Part Of

Toronto Hadassah-WIZO fonds

Ilana Chapter series

Level

Series

Fonds

71

Series

2

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

object

Date

1949-1996

Physical Description

33 photographs : b&w and col. (17 negatives) ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

2 artifacts

15 cm of textual records

Admin History/Bio

Founded in the spring of 1949 by Mrs. Dolly Tarshis and Mrs. Elaine Culiner, the Ilana Chapter of the Hadassah – Wizo Organization of Canada was created under the organization’s national mandate dedicated to financially and socially supporting the peoples of Israel and promoting Jewish culture and ideals in Canada. Under the leadership of Elaine Culiner as it’s first President, membership in the Ilana Chapter began with 15 women in 1949 and grew to 26 women in it’s second year. By 1965 there were 50 members in total, residing in several different neighbourhoods across central and north Toronto. All chapter meetings were held in members’ homes, generally twice a month. Executive meetings were held once a month between September and June. Over the years many Ilana members were also active in the Toronto Hadassah Council Executive.

The Ilana Chapter was constructed according to the mandate of the Hadassah – Wizo Organization of Canada, and as such, was obligated to administer itself accordingly. It’s administration was comprised of 2 levels – an administrative council and a general membership. The executive consisted of a president, vice-president, treasurer, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, past president, 2 members-at-large, and various portfolio chairmen. The executive met at least once a month to discuss chapter issues, and the general membership met approximately twice a month. All other meetings were held on a rotating basis at members’ homes and the minutes were recorded by the secretary. All issues and activities would be voted on by the membership at large, although it was the executive’s responsibility to ensure that all activities were carried out. Members were required to pay annual dues, of which the chapter retained only a small portion for expenses, as the balance was relegated to the regional council to pay for administrative costs and donations.As well, all fundraising profits raised by the Chapter for support of the various Hadassah - Wizo programs was required to be forwarded to the regional council by the 10th of each month.

Membership in Ilana remained relatively constant until the chapter merged with the Deborah Chapter in 1990, primarily due to waning meeting attendance.

The Ilana Chapter participated in numerous organization-wide fundraising activities, contributing to such social programs as Youth Aliyah, the Children’s Village in Hadassim, the Jewish National Fund, and the Henrietta Szold Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Rose Dunkelman Day Care Center in Tel Aviv is one of 10 Israeli centers sponsored by the Hadassah-Wizo Organization of Canada and is directly affiliated with the Toronto branch and it’s constituent chapters.The Ilana Chapter contributed financially to this center through it’s child sponsorship program, in which a child at the center would be “adopted” for one year.

Fundraising campaigns unique to the Ilana Chapter included the Clothing Name Tape program benefiting the Children’s Village in Hadassim, and the innovative “House That Goodwill Built”, later adopted by the Toronto Hadassah Council, which featured it as the “Eilat Lighthouse” at the annual Toronto Hadassah Bazaar.

Cocktail parties, teas, luncheons, raffle draws, theatre outings, and dinner-dances were also popular fundraising activities for the Ilana Chapter, most taking place in members’ homes and relying heavily on membership donations.In 1964 the Chapter inaugurated a highly successful fundraising event, their annual Treasure Trove and Antique Auction, with proceeds benefiting Youth Aliyah.This project ran until the early 1980’s. Linens, silver, clothing, and other like goods were either donated for sale or offered on consignment by local businesses, proving to be a successful fundraising event for the Chapter. Originally organized in members’ homes, the Auction and Treasure Trove was held at the following venues during the 1960s and early 1970s:The North York Memorial Gardens, St. Lawrence Hall, Edwards Gardens, and finally the Holiday Inn Yorkdale, where it remained from 1973 until its final years.

Scope and Content

The series consists of records in the form of textual documents, photographs, press clippings, memorabilia, and scrapbooks that document the history of the Ilana Chapter from 1949 – 1990, and its successor the Deborah-Ilana Chapter from 1990-1996.

These include administrative documents such as executive council lists (1951-1983), membership lists (1949-1993), master lists of past presidents (1949-1983) and financial records (1952-1991).

Other documents include executive meeting minutes (1952-1972) and general meeting minutes (1951-1982), the opening prayer read before all meetings, a Chapter history compiled by a former President in 1966, and the Chapter Constitution and By-Laws (1964).

Documents of the chapter’s involvement in the Rose Dunkelman Day Care Center include letters, photos, certificates and case histories issued by Hadassim and Wizo Baby Services from 1997- 1988.

Among the membership memorabilia are photos, cards, invitations, press clippings, a sympathy card, and an obituary.

Finally this series includes the meeting gavel which was used by the president to chair the meetings.

The records are arranged in chronological order by subject, such as membership lists, executive council nominations, and executive meeting minutes. The contents of 3 scrapbooks have been placed in files and are arranged chronologically.

Source

Archival Descriptions