- Part Of
- Board of Jewish Education fonds
- Executive Director series
- Level
- Series
- Fonds
- 48
- Series
- 2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1936-2000
- Physical Description
- 2.2 m of textual records
- 1 photograph : col. ; 10 x 16 cm
- Admin History/Bio
- The executive director is responsible for the administration and management of the Board of Jewish Education, including its committees. During the 1950s, the executive director was one of five staff members, along with a school consultant, assistant director (i.e., administrative assistant to the executive director), secretary stenographer, and stenographer. In the 1960s and 1970s, as the Jewish education system in Toronto grew, additional positions were created to assist the executive director, including an associate director, director of school finances, and later, the director of educational technology.
- The responsibilities of the executive director have included the supervision of administrative and professional staff, assembling board and committee agendas, planning new projects, recruiting and hiring of new personnel, monitoring the availability of scholarships and bursaries for students pursuing higher Jewish education, consulting with teachers and principals of subsidized schools on such matters as curriculum and professional development, acting as the BJE representative in dealings with government agencies and other organizations, and public relations and education activities like conferences and media interviews. The executive director is an ex officio member of many BJE committees and other organizations, such as the Principals Council.
- The executive director liaises with the schools on inter-school activities such as the Bible Contest and Jewish Book Month Contest, works with the Midrasha Board of Governors in the preparation and supervision of its curriculum and budget, consults with staff at the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT), and assists in the administration of the Israel study programs. The executive director has also carried the title of director of CHAT, stemming from the initial founding of the school by the UJWF. This position has involved serving on the board of directors of CHAT, dealing with staff needs, helping determine policies and plans for the school, and reviewing the school's budget and operations. The executive director has been the dean of the Midrasha L'Morim since its establishment in 1953.
- Dr. Joseph Diamond was the first executive director of the BJE, serving in this position for 18 years. In 1969, Rabbi Irwin E. Witty became executive director and served in this position for 28 years. In 1997 and 1998, Rabbi Dr. Jeremiah Unterman held the position. In 1999, Dr. Seymour Epstein became executive director of the BJE and, as of 2006, also holds the position of Vice-President for Jewish Education, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.
- Scope and Content
- This series documents the executive directors' work with the UJWF Study Committee on Jewish Education in the early 1970s, and with agencies of the municipal, provincial and federal governments to secure funding for Jewish schools. The series also documents the executive director's public relations work on behalf of the BJE, through public speaking engagements and radio programs and the recruitment and hiring of teachers and principals for the various schools. The series contains personal correspondence of Dr. Diamond and Rabbi Witty, which they kept in the BJE's filing system and contain some references to their work as executive director.
- The series is organized into four sub-series: Personal correspondence and writings, Government aid to schools, United Jewish Welfare Fund Study Committee on Jewish Education, and Teacher files.
- Related Material
- Please note that much of the material in other series of the fonds -- especially the Subject files (series 4), School files (series 5) and Chronological correspondence (series 6) -- include records created or accumulated by the executive director in his work on BJE projects and programs.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Board of Jewish Education fonds
- Executive director series
- Personal correspondence and writings sub-series
- Level
- Sub-series
- Fonds
- 48
- Series
- 2-1
- Material Format
- textual record
- Date
- 1969-1993
- Physical Description
- 72 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- The sub-series consists of Dr. Joseph Diamond's and Rabbi Irwin Witty's personal correpondence, filed with their executive director records, the text of public talks and of commentaries made on Zelda Young's "Jewish hour" radio programme, broadcast every Sunday on the CHIN (Toronto) radio station. The topics of these commentaries varied widely, including Talmudic commentaries, Israeli and Diaspora Jewish politics, as well as matters relating to Jewish education in Toronto and elsewhere. Although much of the personal correspondence is routine in nature, some of the letters include discussions of Jewish education and activities of the BJE.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions
- Part Of
- Board of Jewish Education fonds
- Executive director series
- Government aid to schools sub-series
- Level
- Sub-series
- Fonds
- 48
- Series
- 2-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- graphic material
- Date
- 1974-1998
- Physical Description
- 37 cm of textual records
- 1 photograph : col. ; 10 x 16 cm
- Scope and Content
- The sub-series consists of records and reference materials relating to BJE applications for school and program funding to the federal and provincial governments, and to the North York Public School Board. The projects and programs include heritage and French language programs, and professional development projects for teachers. The sub-series includes records relating to BJE and CJC efforts to lobby the provincial government to extend funding of schools to include private schools. The sub-series includes a photograph of Rabbi Witty and Bernard Shoub accepting a Government of Canada cheque for a BJE project.
- Source
- Archival Descriptions