Accession Number
2019-12-8
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2019-12-8
Material Format
graphic material (electronic)
Physical Description
10 photographs : b&w & col. (jpeg)
Date
1948-2010
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photographs of the Schein family. Included are Liza and Sam's wedding celebration in Salzburg, Austria (1948), Liza on board the RMS Samaria (1948), family portraits and snapshots of Liza, Sam and their daughter Gilda (1953-1954), their businesses Apex Uniforms (1960) and Apex Textiles (1980), and the front and back of Sam Schein's grave stone.
Administrative History
(Szymon (Sam) Schein (1923-2010) was born in Krakow, Poland, and was the eldest of three sons of Yitzchak and Leia Schein. Szymon's younger brothers were Alek, and Gershon. As a child, Szymon attended yeshiva and enjoyed singing. The Scheins were shopkeepers, and lived a modest lifestyle. Sam's immediate family were all murdered in the Holocaust. Szymon was the only member of his immediate family to survive. At the outset of the war he was sixteen years old. Sam survived four concentration camps – Plaszow, Mauthausen, Melk, and Ebensee. While living in a Displaced Persons camp in Bad Gastein, Austria, he met his wife, Liza Esanu. They were engaged in July 1948, and married a month later. Liza Esanu (1928-2017) was born in Romania in 1928, in the small town Tirgu Neamts, the third of four surviving children of Leib and Chaia Sura Esanu. Liza's father Leib died when Liza was only four years old, from a gall bladder attack. Chaia raised her four children on her own. In 1939, the family was forced to leave their home in the countryside, and over the next few years, were in hiding within Romania. Liza was eleven years old when the Second World War began in 1939. She was given a Singer sewing machine and learned how to sew. Her education as a seamstress progressed in the old European apprentice system, and before long, as a very young teenager, she was supporting her family with the money that she made with her sewing. After the war, she and her sister left Romania and ended up in a DP camp in Austria - Bad Gastein - where she met and married Szymon Schein. Liza and Sam sailed to Canada in September 1948 on the SS Samaria, and settled in Toronto. Although, Sam was accepted as a participant in the Tailor Project, it was Liza who was the sewer in the family. Eventually, they owned several businesses, including "Honest Sam's Cleaners" and a children's wear store. Their final two businesses were strongly related to the sewing –Apex Uniforms, where they manufactured and sold uniforms for gas station attendants and Apex Textiles, where they sold fabrics for clothing and drapery. Liza's sewing expertise was crucial to the success of those two businesses, while Sam handled the finances. Sam and Liza had one child, Gilda, born in Toronto in 1952. Their marriage broke up in 1986, and they each spent the rest of their lives separately. Sam died on New Year's Day, 2010, and Liza on October 15, 2017.
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.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-4-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-4-3
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
object
philatelic record
Physical Description
3153 photographs : b&w and col. (3133 negatives) ; 41 x 51 cm or smaller
13 sheets of postage stamps
1 folder of textual records
2 presentation pieces : 23 x 34 x 2 cm
Date
[1945?]-2006
Scope and Content
Accession consists of Negev Dinner negatives for the years of 1969, 1975-1977, and 1979-2006. Also included are several presentation pieces comprised of portraits that Gilbert took for presidents and prime ministers of Israel and Israeli Prime Ministerial postage stamps produced from those portraits. Some of the presentation pieces are accompanied by thank-you letters address to Gilbert and signatures of Gilbert and presidents and prime ministers of Israel being featured. Accession also includes six portraits featuring Robert Sterling, Elliotte Friedman’s grandmother, [Sydney Sugarman?], and one unidentified person; two unidentified group photographs; one unidentified wedding photograph; and one photograph depicting Al Gilbert at an event. Also included is an oversized group photograph of Greenfild’s Jewish Radio Hour of CKOC featuring Max Mandel and his colleagues.
Negev Dinner honourees include Mark Levy and Harry Gorman (1969); Rabbi Gunther Plaut (1975); James Kay (1976); Premier Bill Davis (1977); Murray Koffler (1979); Rose Wolfe (1980); Theodore Richmond (1981); Arnold Epstein and Madeline Epstein (1982); Kurt Rothschild and Edith Rothschild (1983); Abe Posluns (1984); Donald Carr and Judy Feld Carr (1985); Dr. Gerald Halbert (1986); Edwin Goodman (1987); Douglas Bassett (1988); Max Sharp and Isadore Sharp (1989); Bernard Weinstein (1990); Harry Gorman (1991); Albert Mandel, Nathan Hurwich, and Lewis Moses (1992); George Cohen (1993); Joey Tanenbaum (1994); Leslie Dan (1995); Henry Newton Rowell “Hal” Jackman (1996); Edward Bronfman (1997); Allan Silber (1998); Dr. Anne Golden (1999); Avie Bennett (2000); Alex Grossman (2001); Toby Feldberg and Saul Feldberg (2002); Eli Rubinstein and Renée Rubinstein (2003); Ronald Appleby (2004); Joseph Lebovic and Wolf Lebovic (2005); Ed and Fran Sonshine (2006).
Presidents and prime ministers of Israel being featured include Levi Eshkol, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Shimon Peres, and Chaim Herzog.
Custodial History
Accession donated by Nina Gilbert, Al Gilbert's daughter, on behalf of the Estate of Al Gilbert.
Administrative History
Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898 to Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish community events. Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth. During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business. It thrived under his management. To accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today. Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events, and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. He was also paid to produce portraits for local entrepreneurs. Moreover, his multi-year contract with the city gave him sole responsibility of producing portraits for the mayors and council members. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community and began to produce images for businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto. In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national, and international celebrities, artists, and leaders, such as Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers, Prince Charles, and the last Pope. He also produced portraits for all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into postage stamps by the Israeli government. Gilbert’s work, therefore, captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary brides to extraordinary world leaders. Throughout his career, Al has won many professional awards and accolades from his peers. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Photographer of the Year award of the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain, and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honour that PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Photographers
Name Access
Gilbert, Al, 1922-2019
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-10-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-10-1
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
object
Physical Description
30 cm of textual records
5 photographs : b&w & col. ; 30 x 20 cm or smaller
2 metal award certificates : 28 x 21 cm
1 key : framed in a wooden box
Date
1913-2013
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records related to the Kiever Synagogue or had been stored at the synagogue. Included are certificates (1930-[1961?]); a print of the 1913 Officers and Members of the Grand Order of Israel of Canada; a poster of Yitzhak Ben-Zvi (president of Israel) presented by National Committee for Labour Israel for Israel Histadrut campaign; National Synagogue Directory issued by Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee (2011-2012); The Jewish Magazine (2006); Baycrest Men's Service Group Honour Roll books (1993-1997, 1999); shabbat, wedding, and bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah benchers (1965-2013); newspaper clippings; blessing guides; and administrative material such as receipt books (1933-1934), Synagogue Laws and Customs (1976), and a memorandum of agreement (1920). Also included are photographs featuring David Pinkus, Nate Leipciger, students of Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim (1936), and the top view of bimah and chuppah of the Kiever Synagogue, which was taken at Samara Kaplan’s wedding (2004); and miscellaneous material such as raffle tickets (1928), invitation tickets from Chevra Kadisha (1928), and record books of Toronto Free Loan Association. This accession also includes the following artifacts: two metal certificates of Recognition of Service Award granted by State of Israel Bond and Canada-Israel Securities Limited (1964 and 1965) and a skeleton key framed in a wooden shadow box, which is possibly the original key to the building. People identified in the photograph of students of Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim (1936) are: Solly Speisman (second row, fourth from left), Myer Orzench (second row, far right), Hymie Reingewietz (second row, sixth from left), Mr. Hoffman (teacher, left-hand side), and Mr. Nobleman (teacher, right-hand side). Myer Orzench was the second vice-president of the Kiever Synagogue; Mr. Nobleman was father of Ben Nobleman, the municipal politician of York Region.
Custodial History
Records deposited by David Moyal of the Kiever Synagogue.
Administrative History
The Kiever synagogue, also known as the Kiever Shul, is a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Toronto. It was founded in 1912 by a small congregation of Jewish immigrants from the Kiev Gubernia of the Russian Empire (now Ukraine) and formally incorporated in 1914 by the granting of the Letters Patent by the Provincial Secretary. The congregation’s formal name is "The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev." According to the earliest congregational records, Max Bossin was president in 1912. At first, services were held in members’ homes and later in a rented house on Centre Avenue in the Ward. Not being able to afford a rabbi, services were led by members, including Cantor Herschel Litvak. In 1917, sufficient funds were raised to mortgage a house at 25 Bellevue Avenue on the outskirts of Kensington Market. The congregation relocated there and the facilities were enlarged in 1921 with the acquisition of a second house. In 1927, a new synagogue, which was built on the site of the two houses and designed by a Jewish architect named Benjamin Swartz in the Byzantine Revival style, was completed to accommodate increasing number of congregants. During the construction from 1924 to 1927, religious services were conducted at the home of Mr. Silverman at 29 Wales Avenue. Equipped with a rabbi and a proper synagogue, the Kiever was able to play a larger role in the Toronto Jewish community. The shul offered Yiddish and bar-mitzvah lessons, a youth minyan led by Fischel Cooper, a credit society, as well as a women’s auxiliary. Several decades later, the Kiever’s membership declined in the 1950s and 1960s due to demographic changes—Jews began leaving the downtown core for the north end of town. The synagogue building deteriorated. In 1973, the Archives Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress Central Region decided to help preserve it, and by 1982, sufficient funds had been raised to restore the building. In 1979, the Kiever Synagogue became the first building of Jewish significance to be designated a historical site by the province of Ontario and has been protected under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act since then. Some of the founders included: B. B. Smith, Yehudah Leib "Louis" Bossin, Isaac Mosten, Jake Dubin, Harry Cohen, and Wolf Ganz. The congregation's first and longest-tenured rabbi was Solomon Langner, who served from around 1929 until his death in 1973. Sheldon Steinberg served as rabbi from the time of Langner's death until the mid-1990s. David Pinkus served as president of the Kiever Shul from the late 1970s to 2011. His parents, Molly and Isadore Pinkus, were co-founders of the shul. As of 2022, the synagogue president is Adam S. Cohen.
Descriptive Notes
LANGUAGE NOTE: material is in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English.
Availability of other formats: digital preservation copies for some documents have been created and are available in PDF, JPG, and TIF formats.
Subjects
Synagogues
Name Access
Kiever Synagogue (Toronto, Ont.)
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-10-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-10-4
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 letter
Date
19 Jun. 1945
Scope and Content
Accession consists of one letter to Nathan "Sonny" Isaacs from Rabbi Jacob Eisen. The letter is dated 19 June 1945. In it, Jacob congratulates Nathan on getting engaged and expresses his regret he could not have been in Toronto when Nathan was welcomed home. He also mentions that Nathan's best friend, Percy, was sad to learn that Nathan had departed Europe just as he arrived.
Administrative History
Nathan Isaacs (né Isaacovitch) was born on 20 November 1922. He enlisted on 5 August 1942. After training, Nathan worked in the kitchen at a Royal Canadian Air Force base in Aylmer, Ontario, while awaiting deployment to Europe. After being flown to Yorkshire, England, Nathan went on to fly thirty-five missions. He was twenty-one when he flew his first.
Following the war, bombers like Nathan received little in the way of recognition on account of the heavy civilian casualties caused by bombing. In 2013, Julian Fantino, minister of veterans affairs, gave out the Bomber Command bar to recognize Second World Bombers, including Nathan. That same year, thanks to a photograph that accompanied a Toronto Star article about Second World War bombers, Nathan was reunited with John Mulholland, the pilot with whom he flew his final mission.
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
Related groups of records in different fonds external to the unit being described: A photograph of Rabbi Jacob Eisen in uniform can be found in the Military photographs series of the William Stern fonds. A photograph of Rabbi Eisen alongside other Jewish chaplains can be found in the Harry Moscoe fonds.
Subjects
Letters
Rabbis
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Isaacs, Nathan, 1922-
Places
Europe
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-10-11
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-10-11
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records and graphic material
1 oversized photograph
Date
1908-1985
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting the family of Helen Marks. Included are two wedding three school photographs, school photographs, personal identity documents, a certificate of naturalization, a letter, a program for a gala evening, and a un untranslated document.
The first wedding photograph was taken at the wedding of Rose Miltz and Nathan Weisblatt on 29 December 1935. Rose and Nathan were part of Helen's father's family.
The second wedding photograph was taken at the wedding of Rose Nimon and Isadore Weisblatt. Rose and Nimon were Helen's parents.
Two school photographs were taken at John Fisher School in the 1930s. Helen attended the school from kindergarten until grade eight.
A third school photograph was taken at North Toronto Collegiate sometime around Christmas 1939. Helen attended the school for one year from 1939 to 1940.
There are several identity documents for Helen's father-in-law, Morris Marks. The first such document is a Romanian passport dated 24 May 1908. The second such document is a deed poll testifying to Morris' change of name dated 23 January 1933. The third document is a document certifying that the latter is a true copy.
The certificate of naturalization is for Harry Schnall. Helen believes Harry was her mother-in-law's father but is not positive.
The letter is from Max Niman and Moishe Fishbaum and is dated 15 August 1985. The letter regards the amalgamation of the Ostrovtzer Congregation and the Shaarei Tefillah Congregation. Helen's mother's family were founders of the congregation.
The program is for a gala evening presented by the Chinese community for the Mount Sinai Hospital Research Centre expansion, which was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on 22 June 1985.
Finally, there is a document in what appears to be Romanian but which has not been translated.
Descriptive Notes
Language: English, Romanian, French
Subjects
Immigrants--Canada
Ketubah
Public schools
Places
Romania
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-1
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
7 photographs : b&w ; 8 x 12 cm or smaller
1 photograph : col. slide
1 photograph : b&w (jpg)
1 folder of textual records
Date
1945-1972
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photographs of the 604A College Street and 938 Eglinton Avenue West locations of Goldy's Dairy & Appetizer.
Photo captions
001: Goldie Goldberg (standing left) with two customers in front of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer decorated in celebration of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), May 1945.
002: Store clerk working behind the counter, Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), 1950s.
003: Exterior view of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), ca. 1960. Also visible in photo Wembley Custom Cleaners and [Giblons] Kosher Meats & Poultry.
004; Employee working behind Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer prepared food counter, serving items such as Shopsy’s potato salad, olives, cream cheese, gefilte fish and more, Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), 1960s.
005: Marvin Goldberg (left) and his older brother Sidney Goldberg (right), standing in front of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer decorated in celebration of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), 8 May 1945.
006: Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer Passover window display, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), 1970s.
007: Marvin Goldberg pictured in front of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), ca. 1947.
008: Sidney Goldberg (standing right) with friend in front of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), ca. 1947.
009: Magazine clipping promoting Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), 1970s. Identified (L to R): Sharon Shaindy Dubinsky (m. Nathanson), Betty Dubinsky (m. London), Lyn Dubinsky (m. Lubelski)
010: Dave Goldberg (left), receiving bread delivery at Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), May 1945.
Administrative History
Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer was founded by Dave and Goldie Goldberg at 604A College Street, Toronto, in 1944. Dave Goldberg was born in Tarnopol, Russia in 1908; Goldie Goldberg (née Heiber) was born in Galicia, Poland in the same year. Goldie immigrated to Canada in 1911, and Dave came to the United States in the early 1920s, where he was employed as a shoe salesman in Detroit and Chicago until he moved to Toronto in the early 1930s. Dave and Goldie were married in June 1932. In February 1942, Dave was involved in a deadly motor vehicle accident on an icy road near Hamilton Ontario, in which two of the other passengers died. He was fortunate to survive, but the accident brought out a latent asthmatic condition, which prevented him from continuing his job as manager of Arliss Shoes on Yonge Street in Toronto. After unsuccessful efforts as an insurance salesman, and with some financial assistance from the Grand Order of Israel, a benevolent society of which he was a member, Dave, who often said he would “put his wife’s name up in lights,” opened Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer with Goldie as his partner.
The store was located just west of Clinton Street on the same block that housed the Pylon Theatre, Pylon Drugs, the Health Bread, and Home Bread Bakeries, as well as Shapiro’s Delicatessen. Goldy’s specialized in fresh creamery and delicatessen products, smoked fish, and assorted dry groceries. Many of the “take-out specialties,” such as potato salad, egg salad, and chopped herring were personally prepared by Goldie Goldberg. In 1947, observing the migration of the Jewish population to the north Bathurst Street corridor, Dave and Goldie opened a second location at 938 Eglinton Avenue West (near Bathurst), which was eventually taken over and operated by Goldie’s sister, Sylvia (Chippy), better known as “Mrs. Goldy,” and her husband, Danny Dubinsky. Both locations were very successful with the owners offering tasty delicacies along with friendly personalized service to their clientele. Customers also enjoyed getting the latest news and gossip relating to their neighbourhood as well as the wider Jewish Community.
The College Street location was sold in 1953, while the Eglinton Avenue store was a fixture of the Forest Hill Jewish scene until the mid-1970s when it too was sold. Likely, many Jewish Torontonians have fond memories of shopping at Goldy’s and receiving the best of food served in a meticulously clean environment and a haimishe atmosphere.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-5
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-5
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
19 photographs : b&w and col. ; 44 cm x 32 cm or smaller
Date
1917-1977, 1992, 2013
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting members of the Shekter and Taylor families of Hamilton, Ontario. Included are three Negev Dinner books honouring Jack Taylor, Samuel Taylor, and Franklin Shapiro; news clippings documenting the viewing of the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre featuring Ben Shekter as well as Ben Shekter's obituary; and photographs depicting Ben Shekter, Harry Taylor, Dorothy (Taylor) Shekter, Jeanette Miller, Rebecca Taylor, Sam Taylor, James L. Shekter, and members of the Temple Players at Anshe Sholom Temple in Hamilton. Other locales featured in the photographs are Palm Springs, Hollywood Beach, and Hamilton. Also included are two oversized childhood portraits of Dorothy Taylor (aged approx. 6 years) and Ben Shekter (aged approx. 1 year).
Administrative History
Dorothy Shekter (née Taylor) (1915-2010) was born in 1915 in Hamilton, Ontario, to Max and Rebecca Taylor. Max and Rebecca moved from Russia to Canada in around 1906 and established a grocery business in Hamilton. Rebecca was a community worker; Max served as president of the Hess Street Shule for many years and was president and also one of the founders of the Ohav Zedek Congregation. Dorothy had four brothers: Jack, Lloyd, Harry and Sam, and a cousin Jeanette Miller, who has raised as a sister after being orphaned at age two. Dorothy married her husband Ben Shekter on 30 Aug. 1942. Dorothy was a social worker, having graduated from McMaster University in 1939 and then with her MSW from the University of Toronto in 1941. Dorothy passed away on 9 Feb. 2010.
Ben Shekter (1915-2013) was born on 6 Aug. 1915 in Hamilton, Ontario, to James and Lillian Shekter. He was an activist, a lawyer, a musician, and an advocate. His father owned the Shekter hotel on James St. North in Hamilton. As president of Hamilton Jewish Federation, Ben was committed to the Hamilton Jewish community and contributed to building and developing the Jewish Community Centre in Hamilton. Ben was one of the founding members of the Beverly Golf and Country Club (est. 1957) and was president of the club several times. Later, Ben initiated the plan for establishing Shalom Village, a Jewish seniors' residence and nursing home in Hamilton, and was its first president. In addition, Ben was also a board member of Hamilton Place, chairman of the Council of Jewish Organizations, and was active in the downtown Businessmen's Association. Ben passed away on 4 July 2013.
Jack Taylor, Dorothy's brother, was born on 5 Sept. 1905 in Russia and immigrated to Canada at the age of six months with his parents. He attended Hamilton public schools and Central Collegiate in his early years. From 1926 to 1928, he moved to New York and attended Columbia University studying playwriting and dramatics. Jack married Florence Cohan in 1929 and had a daughter, Shirley. Jack joined the Grand Order of Israel in 1934 and became the Grand Noble Master of the Grand Lodge in 1949 and 1961. He also served as chairman of the Territorial Division of the United Jewish Appeal, Men's Division in the 1950s. In 1956 and 1957, Jack served as president of the Council of Jewish Organizations. In 1963, Jack was president of Viceroy Reading Lodge of B'nai B'rith and also president of the United Hebrew Memorial Chapel. In the same year, after working at Hamilton Auto Parts for nineteen years, Jack established his own business, Taylor Automotive Supplies. In the 1970s, Jack served as vice-president of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) of Hamilton and was the honouree of the 1971 Hamilton Negev Dinner.
Samuel Taylor, Dorothy's brother, was born in 1916. He became a professional musician at age fifteen and continued in music from age eighteen to twenty-six. During the Second World War, Sam served in the Air Force Central Band and began his studies in the accounting field at the same time. In 1948, he graduated as a chartered accountant and opened the firm of Taylor, Leibow Chartered Accountants in 1950. In the same year, Sam married Anne Klein and had two children, Michael and Robin. From 1974 to 1976, Sam served as president of Hamilton JNF. In 1974 and 1975, he served as president of United Jewish Welfare Fund. Besides, Sam was a member of the Board of the Ontario Association of Licensed Trustees in Bankruptcy and a member of Executive Board of United Israel Appeal of Canada. In 1977 he became president of Hamilton Jewish Federation and was the honouree of the 1977 Hamilton Negev Dinner.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Hamilton (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-7
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
7 cm of textual records
1 poster
Date
1922-2015
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material collected by Beverley Schaeffer. The bulk of the material consists of newspaper clippings documenting Jewish communities in northern Ontario, primarily Kirkland Lake. In addition to the clippings, there are several other items: the first draft of Eddie Duke's "The History of the Jewish Community of Kirkland Lake," a copy of a typed article titled "The Way We Were" by Bettyann Elliott (née Archer), two issues of Beth Tikvah Sisterhood Magazine (spring 1988 and spring 1990), and a typed document titled "Judaica - Canadian" that was prepared by Fred Schaeffer. Of note is an article written by Shelley Duke entitled "Somebody's Somebody: Jews from Small Communities" dated 16 December 1985.
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
Availability of other formats: Textual records available as PDF files.
Subjects
Communities
Name Access
Duke, Eddie
Elliott, Bettyann, 1928-2015
Places
Kirkland Lake (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-13
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-13
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w
1 book
Date
[19--]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Ira Noble. Included are one oversized photograph of Ira Noble as a baby and a prayer book for Jewish members of His Majesty's Forces.
Custodial History
The items were discovered by a colleague of Ira's, Merven Patey. Merven passed the items on to Marcia Yudin, who in turn donated them to the OJA.
Administrative History
Ira Noble fought in the Second World War as part of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
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: English, Hebrew
Subjects
Great Britain--Armed Forces
Name Access
Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-20
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-20
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
3 photographs : b&w ; 20 x 25 cm or smaller
Date
1915-1969
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the activities of members of the Forman, Findlay, and Olin families. Documents include a 1922 Goel Tzedec Synagogue religious school diploma (Minnie Forman); a McCaul Street School class photo, Senior IV (Henry Findlay, back row, second left); Palestine Lodge Masons sheet music and lyrics for the composition "We Have Travelled Fiftee," music by Isha Goodman, lyrics by Jack S. Olin; and “Dimensions of 69 Senior Wardens District No. 7,” music and lyrics by Jim Johnson. In addition, there are two group photographs of Palestine Lodge Masons officers (ca. 1969).
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Music by Jewish composers
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
2021-11-21
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-21
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
13 cm of textual records
Date
1927-1984, predominant 1927-1947
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting the Posluns family. Included are letters to Sam Posluns written in 1927, when Sam was in New York; letters to Sam Poslun written in 1947, when he was in Europe with the Tailor Project; miscellaneous newspaper articles; and a 1984 Negev Dinner book. Of note is a letter addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Posluns from Abby Fuhrman, whose son, David Fuhrman, went to live with the Posluns during the Second World War.
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
Families
World War, 1939-1945
Name Access
Posluns (family)
Posluns, Samuel, 1910-1994
Places
Europe
New York (N.Y.).
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-26
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-26
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
36 photographs : col. and b&w ; 21 x 25 cm or smaller
Date
[ca. 1934]-2015
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records related to John Arthur (Jack) Geller's life and career. Of note are 36 colour and b&w photographs dated from ca. 1934 to 1984 documenting Geller's life and career; Spring Issue 1955 of Obiter Dicta magazine; a small poster with photos of the 1955 graduating class of Osgoode Hall Law School, when Geller was awarded the Gold Key Award; a Certificate of Honor awarded to Geller by the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation for the year of 1949-1950; the May 1999 issue of Fasken Link containing an interview with Geller; a draft of a speech delivered by Geller during a debate at Hart House with the presence of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent as well as an invitation to and newspaper clippings about the debate; newspaper clippings about Geller's participation in several debates; correspondence relating to Geller's licensing examination and call to the Bar; the March 2015 issue of Holy Blossom Temple Bulletin containing a tribute to Geller; the section of the 18 May 1963 issue of Maclean's dealing with the Hal Banks case and the Norris commission, of which Geller was part representing Upper Lakes Shipping; awards given to Geller; and correspondence addressed to him.
Custodial History
Records were donated by Jack's daughter, Dana.
Administrative History
John Arthur Geller was born in 1930 in Toronto, Ontario, to Polish immigrants Kalman and Katy Geller (née Ladowsky). He attended Forest Hill Collegiate and University College at the University of Toronto, where he graduated with a BA degree in 1951. He met his wife, Sybil Gangbar (daughter of Phil and Sarah Gangbar), in 1948, during his second week at U of T, where she was also studying, and they were married two weeks after graduating. They had four children: Lawrence (b. 1955), Dana (b. 1957), Jan (b. 1960), and Harold (b. 1964). After enrolling at Osgoode Hall Law School later that year, and articling at the firm Campbell, Godfrey & Lewtas, he was called to the Bar in 1955. Geller began his legal practice with Campbell, Godfrey & Lewtas, where he remained for the entirety of his career. He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1966. In 1993, Geller retired from legal practice and was appointed Vice-Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission. He served in different capacities with the Commission until his 2001 retirement. In addition to his work as a lawyer and for the Ontario Securities Commission, Geller served as a director on the board of Leitch Transport Limited and Ford Glass Limited. He was also a member of the Canadian Jewish Congress, served as president of B'nai Brith, Central Region, and was the National President of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada (JIAS), and a member and Honorary President for Life of Holy Blossom Temple. After suffering a stroke in 2002, Geller developed aphasia and spent five years working tirelessly to regain his reading abilities. He passed away on 7 January 2015. His funeral was held at Holy Blossom Temple, which he never stopped attending.
Subjects
Lawyers
Name Access
Geller, John Arthur (Jack), 1930-2015
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-28
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-28
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
3 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Date
[194-]-2000
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the communal lives of Manny Grafstein and Reva Grafstein of London, Ontario. Included are certificates from B'nai Brith, Hadassah-WIZO, Jewish National Fund, London Jewish Youth Association, and the Canadian Technion Society. Also included are general correspondence related to the London Hadassah-WIZO, a copy of the Jewish Observor detailing the three Grafstein sons enlisted during the Second World War, a London Jewish Directory (1950–1951), a B'nai Brith Digest, newspaper clippings related to the Grafstein family, and three photographs of Al Siegel of B'nai Brith.
Administrative History
Manny Grafstein (1917–1984) was born in London, Ontario, to Max (Melech) W. Grafstein and Rose Grafstein. Max was an author, showman, and proprietor of the London Silk Shoppe. He used to serve as the editor of the Jewish Observor and was a member of the B'nai Israel Congregation. In his youth, Manny and his other two brothers served in Canada's Armed Forces. Later, he became the owner of Manney's Fabric Centre and once served as president of the East London Business Association. He was also an active member of the London Jewish Youth Association and B'nai Brith. Manny married Reva Grafstein (1924–2018), who used to be a communication team member of the London Hadassah-WIZO and the co-ordinator of a clinic at the Jewish Community Centre in London. Manny and Reva had three children together: Norman Grafstein, Karen Grafstein Reiss (Willie Reiss), and Susan Grafstein.
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
Awards
Families
Married people
Places
London (Ont.)
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
2021-12-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-12-2
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
5 photographs : b&w
Date
1944-1984
Scope and Content
Accession consists of correspondence to Ben Kayfetz from an American friend in Berlin in 1951 and 1952, a 1944 Central Commerce yearbook belonging to Eva Kayfetz (née Silver), five photographs, an armed forces prayer book formerly belonging to Chaplain Rabbi Jacob Eisen, a speech about Soviet Jewry, and Ben Kayfetz's retirement speech.
Custodial History
The donor, Zena Tenenbaum, is Ben's daughter.
Administrative History
Ben Kayfetz was a well-known leader of the Jewish community and advocate for human rights. He completed a degree in modern languages from the University of Toronto. During the Second World War, he worked for the Wartime Information Board reading prisoners-of-war letters, and from 1945 to 1947, worked with the Canadian Control Commission in the British-controlled sector of Germany.
He served with the Canadian Jewish Congress from 1947 to 1985 in various positions, including director of public relations and executive director of the Central Region. He was instrumental in the development of government anti-discriminatory policies and legislation in the 1950s and 1960s onward and received the Order of Canada in 1986.
Ben Kayfetz also founded the Yiddish Luncheon Club, was president of the Toronto Jewish Historical Society, and was a frequent contributor to various periodicals in Canada and abroad, under his own name and his pseudonym, Gershon B. Newman. He was viewed as the local authority on Toronto Jewish history and also had his own radio spot on CHIN.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: correspondence have been scanned and available in PDF format.
Subjects
Prayer books
Yearbooks
Human rights workers
Speeches, addresses, etc
Name Access
Kayfetz, Ben, 1916-2002
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-2-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-2-3
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
3 cm of textual records
Date
[1939?]-2020, predominant 1939-1946
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the immigration of Daniel Zultek from Poland to Canada under a Sugihara Visa in 1941 and documents pertaining to Sugihara visas and Chiune Sugihara (also known as Sempo Sugihara), a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania. Included are Daniel’s travelling documents dating from 1939 to 1941—an identification document, an immigration identification card, a quarantine/medical examination card issued by Nippon Yusen (also known as NYK Line), and a ship manifest; correspondence between Daniel and Polish consulates in Toronto and Montreal (1941-1943)—one of the letters (28 May 1942) was obtained by Daniel for the purpose of bringing his brother, who was still in Warsaw at that time, over to Canada; a memorandum from the Jewish Community of Kobe to Daniel (1941); records documenting Daniel's experience in serving in the Polish Armed Units in Canada (1941); work documents pertaining to Daniel’s career at Canada Motor Products (1941-1942); and a brief memoir written by Daniel with notations by his daughter Irene. Also included are newspaper clippings and book chapters documenting Daniel’s immigration to Canada via Japan under a Sugihara visa (1993-2020), a programme book of the Sempo Sugihara Tribute Dinner (1993), and a pamphlet of the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall in Japan.
Custodial History
The records were in the possession of Daniel’s daughter, Irene Henry, before being gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives on Feb. 9, 2022.
Administrative History
Daniel Zultek (1910-1995) was born in Warsaw, Poland, on 1 September 1910, to Leon and Helena Zultek. Leon owned a large freight shipping company on the Vistula River, between Danzig and Gdynia harbours. Leon was a successful businessman, a community leader, a philanthropist, and a life member of the Jewish Kehilla Congress in Warsaw, which was allegedly the largest Jewish institution in Europe voted by the Jewish public. Daniel had been running the family business since 1932 until 1939 when the Second World War broke out. He was nominated to the board of directors of the company in 1938. In January 1939, Leon died of a heart attack. Daniel's mother Helena, sister Natalia, and most family members were murdered by Nazi Germany in concentration camps. The only survivors were Daniel, his elder brother Rafael, Irene (Rafael's first wife, who lived in Argentina), and four cousins name Daniel (surname unspecified), Rita (surname unspecified), Adam Zultek, and Dorka Zultek. On 6 September 1939, Daniel fled Warsaw, where was heavily bombarded by German troops, and headed for Pinsk, a city near the Soviet border. Half a month later, because Soviet troops invaded Pinsk, Daniel escaped to Vilnius in the neighbouring country Lithuania. In June 1940, the Soviet Union entered Lithuania. During that time, Daniel heard that the Japanese consulate in Kaunas was issuing transit visas. Fortunately, on 1 August 1940, Daniel received his visa from Vice-consul Chiune Sugihara. In the same month, he managed to escape Kaunas and headed for Moscow. With a Russian transit visa, he took the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok; from there, he took a ship for Tsuruga Port, Japan. During his stay in Japan, he learned that the British Embassy in Tokyo was recruiting volunteers to join the Polish Armed Forces in Australia, the United States, and Canada. Daniel volunteered and chose Canada as his destination. On 5 June 1941, he embarked on the ship, Hikawa Maru, in Yokohama and arrived in Vancouver on the 17th of the same month. From there, he headed for the Polish military base in Owen Sound, Ontario. Daniel received eight months of military training in Owen Sound but was honourably discharged owing to a cataract in his right eye. Fortunately, he was allowed to remain in Canada. After being discharged, Daniel worked various jobs to make a living. In 1941, he had jobs with Canada Motor Products and Frankel Engineering; from 1942 to 1945, he served de Havilland Aircraft as an inspector; from 1945 to 1948, he worked as a sales representative of an American milkshake and ice cream company named Mr. Gordon. While working at Frankel Engineering in 1941, Daniel met Mr. Epstein who introduced him to farming. In 1948, Daniel bought a one-hundred-acre farm in Brampton, Ontario. In the same year, he attended an agriculture college in Guelph, Ontario. While running the farm, he also opened Caledon Sand and Gravel, a company located in Caledon, Ontario, supplying sand and gravel for construction. His career also involved business in real estate. Daniel married Molly Mandel in 1943 and had three daughters Helen, Leona, and Irene. Molly (nee Mandel) Zultek (1915-1989) was a Torontonian of Russian descent. Her father, Albert Mandel, was one of the founders of the Congregation Knesseth Israel (also known as the Junction Shul) located on Maria Street in the Junction. Molly grew up in the Junction neighbourhood. In 1957, Daniel sold the farm and moved to Forest Hill Village a neighbourhood and former village in Midtown Toronto with his family. Daniel retired in 1988. In addition to business, Daniel also devoted his time to charity and social work. Daniel was an ardent Zionist and visited Israel twenty-seven times. He was director and a member of the board of governors of the Jewish National Fund. He was also a generous contributor to Jewish organizations and sponsored the Hebrew University and its students.
Descriptive Notes
LANGUAGE NOTE: some of the material is in Japanese and has been translated into English. Translated documents are available at S:\Collections\2022-2-3.
Availability of other formats: digital preservation copies for most documents have been created and are available in PDF, JPG, and TIF formats.
Subjects
Immigrants
World War, 1939-1945
Places
Warsaw (Poland)
Lithuania
Japan
Toronto (Ont.)
Owen Sound (Ont.)
Brampton (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-3-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-3-4
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
4 photographs : b&w and col. ; 34 x 34 cm or smaller
Date
[19--]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of four photographs of Morris "Murray" Rose. Three of the four photographs show Murray atop horse. In addition to M. Rose, Mrs. J Chesney (owner) and J. Chesny (trainer) are also identified in the 1929 photograph.
Custodial History
The photographs were donated by Roz Tobias, the daughter-in-law of Morris Rose (the subject of the photographs).
Administrative History
Morris "Murray" Rose was born in Poland and came to Toronto as a child. His love of riding dates back to this time: at the age of ten, he would ride his grandfather's horse up and down the lanes of Kensington. Rose never completed secondary school; instead, he ran away from home at the age of fourteen and became a stable boy at the Woodbine Racetrack. Subsequently, he became a jockey. The high point of his career came on 23 May 1931, when, at the Churchill Downs Racetrack in Kentucky, he ran five winners in a six-card race. Rose retired from riding horses after sustaining a serious head injury during a race.
After retiring from racing, Rose worked at a textile store on College Street. Later, he opened his own store on the south side of College Street at Spadina Avenue. He and his wife ran the store for many years with one or two employees. Rose eventually purchased the building in which his store was located and rented out space to a variety of businesses, including a smoke and confectionary store, a ticket agency, and an eyeglass store.
Rose's entrepreneurial activity extended to purchasing bankrupt businesses and building apartment buildings with a group of friends. In the 1960s, he was a co-partner in Triangle Billiards at Bathurst Sreet and Sheppard Avenue. He also purchased a fifty-acre farm in Buttonville on Woodbine Avenue, which he rented out until his death.
Rose died in July 1989 at the age of seventy-eight. He left behind a wife, Mary; two sons, Bobby and Ken; two daughters, Marjorie Swartz and Elaine Rubinoff; two sisters, Lil and Rae; a brother, Sam; fourteen grand children; and one great-grandchild.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Also available as digital images.
General note: The information for the biographical sketch was taken from an obituary written by Ben Rose titled "Leading Jockey Rose Dies at 78."
Subjects
Horses
Jockeys
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-3-11
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-3-11
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
object
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
ca. 200 photographs (15 negatives): b&w ; 25 x 20 cm or smaller
1 small metal pendant
Date
[ca. 1900]-[ca. 1943]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photographs, textual records, and an artifact relating to or collected by Mooney Stitt. Textual records include receipts, correspondence, immigration documents, a trademark certificate issued by the United States Patent Office, material related to Mooney’s municipal election in Sioux Lookout, and Mooney’s British Columbia free miner’s certificate. Photographs make up the majority of this accession, featuring Mooney’s family and personal life. Also included is a small metal pendant with Russian inscriptions.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Peter Marcovitz’s mother, Lillian Averson, until her death in 1965. Since then, the records have been stored possibly in the family house until being found and gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives in 2021 by Peter and his wife, Joyce Borenstein.
Administrative History
Mooney Stitt (1904-1943), also known as Munya Studnitz, was born in 1904 in Poland to Simcha Studnitz and Miriam Woyler. He might also be referred to as Chaim Studnic or Hiame Studnitz. Mooney had four siblings: David, Dina (Dinah/Diana), Dora, and Miron. In 1923, Mooney and Dina Studnitz immigrated to Canada from Poland under the sponsorship of their uncle, Nathan Stitt, who resided in the City of Fort William (now Thunder Bay) and had a clothing store named Stitt & Sons. Mooney and Dina lived in the City of Lemberg (now Lviv) before moving to Canada. By taking the ship Laconia, Mooney landed in Halifax in 1923; then he made his way to Thunder Bay and started working on a farm of David J. Piper in the Township of Paipoonge. Later, he moved to Sioux Lookout, where he presented himself in a municipal election. Mooney relocated to Montreal in the mid-1930s and founded a company called Canadian Art Studios, which manufactured silk scarves. In 1939, he married Lillian Averson (1916-1965). It is possible that Lillian also helped him operate the business. On March 13, 1943, Mooney passed away of heart ailments in Montreal. Upon his death, one of Lillian’s brothers-in-law joined the company, and a children’s wear division was launched shortly afterwards. The company ceased manufacturing scarves in the early 1950s and grew into a successful children’s wear manufacturer under the name Tam O’Shanter (spelling uncertain). Lillian was bought out by her brother-in-law in the late 1950s. The company finally ceased operating in the late 1980s. Mooney and Lillian did not have children together. In 1945, Lillian married her second husband, Joel Marcovitz. Peter Marcovitz was born in 1947 to Lillian and Joel.
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: photographs and documents have been scanned and are available in PDF, TIF, and JPG formats.
LANGUAGE NOTE: A small number of records are in Russian and Polish.
RELATED MATERIAL NOTE: See accession 2008-7-13 and OH 308 for additional information on the Stitt family and the Stitt & Sons clothing store.
Subjects
Families
Name Access
Stitt, Mooney, 1904-1943
Places
Fort William (Ont.)
Sioux Lookout (Ont.)
Thunder Bay (Ont.)
Montréal (Québec)
Poland
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-22
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2021-11-22
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
5 cm of textual records
Date
1934-1958
Scope and Content
Accession consists of materials documenting the administration and activities of the Toronto Independent Benevolent Association. Included are: a scanned copy of the constitution and by-laws of the association (1934); a members registration ledger book from 1940 to 1944, which documents Jerry's father, Frank Paskowitz, and other members' membership with the Toronto Independent Benevolent Association; and a flyer in Yiddish documenting an event in 1958, which encourages people to express their solidarity with the State of Israel.
Administrative History
The Toronto Independent Benevolent Association is a benefit society founded on 20 Sept. 1909. Its head office is located in the City of Toronto. The purpose of the association is to assist the members in case of sickness by providing sick and relief benefits, burial ground services, medical treatments, and other services that concern members' well-being.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Language: English, Yiddish, and Hebrew
Subjects
Associations, institutions, etc
Name Access
Toronto Independent Benevolent Association
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-15
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-15
Material Format
textual record
object
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
1 armband : white fabric ; 18 x 5 cm
Date
1947-1948
Scope and Content
Accession consists of Leslie Mezei's certificate of identity in lieu of passport, issued on 2 Dec. 1947 by the Office of the Military Governor, US Zone of Germany. It contains Leslie's picture and signature, as well as the 13 Jan. 1948 Canadian stamp of arrival in Halifax. Also included is the armband worn by Leslie on his way to Canada, which says, "Sponsored by the Canadian Jewish Congress. Chief Welfare Officer Ethel Ostry-Genkind."
Custodial History
Records were donated by Leslie Mezei himself.
Administrative History
Leslie (Laszlo) Mezei was born in Budapest, Hungary, on 9 July 1931. After the war, he and his siblings stayed at the Leipheim DP camp, in Germany, and at a children's camp in Prien am Chiemsee, in Southern Germany. After going on the Exodus 1947 illegal immigration to then Mandatory Palestine, they were sent back to Prien, where a Canadian social worker signed them up for immigration. They arrived in January 1948 on board the USS General SD Sturgis, an American troop carrier that had been used for carrying refugees. They landed at Pier 21, in Halifax. Then, they took a train to Montreal, and, after spending some time at the YMHA, Leslie was taken in by the Winkler family, with whom he stayed with for five years. After completing his basic education, he enrolled at McGill University for a BSc in mathematic and physics followed by an MA in meteorology in Toronto, where he got married in August 1953 to his fiancée, Annie Wasserman, a Holocaust survivor from Poland. Leslie became a computer programmer in 1954 and a systems analyst in 1958. His wife, Annie, with whom he had two children, Frances and Michael, developed a brain tumor and died in January 1977. After Annie's death, Leslie started to work with the interfaith movement. He later married Kathy, a seventh-generation Canadian of English, Irish, and Scottish background. Between them, they have five children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. In 2021, Leslie was awarded a certificate of recognition signed by the mayor of Toronto, the president of the Interfaith Council, and the head of the Toronto Sufi Order International. In 2019, the Azrieli Foundation published the Holocaust story of his family in a book titled "A Tapestry of Survival."
Descriptive Notes
Physical Description note: Armband has been measured in flattened position.
Subjects
Holocaust survivors
Refugee children
Immigrants--Canada
Name Access
Mezei, Leslie (Laszlo), 1931-
Places
Germany
Halifax (N.S.)
Montréal (Québec)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
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
Accession Number
2022-6-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-6-3
Material Format
object
Physical Description
1 knapsack : canvas, leather and metal ; 48 x 48 x 5 cm
Date
1944
Scope and Content
Accession consists of a knapsack worn by Ibolya (Ibi) Grossman when she, her mother, and her son, Andy Reti, were deported to the Budapest ghetto. Ibi used the knapsack to carry some food and provisions for her baby son. Andy Reti later used it in 1956 and for camping trips in Canada - all special journeys for him.
Custodial History
Object was donated by Andy Reti, Ibi's son.
Administrative History
Ibolya (Ibi) Grossman was born on 11 December 1916 in Pécs, Hungary, to Ignacz Szalai and Laura Fisher. Around 1931, she joined the Zionist movement in Hungary; there, she met Zoltan (Zolti) Rechnitzer, who she would later marry. In 1933, she moved to Budapest, where her older sister lived; for several months, she worked at a thread factory. The Rechnitzer family moved to Budapest in 1936, and she married Zolti in September 1939. She became pregnant in 1941, and a son Andras (Andy) was born in July 1942. In November 1942, Zolti reported for duty as a labourer in the Hungarian army, as was required for all Jewish males between the ages of 18 and 50. In May 1944, Zolti was taken to a labour camp; Ibi never saw him again. In the meantime, she was confined to a Jewish ghetto in Budapest. In July 1944, her parents and two half-sisters were taken to Auschwitz. In 1945, Grossman was liberated from the ghetto by the invading Russian army. In 1949, she attempted to escape from Hungary. She was betrayed, arrested and jailed. Her second attempt succeeded, and she came to Canada with her son in 1956, first to Winnipeg, and then to Toronto. In 1958, she married Emil Grossman. She passed away on 11 March 2005 in Toronto.
Subjects
Holocaust survivors
Jewish ghettos
Refugees
Name Access
Grossman, Ibolya (Ibi), 1916-2005
Reti, Andy, 1942-
Places
Budapest (Hungary)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-22
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-22
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
10 cm of textual records
38 photographs : b&w and col. ; 20 x 30 cm or smaller
Date
[1939?]-2021
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting Abraham Feinstein's law career and early life. Included are biographical documents such as Abe's CV, personal history, eulogy and obituary; letters of condolence; speech notes written by Abe while serving as Hillel Ottawa oresident; telegrams sent on the occasion of Abe's bar mitzvah; a copy of a speech presented by Abe honouring his parents' diamond anniversary; information concerning CCOC (Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation); correspondence pertaining to his appointment as Queen's Counsel; information concerning the official opening of the Ottawa Courthouse and Registry Offices; a copy of a speech presented by Abe to YMCA-YWCA; article in "Ontario Lawyer's Gazette" featuring Abe; an article in "National" journal featuring Abe; a candidate letter written by Abe in "Law Society of Upper Canada Guide for Voters"; newsclippings announcing Abe as president of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada; a copy of a speech presented by Abe to LibraryCo; a copy of "Focus", the LibraryCo newsletter; a copy of "County of Carleton Law Association Bulletin" and a newsclipping from the "Ottawa Jewish Bulletin" honouring Abe as the recipient of the Carleton Medal; letters of nomination of Abe for County of Carleton Law Association's Legal Innovator Award; copies of three speeches presented to the County of Carleton Law Association by Abe as recipient of the Carleton Medal in 1999, recipient of The Solicitor Award in 2011 and recipient of The Legal Innovator Award in 2020; copy of a letter to the editor of "Law Times" written by Abe; two letters of congratulations on election as a Bencher of the Law Society; a copy of "Communiqu-ate"; copies of three speeches presented by Abe to the County and District Law President's Association in 1993, to Prescott and Russell Law Association in 1994 and to County and District Law Presidents Association in 1995; content pertaining to the receipt of the Order of Ottawa including a copy of the program, an invitation to the ceremonies, letters of congratulations, three nomination letters and an announcement by Soloway Wright; a certificate of recognition for distinguished achievements; a copy of a speech presented by Abe at the Shirley Berman Memorial Lecture Series, 2019 and a copy of the program; content pertaining to The Law Society Medal including a brochure , newsclipping announcing Abe as the recipient of the Law Society Medal in 2008, letters of congratulations, a hand-out describing the walk-through for the ceremony, a copy of Abe's speech, a copy of the program, letters of nomination, an announcement in the CJN and a mention in the "Law Society Gazette". Also included are photographs documenting early family life and honours.
Administrative History
Abraham "Abe" Feinstein was born 19 December 1936 in Ottawa, Ontario to Benjamin and Freda (née Dickstein) Feinstein. Benjamin (1898-2001) was born in Teplik, Russia. Following pogroms and a term of imprisonment, Benjamin fled to Romania for four years and then made his way to Canada in 1924. While living in Winkler, Manitoba he married Freda (1900?-1986), and they had two daughters Miriam (m. Levitin) and Ruth (m. Aaron). Around 1930, the family moved to Ottawa, Ontario where two more children were born, Pearl (m. Moskovic) and Abraham.
Abe attended Kent Street public school and graduated from Lisgar Collegiate. He attended and worked at Camp B'nai Brith and worked at Camp Wooden Acres and Camp White Pine. While completing his Bachelor of Arts degree at Carleton University, he was president of the Ottawa Hillel. Abe received his LLB from the University of Ottawa in 1963 and was called to the Bar in 1965 at Osgoode Hall in Toronto. Abe practiced law with Soloway Wright LLP in Ottawa for 55 years.
Abe married Beverley Kavanat on 23 August 1964 and had three daughters Susan, Harriet and Shawna.
Abe was recognized for his community and professional service to a number of organizations over his lifetime. He was a founding director of Centretown Citizens of Ottawa Corporation in 1975 and was named an honorary life member. In 1982, he was the founding director of the County and District Law Presidents Association of Ontario and the chair of the Committee of Adjustment of the City of Ottawa. Abe was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1983. He served as chair of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee East Region. He served as president of the County of Carleton Law Association (CCLA). The CCLA awarded Abe with the Carleton medal in 1998, the Solicitors' Award in 2011 and the Legal Innovator Award in 2020. Abe became a bencher at the Law Society of Upper Canada (now called the Law Society of Ontario) in 1991, and was awarded the Law Society Medal in 1998. He also served as director and president of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. He also acted as a consultant during the building of Ottawa's new courthouse, ensuring that the needs of attorneys were included in the design. Abe was a director on the board of the Ottawa Food Bank and was made honorary president of the Ottawa YMCA-YWCA. He served as chair of the Investment Committee of the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation. From 2018-2020, Abe was the chair of the Governance Committee of Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation in Ottawa. The Order of Ottawa was bestowed upon Abe in 2016.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Associated Material Note: Abraham Feinstein's Order of Ottawa and Law Society medals are held at his former law firm, Soloway Wright LLP. A video of Abe as part of the Shirley Berman Lecture Series is held at the Ottawa Jewish Archives.
Subjects
Law
Lawyers
Name Access
Feinstein, Abraham, 1936-2021
Places
Ottawa (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-21
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-21
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
ca. 50 photographs : b&w and col. ; 26 x 20 cm or smaller
Date
1895-[ca. 1979]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual records and photographs relating to Dorothy Lieff (née Brovender) and the Pierce and Brovender families. Textual records include Charles Pierce’s naturalization documents; a short message from William Lyon Mackenzie King to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pierce; a ketubah of Rebecca (Becky) Pierce and Maurice Brovender; newspaper clippings documenting the fire in Charles’ store building; Dorothy’s birth certificate and high school entrance certificate; correspondence and messages to Dorothy and Max Lieff; and material relating to Dorothy and Max Lieff’s marriage, including two marriage certificates, a wedding book, wedding greeting cards, and a Canada forest certificate issued by Jewish National Fund of Canada as a wedding gift. Photographs feature Dorothy and Max Lieff and the Pierce and Brovender families.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Dorothy Lieff's nephew, Norman Lieff, until being gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives on May 26, 2022.
Administrative History
Dorothy Lieff (née Brovender) (1922-2019) was born in 1922 to Rebecca (Becky) Pierce and Morris (Maurice) Brovender. Rebecca and Morris got married in 1917 in Timmins, Ontario. Dorothy had two siblings: Jack and Shirley. Rebecca was born to Charles and Jennie Pierce and had a brother named David Pierce. Charles owned a general store in South Porcupine.
Dorothy married Max Lieff (1911-2002) in 1957.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Subjects
Families
Places
Timmins (Ont.)
Ottawa (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-7-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-7-6
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
object
Physical Description
ca. 8 cm of textual records
25 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
1 medal : bronze
Date
1922-1997
Scope and Content
Accession consists of textual records, photographs, and a bronze Shekel Medal for Israel’s twenty-fifth anniversary, most of which document Pearl Freedhoff and her Jewish communal and public service activities.
Textual records include public speeches, handwritten notes and short writing pieces, invitation and greeting cards, correspondence, materials relating to the sisterhoods of Beth Tzedec and Goel Tzedec synagogues, Pearl’s 1940 National Registration certificate, materials documenting the Ontario Bicentennial Award and dinner, and the 1981 royal tour of Canada, newspaper clippings relating to Pearl’s Jewish communal and public service activities, and an advertisement that Pearl made for Lido Spa. Also included are newsletters, magazines, and bulletins, which document Pearl’s experience in wedding consultation and her active involvement in Toronto Hadassah-WIZO and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Jewish Home for the Aged; and travel itineraries and promotional materials for Israel and the Orient trips, which were issued by Toronto Hadassah-WIZO, B’nai Brith, and travel agencies they were in co-operation with. Textual records also include a small number of bulletins and magazines as well as a twenty-fifth anniversary book of Baycrest men’s service group, which document the accomplishments of Pearl’s husband, Dr. Samuel Freedhoff.
Photographs feature the Goel Tzedec Sisterhood, trips to Israel organized by Toronto Hadassah-WIZO, the wedding of Linda Greene (Lorne Greene’s daughter), and various social and political events that Pearl attended.
Accession also includes a bronze Shekel Medal for Israel’s twenty-fifth anniversary. It was presented to Pearl to commemorate her inscription as a governor of the Haifa Community College.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Judith Golden, Pearl's daughter, until being gifted to the Ontario Jewish Archives on 14 July 2022.
Administrative History
Pearl Freedhoff (née Narrol) (1906-1997) was born on 17 September 1906 in Toronto to Harry Narrol and Esther Narrol (née Newman). She had four siblings: Albert, Gertie, Hilda (m. Spivak), and Mendell (died as infant). Pearl married Dr. Samuel Osias Freedhoff (1903–1973) in 1927 and had two children: Stephen and Judith. Samuel was the son of Harry Freedhoff and Molli Freedhoff (née Bohnen). Pearl graduated from the University of Toronto, School of Social Work, and Samuel graduated from the School of Dentistry. Both were members of Goel Tzedec Synagogue, with Pearl serving as sisterhood president from 1949 to 1950 and Samuel as president of the men's club in 1952.
Pearl was an active member of the Jewish community and served on executives and boards in many Jewish communal organizations, including the Canadian Hadassah-WIZO Toronto Centre, the sisterhoods of Goel Tzedec and Beth Tzedec Synagogues, and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Jewish Home for the Aged. She had a political interest in the Progressive Conservative Party and was active in federal and provincial politics; she served on the boards of the Victorian Order of Nurses and Ontario Housing Commission and was included in special dinners such as dinners for the royal family. In addition, she had an outstanding reputation as a bridal and bar-mitzvah counsellor for over thirty years. In 1984, she was awarded the Ontario Bicentennial Medal in honour of her contributions to the community at large.
Pearl passed away on 18 December 1997.
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
Politicians
Name Access
Freedhoff, Pearl, 1906-1997
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-7-10
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-7-10
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
sound recording
object
Physical Description
ca. 9 cm of textual records
186 photographs : b&w and col. ; 22 x 28 cm or smaller
1 album (197 photographs) ; 34 x 25 cm
1 audio cassette : 1/8 in.
1 identification tag : metal ; 5 x 5 cm
Date
1920-2013
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the Forberg and Michaels (Michalowitz) families. They include family histories, Holocaust documentation, and records pertaining to Bathurst Manor. Accession also includes 186 photographs documenting ancestors, family life, and family celebrations from the early 20th century to the early 2000s, including life in the DP camps and Bathurst Manor, and an album containing 197 photographs documenting Honey and Esther Forberg's 1967 trip to Israel. Additional records include Syma Forberg's metal Jewish identification tag, tributes to the Forberg family, Esther Forberg's school history project, Henry and Pola Michaels' funeral records, among others.
Custodial History
Records were donated by Esther Michaels, David and Syma's daughter, Harry and Pola's daughter-in-law.
Administrative History
David Berel Forberg was born in Czestochowa, Poland, on 1 February 1922. From 1939 to 1942, he lived in the Czestochowa Ghetto, where he worked as a manual labourer and painter. Syma Jurkowska was born in Opatow, Poland, on 5 August 1924. From 1939 to 1942, she lived in the Opatow Ghetto, where she made brushes in a factory and cleaned Gestapo homes and the post office. David and Syma met at the Polish labour camp Hasag-Palcery, where they worked at an ammunitions factory. After the war, they were placed in a DP camp in Lampertheim, Germany, where they got married on 11 September 1947. In July 1948, they left the German DP camp after three years and immigrated to Canada, via Quebec. They had two children, Joseph (born 19 June 1946 in Mannheim, Germany) and Honey Sarah (born 16 January 1948 in Lampertheim, Germany). They had been sponsored by Syma's uncle Cheil Slavny, who lived in Toronto. David and Syma rented rooms in their home, while David worked as an upholsterer and Syma babysat. In the early 1950s, they started making chairs and tables, which they delivered on the streetcar. David and Syma's younger children, Esther and Billy Avraham, were born in Toronto on 23 May 1949 and 26 Sep. 1952, respectively. David died on 9 October 2011. Syma died on 9 April 2021.
Harry Michaels (Hersz Michalowicz) was born in Kalisz, Poland, on 26 May 1918. Pola Lewkowicz was born in Zagorow, Poland, on 28 August 1916. By the end of the Second World War, they were living in the Soviet Union, where their first son, Julius (Jozef) was born, in the city of Gelendzhik, on 8 May 1945. After the war, they lived in Jawor, Poland, before resettling at the Steyr DP camp, in Austria, where their second son, Albert (Abram) was born, on 22 April 1947. In 1948, the family immigrated to Canada, arriving via Halifax on 1 October of that year. In Toronto, Harry worked as a furniture merchant. He died on 27 Sep. 1997. Pola died on 23 Apr. 2003.
David and Syma's daughter Esther married Harry and Pola's son Albert.
Use Conditions
Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing the records.
Subjects
Holocaust survivors
Families
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-1
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
9 photographs : b&w
Date
1948-1970
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Samuel Posluns. Included are nine black-and-white photographs, an El Al certificate certifying Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Posluns flew non-stop between the United States and Israel, one invitation to the bar mitzvah of Michael Wilfred Posluns, copies of an article by Bernard Shane about the Tailor Project that appeared in the Canadian Jewish Chronicle, and an issue of North York General Hospital News from 1970 that features Samuel Posluns.
Administrative History
Samuel Posluns (1910–1994) was born in Toronto to Abraham Isaac Poslaniec (1870–1922) and Sheindel Saltzman (1872–1960). He had three brothers and three sisters: Joseph, Louis, Abe, Gertrude Miriam, Anne, and Sarah. His father, Abraham, established the family-run clothing firm Superior Cloak Company in 1916. In 1934, it was bankrupted and closed after a lengthy strike. In 1936, Samuel opened his own business, Popular Cloak Company. In 1967, the Posluns family purchased Tip Top Tailors, in partnership with entrepreneur Jimmy Kay. A year later they incorporated their new venture under the name of Dylex as a holding company for the Tip Top chain of stores.
During the Second World War, Samuel Posluns served as a member of the air force reserves. After the war, he was elected president of the United Jewish Welfare Fund in 1947. That same year, in collaboration with the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Jewish Labour Committee, Posluns helped lead the Tailor Project along with Max E. Enkin, which was aimed at helping Jewish displaced persons immigrate to Canada by securing them employment as tailors. A committed advocate for Jewish education, Posluns also served as the first president and founding chair of the Board of Jewish Education (BJE) in 1949. He remained honorary president for life and continued to attend meetings until health problems held back his participation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Posluns was also a founding board member of the North York General Hospital.
Samuel Posluns died in Toronto in 1994.
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
Availability of other formats: Photographs and textual records have been scanned and are available in digital form.
Subjects
Bar mitzvah
Clothing trade
Hospitals
Name Access
Posluns, Samuel, 1910-1994
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-3
Material Format
multiple media
Physical Description
6 cm of textual records and other material
Date
1890-2002, predomintant 1956-1977
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the Bendahan and Corcos families, specifically Sydney and Miriam Bendahan (née Corcos), including immigration documents, Corcos family history, Corcos family tree, Sydney's CV and letters of recommendation written on his behalf, among others. Includes records documenting the Magen David Sephardic Congregation, speeches and reference material documenting Sephardic history and the Sephardic community in Canada, oral history tapes recorded by Sydney and Raphael Bendahan for the Multicultural History Society of Ontario (including reports of the interviews), records related to Miriam's career as a fashion designer, and a CBC interview from "Identities".
Interviewees include: A. Bechetrit; Corcos; Bitton; Arnold Oro; Sol Hamouth; Mr. and Mrs. J. Benaim; Benzacar; De Pinto; J. Cohen; Perez; Nahman; Kuessous; and Moryoussef.
Administrative History
Sydney David Bendahan was born on 1 Nov. 1919 in Gibraltar, the son of Raphael and Esther (née Benabu). He was a descendant of a distinguished Sephardic family who immigrated to Gibraltar from Spain over 300 years ago. His father was a civil servant with the British government for many years. Sydney was fluent in English, French, and Spanish, having received formal education in the three languages. He served with the security services of the British armed forces during the Second World War. After the war, he served with the International Police in Tangier and later was a Special Investigator for the United States Air Force in North Africa. He married Miriam in Tangier, and the couple relocated to Casablanca. They had two sons: Raphael and Mark. The family immigrated to Toronto in Mar. 1957, and for a number of years Sydney headed Dominion Furniture Ltd. He was a member of the board of the Canadian Jewish Congress - Central Region, president of the Association sépharade in Toronto, president of Magen David Sephardic Congregation, and one of the founders of the Canadian Sephardic Federation. He died on 18 Dec. 1979 and was buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, in North York.
Miriam (Mimi) Bendahan (née Corcos) was born on 25 Oct. 1923 in Mogador, French Morocco (present-day Essaouira, Morocco), the daughter of Albert and Oro (née Hamouth).
Use Conditions
Conditional Use. Researchers must receive permission from the donor prior to publication. Please contact the OJA for more information.
Descriptive Notes
Physical Description note: Contains 6 cm of textual records, 27 audio cassettes (ca. 24 hr., 34 min.), 1 photograph (b&w ; 8 x 12 cm), 1 family tree (60 x 90 cm), and 4.28 GB of electronic records.
Subjects
Sephardim
Jews, Moroccan
Name Access
Bendahan, Sydney, 1919-1979
Bendahan, Miriam, 1923-
Magen David Sephardic Congregation
Places
Morocco
Tangier (Morocco)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-6-17
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-6-17
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
4 cm of textual records
10 photographs : b&w and col. ; 25 x 31 cm or smaller
Date
1939-2012
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the life and career of Justice Sydney Robins. The records include photographs, diplomas, correspondence, and material written by or about Justice Sydney Robins.
Custodial History
Records were donated by Robins' son-i-law, Steven Sharpe.
Administrative History
Sydney Lewis Robins (1923-2014) was born in 1923 in Toronto, Ontario, to Samuel Robins and Bessie Kamarner. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1944 and was admitted to Osgoode Hall Law School that same year. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in September 1947. Robins received an LL.M. degree from Harvard University in 1948. Robins served as a special lecturer on torts at Osgoode Hall Law School from 1948 to 1960, and participated in many continuing legal education sessions for the Law Society of Upper Canada. He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1962. Robins was first elected a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1961, and served as its Treasurer from 1971 to 1974. Robins was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ontario in 1976, and to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 1981. Robins served on several Ontario provincial commissions, and arbitrated a TTC labour dispute. Following his retirement from the bench in 1998, Robins joined the law firm of Goodmans LLP. He served as Chair of the Law Foundation of Ontario, and was active in the Canadian Bar Association. Robins died in Toronto on 10 January 2014.
Subjects
Lawyers
Justice
Name Access
Robins, Sydney Lewis, 1923-2014
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-7
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
graphic material (electronic)
Physical Description
30 cm of textual records and graphic material
Date
[1923]-2021
Scope and Content
Accession consists of photo albums: two family albums, one album titled "Auschwitz: Back to life", one album titled "Journey to Warsaw" in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and one album titled "Poland" documenting Nate's trip to Poland with his son Cary in 1990. The trip was an invitation to the Second Conference of the International Advisory Committee on the Future of Auschwitz. Nate attended as one of 28 representatives from around the world as a delegate of the Canadian Jewish Congress. Also included are textual records that document Nate Leipciger's family and life in displaced persons camps and immigration to Canada and life in Canada post-Holocaust. Also included are records related to Nate's involvement with the March of the Living and the Holocaust Centre in Toronto, as well as clippings, correspondence, speeches and writings, etc.
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 Harbord Collegiate 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
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: Album of Nate's trip to Poland is in digital format only. The original album was returned to the donor at his request.
Subjects
Holocaust survivors
Name Access
Leipciger, Nate, 1928-
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-1-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-1-1
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder textual records
7 photographs : b&w and col. ; 22 x 28 cm or smaller
Date
1914-1996
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Harvey Freeman. Included are seven photographs (both black and white and colour) and a small number of textual records.
The first photograph, possibly taken in the 1940s, shows the workers of the Model Fur Co., which was located on Adelaide Street West; Morris Freeman is shown in the front centre. The second photograph, possibly taken in the 1960s, shows Max Schecter, Lord Samuel, Harvey Freeman, and Phil Givens at the mayor's office. The third photograph is a group portrait, taken in 1914, of Morris Freeman and other members of the military arsenal in Austria. The fourth photograph, date unknown, shows Harvey Freeman with a bag pipe. The fifth photograph is a family portrait in which the following individuals are identified: Abe Brown, Leah Brown, Rose Brown, Sidney Brown, Morris Freeman, Abe Golden, Fradel Goldman, and Sam Golden. The sixth photograph, taken in 1948, shows F/Sgt. Harvey Freeman at Camp Borden. The seventh photograph, taken in 1996, shows Harvey Freeman with bagpipes at the opening of Darchei Noam's new chapel.
Also included are newspaper clippings; meeting minutes of the 63rd Semi-Annual Conference of the Eastern Canadian Council, B'nai Brith, which was held in Ottawa, Ontario, in November 1955; volume 1, number 4 of the Sheaf. Annotated on the October 1943 issue of the Sheaf, published by the employees of Canadian Breweries Limited, is the following: “uncle Lou’s picture here on page 9.” Annotation refers to a photograph of Lou Krugel selling victory bonds in 1916 from the steps of Toronto’s city hall.
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.
Name Access
Freeman, Harvey
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-1-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-1-2
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records and other material
Date
1939-1976
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Charles Goldberg. Included are three photographs of Charles, a certificate of merit from the Royal Canadian Legion, a certificate entitling Charles to wear a war service badge, a life membership card from the Royal Canadian Legion, and a tribute written in memoriam of Charles.
Custodial History
Material was donated by Charles Goldberg's niece, Sandi Giddens.
Administrative History
Charles "Charlie" Goldberg was born in Montreal on 25 December 1898. He married Lily Steinberg (m. Goldberg) on 29 April 1922 in the Côte-Des-Neiges neighbourhood of Montreal. Charles and Lily did not have any children. According to Charles's niece, they worked at carnivals throughout their lives selling gold.
Charles was a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion. In his capacity as Branch 97's sick visiting chairman, he visited different veterans' hospitals, branch members hospitalized in other hospitals, and branch members in their respective homes. Charles's awards included the Legion Certificate of Merit, the Alex C. Solomon Memorial Award, the Samuel Herman Memorial Award, and the Samuel Bendon Memorial Award.
Charles Goldberg passed away 30 January 1979; he is buried in Montreal. Lily Goldberg passed away 18 February 1998; she is buried in Toronto.
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
Veterans
Name Access
Goldberg, Charles
Places
Montréal (Québec)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-1-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-1-12
Material Format
sound recording
Physical Description
21 audio discs : 33 1/3 rpm ; 41 cm
Date
1949-[196-]
Scope and Content
Accession consists of twenty-one audio disc recordings. The majority appear to be commercial releases from the United States. A couple recordings of note include two UJA off the wire recordings (October 6, 1949), and a JIAS recording.
Use Conditions
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-1-6
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-1-6
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1940, 1969
Scope and Content
Accession consists of a ladies' wear buyers' guide from spring 1940 listing coat and suit, dress, sportswear, skirts and blouses, children's wear, millinery and fur manufacturers; as well as a fall and winter market guide from 1969 for women's and children's wear.
Administrative History
Samuel Hershenhorn was the proprietor of Lady Utex and Czigler Imports.
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
Clothing trade
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-5-12
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
30 cm of textual records
10 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller
Date
1939-1987
Scope and Content
Accession consists of materials documenting the Hebrew Weston Sanitarium and Service Club. Included are meeting lists, minutes, financial statements, photographs, and invitations for charitable luncheon and tea events. Other organizations documented in the records include: Federation of Jewish Women's Organizations; Israel Lung and Tuberulosis League; Mount Sinai Women's Auxilliary; Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation; and Shaarei Shomayim.
Administrative History
Bessie Frisch was the president of the Hebrew Weston Sanitarium Club between 1967-1971; 1974-1976; and co-president with Ivy Freiman in 1980-1982. She was married to Harry Frish and had one daughter. Rhoda.
HWSC was founded in 1928 and became Hebrew Weston Charitable Services in 1967. It was a volunteer group that was formed to provide aid to the Jewish patients at the Toronto Hospital for Consulptives (more commonly known as the Weston Sanitorium), now West Park Healthcare Centre. Meals on Wheels was funded in part by HWCS in 1965 and was in full operation by 1966.
Subjects
Women
Medical care
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-2-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-2-7
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
7 cm of textual records
Date
1933-1982
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material, mostly correspondence, documenting Willi Holtz. Included are: a letter to Willi from the German Metal Worker's Union (20 November 1933); Willi's German Reich passport (1936); a postcard from Palestine (1938); a confirmation regarding application for certificate of entry into Palestine (2 January 1938); a letter to the Reich Interior Ministry from Willi (15 April 1939); a certification of good character for Willi (6 June 1939); a letter to the American consul in Canada from Leon L. Berkowitz regarding Willi Holz's internment in Camp "N" (17 February 1941); and a letter to F. C. Blair, director of the Immigration Branch of the Department of Mines and Resources, from Willi (8 January 1943).
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Camille Norton, Willi Holz's stepdaughter, prior to Camile donating them to the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Administrative History
Willi Israel Holz was born on 6 April 1912 in Breslau, Germany (today Wroclaw, Poland). From 1919–27, he attended elementary school in the same city. Starting in 1927, he attended technical high school. In 1929, he joined the Kommunistischer Jugendverband Deutschlands (Young Communist League of Germany). In 1931, he received his electrician's license. Apart from a period of unemployment in 1932, he worked from 1931–38 with several firms, acquiring experience in electrical installations. In 1933, he lost his membership in the German Metal Workers' Union (Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband) on racial grounds.
In 1938, Willi was put in a Nazi concentration camp. In January 1939, he was released from the concentration camp. He nevertheless had to report to the Gestapo headquarters on a monthly basis until he was able to leave Germany. This proved difficult, as Willi tried and failed to immigrate to a number of countries, including Palestine, Bolivia, and China. (In the latter case, the Republic of China granted Willi and his mother visas, but there were no ship tickets available.) In February, Willi applied to be accepted for a transit camp for Jewish emigrants that was located in Richborough, England; in July, he was accepted. He arrived in Richborough on 8 August 1939. Willi's mother was unable to come with him.
From Richborough, Willi was moved between several locations before departing from Liverpool, England, on the SS Ettrick. He arrived in Quebec, Canada, on 13 July 1940 at Internment Camp "L." From there, he was transferred to Internment Camp "N" in Sherbrook. In January 1941, he was provided with an affidavit for immigration to the United States, but he was unable to enter owing to an unspecified condition. In 1942, Willi's mother was deported to eastern Europe (she died in Auschwitz). In November of that same year, Willi was transferred to yet another camp.
In February 1943, Willi was released from internment for work at Stark Electrical Instrument Co. in Toronto, Ontario. In 1944, Willi started working as foreman of the machine shop for the same company. In 1946, the plant at which Willi was working ended up moving to a different location, and Willi started work on the production line. That same year, Willi appeared before a county court judge to take the oath of allegiance. He became a Canadian citizen on 4 May 1946.
Willi died on 10 October 1979. His funeral took place at Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel.
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: A significant portion of the material is in German.
Subjects
Electricians
Holocaust survivors
Immigrants--Canada
Name Access
Holz, Willi, 1912-1979
Places
Breslau (Germany)
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-3-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-3-4
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1944
Scope and Content
Accession consists of a Swedish Schutzpass (letter of protection) issued to Eva Ivanyi in 1944. In addition, there are two other documents issued to Eva: a document issued by the Hungarian branch of the Swedish Red Cross and a document from the Swiss Embassy's Department of Foreign Affairs. Both documents were issued in 1944.
Administrative History
Eva Judith Carruthers (née Ivanyi) was born in 1936 or 1937 in the Pest side of Budapest as the eldest of two children.
During the war, Judith, her mother, and brother lived with approximately forty-six other people (mostly family) in an apartment that was under Swiss sponsorship and protection. In the summer of 1944, Judy’s mother connected with a convent—on the Buda side—and Judy and her brother were taken there around September or October 1944. One to two months later, Judy’s mother talked to the nuns, and they allowed her to stay at the convent as well. Judy’s mother became employed by the convent as a cleaner.
In December 1943, part of the convent was bombed, and Judy's mother decided that she and her children would leave.
They hired a horse and buggy and made their way to the Pest side over the only bridge that survived the bombing. There, Judy’s mother contacted the office where Judy’s father had worked to arrange safety for the family. Judy and her brother were hidden in a nearby apartment for the remainder of the war.
During this time, Judy was eight years old, and her brother was three. Their father was away in a labour camp and survived. Three of Judy’s uncles died in labour camps, and both sets of her grandparents survived. Judy and her immediate family remained in Hungary after the war. Judy and her brother escaped Hungary to England during the revolution and her parents managed to get out legally. In 1969, Judy wanted to see the rest of the world and came to Toronto (after spending a short time in Montreal) and formally immigrated to Canada that same year.
Use Conditions
Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Digitized material.
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
2023-2-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-2-2
Material Format
textual record
object
text
philatelic record
Physical Description
10 cm of textual records
1 sheet of postage stamps
8 artifacts
1 prayer book
1 plaque
8 photographs : b&w and col ; 10 x 18 cm or smaller
Date
[ca. 1910]-2013
Scope and Content
Accession consists of two scrapbooks containing emails, letters of thanks, articles and program materials related to Judith's various speaking engagements and presentations as a survivor speaker. Also included are eight photos of family members, a prayer book, plaque, a spice box and eight kiddush cups, two certificates affirming completion of English language courses at McGill University, two certificates of recognition of commitment to Holocaust Education from the Ontario Government and the Government of Canada, one sheet of stamps remembering the Holocaust issued by Canada Post, and a labour discharge certificate from the Tailor's Immigration project.
Administrative History
Judith Cohen was born in 1928, in Debrecen, Hungary. Cohen was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration and Death Camp, and to other labour camps. Cohen lived in a displaced persons camp in Germany following liberation where she reunited with her remaining siblings. In 1948, Cohen arrived in Canada as part of the Tailor Project, originally settling in Montreal and later moving to Toronto. She chaired the Holocaust Education Centre and is a committed Holocaust educator and speaker as well as a human rights activist.
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.
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-5-7
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-5-7
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
10 cm of textual records
2 photographs : b&w and col. ; 13 x 18 or smaller
Date
1947-2001
Scope and Content
Accession consists primarily of records related to Gloria Roden's term as the president of the Toronto section of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, from 1976 to 1979. Also includes personal records of Gloria's youth, as well as records related to committees and organizations in which she was presumably participated, such as the Association of Sponsoring Organizations – Recreation for the Elderly, the Association of Club Senior Officers – Recreation for the Elderly, the Steering Committee of the Coordinated Services to the Jewish Elderly of the United Jewish Welfare Fund, and the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Association of Senior Clubs.
Administrative History
Gloria Barbara Roden (née Mosoff) is the daugher of Alexander Eliott and Fay Mosoff. Her mother was a member and volunteer of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada for several decades. Gloria attended Forest Hill Colegiate until her family moved to Hamilton, where she graduated from Notre Dame Academy, in Waterdown. She went on to study child management at Ryerson Polytechnical School and taught nursery school until her marriage to Jack Percival Roden, a pharmacist, in 1955. Jack and Gloria had two children: Melanie and Barry.
Gloria was a Sunday School teacher at Anshe Shalom Synagogue in Hamilton, a board member of Mt. Sinai Hospital, and served in several organizations and committees, notably the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, of whose Toronto section she was president from 1976 to 1979.
Subjects
Women--Societies and clubs
Name Access
Roden, Gloria
National Council of Jewish Women of Canada
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-2-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-2-4
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
1948-1952
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the immigration of Yakob and Szoszana Lipszyc. Included is a certificate issued by The Jewish Agency for Palestine on 20 April 1948 for Shoshana Handelmann's (aka Rose Lipszyc's) entry into Tel Aviv. Also included are: two immigrant identification cards issued by Immigration Canada on 8 Dec. 1952; a letter from the Canadian Department of Citizenship and Immigration dated 4 Nov. 1951, approving admission for Yakob and Szoszana Lipszyc into Canada; a letter from the Canadian Embassy in Rome on 22 July 1952, regarding a visa and entry into Rome; a document titled Italian Line regarding passage through Rome; a ticket booklet from Haifa issuing passage aboard the vessel Arisa from Haifa to Napoli on 8 Oct. 1952; and a passage ticket for a voyage from Napoli to Halifax on 28 Nov. 1952 on the vessel Saturnia.
Administrative History
Rose Lipszyc was born on 27 May 1929 in Lublin, Poland. In 1940, the Germans forced Rose and her family out of their home, so they temporarily lived near Osmolice in a small shack in the polish countryside, where they survived by working in the fields. On 14 Oct. 1942, the Nazis rounded up Rose and her family and brought them to the town square in Belzyce for deportation. Rose's father was taken to Madjanek. Sensing that they were being sent to their deaths, Rose’s mother pushed her out of the line; her mother and two brothers were then deported to concentration camps and murdered. A friend of the family, Mr. Yabloinska, a Polish farmer, provided Rose with his daughters’ identities. Rose and her 21-year-old aunt used these identities to escape to Germany posing as sisters to find work. Under the identity Helena Yabloinska, at the age of 13, Rose lived out the rest of the war hiding in plain sight, working as a Polish labourer in a German factory making ropes for ships. Rose lost approximately fifty members of her family during the Holocaust and only four survived, among them Rose and her aunt. Rose was liberated in the spring of 1945 and went to Zeilsheim (near Frankfurt) to a displaced persons camp, where she remained until the end of 1946, when she joined the Aliyah Bet Zionist movement and attempted to illegally enter British Mandate Palestine, however, the British intercepted her boat and interned her in Cyprus. In 1948, the British finally granted her entry into Israel. Along the way, she met Jack Lipszyc, another Holocaust survivor. Rose and Jack married in 1949 in Jaffa, Israel where they lived until December 1952, when they immigrated to Toronto. Rose worked at the McGregor Sock Factory. In 2021, Rose received the Order of Canada for her dedication to Holocaust education. She has three children, five granddaughters and one great-granddaughter.
Subjects
Holocaust survivors
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-3-12
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-3-12
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Date
10 Oct. 1946-12 Nov. 1947
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting the post-war identification of Miriam Friedman. Included is a United Nations DP Identification Card assigned to Mirjam Frydman on October 10, 1946 in Linz, Austria and a Certificate of Identity issued in Zalzburg on November 12, 1947. The certificate documents her immigration to Canada from a children's home in Strobl, Austria with transit through Germany.
Administrative History
Miriam Ziegler (née Friedman) was born in Radom, Poland, in 1935. In 1939, Miriam and her mother Rose travelled to Ostrowiec. Miriam survived in temporary hiding spots until it became too dangerous, and she joined her parents in the Ostrowiec labour camp. In August 1944, authorities deported the family to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration and Death Camp, where they were separated. The Soviet Army liberated Miriam in January 1945. After the war, Miriam learned that her father was killed during a death march. Miriam spent time in a sanatorium and multiple children's homes and eventually reunited with her mother and aunt. In 1946, the family went to Bindermichl Displaced Persons Camp in Austria. Rose, unable to look after Miriam, sent her to the Strobl Children’s Home and in February 1948, Miriam arrived in Canada as a war orphan, settling in Toronto. In April 1958, Miriam married Holocaust survivor Roman Ziegler and had three children.
Descriptive Notes
Availability of other formats: Digitized material.
Subjects
Holocaust survivors
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-4
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2022-8-4
Material Format
architectural drawing
graphic material
object
textual record
sound recording
Physical Description
ca. 11 m of textual records and other material
Date
1930-2012
Scope and Content
Accession consists of records documenting the life and career of Rabbi Benjamin Friedberg. Included are subject files, eulogies, sermons, marriage records, funeral record cards, conversion certificates, gittin (Jewish divorce documents), addresses for High Holiday services, and photographs. Also include are a few artifacts, such as felt patches and medallions, as well as sound recordings. A large number of documents are relating to Rabbi Friedberg's rabbinical career at Beth Tzedec Congregation.
Administrative History
Rabbi Joseph Benjamin Friedberg (1927-2022) was born on June 26, 1927, in Toronto to Chaim (Chamel) and Rochel Rose Friedberg. Rochel Friedberg was born in Polaniec, Poland (Russian part of Poland), the daughter of Moshe and Sura Poss. Rochel had little formal education but learned Talmud from her father. In her youth, Moshe came to Toronto to make a living and had to leave the family behind; shortly thereafter, World War I broke out, and Rochel was sent to the town of Stopnitz. She was then sent to Crackow to work. Rochel married Chaim (Chamel) Friedberg from Patchenev, who was enlisted in Pilsudski’s army. Before the Great Depression, Rochel and Chaim immigrated to Canada. Later on, Chaim took ill and had to go to the Western Sanitarium; soon after that, he passed away in 1957. Rochel passed away in 1992.
Rabbi Benjamin Friedberg was a native of Toronto and received his basic religious and secular education there. He attended Harbord Collegiate in his youth. After spending a number of years at the Yeshiva University in New York, he returned home to attended the University of Toronto, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949. In 1950, Rabbi Friedberg entered the Rabbinical School of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He received his Master of Hebrew Letters degree and rabbinical ordination in 1954.
Rabbi Friedberg’s first pulpit was in Rochester, New York. He served as assistant rabbi at Beth Tzedec Congregation in 1955; and then as rabbi of B’nai Israel Congregation in London, Ontario. In 1959, he received his Master of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario in Bible and Archaeology. As part of his doctorial program, he studied in the Department of Archaeology and Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; he also spent several years studying in the Department of Religion at the University of Ottawa with special emphasis on the Samaritans.
In 1961, Rabbi Friedberg was called to the pulpit of Agudath Israel Congregation in Ottawa, Ontario, where he served for thirteen years until 1974.
In 1974, he was appointed senior rabbi at Beth Tzedec Congregation, Toronto. His major emphases in the congregation were the development of both child and adult education and emphasizing Israel as the dominant fact in Jewish life today. Much of the programming at Beth Tzedec that he instituted dealt with Israel.
Rabbi Friedberg’s interest in Jewish education was responsible for the founding of a Hebrew High School in Ottawa. His concern with Jewish youth prompted him to devote his time as counsellor to the Hillel Organization on the campuses of the University of Western Ontario, Carleton University, and the University of Ottawa. He taught Bible, Biblical Hebrew, and courses in Judaism at the University of Ottawa; and was an occasional lecturer at the University of Western Ontario in the Orientals Department. While living in Ottawa, he was active in a number of Jewish communal organizations. He was the founder and the organizer of the Ottawa Soviet Jewry Committee and was head of the Jews in Foreign Lands Committee and Canada-Israel Committee. Also, he was on the Social Welfare Council and was chairman of the Aliyah Committee in Ottawa.
Rabbi Friedberg was active with the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) and the Canadian Zionist Federation (CZF). He worked actively on behalf of the CJC’s Educational Department. He was on the executive of the CJC Central and Eastern Regions and served as national chairman of the CJC’s International Affairs Committee. As an active Zionist, he served as national chairman of the Hasbara Committee of the CZF and was president of Mercaz Canada, the Zionist organization of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement. He also organized Israel tours and led Israel tour groups for a number of times. Rabbi Friedberg was the recipient of citations of the UJA, State of Israel Bonds, and various other awards in recognition of his communal work. In addition, he had also been invited to serve as a member of Teddy Kollek’s Jerusalem Committee.
Rabbi Friedberg was a contributor to Anglo-Jewish press, television work, and radio. He was chairman of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Religious Advisory Committee and hosted his own television program called “Focus.” He had written for the London Free Press, and the Ottawa Citizen, and a number of Jewish periodicals.
Rabbi Friedberg was married to the former Lola Constant of Montreal (1930-2022). They had three children together—Mark, Gilah, and Esther. Lola Friedberg had a degree from McGill University in Arts and Music. She had given two-piano recitals in conjunction with her twin sister, Miriam “Mitzi” Leboff, on a number of occasions. Lola had taught piano and conducted choirs in Montreal and Ottawa.
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
Rabbis
Sermons
Eulogies
Name Access
Friedberg, Benjamin, 1927-2022
Beth Tzedec Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Ottawa (Ont.)
London (Ont.)
Jerusalem
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-6-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-6-3
Material Format
graphic material
Physical Description
4 photo albums
Date
1928-1943
Scope and Content
Accession consists of material documenting Willi Holz. Included are four photo albums that belonged to the same. The first three albums consist of photographs taken in Germany between the years 1928 and 1936. The fourth album consists of photographs taken in Germany between the years 1936 and 1939 and Canada circa 1943. The photographs primarily depict individuals (family members, friends), but street scenes, airplanes, and landscapes are also depicted.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of Camille Norton, Willi Holz's stepdaughter, prior to Camile donating them to the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Administrative History
Willi Israel Holz was born on 6 April 1912 in Breslau, Germany (today Wroclaw, Poland). From 1919–27, he attended elementary school in the same city. Starting in 1927, he attended technical high school. In 1929, he joined the Kommunistischer Jugendverband Deutschlands (Young Communist League of Germany). In 1931, he received his electrician's license. Apart from a period of unemployment in 1932, he worked from 1931–38 with several firms, acquiring experience in electrical installations. In 1933, he lost his membership in the German Metal Workers' Union (Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband) on racial grounds.
In 1938, Willi was put in a Nazi concentration camp. In January 1939, he was released from the concentration camp. He nevertheless had to report to the Gestapo headquarters on a monthly basis until he was able to leave Germany. This proved difficult, as Willi tried and failed to immigrate to a number of countries, including Palestine, Bolivia, and China. (In the latter case, the Republic of China granted Willi and his mother visas, but there were no ship tickets available.) In February, Willi applied to be accepted for a transit camp for Jewish emigrants that was located in Richborough, England; in July, he was accepted. He arrived in Richborough on 8 August 1939. Willi's mother was unable to come with him.
From Richborough, Willi was moved between several locations before departing from Liverpool, England, on the SS Ettrick. He arrived in Quebec, Canada, on 13 July 1940 at Internment Camp "L." (He was interned as an enemy alien.) From there, he was transferred to Internment Camp "N" in Sherbrook. In January 1941, he was provided with an affidavit for immigration to the United States, but he was unable to enter owing to an unspecified condition. In 1942, Willi's mother was deported to eastern Europe (she died in Auschwitz). In November of that same year, Willi was transferred to yet another camp.
In February 1943, Willi was released from internment for work at Stark Electrical Instrument Co. in Toronto, Ontario. In 1944, Willi started working as foreman of the machine shop for the same company. In 1946, the plant at which Willi was working ended up moving to a different location, and Willi started work on the production line. That same year, Willi appeared before a county court judge to take the oath of allegiance. He became a Canadian citizen on 4 May 1946.
Willi died on 10 October 1979. His funeral took place at Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel.
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
Language: Captions are in German.
Availability of other formats: Digitized material.
Subjects
Electricians
Holocaust survivors
Immigrants--Canada
Name Access
Holz, Willi, 1912-1979
Places
Canada
Germany
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-11-1
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-11-1
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
object
Physical Description
18 cm of textual records
11 photographs : col ; 10 x 15 cm or smaller
91 slides : col ; 35 mm
54 negatives : col. ; 35 mm
Date
1922-1994
Scope and Content
Accession contains material related to the Beta Sigma Rho Fraternity, Eta Chapter at the University of Toronto. Included in the material is a 1922 constitution and ritual book, pledge and introduction manuals, rushing guidelines, records of initiation and interviews with pledges, programmes and invitations to annual balls, dinner dances, conventions and reunions, revenue reports, invoices and receipts, legal documents relating to the house sale and dissolution of the chapter, meeting minutes, membership lists, ETA and Grand Chapter newsletters, newspaper clippings, personal correspondence and memorabilia, photographs and slides, songbooks and correspondence. Also included is material relating to the Beta Sigma Rho Grand Chapter, New York, New York. The included object is a wooden case with a glass door, presumably used to hold information or announcements.
Custodial History
Records were in the possession of several individuals in the following order: Barney Dales, Marvin Pearl, Ed Bogolmy, Richard Stein.
Administrative History
The Beta Sigma Rho fraternity was founded in 1910 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by four Jewish veterinary students who were unable to obtain membership in existing fraternities because of their religion. Originally named Beta Samach, the purpose of the fraternity was to promote fraternal spirit and good fellowship among its members, to diffuse a liberal culture, to advance scholarship, and to further equity in college affairs. Although not formally stated in its constitution, the fraternity also served a social function allowing its members to develop friendships and to take part in social events, such as dances.
The fraternity began to expand nationally in 1914, and in 1920 the fraternity’s name was changed to Beta Sigma Rho. The fraternity expanded into Ontario in 1930 with the Eta Chapter at the University of Toronto. In 1944 a second Canadian chapter was opened at the University of Western Ontario, known as the Iota Chapter.
Membership in Beta Sigma Rho began to decline in the late 1960s, and in 1972 its national office merged with the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity for financial assistance. The chapter at Pennsylvania State University chose not to take part in the merger and became an independent fraternity under the new name Beta Sigma Beta.
Subjects
Greek letter societies
Name Access
Beta Sigma Rho Fraternity (Toronto, Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-11-3
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2023-11-3
Material Format
textual record
Physical Description
4.9 m of textual records
Date
1930-1980
Scope and Content
Accession consists of record books and file cards documenting deceased persons handled by Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel.
The seven record books were kept by Joseph Benjamin from 1930 to 1980 and contain the following information: date of death, yarzheit, name of deceased, cemetery section, name of cemetery. The outside dates for each book are:
Book 1: Jan. 1930 to 31 Dec. 1945
Book 2: 1 Jan. 1946 to 19 Dec. 1953
Book 3: 1 Jan. 1954 to 29 Dec. 1959
Book 4: 29 Dec. 1959 to 29 Dec. 1963
Book 5: 1 Jan. 1964 to 30 Dec. 1968
Book 6: 29 Dec. 1968 to 28 June 1972
Book 7: 29 June 1972 to 30 June 1980
The complete set of file are arranged alphabetically in chronological order, 1936–1945, 1954–1976, vols. 1 to 21. Records arranged chronologically 1916 to 1957, vols. 21 to 24. The cards contain information about the deceased which supplements that found in the record books:
Volume 1: Aaron to Benaim
Volume 2: Benatar to Breslin
Volume 3: Breslin to Cohen
Volume 4: Cohen to Dzialoszynsk
Volume 5: Eaton to Fox
Volume 6: Fox to. Golant
Volume 7: Gold to Green
Volume 8: Green to Herman
Volume 9: Herman to Katz
Volume 10: Katz to Kyriazoglou
Volume 11: Labelle to Lipschitz
Volume 12: Lipset to Miller
Volume 13: Miller to Pearson
Volume 14; Pearson to Roher
Volume 15: Roher to Saltman
Volume 16: Saltman to Shindler
Volume 17: Shindman to Sobel
Volume 18: Soberman to Swerling
Volume 19: Swersky to Wein
Volume 20: Weinbaum to Yellin
Volume 21: Yeretsky to Zyro; 1 Jan. 1946 to 21 June 1947
Volume 22; 21 June 1947 to 28 Oct. 1949
Volume 23: 30 Oct, 1949 to 31 Dec. 1951
Volume 24: 1 Jan. 1952 to 31 Dec. 1953
Custodial History
Transferred from Library and Archives Canada in 2023 at the request of the OJA and with permission from Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel.
Administrative History
Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel was founded in 1922 by Henry Benjamin, who was a member of one of the early chevrah kadishas of Toronto. Henry Benjamin came to Canada at the turn of the nineteenth century from Russia. He owned a grocery store on College Street in Toronto and had a wagon that he used to deliver groceries. Wagons were rare in the Jewish community at that time, so Henry was asked by Toronto’s first chevrah kadisha to use his wagon to help deliver bodies for burial. At first, he did this because he felt a responsibility to his community. Over time, he became more deeply committed to the work of the chevrah kadisha. When his son, Joe, was a young man, Joe helped his father prepare bodies for burial, and his father impressed upon him that taking care of the dead was a sacred trust.
In 1922, the Ontario government passed a law to regulate funerary services. From then on, the cultural traditions of all ethnic and religious communities had to be practiced under the auspices of a licensed funeral home. That year, H. Benjamin and Sons was established on Spadina Avenue to provide the proper legal framework for continued service by the members of this chevrah kadisha.
Joe Benjamin took over the company in 1939 following Henry Benjamin's death. The chapel (then known as the Park Memorial Chapel) served the Jewish community for forty years from its premises on Spadina Crescent. In Joe’s forty years, the chapel was known as H. Benjamin and Sons, Park Memorial Chapel, and, finally, Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel.
While Henry’s worldview had been local—focused within a few square blocks in Toronto—Joe’s was much wider. He was an active participant in the Jewish Funeral Directors of America, expanding his expertise and helping to develop many of the standards of communication, practice, process, philosophy, and values that are characteristic of the North American Jewish funeral home.
After university, Michael Benjamin, Joe’s son, studied to become a licensed funeral director in Ontario. He enhanced his training at Yeshiva University in New York and the Institute of Funeral Services in Evanston, Illinois. He studied Jewish ethical issues around burial with the late Rabbi Felder. He pursued an ambitious dream for a new funeral facility, custom-designed to meet the highest standard of care for the Jewish community. He assumed full responsibility for the business in 1979.
Toronto’s Jewish community had spread up the “Bathurst spine” to the suburbs and across the city. The culturally and religiously homogeneous Judaism then practised started to splinter through immigration and new religious movements. Benjamin’s followed the community north and built a new chapel at 1404 Steeles Ave W., which opened in 1977, the first designed specifically for Jewish funeral rituals.
As of 2024, Michael Benjamin and now his children, Marc, Jordan, and Barbi, continue to guide the business. After university, Marc and Jordan qualified for their funeral director licenses, while Barbi gained her certificate in human resources. They now form the core executive team under Michael, helping to guide Benjamin’s into the future.
Use Conditions
Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
Descriptive Notes
USE CONDITION NOTE: Records less than forty years old will be made available only to:
researchers who have obtained written permission from Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel;
staff of the archives for purposes of answering specific requests for information and providing reproductions of records in response to such requests, with the cause of death and the cost of the funeral redacted;
researchers who seek information of a statistical nature and who agree in writing that they will not disclose directly or indirectly information about any individual person.
Subjects
Burial records
Name Access
Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
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
Accession Number
2024-2-2
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2024-2-2
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
1 scrapbook
1 commemorative book
1 bulletin
Date
1938-1939, 1964
Scope and Content
Accession consists of three items. The first item is a Beth El Synagogue Sisterhood scrapbook for the years 1962–64. The second item is a commemorative book released on the occasion of the 1938 dedication of Holy Blossom Temple. The third item is a Holy Blossom Temple bulletin dated 26 November 1939.
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
Synagogues
Women
Name Access
Holy Blossom Temple (Toronto, Ont.)
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2008-3-5
Source
Archival Accessions
Accession Number
2008-3-5
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Physical Description
15 cm of textual records
18 photographs : b&w
Date
1872-1991
Scope and Content
This accession consists of records related to the activities of the Pullan and Smith families of Toronto and the Moses family of Sudbury. The records consist of several ledger books including the minutes of the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue in Sudbury, a financial ledger book belonging to the Cooperative Board of Jewish Charities, as well as the Jewish Ladies' Aid Society account book. Also included is the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue's constitution and by-laws. There are also receipts, programs, stationary and other items documenting Jewish organizations in Toronto, such as the Menorah Society, the Associated Hebrew Schools, Holy Blossom Temple, and the Jewish Old Folks' Home, and two files of vital records related to the Rosen and Dubrofsky families.
In addition, there are several photographs of particular note, such as four photographs of the Jewish orphanage, both during the period at 218 Simcoe Street and later on Annette Street. There are also two early photographs of the U of T Menorah Society executive.
Custodial History
These records were in the custody of Susan Moses, the granddaughter of Elias Pullan and Hascal Moses.
Name Access
Associated Hebrew Charities of Toronto
Ladies' Hebrew Aid Society
Jewish Day Nursery and Children's Home
Smith, Lillian
Smith, Nathan
Pullan, Elias
Pullan, Harry
Moses, Hascal
Source
Archival Accessions