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J. Academy and J. Wave [textual record, textual record (electronic)] – 2011-2021.

Accession Number: 2021-11-9

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2021-11-9

Material Format: textual record; textual record (electronic)

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records; 1 textual record (pdf)

Date: 2011-2021

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a J. Academy Camp brochure, two Arts Camp passports (2011 and 2014), and a camp registration and FAQ sheet describing the history and objectives of the camp. In addition, there are two issues of J. Wave. These include a Hanukkah edition (vol. 3) and a spring edition (vol.7).

Administrative History: Founded in 2009, J. Academy Camp is a unique twelve-day overnight camp for children aged eight to sixteen from Russian-speaking Jewish families in the GTA. J. Academy Camp runs its summer camp program from the Camp Northland site in Halibruton, Ontario. The aim of the camp is to connect teens from Russian-speaking families, introduce them to Jewish community and culture, and help them discover their Jewish roots through engagement in various creative arts, activities, and sports. J. Academy Camp is supported by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Genesis Philanthropy Group.; J. Wave began as an optional activity at J. Academy Camp and developed into a year-round project. The publication shares personal stories, adventures, and experiences written by teens. The program is hosted at the Schwartz/Reisman Centre.

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

Source: Archival Accessions

Mr. Justice Mayer Lerner [graphic material] – 1972.

Accession Number: 1993-12-2

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1993-12-2

Material Format: graphic material

Physical Description: 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 18 x 13 cm and 12 x 10 cm

Date: 1972

Scope and Content: This accession consists of a copy photograph and negative of Mr. Justice Mayer Lerner, Supreme Court of Ontario, in his office on Carling Avenue in London, Ontario.

Name Access: Lerner, Mayer

Source: Archival Accessions

J. Barney Goldhar [textual record, graphic material] – 1958.

Accession Number: 1995-6-2

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1995-6-2

Material Format: textual record; graphic material

Physical Description: 8 photographs : b&w (4 negatives) ; 20 x 25 cm and 16 x13 cm and 12 x 10 cm; 1 scrapbook

Date: 1958

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a photocopy of a scrapbook prepared for J. Barney Goldhar's 50th birthday in 1958 by his family, and several photocopies of pictures in the album. It documents his personal life and his career in business and involvement with his synagogue and many Jewish community organizations in Toronto.

Name Access: Goldhar, J. Barney

Source: Archival Accessions

Mrs. O.B. Roger [graphic material] – [ca. 1926]-[ca.1955].

Accession Number: 1985-6-3

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1985-6-3

Material Format: graphic material

Physical Description: 6 photographs : b&w (3 negatives) ; 21 x 25 cm and 18 x 13 cm and 11 x 9 cm

Date: [ca. 1926]-[ca.1955]

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a portrait of Egmont Frankel, a photo including O.B. Roger and Louis St. Laurent, Prime Minister of Canada, and a photograph of Joseph Jeffrey receiving a Human Relations Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. Others identified in this photo are O.B. Roger, Keiller MacKay, Lt. Governor of Ontario, and Herb Gray.

Source: Archival Accessions

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Cohen with some of their employees on their coal dock, Sault Ste. Marie [graphic material] – [ca. 1905].

Accession Number: 1990-3-2

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1990-3-2

Material Format: graphic material

Physical Description: 2 photographs : b&w; (1 negative) ; 21 x 26 cm and 11 x 13 cm

Date: [ca. 1905]

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Cohen and their employees on the "Cohen Dock," Sault Ste. Marie, ca. 1905, in front of the office of Cohen's Clean Coal.

Subjects: Storefronts

Name Access: Traders Metal Company (Sault Ste. Marie).; Cohen's Clean Coal (Sault Ste. Marie).; Superior Iron and Metal Company (Sault Ste. Marie).

Places: Sault Ste. Marie (Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

J. B. Salsberg interviews and public talk [sound recording] – 1990-1991.

Accession Number: 2004-1-4

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2004-1-4

Material Format: sound recording

Physical Description: 7 audio cassettes (ca. 7 hrs.)

Date: 1990-1991

Scope and Content: Collection consists of a talk by Salsberg to the "Brotherhood" (1 Apr. 1990), 2 interviews with Salsberg by Carol Rosenthall (13 Mar. 1990 and 16 Apr. 1991), and interviews with Rabbi Shemen (July 1991) and S. Lipshitz (1991?) about Salsberg by an unknown interviewer.

Name Access: Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998

Source: Archival Accessions

Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto graduation and Samuel J. Sable [graphic material, textual record] – 1965-1967.

Accession Number: 2004-5-3

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2004-5-3

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records; 3 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 25 cm and 18 x 13 cm

Date: 1965-1967

Scope and Content: This accession consists of CHAT grades 12 and 13 graduation photographs (1967), newspaper clippings of scholarship winners (1965), and a photograph of Samuel Sable, communal worker.

Source: Archival Accessions

Reminiscences of Toronto - Junction Cheder and Peretz Shule in Yiddish by Mr. Cowan [textual record] – 1953.

Accession Number: 2004-5-17

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2004-5-17

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Date: 1953

Scope and Content: Accession consists of reminiscences of the founding of the cheder in the Toronto West End called the Junction Shule and comments on the Peretz Shule. They were dictated to a friend who wrote them in Yiddish.

Administrative History: Mr. Cowan was the father of Saul Cowan and the grandfather of Trudy Cowan , who was appointed as the Alberta representative of the Historic Sites and Monument Board of Canada in 1985.

Descriptive Notes: Language note: Yiddish

Source: Archival Accessions

J. B. Salsberg collection [textual record, graphic material] – [ca. 1955]-1992.

Accession Number: 2004-5-98

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2004-5-98

Material Format: textual record; graphic material

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records; 5 photographs : b&w (2 negatives) ; 18 x 13 cm or smaller

Date: [ca. 1955]-1992

Scope and Content: Acession consists of a photograph of Dora Wilensky, her mother Mrs. Wilensky, and J. B. Salsberg; two group photographs of an unidentified organization, both of which include J. B. Salsberg; and a Toronto Star Centennial Magazine entitled "The Hundred Heroes and Villains , Memories and Legends, A celebration." It includes an entry about J. B. Salsberg "Communist at Queen's Park."

Administrative History: Joseph Baruch Salsberg (1902-1998) was a labour leader, political activist, politician, insurance salesman, and journalist. He was also active in various Jewish organizations, including: the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and the New Fraternal Jewish Association. He is well-remembered by contemporaries, such as Sam Lipshitz, as a “champion of the people”, committed to social justice, the plight of the working class, and the preservation of Jewish culture.; J. B. was born in Lagov, Poland on November 5, 1902 to Abraham and Sarah-Gittel Salsberg. Abraham immigrated to Toronto in 1910 and J. B. followed with his mother and two younger sisters in 1913. They settled at 73 Cecil Street. Abraham and Sarah-Gittel had additional children in Canada: Nathan (b. 1915), Reuven (Bob or Robert, b. 1917), Betty, and Thelma. Abraham worked as a peddler in Toronto.; J. B. briefly attended Landsdowne Public School, but dropped out around 1915, against his parents' wishes, and took a job in a leather goods factory to contribute to his family’s income. J. B.’s parents had hoped he would become a rabbi and, despite his full-time employment, J. B. continued to study the Torah with scholars at the synagogue on Centre Avenue.; In 1917, J. B. decided to pursue the ideas of Zionism and socialism and, abandoning his plans to become a rabbi, became involved in establishing the Young Poale Zion organization, a Labour Zionist youth group dedicated to secular aims. Around 1922, J. B. was made secretary general of the Young Poale Zion of America in New York, where he worked for one year. Shortly after returning to Toronto, he became the organizer for the Hat, Cap, and Millinery Workers Union of North America in Chicago. J. B. married Dora Wilensky in 1927.; In 1926, J. B. joined the Communist Party of Canada (CPC). He was an active member of the CPC for 30 years, serving as the head of its Trade Union Department for two decades. In 1929 he was suspended from the party for one year as a dissenter. In 1932, he became the Southern Ontario District union organizer for the Communist Workers' Unity League.; It was as a member of the CPC that J. B. entered electoral politics. After a series of failed bids in municipal and provincial elections between 1935 and 1937, J. B. was elected alderman of Ward 4 in Toronto in 1938. He only held the position for one year. In 1943, J. B. was elected to the Ontario Legislature as the representative for the St. Andrew riding. J. B. sat as Member of Provincial Parliament for the Labor-Progressive Party (the provincial wing of the CPC) for 12 years. For several years, he was the only elected Communist in North America. As MPP, he helped create legislation banning discrimination in public places and introduced a bill that would ensure fair employment practices in the province. He lost his seat to Allan Grossman in 1955 and unsuccessfully ran in the federal election later that year. Remembered by journalist Gordon Sinclair as “one of the best debaters in the house”, J. B. was well-respected by members of all political parties. Out of admiration for J. B., Conservative Premier Leslie Frost named Salsberg Township in Northern Ontario in his honour.; Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, J. B. had grown increasingly concerned about reports of Soviet antisemitism and privately urged party leaders to pursue the issue. In 1956, when Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev exposed the transgressions of Stalin’s regime, J. B. went to Moscow as part of a CPC delegation. After meeting with Khrushchev himself, it became clear to J. B. that antisemitism was indeed a problem in the USSR and that his efforts to probe the situation were being stonewalled.; J. B. publicly expressed his concerns about Soviet antisemitism in a series of articles published in the Vochenblatt from October 25, 1956 to December 13, 1956. He finally left the Communist Party in 1957. However, he remained a member of the United Jewish People’s Order (UJPO), a Communist Jewish fraternal organization.; Entering the business world, J. B. established the Model Insurance Agency Limited in 1957, where he served as president for several years. In 1959 J. B.’s wife, Dora, passed away. Around this time J. B. also resigned from the UJPO, along with other members who felt the organization needed to be more critical of the Soviet Union. They founded an alternative, non-Communist left-wing Jewish organization, the New Fraternal Jewish Association, where J. B. served as president for several terms and edited its publication “Fraternally Yours”.; In his later life, J. B. was active as an executive member of organizations, such as the CJC and the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. He was the first chairman for the CJC Ontario Region’s Soviet Jewry Committee and the Committee for Yiddish. He also began writing an award-winning weekly column for the Canadian Jewish News. J. B. was awarded the CJC’s Samuel Bronfman Medal for distinguished service, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto’s Ben Sadowski Award of Merit. A strong supporter of Israel, he was involved in the creation of two Israeli medical centres that are named in his honour. He also helped establish the J. B. and Dora Salsberg Fund and the J. B. Salsberg Fund for Yiddish at the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto. J. B. passed away in 1998.

Name Access: Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998

Source: Archival Accessions

Susan Brown [graphic material, object] – [190-]-[193-?].

Accession Number: 1977-8-30

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1977-8-30

Material Format: graphic material; object

Physical Description: 2 artifacts; 2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 10 x 12 cm

Date: [190-]-[193-?]

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a Jewish National Fund charity box and a copy photograph of a funeral somewhere in Europe in the early 1900s. A photocopy of the information written in Yiddish on the back of the original photograph is included in the accession file.; Jewish National Fund charity box. -- 1 charity box : metal, blue and yellow ; 12.5 x 9.5 x 4.5 cm. -- Manufacturer: Gersonwerk (made in Germany). -- A blue metal charity box with a gold star of david on the center of the back. On the front, an old JNF logo with a star of david underneath it. Under the star of david is Hebrew that reads: Keren Kayemeth L'Israel. It is in poor condition. Current location: PacArt, Box 11.; Charity for Jerusalem charity box. -- 1 charity box : metal, orange and black ; 10 x 8.5 x 4 cm. -- Manufacturer: Knesseth Israel Inc. The box is in poor condition. It is rusted and scratched. Current location: PacArt, Box 11.

Source: Archival Accessions

Mrs. J. English [textual record] – 1876–1979, predominant 1876–1890.

Accession Number: 1979-3-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1979-3-1

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Date: 1876–1979, predominant 1876–1890

Scope and Content: Accession consists of the donor's mother's passport, parents' US marriage license, and a letter of thanks from Dr. Stephan Speisman.

MG_RG: MG6 E6

Source: Archival Accessions

Mr.and Mrs. Joseph Steinberg [object, textual record] – 1 Jan. 1931.

Accession Number: 1981-12-4

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1981-12-4

Material Format: object; textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records; 4 plaques

Date: 1 Jan. 1931

Scope and Content: Included in this accession is a Jewish National Fund certificate given to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Steinberg of Sudbury, Ontario on the occasion of their 15th wedding anniversary on 1 Jan. 1931. There are also four plaques.

Source: Archival Accessions

William J. Daniels [object] – [between 1838 and 1850].

Accession Number: 1991-10-7

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 1991-10-7

Material Format: object

Physical Description: 1 compass

Date: [between 1838 and 1850]

Scope and Content: The accession consists of one surveyor's compass, which is a surveyor's tool for measuring angles used during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The object is signed by Judah Joseph, the individual who created this device. It is suspected that there are only four (potentially less) signed artifacts by Joseph (one of which resides at the Museum of Visual Science and Optomitry in Waterloo, ON), making this one quite unique and rare.

Custodial History: Object was purchased from William Daniels in 1991 for $5500. The funds were donated by Fred Schaeffer and Nancy Draper through a UJWF grant through the Endowment Fund

Administrative History: Judah Joseph was one of the first Jewish settlers in Toronto. He was also the first purveyor of optical and mathematical instruments in Toronto. He was born in Exeter, England in 1798 and received his training in the Channel Islands. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1820 and set himself up as an optician and Jeweller in Cincinati. He moved to Hamilton, and soonafter to Toronto during the 1830s. He opened his shop at 56 King Street East in Toronto in 1838. He specialized in spectacles, mathematical instruments, jewellery, watches, silverware and other equipment that he could make or repair.; Judah Joseph was a member of the Toronto Hebrew Congregation and was a founder of the first Jewish cemetery in the city, which was located on Pape Avenue. He was buried there in 1857.; A surveying compass (also known as a circumferentor) like this one is the precursor to the theodolite which evolved in the early 1800s.

Source: Archival Accessions

Morris J. Granite [text] – 1935-2000.

Accession Number: 2006-4-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2006-4-1

Material Format: text

Physical Description: 4 texts

Date: 1935-2000

Scope and Content: Accession consists of 4 books of poetry written by Morris J. Granite / Morris Granatstein including Street Corners (1935), My City Lodz (1995), Welcome to the Year 2000 (1999), and Toronto, My City (2000).

Administrative History: Morris J. Granite was born in 1911 in Lodz, Poland. His parents had a small business dyeing textiles, which they operated out of their apartment on Constantinouska Street, Lodz. His father's family originally came from Glowaszow in Radom, Poland.; In 1926, the family immigrated to Toronto. During the Great Depression, he worked in Toronto, New York City and Philadelphia as a waiter, power press operator, construction worker and teacher at Hebrew and Yiddish schools. Morris served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. He later worked as a teacher and draftsman in his early years and then as a builder in his middle to later years. The buildings and homes that he worked on still stand in Cuba, Detroit and Toronto.; He served as president of the Jewish Public Library, editor of the Canadian Jewish Outlook, and as a member of the League of Canadian Poets. He was also a major supporter of artistic and progressive causes.; Throughout his life, he possessed a true passion for the written word. He published many articles and poems in literary magazines. He also produced four books of poetry: Street Corners (1935), My City Lodz (1995), Welcome to the Year 2000 (1999), and Toronto, My City (2000). At first, he published under the name Granite and later relied on Granatstein as his surname for his last three books.; He had one daugher, Ettie and two grandchildren. His long-time companion was Barbara Moore.

Source: Archival Accessions

Mr. and Mrs. Sheinberg [graphic material] – 1919.

Accession Number: 2007-6-15

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2007-6-15

Material Format: graphic material

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 14 x 11 cm

Date: 1919

Scope and Content: Accession contains a portrait of an unidentified couple. Writing on the original folder of the photo says Mr. & Mrs. Sheinberg, 1919.

Subjects: Married people; Portraits

Source: Archival Accessions

Herbert Brown (North Bay, ON) [textual record (electronic), graphic material (electronic), textual record] – [192-]-[198-].

Accession Number: 2007-8-9

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2007-8-9

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

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records; 1 compact disc; 21 photographs (electronic) : b&w and col.; 16 textual records (22 jpg files)

Date: [192-]-[198-]

Scope and Content: This accession consists of scanned copies of original documents and photographs depicting the Jewish community of North Bay and the Brown family. The records relate to various individuals in the community, including the donor, as well as the Sons of Jacob Congregation. The items include scans of photographs, correspondence, employment contracts with various spiritual leaders, newspaper clippings, and High Holiday lists.; The compact disc contains a scan of the Synagogue's letters-patent from 1924. The original textual records include a copy of the Synagogues' constitution from the 1950s and a photocopy of a cartoon drawing depicting members of the North Bay B'nai Brith lodge.

Custodial History: The original records are in the possession of the donor. The OJA was granted permission to scan the records in August 2007, as part of the Ontario Small Jewish Communities initiative. These copies were then donated to the Archives on 2007-08-17.

Descriptive Notes: Associated material note: Herb Brown fonds 029 and fonds 032, series 02 at the Nipissing University and Canadore College Archives and Special Collections.

Places: North Bay (Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

J. B.! [moving images] – 1991.

Accession Number: 2008-11-2

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2008-11-2

Material Format: moving images

Physical Description: 1 DVD : 20 min.; 8 videocassettes : 3/4"; 1 videocassette (ca. 20 min.) : col., sd.

Date: 1991

Scope and Content: This accession consists of one DVD, copied from an original videocassette entitled "J. B.!" The DVD features an interview with J. B. Salsberg and other individuals sharing their memories of Salsberg. The DVD was produced by Gabov Apor and Company Ltd. and was executive produced by Salsberg's niece, Dr. Sharyn A. Salsberg Ezrin. It was created for a dinner honouring J. B. Salsberg, which took place on 13 November 1991.; Also included are the eight original broadcast U-matic videocassettes containing the raw footage and interviews as well as the finished product.

Custodial History: The DVD was in the possession of Ethel Cooper, Chair of the Yiddish Committee and was donated to the Archives on behalf of Dr. Salsberg Ezrin. The videocassettes were given to the Archives by the donor on 28 November, 2008 and was added on to this original accession.; The videocassette version of the DVD footage was previously donated to OJA by Dr. Salsberg Ezrin and has been added to this accession.

Name Access: Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998

Source: Archival Accessions

Sydney and Zave Brown (North Bay, ON) [textual record, graphic material] – 1941-1992.

Accession Number: 2009-1-4

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2009-1-4

Material Format: textual record; graphic material

Physical Description: 6 cm of textual records; 21 photographs

Date: 1941-1992

Scope and Content: This accession consists of records relating to Sydney and Zave Brown of North Bay, Ontario, who were both killed in combat during the Second World War. The records include Sydney's flight log book from the Second World War, Hadassah-WIZO scholarship certificates and documents pertaining to the Sydney and Zave Brown endowment fund and an album containing a history of the Brown brothers and their military careers. The album features copies of various military documents and correspondence as well as copies of photographs.

Places: North Bay (Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

Aaron J. Rosen family (Kitchener, Ont.) [graphic material, textual record] – 1912-1983.

Accession Number: 2009-8-8

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2009-8-8

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records; 6 photographs : b&w : 12 x 17 cm on matte 18 x 25 cm or smaller

Date: 1912-1983

Scope and Content: The accession consists of six photographs of the Rosen family of Kitchener. The pictures are all portraits involving multiple generations of the family taken between 1912 and 1944. The people pictured include Aaron J. Rosen, his parents, his children, and one with his brother Israel Rosen. There is also a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship issued to Aaron Rosen. It is dated 1951, however it makes reference to his naturalization in 1911. Later documents include a copy of the Rosen-Shpizel family tree, and a letter written by the donor recounting her mother's reminiscences of life in Kitchener. The letter was written to accompany photographs that the donor loaned to Mr. Donald Bierstock in Kitchener, who was compiling a history of Beth Jacob congregation for its 75th anniversary.

Custodial History: The photographs belonged to Aaron Rosen's daughter Mary until she passed them on to her son in the early 1990s. He gave them to his sister Phyllis, the donor, in July 2009.

Administrative History: Aaron J. Rosen (1879-1973) was born in Checholia, Russia, the son of Avraham Zvi Rosen and Pesa Cohn. He was the first of his family to come to Canada, in 1903. He came ahead of his wife Sima Leah (1873-1948), and their son Irving (d. 1962). In Kitchener, Aaron established himself in the peddling business, founding Rosen Rag & Metal. After his wife and son joined him, they had two more children, Mary (1908-1996) and Joseph (1906-1916). Joseph died of diphtheria at the age of ten. He was one of the first to be buried in the Beth Jacob Cemetery.; Aaron Rosen was one of the founders of Beth Jacob Congregation in 1908, and was among those who signed the mortgage for the synagogue in 1924. The family rented a house at 156 Church Street, and later lived next to the Rosen Rag & Metal warehouse at 123 Strange Street. In 1927, Aaron brought over his brother Israel with his family and their parents.; In 1938, Aaron's daughter, Mary Rosen, married Ben Coles. They settled in Toronto. They had two children, Alan and Phyllis (the donor). Irving Rosen married Tillie Minsky and his children (in the photos) are Estelle and Gerry.; Sima Leah Rosen predeceased Aaron, and when he was 70 he remarried, wedding Rebecca (usually called Bayla) Kaplan (grandmother of Robert Kaplan, MP and Attorney General). The marriage was religious but not civil. Aaron Rosen died at the age of 93 in 1973. He is buried next to his first wife at Roselawn Cemetery in Toronto.

Subjects: Communities; Families

Name Access: Rosen, Aaron, 1879-1973; Rosen, Sima Leah, 1873-1948

Places: Kitchener (Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Newman - 4 Jan. 1975

Name: Mr. and Mrs. Ben Newman

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 4 Jan. 1975

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Mr. and Mrs. Ben Newman

Number: OH 19

Subject: Families

Interview Date: 4 Jan. 1975

Quantity: 1

Interviewer: Stephen Spiesman

Conservation: Copied August 2003.

Use Restrictions: Conditional access. Researchers must receive permission from the interviewee or their heir prior to accessing the interview. Please contact the OJA for more information.; Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Biography: Ben Newman was born in July 1920 in St Catharines, Ontario. He married Sheila Gould from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ben's father, Abraham, immigrated to St. Catharines from Russia in 1909, living with his aunt and uncle and helping them with their junk business. His wife, Mary, and two children followed later. Four more children were born in Canada: Norman, Benjamin, Rebecca, and Gordon. Benjamin took over the company after Abraham’s retirement and turned it into one of the largest steel manufacturers in Canada. Ben Newman was active in all phases of Jewish life in the community and was the first Jewish aldermen in St. Catharines, a position he held for several years.

Material Format: sound recording

Name Access: Newman, Benjamin; Newman, Sheila

Geographic Access: St. Catharines (Ont.); Toronto (Ont.)

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Audio cassette

Source: Oral Histories

J. B. Salsberg - Sep. 1985

Name: J. B. Salsberg

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: Sep. 1985

Source: Oral Histories

Name: J. B. Salsberg

Number: OH 71

Subject: Labor movement; Labor unions; Women; Demonstrations

Interview Date: Sep. 1985

Quantity: 1

Total Running Time: OH71_001: 44:50 minuets OH71_002: 35:55 minuets

Conservation: Copied August 2003

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

Biography: Joseph Baruch Salsberg (1902–1998) was a labour leader, political activist, politician, newspaper columnist, and a man who dedicated his life to Yiddishkeit and the advancement of social justice. He was active in various Jewish organizations, including the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and the New Fraternal Jewish Association. In 1938, he was elected as alderman on Toronto’s City Council; in 1948, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is well remembered by contemporaries, such as Sam Lipshitz, as a "champion of the people," committed to social justice, the plight of the working-class, and the preservation of Jewish culture.

Material Format: sound recording

Language: English

Name Access: International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union; Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998

Geographic Access: Toronto

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Audio cassette; Digital file

Transcript: G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 71 - Salsberg\OH71_001_Log.pdf; G:\Description\Oral Histories\OH 71 - Salsberg\OH71_002_Log.pdf

Source: Oral Histories

In this clip, Joseph Salsberg discusses the events that led to the birth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) in America and the ILGWU's influence on the Canadian garment industry.

In this clip, Joseph Salsberg discusses the first sit down strike by tailors in Canada in recognition of women

Dr. Alexander Brown - 4 May 1977

Name: Dr. Alexander Brown

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 4 May 1977

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Dr. Alexander Brown

Number: OH 140

Subject: Education

Interview Date: 4 May 1977

Quantity: 1

Interviewer: Stephen Speisman

Total Running Time: Side 1: 46 minutes 22 seconds Side 2: 41 minutes 13 seconds good

Conservation: Copied August 2003

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

Biography: Dr. Alexander Brown was a leader in the field of Jewish education in Toronto. He held various positions with Toronto's Board of Education and the Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto. He was actively involved with other Jewish organizations, such as the Canadian Jewish Congress and the United Jewish Welfare Fund. Dr. Brown was born in the Ukraine in 1909 and was the son of Louis and Bessie Brown.

Material Format: sound recording

Name Access: Brown, Alexander; Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region (Toronto, Ont.); Board of Jewish Education (Toronto, Ont.); United Jewish Welfare Fund (Toronto, Ont.); Associated Hebrew Schools (Toronto, Ont.)

Geographic Access: Toronto

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Audio cassette; Digital file

Source: Oral Histories

In this clip, Dr. Brown describes his tenure as executive secretary of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), its organizational structure, and the CJC's position within the Toronto Jewish community.

In this clip, Dr. Brown discusses the Board of Jewish Education, the Welfare Fund, and the Canadian Jewish Congress in relation to the subsidization of Associated Hebrew Schools.

Jennie Goldstein and Mr. and Mrs. Boris Coopersmith - 26 Jan. 1975

Name: Jennie Goldstein and Mr. and Mrs. Boris Coopersmith

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 26 Jan. 1975

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Jennie Goldstein and Mr. and Mrs. Boris Coopersmith

Number: OH 147; OH 148

Subject: Theater, Yiddish

Interview Date: 26 Jan. 1975

Quantity: 2

Interviewer: Stephen Spiesman

Total Running Time: OH147A: 44. minutes; OH148B: 45. minutes

Conservation: Copied August 2003

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

Biography: Jennie Goldstein emigrated from Russia to Toronto in 1914. While living and working in the Ward, Jennie married Harry Goldstein, who was noted as both a "dresser" and an actor in Toronto's Lyric and Standard Theatres. After Harry's passing, Jennie became a supplier of costumes for the Yiddish theatre. In 1920, to help support the family, Jennie opened a deli stand alongside the original Shopsy's deli located in the area of Kensington Market. Jennie and Harry's daughter Bess married Boris Coppersmith whose parents, Yossel and Nessie, owned a variety store at Spadina Avenue and Baldwin Street.

Material Format: sound recording

Name Access: Coopersmith, Bess; Coopersmith, Boris; Goldstein, Jennie; Harris, Harry; Lyric Theatre; Pasternak, Chanina; Speisman, Stephen; Standard Theatre (Toronto, Ont.)

Geographic Access: St. John's Ward (Toronto, Ont.); Kensington Market (Toronto, Ont.)

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Audio cassette; Digital file

Source: Oral Histories

In this clip, Jennie Goldstein describes the early years of Toronto's Yiddish theatres such as the Tivoli and the Standard and cantors such as Harry Harris and Chanina Pasternak.

In this clip, Jennie Goldstein describes the performances and cantors of the Lyric Theatre circa 1914.

J. B. Salsberg - 1 Apr. 1990

Name: J. B. Salsberg

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 1 Apr. 1990

Source: Oral Histories

Name: J. B. Salsberg

Number: OH 279; OH 280

Subject: Talk to Brotherhood

Interview Date: 1 Apr. 1990

Quantity: 2

AccessionNumber: 2004-1-4

Total Running Time: 120 min. or less

Conservation: Copied November 2006

Notes: Public talk

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

Biography: Joseph Baruch Salsberg (1902–1998) was a labour leader, political activist, politician, newspaper columnist, and someone who dedicated his life to Yiddishkeit and the advancement of social justice. He was active in various Jewish organizations, including; the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and the New Fraternal Jewish Association. In 1938, he was elected alderman on Toronto’s City Council; in 1943, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is well remembered by contemporaries, such as Sam Lipshitz, as a "champion of the people," committed to social justice, the plight of the working-class, and the preservation of Jewish culture.

Material Format: sound recording

Name Access: Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Audio cassette

Source: Oral Histories

J. B. Salsberg - 13 Mar. 1990

Name: J. B. Salsberg

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 13 Mar. 1990

Source: Oral Histories

Name: J. B. Salsberg

Number: OH 281

Interview Date: 13 Mar. 1990

Quantity: 1

Interviewer: Carol Rosenthal

Total Running Time: 60 min. or less

Conservation: Copied November 2006

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

Biography: Joseph Baruch Salsberg (1902–1998) was a labour leader, political activist, politician, newspaper columnist, and someone who dedicated his life to Yiddishkeit and the advancement of social justice. He was active in various Jewish organizations, including; the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and the New Fraternal Jewish Association. In 1938, he was elected alderman on Toronto’s City Council; in 1943, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is well remembered by contemporaries, such as Sam Lipshitz, as a "champion of the people," committed to social justice, the plight of the working-class, and the preservation of Jewish culture.

Material Format: sound recording

Name Access: Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998

Original Format: Audio cassette

Copy Format: Audio cassette; Digital file

Source: Oral Histories

Doug Brown - 2008

Name: Doug Brown

Material Format: sound recording

Interview Date: 2008

Source: Oral Histories

Name: Doug Brown

Number: OH 366

Subject: Cemeteries

Interview Date: 2008

Quantity: 1

Interviewer: Ellen Scheinberg

Total Running Time: 1 hr. 7 min.

Use Restrictions: No release form. Permission of family required for use.

Biography: Doug Brown worked at Pape Avenue Cemetry, the first Jewish burial ground in Toronto, from 1962 and lived next door to the cemetery at 311 Pape Avenue. He was the groundskeeper for over fifty years. Doug's job was to maintain the site and provide extra care to a couple of graves for families that had set up trusts to plant fresh flowers every spring. He knew the location of every tombstone and the personal history of many of the deceased.

Material Format: sound recording

Language: English

Name Access: Brown, Doug; Scheinberg, Ellen

Geographic Access: Pape Avenue (Toronto, Ont.)

Original Format: Digital file

Copy Format: Digital file; DVD

Source: Oral Histories

J. Irving Oelbaum trophy [object] – 1945-1954.

Accession Number: 2012-1-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2012-1-1

Material Format: object

Physical Description: 1 item

Date: 1945-1954

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a small silver plate trophy presented each year by the United Jewish Welfare Fund to the division with the largest percentage of new givers. It was named after J. Irving Oelbaum, who was a former president of the fund. The first recipient division in 1945 was the Women's Division, followed by the University Students Division, the Metropolitan Division, Youth Division and the Young Men's Division.

Custodial History: The custodial history of this item is unknown. It belonged to the United Jewish Welfare Fund and thus was most likely transferred to the Archives by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. It was in a box at the back of the vault and was discovered during a sweep of the vault.

Source: Archival Accessions

Wedding Dinner of Mr. and Mrs. Egmont L. Frankel [graphic material] – 28 Oct. 1925.

Accession Number: 2015-1-5

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2015-1-5

Material Format: graphic material

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 30 x 53 cm

Date: 28 Oct. 1925

Scope and Content: Accession consists of one photograph taken at the wedding reception of Egmont and Ruth Frankel, which was held at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago. Identified in the photograph are: Ruth Frankel, Egmont Frankel, Dorothy Frankel and Carl Frankel.

Custodial History: Photograph was in the possession of Cherie Friend. She believes it originally belonged to her grandparents who had a music shop in Chicago. Her grandfather was born in Quebec.

Subjects: Weddings

Name Access: Frankel, Egmont; Frankel, Ruth

Places: Chicago

Source: Archival Accessions

Morris J. Granite [textual record, sound recording] – [196-]-2000.

Accession Number: 2015-8-5

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2015-8-5

Material Format: textual record; sound recording

Physical Description: 60 cm of textual records; 2 DVDs

Date: [196-]-2000

Scope and Content: Accession consists of records related to the life and literary career of Morris J. Granite. Included are manuscript copies of his published works, unpublished poems and essays, bound copies of articles written for the Canadian Jewish Outook, published issues of the same periodical, an essay describing his life in Lodz written to his grandchildren, Laura and Rebecca and an interview conducted with Morris by a group interested in establishing a Jewish museum in Toronto.

Administrative History: Morris J. Granite (Granatstein) was born in 1911 in Lodz, Poland and in 1926, he immigrated with his family to Toronto, Canada. He had two sisters, Eva and Leah and a brother Layzer, who was killed in the Holocaust.; Morris served in the Royal Canadian Ari Force during the Second World War, and he worked as a teacher and draftsman in his early years and as a builder in his middle and later years. The buildings and homes he worked to create still stand in Cuba, Detroit, and Toronto. He also worked in Toronto, New York City, and Philadelphia as a waiter, power press operator, construction worker, and teacher at Hebrew and Yiddish schools. He was president of the Jewish Public Library, an editor of the Canadian Jewish Outlook, a member of the League of Canadian Poets, and a major supporter of artistic and progressive causes.; Throughout his life, he loved the written word. His published writings include several books of poetry: Street Corners (1935), My City Lodz (1995), Welcome to the Year 2000 (1999), and Toronto, My City (2000).; Morris was married to Barbara Moore Better and had two children, Ettie and David and two granchildren, Laura and Rebecca. Morris died in Toronto on April 29, 2001 of leukemia.

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: Use Conditions note: Copyright is held by the estate of M. J. Granite. Donor must be contacted prior to publication.

Subjects: Authors

Name Access: Granite, Morris

Source: Archival Accessions

Mr. Saul Greenwood, Bessie and Israel Cohen [textual record] – 1903-1939.

Accession Number: 2016-2-5

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-2-5

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: 1 folder of textual records

Date: 1903-1939

Scope and Content: Accession consists of two marriage certificates documenting the marriage of Israel Cohen and Bessie (nee Cohen) Cohen from 1903. It also includes early Jewish National Fund (Karen Hayesod) tree planting donation certificates from both the Cohen family and the family of Mr. Saul Greenwood. There are JNF certificates honouring the Daughters of Zion Chapter of Hadassah. There is also a Youth Aliyah Certificate of Honour.

Custodial History: Sheila Smolkin from the Holy Blossom Archives found this in their collection and identified it as not appropriate so she has transferred it to the OJA

Subjects: Clubs; Marriage records; Zionism

Name Access: Greenwood, Saul; Cohen, Israel; Cohen, Bessie

Source: Archival Accessions

Edward J. Levy [textual record, graphic material] – [ca. 1900]-1994, predominent 1920-1960.

Accession Number: 2016-4-2

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-4-2

Material Format: textual record; graphic material

Physical Description: ca. 100 photographs : b&w and col. ; 61 x 27 or smaller; 3 cm of textual records

Date: [ca. 1900]-1994, predominent 1920-1960

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a scrapbook compiled by Edward J. Levy documenting the personal lives and musical careers of Sidney Levy and Philip and Elie Spivak. The scrapbook primarily consists of photographs of the Spivak and Levy families but also includes the musical score for Dirge for Orchestra composed by Oskar Morawetz in memory of Elie Spivak, naturalization papers for Philip Spivak and Bella Spivak, bulletins of the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, photographs of other musicians including Zara Nelsova, newsclippings, Ed Levy's bar mitzvah certificate, postcards and invitations. There is also an oversized photograph of the 19th Season of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, featuring Elie Spivak, Philip Spivak and Sidney Levy.

Administrative History: Sidney (Solomon) Levy (1898-1971) was born in London, England in 1898, the son of Elizabeth (nee Goldstein) Levy. He was the oldest brother to six younger sisters. Sidney was a violist who first played in movie houses in East London, where he met Phillip and Elie Spivak. During the 1920s, he played on touring ocean liners. He immigrated to Toronto in 1929 where he again played movie theatres and then built a career with the CBC radio orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He also played the O'Keefe Centre's opening night performance of Camelot.; Elie (2 Feb. 1902-23 July 1960) and Phillip (1906-ca. 1962) Spivak were born in Uman, Ukraine, the sons of Reverend Joseph (d. 1965) and Bella (nee Finkler) (d. 1962) Spivak. They were two of five children: Elie, Clara (1904-1984), Philip, Siam (d. ca. 1964, New York) and Thelma (m. Heller) (1917-2008).Their paternal grandfather, Yankel Spivak, was a famous chazzan. Their maternal grandfather, Ezra Finkler, was a successful wheat merchant in Ukraine, who was killed during the pogroms. Joseph and Bella Spivak, who were living with their children on the Finkler's large estate at the time, managed to escape through Poland and Germany, eventually arriving in Paris in 1910. At this time, Elie entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of seven and studied violin with Henri Berthelier from 1910-1915. Around 1915, the Spivak family immigrated to England, where Clara later met Sidney Levy through her brothers, who at the time was a theatre musician. Elie continued his studies at the Royal College of Manchester with Adolphe Brodsky in 1916. In 1923, he founded the Elie Spivak String Quartet in Manchester, the first ensemble to give chamber music concerts over the new BBC network.; The Spivak family left London for Canada in the late 1920s. Elie was the first of the siblings to immigrate and after resideing for one year in New York City, he moved to Toronto in 1926. Philip and Clara followed in 1929, as did Sidney Levy. Joseph and Bella Spivak, along with their children Siam and Thelma, ended up settling in New York City. Sidney married Clara Spivak in a ceremony in New York in the year they immigrated. They had one son, Edward (b. 1934). Clara was active in the TSO's Women's Committee.; In Toronto, Elie Spivak was first violin (1929-1942) of the Conservatory String Quartet and concertmaster (1931-1948) of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In 1945, he gave the North American premiere of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto with the Boston Pops Orchestra. He was the first Canadian musician invited to Israel, touring the country for five months in 1950 as guest of the Jerusalem String Quartet. He led the Spivak String Quartet (1951-1956) and was heard frequently over CBC radio. He examined for the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto and adjudicated for Kiwanis Festivals and the Canadian National Exhibition. He taught violin at the RCM from 1922 until his death. He also taught in the University Settlement Music School. Elie was a member of Goel Tzedec Synagogue and was married to Hilda (nee Narrol) Spivak. He had two sons, David and Michael.; Philip Spivak played the cello and was first stand with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He also played in a chamber orchestra. He married the famous cellist Zara Nelsova, later divorced and remarried Iris Cooper. Philip was a member of Holy Blossom Temple.

Subjects: Jews--Music

Name Access: Spivak, Elie, 1902-1960; Spivak, Phillip, 1906-ca. 1962; Levy, Sidney, 1898-1971; Levy, Edward, 1934-

Source: Archival Accessions

Benjamin Brown [architectural drawing] – [ca. 1911].

Accession Number: 2016-5-14

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-5-14

Material Format: architectural drawing

Physical Description: 1 drawing : pencil ; 46 x 43 cm

Date: [ca. 1911]

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a demonstration drawing by architect Benjamin Brown of a synagogue, that bears some resemblance to a later design proposal for Beth Jacob Synagogue. The drawing is of the synagogue's facade. This drawing was likely done when Brown was a student at the University of Toronto, School of Practical Science.

Custodial History: This drawing was part of the larger Benjamin Brown collection, but was not part of the original donation in 1987. It was framed and hanging in Jay Levine's office for many years.

Subjects: Architecture; Synagogues

Name Access: Brown, Benjamin

Source: Archival Accessions

Brown family [graphic material, textual record] – 1925-2003.

Accession Number: 2016-8-1

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-8-1

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 9 cm of textual records; 25 photographs : col., sepia and b&w ; 21 x 26 cm; 1 crayon enlargment portrait : col. ; 12 x 19 cm

Date: 1925-2003

Scope and Content: Accession consists of a colour crayon enlargement portrait of Bessie and Joseph Brown, "A Tribute to Bessie Brown" photograph album (Beth Jacob Synagogue and Sisterhood, Kitchener Ontario, 1976), photographs of Joseph, Bessie and Phillip Brown and [Beth Jacob Congregation's Sisterhood?] in 1964, a certificate of service and affiliaton at Beth Jacob for Bessie Brown, and newsletters from Beth Jacob and Beth Tikvah in Montreal (1980-2004).

Custodial History: Materials were donated by Cantor Avraham Fisher, who served at Beth Jacob from 1985-1994 and was a friend of the Brown family.

Administrative History: Bessie and Joesph Brown lived in Kitchener, Ontario. They had two children: Harry (b. 1926-?) and Phillip (1930-1939).

Descriptive Notes: ASSOCIATED MATERIAL NOTE: Bessie, Joseph and Harry Brown appear in Beth Jacob membership lists in accession 2008-6-7

Subjects: Families; Synagogues

Name Access: Beth Jacob Congregation (Kitchener, Ont.); Brown, Bessie; Brown, Harry; Brown, Joseph; Brown, Phillip, 1930-1939

Places: Kitchener (Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

Paul Brown [sound recording] – 1973-2001.

Accession Number: 2016-8-10

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2016-8-10

Material Format: sound recording

Physical Description: 177 audio cassettes

Date: 1973-2001

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

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

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

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

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

Name Access: Brown, Paul

Places: Toronto, Ont.

Source: Archival Accessions

J. B. Salsberg [textual record] – 1958-1978.

Accession Number: 2018-11-15

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2018-11-15

Material Format: textual record

Physical Description: ca. 7 cm. of textual records

Date: 1958-1978

Scope and Content: Accession consists of material documenting J. B. Salsberg. Included are: articles, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and handwritten notes collected by Salsberg that reflect his interests in politics and the Jewish community. The accession contains information from many sources including clippings from Yiddish/Jewish newspapers and publications such as the Chronicle Review, the Jewish Observer, the Middle East Review, the Daily Hebrew Journal, and the Jewish Standard. Subject matter includes: the oppression of Jews in the Soviet Union, an NDP policy booklet, the Canadian Journal of History and Social Science, Canadian Jewish population studies, articles on Meir Kahane and the Jewish Defense League, and information from the Canadian Jewish Congress.

Administrative History: Joseph Baruch Salsberg (1902-1998) was a labour leader, political activist, politician, insurance salesman, and journalist. He was also active in various Jewish organizations, including: the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and the New Fraternal Jewish Association. He is well-remembered by contemporaries, such as Sam Lipshitz, as a “champion of the people”, committed to social justice, the plight of the working class, and the preservation of Jewish culture.; J. B. was born in Lagov, Poland on November 5, 1902 to Abraham and Sarah-Gittel Salsberg. Abraham immigrated to Toronto in 1910 and J. B. followed with his mother and two younger sisters in 1913. They settled at 73 Cecil Street. Abraham and Sarah-Gittel had additional children in Canada: Nathan (b. 1915), Reuven (Bob or Robert, b. 1917), Betty, and Thelma. Abraham worked as a peddler in Toronto.; J. B. briefly attended Landsdowne Public School, but dropped out around 1915, against his parents' wishes, and took a job in a leather goods factory to contribute to his family’s income. J. B.’s parents had hoped he would become a rabbi and, despite his full-time employment, J. B. continued to study the Torah with scholars at the synagogue on Centre Avenue.; In 1917, J. B. decided to pursue the ideas of Zionism and socialism and, abandoning his plans to become a rabbi, became involved in establishing the Young Poale Zion organization, a Labour Zionist youth group dedicated to secular aims. Around 1922, J. B. was made secretary general of the Young Poale Zion of America in New York, where he worked for one year. Shortly after returning to Toronto, he became the organizer for the Hat, Cap, and Millinery Workers Union of North America in Chicago. J. B. married Dora Wilensky in 1927.; In 1926, J. B. joined the Communist Party of Canada (CPC). He was an active member of the CPC for 30 years, serving as the head of its Trade Union Department for two decades. In 1929 he was suspended from the party for one year as a dissenter. In 1932, he became the Southern Ontario District union organizer for the Communist Workers' Unity League.; It was as a member of the CPC that J. B. entered electoral politics. After a series of failed bids in municipal and provincial elections between 1935 and 1937, J. B. was elected alderman of Ward 4 in Toronto in 1938. He only held the position for one year. In 1943, J. B. was elected to the Ontario Legislature as the representative for the St. Andrew riding. J. B. sat as Member of Provincial Parliament for the Labor-Progressive Party (the provincial wing of the CPC) for 12 years. For several years, he was the only elected Communist in North America. As MPP, he helped create legislation banning discrimination in public places and introduced a bill that would ensure fair employment practices in the province. He lost his seat to Allan Grossman in 1955 and unsuccessfully ran in the federal election later that year. Remembered by journalist Gordon Sinclair as “one of the best debaters in the house”, J. B. was well-respected by members of all political parties. Out of admiration for J. B., Conservative Premier Leslie Frost named Salsberg Township in Northern Ontario in his honour.; Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, J. B. had grown increasingly concerned about reports of Soviet antisemitism and privately urged party leaders to pursue the issue. In 1956, when Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev exposed the transgressions of Stalin’s regime, J. B. went to Moscow as part of a CPC delegation. After meeting with Khrushchev himself, it became clear to J. B. that antisemitism was indeed a problem in the USSR and that his efforts to probe the situation were being stonewalled.; J. B. publicly expressed his concerns about Soviet antisemitism in a series of articles published in the Vochenblatt from October 25, 1956 to December 13, 1956. He finally left the Communist Party in 1957. However, he remained a member of the United Jewish People’s Order (UJPO), a Communist Jewish fraternal organization.; Entering the business world, J. B. established the Model Insurance Agency Limited in 1957, where he served as president for several years. In 1959 J. B.’s wife, Dora, passed away. Around this time J. B. also resigned from the UJPO, along with other members who felt the organization needed to be more critical of the Soviet Union. They founded an alternative, non-Communist left-wing Jewish organization, the New Fraternal Jewish Association, where J. B. served as president for several terms and edited its publication “Fraternally Yours”.; In his later life, J. B. was active as an executive member of organizations, such as the CJC and the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. He was the first chairman for the CJC Ontario Region’s Soviet Jewry Committee and the Committee for Yiddish. He also began writing an award-winning weekly column for the Canadian Jewish News. J. B. was awarded the CJC’s Samuel Bronfman Medal for distinguished service, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto’s Ben Sadowski Award of Merit. A strong supporter of Israel, he was involved in the creation of two Israeli medical centres that are named in his honour. He also helped establish the J. B. and Dora Salsberg Fund and the J. B. Salsberg Fund for Yiddish at the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto. J. B. passed away in 1998.

Name Access: Salsberg, J. B.,1902-1998

Source: Archival Accessions

Brown family [graphic material, textual record] – 1931-1999.

Accession Number: 2018-12-6

Source: Archival Accessions

Accession Number: 2018-12-6

Material Format: graphic material; textual record

Physical Description: 19 cm of graphic material and textual records

Date: 1931-1999

Scope and Content: Accession consists of material documenting Brown family. Included are: business records, clippings, correspondence, eulogies, notes, an issue of the LIFE Institute's L.i.f.e.lines newsletter, photographs, résumés and cover letters, school records, and vital statistics. A significant amount of the material documents the donor's father, Jack Brown, a community leader in Brantford, Ontario, and friend of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Of note are autographed pictures of Former Prime Ministers Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Jean Chrétien.

Administrative History: The son of Rose and William Brown, Jack Irving Brown was born in Toronto on January 4, 1926. His family moved to Brantford, Ontario when he was a boy. Upon graduating from high school, Jack went to work at his father's retail store. When he eventually bought the store, he renamed it Brown's of Brantford. In addition to running his business, Jack held leadership positions with the Beth David Congregation, Brant Liberal Association, and the Rotary Club of Brantford. Upon moving to Toronto, he became president of the LIFE Institute at Ryerson University.; Jack and Joy Brown (née Greenberg) had four children: Andrew, Marlene (1952-2007), Holli (b. 1954), and Harriette (b. 1958). Later in life, Jack and Joy separated. For the final years of his life, Jack's companion was Rheta Rhosen. Jack died on September 23, 1999.

Subjects: Businesspeople; Families; Stores, Retail

Name Access: Brown (family); Brown, Andrew, 1950-; Brown, Harriette, 1958-; Brown, Jack, 1926-1999; Brown, Rose; Brown, William; Chrétien, Jean, 1934-; Katzman, Marlene, 1952-2007; Trudeau, Pierre Elliott, 1919-2000; Verkade, Holli, 1954-

Places: Brantford (Ont.); Toronto (Ont.)

Source: Archival Accessions

Benjamin Brown Preservation Campaign | Ontario Jewish Archives

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Programs/Benjamin-Brown/Benjamin-Brown-Preservation-Campaign

Source: OJA Website

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Programs/Benjamin-Brown/Benjamin-Brown-Preservation-Campaign

Source: OJA Website

off of Avenue Road south of Davenport. Mr. Brown, then 82, was so surprised that anyone would still be interested in his work

Benjamin Brown Preservation Campaign Donors | Ontario Jewish Archives

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Donate/Benjamin-Brown-Preservation-Campaign-Donors

Source: OJA Website

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Donate/Benjamin-Brown-Preservation-Campaign-Donors

Source: OJA Website

Benjamin Brown Preservation Campaign Donors | Ontario Jewish Archives

Benjamin Brown Plaque Presentation | Ontario Jewish Archives

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Programs/Benjamin-Brown-Plaque-Presentation

Source: OJA Website

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Programs/Benjamin-Brown-Plaque-Presentation

Source: OJA Website

Benjamin Brown Plaque Presentation | Ontario Jewish Archives

Benjamin Brown: Architect | Ontario Jewish Archives

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Exhibitions/Benjamin-Brown-Architect

Source: OJA Website

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Exhibitions/Benjamin-Brown-Architect

Source: OJA Website

Benjamin Brown: Architect | Ontario Jewish Archives

J. B. Remembered Travelling Exhibition | Ontario Jewish Archives

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Exhibitions/Online/J.-B.-Remembered-Travelling-Exhibition

Source: OJA Website

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Exhibitions/Online/J.-B.-Remembered-Travelling-Exhibition

Source: OJA Website

J. B. Remembered Travelling Exhibition | Ontario Jewish Archives

Benjamin Brown | Ontario Jewish Archives

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Explore/Benjamin-Brown

Source: OJA Website

URL: http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Explore/Benjamin-Brown

Source: OJA Website

Benjamin Brown | Ontario Jewish Archives

J. Irving Oelbaum Centre, 1948-1983

Address: 150 Beverley Street

Source: Landmarks

The Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto was made a charitable organization under the laws of Ontario in March, 1917. Its central goal was to end the frequent, uncontrolled, and competitive fund soliciting by a wide range of individual Toronto Jewish philanthropic and social service institutions and instead substitute a single coordinated city-wide community fundraising effort. This would ensure adequate and accountable funding for all its affiliated organizations and agencies in Toronto. The first office of the FJPT was at 206 Beverley St., but by 1924 it was headquartered at 218 Simcoe St. and by 1928 it had moved to 179 Beverley St., which was renamed "Scheuer House" after the FJPT's first president, Edmund Scheuer.

Address: 150 Beverley Street

Time Period: 1948-1983

Scope Note: The Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto was made a charitable organization under the laws of Ontario in March, 1917. Its central goal was to end the frequent, uncontrolled, and competitive fund soliciting by a wide range of individual Toronto Jewish philanthropic and social service institutions and instead substitute a single coordinated city-wide community fundraising effort. This would ensure adequate and accountable funding for all its affiliated organizations and agencies in Toronto. The first office of the FJPT was at 206 Beverley St., but by 1924 it was headquartered at 218 Simcoe St. and by 1928 it had moved to 179 Beverley St., which was renamed "Scheuer House" after the FJPT's first president, Edmund Scheuer.

History: They moved to Dundas Square in the late 1940s and then occupied a number of different buildings until they moved into their long term home at 150-152 Beverley Street in 1948 where they remained until July 1983. This building was called the J. Irving Olebaum. As the community moved north, the the J. Irving Oelbaum Centre building was eventually sold in 1983 and the United Jewish Welfare Fund moved to the Lipa Green building at Bathurst and Sheppard. The building on Beverley Street was mysteriously burned down.