welland; the Welland directory for 1919 includes a listing for "Jake Sugarman, restaurant, west side of Main Street, house same." This would have been when Abie (he began calling himself "Berul" later in life; he went by "Abie" in his younger years) met Fannie Adelman, older daughter of Joseph Adelman and Baila (Moschiach, anglicised to Miller). Fannie was born in Montreal in 1909 and moved to Welland with her parents and younger sister Minnie sometime after 1915.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Subjects
- Musicians
- Letters
- Portraits
- Name Access
- Sugarman, Abram Berul, 1908-1982
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1994-3-3
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1994-3-3
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual material
- Date
- 1919-1968
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records documenting A. Goodman. Included are a book of Yiddish poetry, a certificate of honour from the Sons of Jacob Society to A. Goodman, a founding member, and a membership certificate to the Sunnyside Lodge Number 449 of the Grand Lodge of Ontario in the name of A. Goodman.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-11-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-11-1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 5 cm of textual records
- 6 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 16 cm or smaller
- Date
- 1905-1949
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of textual records and photographs documenting members of the Agranove and Lyons families, specifically the donor's grandfather, William Agranove, as well as his mother and father, Frances and Irwin Lyons. The textual records consists mainly of correspondence, however, there are also school report cards and certificates, greeting cards and a souvenir programme. The photographs are group and individual portraits of family members including Avrum Rotenberg, Sarah Rotenberg, Saul Lyons, Mary Agranove, Irwin Lyons, Frances Lyons, Bill Agranove, Anna Lyons, Shirley Lyons, Sam Rotenberg, Nate Rotenberg, Sol Rotenberg, Sam Pollock and Harry Rotenberg.
- Custodial History
- The records were in the possession of the donor before they were donated to the Archives on November 3, 2008.
- 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.
- Subjects
- Families
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2019-5-16
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2019-5-16
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 3 cm. of textual records (1 vol.)
- 2 photographs : b&w ; 8 x 13 cm and 18 x 23 cm
- Date
- 1897-1963
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of material documenting aspects of A. I. Willinsky's life. Included are: two portrait photographs of Willinsky as a boy (ca. 1897) and as an adult (ca. 1940s); a scrapbook related to the publication of A.I. Willinsky's book, A Doctor's Memoirs; a booklet with information referencing Willinsky's travel films; and Gertrude Kronick's handwritten "putterkuchen" recipe. Included in the scrapbook are congratulatory letters, newspaper clippings related to the book, and a proof copy for submission to Who's Who in Canadian Jewry.
- Administrative History
- Abraham Isaac Willinsky (1885-1976) was born 29 March1885, in Omaha, Nebraska to Sarah Rebecca (née Vise) and Myer Lionel Willinsky. Sarah had immigrated to Canada as a child in the 1860s; the Myers family was originally from Lithuania. Abraham had seven siblings: Abey (b. 1885), Ida (b. 1886), Faly (b. 1888), Minnie (b. 1890), Gertrude (b. 1893), Lila (b. 1899) and Bernard (“Bunny”) (b. 1900). Willinsky’s family moved to the east end of Toronto in 1890 where his father worked as a merchant
- Most of Abraham's siblings eventually married: Ida married Maurice Kamman in 1909; Faly married Sam Mehr in 1912; Minnie married Arthur Jacobs in 1912; Gertrude married Sam Kronick in 1912; Lila married Jospeh Lisson in 1920; and Bernard married Florence Samuel in 1930, but divorced soon after.
- When Willinsky was a child he helped his uncle, Solomon Vise, in his photography business, which was located at 439 King Street East. Working in his uncle's darkroom and studio on Saturdays awakened Willinsky's interest in photography.
- Willinsky graduated from biological and physical sciences at the University of Toronto in 1906, and from medicine in 1908, earning the George Brown Memorial Scholarship. He married Sadie Dobensky, from Bancroft, Ontario, in July of 1911. They had three children: Dorothy, Jack, and Myra. Dorothy eventually married Garfield Cass and worked as a social worker. Jack married Cecily Samuel and became a urologist and, later, a radiologist. Myra married Dr. N. Simon, a dental surgeon.
- As one of the early Jewish doctors in Toronto, Willinsky initially had difficulty launching his career due to discrimination and prejudice. After joining the Academy of Medicine in 1910, he began his first practice as a “lodge doctor”, working out of his office and home at College and Henry Streets.
- With other possible internships and appointments denied him, A. I. accumulated his early clinical training with resourcefulness, by performing “ghost-surgery” and by studying abroad in Dublin at the Rotunda Hospital, Paris and Vienna. In 1916, under the adopted name of Wills, and with a claim to Greek Orthodoxy, Willinsky managed to secure a position at the Polyclinic in New York, where he began as an ambulance doctor. He also interned at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. His skill was, in time, recognized in Toronto and he was accepted at the Toronto Western Hospital in 1918, where he pioneered spinal anaethesia and began his work as a urologist. In 1923, Willinsky became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In 1925, all forty practicing Jewish physicians formed the Toronto Jewish Medical Association. In turn, the same members would become the staff of Mount Sinai Hospital, which was established in 1923 at 100 Yorkville Avenue.
- Willinsky was probably the most prominent of Mount Sinai’s original staff, dividing his time between the new Jewish hospital and Toronto Western, where he was the head of genito-urinary surgery. He became chief of surgery at Mount Sinai and produced a number of papers that dealt primarily with spinal anaesthesia. He later opened a practice at 316 Bloor Street West, above which he temporarily resided. In 1928, he set up a clinic and office at 569 Spadina Avenue. His practice remained at this location until his retirement.
- Throughout his life, he remained enthralled by photography and prolific in his production of travel movies. In 1934, he became a founding member of the Toronto Amateur Movie Club. Around this same time, he created films to help Holy Blossom fundraise for a new building. In 1941, he gave a lecture on the principles of amateur moviemaking before the Royal Canadian Institute, in which he advocated holding the movie camera steady and letting the action move into the frame as a strategy to encourage careful composition. For sound in his early movies, he played records bought in the country where the picture was taken, stacking them in order and playing them at intervals during the commentary. Later on, he manufactured his own gramophone records, and eventually, bona fide soundtracks. Often shooting as much as 3600 feet of film on a single trip, he tended, in his more senior years, to invest long hours editing and framing sequences in the basement of his own home at 120 Madison Avenue. Here, he set up a miniature theatre and often held film evenings for friends. In 1945, Willinsky won an award for a medical film, Cystometrography, in which he used the animation technique of filming drawings. Aortography and advances in X-ray technology provided other cross-overs between medical and filmic experiments, and most of his chronicled travels were the extra-curricular benefits of regular attendance at medical conferences.
- Towards the end of his life in 1960, Willinsky dictated the stories for A Doctor’s Memoirs to his transcriber, Margaret Avison. He spent the last 14 years of his life at Toronto's Jewish Home for the Aged and Baycrest Hospital. He passed away in 1976 at the age of ninety-one.
- 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.
- Subjects
- Physicians
- Name Access
- Willinsky, Abraham Isaac, 1885-1976
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-7-10
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-7-10
- Material Format
- object
- Physical Description
- 3 artifacts
- Date
- 1915-1940
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of several artifacts. The main item is a Singer sewing machine which was manufactured in 1915. It was used by the donor's father, Isaac Edelstein, when he worked as a tailor for Tip Top Tailors during the 1920s. He scratched his name and the date, 1923, into the machine. The other two items are sewing shears that were used by Isaac Edelstein and his wife Ida. She also worked in the garment industry at that time.
- Custodial History
- In 2003 the donor, Albert Edelstein, received a call from an individual who found the sewing machine in his father's basement after he passed away. He saw that it was inscribed with the name I. Edelstein and tried to locate a family member by calling individuals with that surname in the city telephone book.
- Use Conditions
- Must credit Isaac Edelstein when displaying objects.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2020-1-4
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2020-1-4
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 3 booklets
- Date
- 1913–1960
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of three booklets donated by Albert Edelstein that document Toronto's Jewish community. Included are a copy of the Constitution of the Congregation Rodfei Shulem Anshe Kiew (1913), better known as the Kiever Synagogue; a tribute book honouring Dr. Chaim Shidlovski (1865–1925), which was published by Farband (ca. 1920s); and a program for the United Jewish Appeal of Toronto's Victory Celebration Dinner, which was held at the Regency Towers Hotel on 26 May 1960.
- 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
- Language: Tribute book is in Hebrew.
- Name Access
- Kiever Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)
- UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1977-2-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1977-2-2
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 14 photographs : b&w (7 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm and 18 x 13 cm and 12 x 10 cm
- Date
- 1895-1934
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of 7 copy photographs and corresponding negatives of Albert Fine and others, in Toronto. Depicted in the photos are Alpha Sigma - Phi Delta Epsilon Fraternity, University of Toronto, 1934; portraits of Albert Fine and others; Albert Fine peddling in Guelph, Ontario; Albert Fine and family at 57 Augusta Avenue; and Albert Fine's store at Queen St. & University Ave.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2004-5-32
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2004-5-32
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 15 x 25 cm on matte 26 x 36 cm
- 9 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
- Date
- [ca. 1910]-[ca. 1985]
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of photographs and clippings of Canadian Israel Pioneers, Histadrut group, and the Canadian Air Force army group. There are photocopy and original clippings about Sam Stern who went to Palestine with a group of young men in 1933 and was killed in 1939 defending the Jewish colony Genossar near Galillee, and the Toronto UJA study mission participants who visited his grave years later.
- Custodial History
- Donated by Albert Jessel.
- Administrative History
- Sam Stern was the brother of Bill Stern.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-9-10
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-9-10
- Material Format
- graphic material
- graphic material (electronic)
- Physical Description
- 51 photographs : b&w and col. (45 negatives) ; 10 x 12 or smaller
- Date
- 1918-1977
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of fifty-one photographs and negatives depicting various members of the Rosenberg family and the North Bay Jewish community. The images include Hanukkah and Father's Day celebrations at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, a Lag B'Omer picnic, Joe Rosenberg inside his menswear store, and a community parade in North Bay.
- Identified individuals in the photographs include: Leah Brown, Abe Brown, Philip Cait, Fae Cait, Morley Daiter, Chaim Edery, Amalia Edery, Harry Freeman, Adele Freeman, Sam Heisler, Rae Heisler, Ben Herman, Sonny Herman, Marv Himmel, Shirley Hockman, Marvin Hockman, Rose Hoffman, Joe Hoffman, Bill Klieman, Arnie Maizen, Evelyn Maizen, Alex Metz, Jean Metz, Jean Noek, Peggy Pachner, John Pachner, Harry Reiss, Nathan Rivelis, Ida Rivelis, Brooky Robins, Mr. and Mrs. Allen and Beverley Rosenberg, Gordon Rosenberg, Joe Rosenberg, Pearl Rosenberg, Marcia Rosenberg, Eleanor Sherman, Sam Sherman, Eckie Weisman, and Millie Weisman.
- Administrative History
- Allen Rosenberg was born in North Bay in 1930. His grandfather Moishe Rosenberg was from Russia and was the first to arrive in 1910. He opened a convenience store and pool hall in town. His grandmother Esther (nee Brown) followed soon after. HIs father Joe was married to Pearl Brown, who grew up in North Bay. Joe owned a successful men's and boys' wear store. Allen and his wife Beverly eventually moved to Toronto.
- 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.
- Subjects
- Communities
- Families
- Synagogues
- Name Access
- Rosenberg, Allen, 1930-
- Places
- North Bay (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-4-14
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-4-14
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- moving images
- Physical Description
- ca. 35 cm of textual records
- ca. 5 cm of photographs : b&w and col. ; 45 x 30 cm or smaller
- 1 VHS : col. ; 43 min.
- Date
- 1905-2007
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of material documenting the family history and publishing career of Alvin Abram. The records include a scrapbook created by Alvin’s father Herman "Harry" Joseph Abramovitz, managing editor of the Canadian Jewish Weekly. The scrapbook documents Abramovitz’s Canadian national lecture tour entitled “The Jews in Two World Wars,” in which he spoke on the plight of the Jewish people during the First World War and the ongoing destruction of the Jewish people in the Second World War. Abramovitz also lectured on the heroism of Jews participating in the Allied armed forces and the importance of the Tehran Declaration. The same scrapbook also includes newspaper clippings, rail tickets, and programs related to his 1944 tour and subsequent 1945 tour “From Destruction to Reconstruction.” A second scrapbook created by Alvin Abram shares the Abramovitz family tree and includes several early family photographs of Alvin and his siblings and his parents’ marriage certificate. A third scrapbook, also created by Alvin Abram, is oversized and includes a few personal items, such as a page from his high school yearbook, caricature sketches of Alvin, and photos and flyers from the book launch of “The Light After The Dark.” There are a number of miscellaneous items including a copy of Louis Epstein (Alvin Abram's father-in-law)’s immigration card, condolence cards for Annie Ruth Abramovitz (née Schwartz), and personal items such as a 1935, Yiddish-language, ten-page, anti-communist booklet portraying Herman Abramovitz as a barber (Herman’s trade) and Stalin in his barber shop chair, as well as a personal Yiddish-language diary (1941).
- In addition, there is a signed poster of Dubi Arie’s The Mission: Under The Wings of God and The Shadow of Amalek, a broadside of The Light After The Dark, associated newspaper clippings, a Leonard Mayzel-Ontario B’nai Brith Lodge Charter Certificate (1949), a fiftieth-anniversary video prepared for the Leonard Mayzel Lodge #1800 B'nai Brith celebration (1998), a video-and-photograph compilation that includes a slideshow with a brief history of the lodge, and a tribute to Leonard Mayzel.
- Lastly, the accession includes published book titles On The Shoulders of Giants by Alvin Abram, Toronto Street Names by Leonard Wise and Allan Gould, and The Light After the Dark by Alvin Abram.
- Administrative History
- Alvin Abram (1936–2021) was a storyteller, writer, printer, and graphic designer. He was born on 11 May 1936 in Toronto to Herman Joseph Abramovitz (1905–1954) and Annie Schwartz (1903–1994).
- Alvin's father, Herman ("Harry"), was born in Ataki, Bessaravia (Moldova). He immigrated to Canada in 1927 at the age of twenty-two and married Annie Schwartz (of Romania) in Hamilton, Ontario on 23 December 1928. Together, they had three children, Murray (b. 1929), Alvin (b. 1936), and Morton (b. 1938). Herman, a professionally-trained barber, was active in the union and worked as a journalist, lecturer, and editor of the Canadian Jewish Weekly.
- Alvin Abram married Marilyn in [1961]. They had three children, Lisa, Lori, and Jason. Alvin ran a successful printing business and, upon completing several creative writing courses in the 1990s, he launched his accomplished writing career publishing dozens of short stories and several books.
- Alvin was very involved in community work and volunteered his to time to many Jewish causes including B'nai Brith Canada, where he served on the executive of its Leonard Mayzel Ontario Lodge.
- Subjects
- Authors
- Name Access
- Abram, Alvin
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2023-2-8
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2023-2-8
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- ca. 18 cm of textual records
- 207 photographs : b&w and col. ; 28 x 32 cm or semaller
- Date
- [ca. 1890]-2016
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records related to Clara and Sándor Rosenbaum, and their extended families. Included are documents and photographs documenting their lives in Hungary prior to the Holocaust, as well as their lives after immigrating to Tangier and, subsequently, Canada. Also includes Holocaust accounts and restitution papers, immigration documents, vital documents, correspondence, paper money, a late 19th- or early 20th-century prayer book, and a book of Shabbat songs.
- Administrative History
- Clara (Klára) Szabó was born in Bölcske on 28 Nov. 1920, the daughter of local lawyer Imre Szabó (born on 2 Jun. 1893 in Bölcske) and Vilma Szabó (née Stern, born in Bölcske in 1892). She had three siblings: Elizabeth (Erzsébet), born on 30 Dec. 1913; Anna, born on 10 Jan. 1915; and András, born on 5 Dec. 1916. The family lived in Paks, where she spent most of her youth. She went to elementary school in Paks, but moved to Budapest in 1935 to attend boarding school, returning to Paks in 1939. Her father committed suicide on 3 Mar. 1940. She married Sándor Rosenbaum in Paks on 14 Jan. 1941. While visiting her sister in Békéscsaba, the whole family were deported to Auschwitz: Clara, her mother, her brother, her two sisters, and her two-year-old niece. From Auschwitz, Clara and her sister Elizabeth were sent to Ravensbrück, and from there to Neustadt bei Coburg, where they worked as forced labourers at a Siemens factory. The rest of her family were killed in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. On 15 Apr. 1945, Clara and Elizabeth escaped from a forced march and headed towards the American advance. After the war, Clara and her husband reunited, and in 1946 relocated to Tangier, where Sándor's brother, Nikolas, had been living since 1940. There, they had two children: André (born on 27 Aug. 1949) and Anique (born on 1 Oct. 1950). They lived there until 1956, when the family relocated to Montreal. There, she was the president of the Dayan Chapter of Hadassah-WIZO from 1980 to 1982. She moved to Toronto in 1997 to be closer to her children. Clara died on 6 Feb. 2016 in Toronto.
- Sándor (Alexander) Rosenbaum was born in Paks on 28 Jul. 1906, the son of Mihály (Michael) Rosenbaum (merchant, born on 1875 or 1876) and Regina Freund (1882-1932). He had three siblings: Hedvig (married to Oskar Barotti), Sari (married to Zoltan Barotti), and Nikolas. During the war, from May 1943 to Sep. 1943, he served at the Jewish labour service squadron No. 104/3, in Budapest, at the post office No. 70 labour service. The squadron was then moved to the Carpathians, and Sándor worked as a farm labourer in the region. He served as a yellow armband labour serviceman in the Carpathians until the end of Oct. 1944. He escaped from the labour camp with a friend, hiding in the Carpathian forests for a few weeks. After the war, Sándor changed his last name to Rostás to sound more Hungarian, later changing it back to Rosenbaum. He immigrated with his wife Clara to Tangier, and later to Montreal with their two kids, having worked most of his life as a businessman. He died in Montreal on 6 Jul. 1987 and was buried at Shaar Hashomayim Cemetery in Outremont.
- Subjects
- Holocaust survivors
- Families
- Name Access
- Rosenbaum, Clara (Klára), 1920-2016
- Rosenbaum, Alexander (Sándor), 1906-1987
- Places
- Hungary
- Tangier (Morocco)
- Montréal (Québec)
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-8-14
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-8-14
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 17 cm of textual records
- Date
- 1916-2013
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of Anne Dublin's research papers for her book 44 Hours or Strike! Included are newspaper clippings and articles, scholarly articles, primary sources gleaned from various repositories, and other printouts and photocopies. The material relates to the sites and events of the garment industry, Kensington Market and the Ward, Toronto in the 1930s, the labour union movement and the dressmaker's strike, and prisons and reformatories. Also included is a programme for Tramvay Lider (Streetcar Songs), a performance by Charles Heller and Brahm Goldhamer of the Yiddish poems by Shimen Nepom.
- Subjects
- Labor
- Children's literature
- Name Access
- Dublin, Anne
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2004-5-85
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2004-5-85
- Material Format
- object
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 1 passport case
- Date
- [ca. 1910]-1942
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of the Canadian naturalization papers and passports (Russian) of Morris and Mary Rose and a record relating to Gurofsky's Steamship Agency.The passports are housed in a cloth protective case provided by the steamship company F.Missler of Bremen, Germany.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2004-5-57
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2004-5-57
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 v
- Date
- 1913-[ca. 1938]
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2013-6-7
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2013-6-7
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- [19--]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a copy of Arnold Mest's memoirs detailing his role during the Second World War.
- Administrative History
- Arnold Mest (1921-2000) was a radio operator in the Canadian military during the Second World War. Born in Toronto, Mest was a typesetter for the Toronto Telegram. When it went out of business he moved to San Jose, California and worked for the Mercury News.
- Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945
- Name Access
- Mest, Arnold, 1921-2000
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1979-1-4
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1979-1-4
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1912-1914
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a minute book outlining activities of the Associated Hebrew Charities. Included is a letter written to the charities by a woman named Mrs. Green of Coldwater, Ontario, requesting Passover relief support to purchase a set of hens. Also included is a summary of a visit to the 17th American Zionist Convention in Rochester, New York, 1914. The author of the summary is unknown, but is most likely Ida Lewis Siegel.
- Administrative History
- The Associated Hebrew Charities (AHC) was formed around January 1912, although it is possible that they were working informally before that time. The AHC consisted of eight socieites operating in Toronto, including the Jewish Free Loan and the Hebrew Ladies' Aid Socity. Each society maintained their separate identity and sent three representatives to sit on the Cooperative Relief Board of the AHC. Each society's president presided over the AHC meetings in turn. The AHC was tasked with dispensing charity and providing direct support to families in need as well as Jewish hospital patients, namely in the form of Passover relief. They operated out of 218 Simcoe Street.
- Descriptive Notes
- Associated Material Note: See accession 2008-3-5 for the finanical ledger book of the Cooperative Board of Jewish Charities.
- MG_RG
- MG 2 O 1M
- Subjects
- Charities
- Name Access
- Associated Hebrew Charities
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1978-7-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1978-7-1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 box of textual records
- 16 photographs
- Date
- [ca. 1906-1960]
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of photographs, Beth Israel Congregation annual almanacs, an account book, scrapbooks, and other material relating to the Florence and Collis families and the history of the Oshawa and Peterborough Jewish communities
- Administrative History
- Beatrice Collis (nee Florence) was married to Allan B. Collis, who owned a department store in Peterborough, Ontario called Allan B. Collis Limited. It was located on the west side of George Street, just north of Simcoe Street, and sold ladies' wear, mens' wear, and children's wear. Beatrice was active in the Peterborough Chapter of Hadassah. They had three children and later moved to Toronto.
- MG_RG
- MG 3 B 9
- Places
- Peterborough (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2013-3-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2013-3-1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- ca. 71 photographs
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1919-1939, [ca. 2005]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists primarily of photographs documenting the early life of Bella Wilder (née Goldbach) and her family in Poland. Included are images of Bella with her siblings and friends, group photos of Bella at her Jewish school in Poland, a group image of Victor in the Polish army, and other photographs of Bella's family and friends. Also included are two family histories documenting the story of Bella's mother, Shifra Frimeth Goldbach, and the story of Max and Bella Wilder, which was written by their granddaughter Sandee Sharpe. Of particular note is a 1925 school photograph of the Workers Evening School in Opatow (?), which has Yiddish writing suggesting that the school may have received aid from an organization referred to as "Gives Relief" in Toronto.
- Custodial History
- The records were originally donated to the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada (Toronto section) by Bella's daughter Ann Sharpe. JGS Toronto donated the material to the OJA a few months later with her consent.
- Administrative History
- Bella (nee Goldbach) Wilder was born on May 12, 1910 in Opatow, Poland to Chaim Shlomo Goldbach and Shifra Frimeth Schatz Goldbach. Bella's older brothers, Victor, Jack and Hymie began immigrating to Toronto in the 1920s and had saved enough money by 1936 to bring Bella and her mother to Toronto. After arriving in Toronto Bella found work sewing in a factory.
- Bella married Max Wilder on September 29, 1939. Max worked at Superior Men's Tailoring where he sewed zippers into men's pants. They had two children together: Ann (born 5 April 1940, married Norman Sharpe) and Stan (born 21 Jan. 1945, died June 1974). Max passed away in 1999 and Bella passed away in 2002.
- Descriptive Notes
- Availability of other formats: Photographs have been digitized and are available as digital images.
- Subjects
- Immigrants--Canada
- Families
- Name Access
- Goldbach, Shifra
- Sharpe, Ann
- Wilder, Bella, 1910-2002
- Wilder, Max, ?-1999
- Places
- Poland
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1988-11-17
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1988-11-17
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs : b&w ; 19 x 25 cm and 21 x 25 cm
- 2 postcards
- Date
- 1910-1911
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of two copy photographs of the same image of the Siegel, Forman, and Willensky families on Vanauley Street, Toronto in 1911, along with two postcards sent to members of the Siegel family with Yiddish writing on the verso.
- Descriptive Notes
- Identification of individuals in the photo is attatched to the Instrument of Donation form.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-5-14
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-5-14
- Material Format
- architectural drawing
- Physical Description
- 1 drawing : pencil ; 46 x 43 cm
- Date
- [ca. 1911]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a demonstration drawing by architect Benjamin Brown of a synagogue, that bears some resemblance to a later design proposal for Beth Jacob Synagogue. The drawing is of the synagogue's facade. This drawing was likely done when Brown was a student at the University of Toronto, School of Practical Science.
- Custodial History
- This drawing was part of the larger Benjamin Brown collection, but was not part of the original donation in 1987. It was framed and hanging in Jay Levine's office for many years.
- Subjects
- Architecture
- Synagogues
- Name Access
- Brown, Benjamin
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2015-3-6
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2015-3-6
- Material Format
- multiple media
- Physical Description
- 5 cm textual records and other material
- Date
- [ca.1890]-[ca. 1940]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of personal records of Hyman (Ben) Benjamin, and records documenting Arthur Benjamin's military service. Records include ca. 30 photographs of three generations of the Benjamin family, Rosh Hashanah greeting cards, Hyman Benjamin's birth certificate and first aid certificate. Records also include correspondence between several branches of the Canadian government and Arthur's mother, Annie, regarding the circumstances of Arthur's death; his grave site and his army pension.
- Custodial History
- The records were donated to the Archives by Nancy Rose, daughter of the great-nephew of Hyman (Ben) Benjamin.
- Administrative History
- Hyman "Ben" Benjamin (ca. 1884-1969) was born in Leeds, England to Lazuras and Annie Benjamin. He married Hilda (Holds) Benjamin, and they immigrated to Canada in 1911. He worked as a car mechanic. They had two daughters, Laura (b. 1911) and Florence (b. 1912).
- Arthur "Abraham" Benjamin (ca. 1882-1917) was Hyman Benjamin's brother. He immigrated to Toronto from Leeds some time after 1911 and worked with Hyman as a car cleaner. He joined the 198th Battalion of the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in 1916, and was killed in the First World War.
- 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.
- Subjects
- Canada--Armed Forces
- World War, 1914-1918
- Name Access
- Benjamin, Arthur, 1882-1917
- Benjamin, Hyman, 1884-1969
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2004-3-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2004-3-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- object
- Physical Description
- ca. 3 cm of textual records and other material
- 7 photographs b&w and col ; 20 x 25 cm or smaller
- Date
- 1900-1979
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of material documenting the donor's grandparents Dora and Bernard Coffler. It includes portraits of her grandparents and an exterior photograph of the Coffler Bedding Co., activities and fiftieth wedding celebration. This accession also includes: documents such as their passports, wedding certificate and identification cards; correspondence from David Croll; press clippings relating to their wedding and anniversary; an Ezras Noshem Society pin (1927); an Adath Israel Congregation Golden Jubilee Book and key chain (1952); and a Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary 25th Anniversary Year Book.
- Administrative History
- Bernard and Dora Coffler arrived in Canada from Roumania in 1900 and 1901 respectively. They met in 1902 and married on 21 May 1904 in Toronto. They reportedly were the first couple to be married on a Sunday in Toronto. They had three children: Myer (1905), Goldie (1910), and Sam (1914).
- The Coffler's opened up a business called Coffler Bedding Co., which was located at 391 Parliament Street.
- Dora Coffler was very active in two organizations, the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE) as well as the Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary called the Ezras Noshem Society.
- Bernard and Dora Coffler passed away in 1960 and 1971 respectively.
- Descriptive Notes
- Physical description note: includes 7 photographs, 1 key chain, 1 pin and 1 coin.
- Subjects
- Weddings
- Storefronts
- Name Access
- Coffler Bedding Co.
- Adath Israel Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
- Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto, Ont.)
- Croll, David, 1900-1991
- Ezras Noshem Society (Toronto, Ont.)
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1986-3-7
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1986-3-7
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 3 photographs: b&w ; 20 x 25 cm
- Date
- [ca. 1916]-1920
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of black-and-white photographs of the Papernick family. One photograph is of Henry Papernick graduating from the University of Toronto Law School in 1920. There is a photograph of the Papernick house on Henry Street in Toronto with Henry Papernick, Jack Engel, and David Papernick sitting on the front porch. The last photograph is of food stand at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1919
- Descriptive Notes
- There are corresponding negatives for the photographs.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-8-8
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2008-8-8
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 28 x 35 cm on matte 36 x 48 cm
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1916, [194-]
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of one portrait of Bernard Vise and a certificate of appreciation presented to Vise by the Herzl Zion Club in Toronto, in recognition of his work as treasurer of the club.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2015-9-32
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2015-9-32
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 5 photographs : b&w
- Date
- 1894-[191-]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of five photographs documenting the Danson family. One family photograph is of the children of Bertha and Barnett Danson: Rose (Mann), Joseph, Leo and Florence (Simmons). The second family phorograph is ca. 1904 and includes parents and children, as above. There is a photo ca. 1915 of Leo and his daughter Arna. Finally, there are two additional photos of members of the Danson family without any name identifiers or dates, although likely taken in the 1910s.
- Custodial History
- It is likely that these records were provided by W. Bertram Danson.
- Subjects
- Families
- Name Access
- Danson, Bertarm
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-1-11
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2018-1-11
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 6 cm of textual records (2 vol. and 1 folder)
- Date
- 1919-[195-?]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a bound volume of cantorial music used by Cantor Akiva Bernstein of Beth Tzedec Congregation (Toronto) from the 1930s to the 1950s; and a published book of synagogue music Synagogen-Gesange: fur kantor und gemischten chor by Cantor Joshua S. Weisser (Pilderwasser) and Cantor Samuel Kavetzky (Bedrokowetzky) from 1919. The accession also includes handwritten drafts of music scores by an unknown author, possibly Elie Spivak.
- Subjects
- Cantors (Judaism)
- Synagogue music
- Name Access
- Beth Tzedec Congregation (Toornto, Ont.)
- Goel Tzedec Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2021-10-12
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2021-10-12
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- ca. 10 cm of textual records
- 12 photographs : b&w and col, 25 x 20 cm or smaller
- 1 painting : oil on board
- Date
- 1910-2020
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of material from the Agudas Hamishpocha (AH) Rubinoff/Naftolin cousins club, books and an oil painting. Included are photos of the Rubinoff/Naftolin family taken in Russia; copies of postcards from family in Russia written in Yiddish and Russian; notes compiled by Bill Gladstone translating cards sent by Dan & Rose Newman; copies of email correspondence with Dan Newman; copies of photos of Rubinoff/Naftolin family taken in Russia and Toronto; two souvenir booklets marking the 80th and 85th anniversary of AH; Shana Tova postcard from AH; newspaper clippings of obituaries of family members; AH membership fee statements, a copy of the speech written by Bill Gladstone for a book launch, copy of an invitation to 85th anniversary of AH; a copy of AH family tree; AH meeting minutes; lists of AH Philanthropic Fund donations; AH schedule of breakfasts and AH membership lists. Also included is a book commemorating the 75th anniversary of Congregation B'nai Israel in London, ON; a signed copy of "From Rags to Riches" by Dr. Max M Glassman; a signed copy of "My Ninety Years: Confessions of a 14-Year-Old High School Dropout" a biography by Max Beder; a copy of "Borrowed Time : The Life of Russell Norman Gladstone 1918-1988" by Bill Gladstone; a photo of the Gladstone family; an original oil painting of the Kiever synagogue by an unknown artist.
- Descriptive Notes
- 2 books have been moved to the OJA library: "From Rags to Riches", the autobiography of Dr. Max M. Glassman and "Borrowed Time" by Gill Gladstone.
- Related Material Note: See also 1988-2-9; 2011-6-3; 2016-2-1; 2016-2-15; 2018-7-3; 2019-4-5; 2020-1-6; 2020-2-5.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2021-12-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2021-12-1
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- ca. 25 cm of textual records
- 15 photographs : b&w and col. ; 20 x 26 cm and smaller
- Date
- 1832-2017
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of the research files of Bill Gladstone. The materials document Bill’s research on various aspects of the Jewish history of Toronto and Canada and are sourced from a variety of newspapers, books, and archival repositories. Most of the newspaper clippings and copies of clippings are from the Canadian Jewish News, Toronto Star, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail; and the copies of archival documents are mainly from the Archives of Ontario, the City of Toronto Archives, and the Ontario Jewish Archives.
- Included are Bill’s newspaper articles; documents relating to Bill’s books and a publishing house that Bill established in 2008 named Now and Then Books; genealogy research materials and notes; copies of early Toronto maps; copies of articles written by Ben Kayfetz; research materials documenting Toronto local synagogues such as the Holy Blossom Temple, Goel Tzedec Synagogue, First Narayever Congregation, and McCaul St. Synagogue (Beth Hamidrash Hagadol); copies of Canadian Moving Picture Digest and Canadian Film Weekly that document the accomplishments of Jews in the Canadian film industry; and research materials pertaining to Russian Jews, Yiddish theatres and opera houses, religious education in public schools, and the history of the Jews in Toronto and Canada in general. Also included are research documents relating to Toronto Jewish neighbourhoods such as Kensington Market, The Junction, The Ward, and Bathurst Manor; and materials documenting Toronto local Jewish businesses, organizations, families, and individuals.
- Accession also contains a small number of photographs that Bill took or collected during his research, most of which feature the Holy Blossom Temple, Temple Beth Israel (Macon, Georgia), and Congregation Mickve Israel (Savannah, Georgia).
- Administrative History
- Bill Gladstone is a researcher, journalist, author, publisher, and genealogist living in Toronto. He has written and edited numerous books on Canadian Jewish history and is a frequent contributor to the Canadian Jewish News, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and other publications. He is often asked to give community presentations on a variety of topics related to the history of Jewish Toronto. In 2008, Bill established a publishing company named Now and Then Books. Bill is the former president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto and book review editor for Avotaynu, the international journal of Jewish genealogy.
- 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
- Titles of files were transcribed from their original formal titles; for files that do not bear formal titles, supplied titles were given based on file contents.
- Subjects
- Genealogists
- Authors
- Journalists
- Name Access
- Gladstone, Bill
- Places
- Toronto (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-2-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-2-1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- ca. 300 photographs : b&w, sepia and col. (1 negative) ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
- 40 cm of textual records
- Date
- [189-]-2007
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records created and accumulated by Bill Gladstone in the course of researching his book on the genealogical lineage of the Naftolin and Rubinoff families. Included are photographs of the Shmuel Chaim and Rachel Rubinoff branch, the Aaron Rubinowitz branch, the Benjamin Rubinoff branch, the Arnoff branch and the Naftolin branch. The photographs are in the form of family and individual portraits, candid snapshots, event photographs, Rubinoff store exteriors, and photographs of various life event celebrations. The textual records consist of research notes and copied material from various sources detailing the lives of individual family members.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
- Descriptive Notes
- FINDING AID NOTE: It is recommended that researchers consult the book "One Hundred Years in Canada: the Rubinoff-Naftolin Family Tree" for more context when viewing the material.
- USE CONDITIONS NOTE: Donor retains copyright for all original research and writing. Donor wishes to be notified prior to publication. Publication requests must receive permission from donor, if possible.
- Subjects
- Families
- Name Access
- Gladstone, Bill
- Naftolin family
- Rubinoff family
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-2-15
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2016-2-15
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 m of textual records
- ca. 200 photographs
- Date
- [189-]-2013
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records created and collected by Bill Gladstone during the course of his research into the family history and genealogy of the Naftolin and Rubinoff families and their various branches. Included are Gladstone's extensive research files on each member of the family, which consist of hand-written research notes, correspondence with family members and government officials, newsclippings, copies of vital statistics, immigration and citizenship records, certificates, bereavement and sympathy cards, telegrams and congratulatory anniversary cards, invitations, and photographs.
- Accession also consists of records related to the Agudas Hamishpocha, the family mutual benefit society and social club that was formed in 1928 by the Naftolin and Rubinoff families. These records include meeting invitations and flyers, anniversary and jubilee books, membership lists, photographs, loan society materials, newsclippings and articles, research notes, and a copy of the letters of incorporation.
- Administrative History
- Bill Gladstone is a direct decendent of the Naftolin-Rubinoff family. The five branches of the family as researched by Gladstone are the Rachel Rubinowitz and Shmuel Chaim Rubinowitz branch; Riva Rishe Rubinowitz and Itsha Maisha Naftolin branch; Binyamin (Benjamin) Rubinoff and Esther Dobin branch; Minya Rubinowitz and Elimelech Arnoff branch; and Aaron Rubinowtiz and Esther Cahansky branch. Rachel, Riva Rishe, Binyamin, Minya and Aaron were all siblings. Other family names include Cohen, Slovin, Rosensweig, Patlik and Alter.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
- Descriptive Notes
- FINDING AID NOTE: It is recommended that researchers consult the book "One Hundred Years in Canada: the Rubinoff-Naftolin Family Tree" for more context when viewing the material.
- USE CONDITION NOTE: Donor retains copyright for all original research and writing. Donor wishes to be notified prior to publication. Publication requests must receive permission from donor, if possible.
- Subjects
- Families
- Name Access
- Gladstone, Bill
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1976-6-4
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1976-6-4
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 6 photographs : b&w
- Date
- [ca. 1901]-1952
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of photographs of B'nai Israel Congregation in Galt, Ontario (now Cambridge, Ontario).
- 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.
- Subjects
- Synagogues
- Name Access
- B'nai Israel Congregation (Galt, Ont.)
- Places
- Galt (Cambridge, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-6-31
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2007-6-31
- Material Format
- textual record (electronic)
- Physical Description
- 1 document (4 jpgs) : col.
- Date
- [19--]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of scanned copy of the constitution of the B'nai Jacob Congregation of Niagara Falls, 4 pages in four separate files.
- Subjects
- Synagogues
- Communities
- Name Access
- B'nai Jacob Congregation (Niagara Falls, Ont.)
- Places
- Niagara Falls (Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1984-12-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1984-12-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 2.1 m of textual records
- 1 photograph
- Artifacts
- Date
- 1918, 1940-1971
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of the records of the B'nai Zion Association. Included are the pinkus, financial records, photographs, correspondence, meeting minutes, newsletters, membership records, inviations and programs. Also included is a 1918 photograph of a manual training class at either the King Edward School or the Manning Ave. School.
- Administrative History
- In the years following the 1st Zionist Congress held in Basle, Switzerland in 1897, Zionist organizations were established around the world.
- In Toronto one of the first Zionist societies to be founded was the B'nai Zion Association. This organization was established as a mutual benefit society in 1903. It provided sick, funeral and unemployment benefits to its members.
- However, its main purpose was the promotion of Zionism. It was involved in the dissemination of Zionist material, and sponsored lectures and meetings, in addition to raising funds to suppo~t the establishment of Jewish settlements in Palestine. It continued to perform these same activities following the establishment of the state of Israel.
- B'nai Zion has also been involved in local activities. It was active in anti-missionary efforts and also provided educational and cultural programming for children.
- MG_RG
- MG20 J1F
- Subjects
- Zionism
- Name Access
- B'nai Zion Association (Toronto, Ont.)
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1975-006
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1975-006
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 3 cm of textual records
- Date
- 1912-1922
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a financial and meeting minute ledger book (1912–1922) and a photocopy of a financial and meeting minute ledger book (1914–1922) of the B'nai Zion Synagogue in Cobalt, Ontario.
- MG_RG
- MG3B15
- Subjects
- Synagogues
- Name Access
- B'nai Zion Synagogue (Cobalt, Ont.)
- Places
- Cobalt, Ont.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1985-2-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1985-2-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 2 photographs b&w ; 21 x 26 cm and 12 x 20 cm
- Date
- 1918-1967
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records related to the role of Dr. Joseph Diamond as the first Director of the Toronto Bureau of Jewish Education. Included are copies of a 1918 letter from the Intercollegiate Menorah Society of New York, minutes of the founding organizations of the Bureau of Jewish Education (United Jewish Welfare Fund, Canadian Jewish Congress Central Agency for Jewish Education, Provisional Executive, Board of Trustees and Board of Directors of the new Bureau (1948-1950)), and programs for the BJE's Inaugural Meeting (1950) and the Eighteenth Anniversary (1967). There are several reports and surveys and a 1964 newspaper article from the Yiddish Standard about the Bureau and it's director. Finally there are two articles published in Hebrew in Israel about Jewish education in North America and a case study of Toronto, as well as a reprint of a 1951 article (in Yiddish) by Nachman Shemen about Dr. Joseph Diamond and Sam Posluns.The photographs show Dr. Diamond addressing an Eitz Chaim Annual Banquet and a Regional Education Conference in Hamilton, Ontario.
- Administrative History
- In 1949 Dr. Joseph Diamond was appointed executive director of the new Bureau of Jewish Education and Sam Posluns the provisional president.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1986-3-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1986-3-2
- Material Format
- graphic material
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 6 photographs : b&w ; 20 x 25 cm or smaller
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1900-1967
- Scope and Content
- This accession consists of 6 photographs that document the Bossin Family. They include photographs of Hye Bossin, Sally, Bessie, Zossman and a friend, Mike Morrison. Other documents in this accession include publications such as: "If You Will It, It is No Fairy Tale: Theodore Herzl Fifty Years after his death," "A Saint in Street Clothes: Willie Frankel his Life and Loyalties," written by Hye Bossin, as well as three newsletters published by United Jewish People's Order (UJPO), Canadian Film Weekly and The Barker, and two editions of The Jewish Standard. There is also a Judean Glee Club programme for their third annual Kibitz under the direction of Hye Bossin. Finally, there is a copy of a certificate from the Jewish Colonial Trust made out to Sussi Bossin in 1900, and a Jewish Community Senior Softball League, Toronto programme and scorecard from 1932.
- Administrative History
- The Bossin family lived in Toronto. Hye Bossin (1906-1964) was editor, publisher, and columnist with the Canadian Film Weekly. He received many commendations and awards for his contribution to the motion picture industry and the promotion of the Canadian Film Archive.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1981-1-9
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1981-1-9
- Material Format
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 button : metal ; 3 cm in diam.
- Date
- [19--]
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of a button featuring a religious scene. A bearded man is standing with his arms outstretched and an individual is kneeling before him. This is possibly a scene from the Book of Esther (Purim). Surrounding the image is either Hebrew or Yiddish text.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1985-5-6
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 1985-5-6
- Material Format
- textual record
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- 1 badge
- Date
- 1900-1950
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of records created and collected by the Canadian Hebrew Benevolent Society. Included are an immigrant's letter book in Yiddish and English and a member badge for the Canadian Hebrew Benevolent Society
- Administrative History
- The Canadian Hebrew Benevolent Society was a fraternal organization, founded in 1913, whose primary objective was the provision of aid to the Jewish community
- MG_RG
- MG 20 B 1N
- Source
- Archival Accessions