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Here’s an index of material on this site pertaining to the history of the Jewish community of Toronto. See bottom of page for articles about Jewish communities elsewhere in Ontario.
Please check back for new additions!
History of Beth Lida Forest Hill Congregation (downloadable BOOK by Bill Gladstone)
“Toronto’s Sages” – Prominent Rabbis of Blessed Memory (BOOK by Mayer S. Abramowitz)
ONLY YESTERDAY: New book offers pieces by Kayfetz, Speisman on Toronto Jews (2013)
GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES
Street directory of Toronto’s “Ward” — 1913
The Jew in Canada — Name Index
Canadian Jews in World War Two (book — a great genealogical resource)
Hebrew Sick Benefit Society Souvenir Booklet (1935)
List of Negev Dinner Patrons, Toronto, 1956
Lists of Holy Blossom members, donors & pupils, 1937-38
Book! McCaul Street Synagogue Golden Anniversary (1938)
Book! Canadian Jewry: Prominent Jews of Canada (1933) (many Torontonians)
List of donors to Jewish charities, Toronto 1925
List of Jews naturalized in Toronto, 1910
GENERAL
Lewis Samuel arrived in Toronto in 1844 (Speisman)
Toronto Jews Think Big As Population Grows (2000)
Toronto’s May Day parades of yesteryear (1955)
Abella on Weisgal (1972)
The Keeping of Jewish Records in Ontario (Speisman)
Samuel Sachs, long-time Goel Tzedec rabbi (1989)
Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut: An Appreciation (2017)
Books gather dust in Toronto’s ghostly Jewish Public Library
Benjamin Brown: Restoring an architect’s legacy (2015)
Mount Sinai Hospital had humble beginnings
From the DP Camps to Canada via the Tailor Project
Toronto Star New Year’s ads from 1933-34
Toronto’s Kosher Authorities Make Peace (1932)
Scandal: ‘kosher’ sausage is really treif (1919)
Toronto-born Rabbi Bernard Rosensweig to return here (1951)
Young Toronto Jews enter the professions (1929)
Peddlers Are Not Thieves, says Alderman Salsberg (1938)
Memories of Good (Jewish) Eats on Eglinton & Downtown (Ellen Weiser)
Yiddish Youth Concert, Massey Hall, 1918 (booklet)
Hucksters versus housewives in Kensington market (1925)
Insurers promise to treat Jew and Gentile alike (1931)
Directory of Toronto Jewish Organizations, 1931
The Jews — A Tenacious People of Faith (Globe, 1921)
Kashrut battle: Toronto makes peace (1932)
Toronto Jewish Film Festival turns 20
New director for Ontario Jewish Archives
Growing Up Jewish on Dundas Street (Kayfetz)
Personal thoughts on a bygone era (Rose)
Imposing Their Will an ‘original, illuminating study’
Remembering Our Yesterdays (photo stories)
Miscellaneous photos from the olden days
Special: Excerpt from ‘The Rise of the Toronto Jewish Community’
Handsome Granatstein house was demolished 1999 (Rose)
J.B. Salsberg remembered 10 years later (Gasner)
Cowan reminisces about the old Ward 4, 1930 to 1935
(Kaplan/Sprachman) Architects’ records given to Ontario Jewish Archives (Gasner)
Exhibit offers colourful look at Toronto’s garment industry
Roselawn Cemetery transcription project
Jewish “Antiques Roadshow” attracts dozens of heirlooms
Historic plaque for Kensington Market
Bathurst Street ‘treasure trove’: the Ontario Jewish Archives
A compendium of Canadian Jews in the arts
Tikkun Olam: Ve’ahavta intent on ‘repairing the world’
Historic Jewish Mothers & Babes Home to be restored (Bronte, Ont.)
Hyman’s book store was Spadina landmark (Gasner)
Fresh memories of Kensington Market (Gasner)
Restoration of old Mount Sinai Hospital
Queen’s opens J.B. Salsberg Papers to the public, 2002 (Gasner)
EARLY PERIOD TO WWI ERA
Photo: Toronto Poalei Tsion Youth Club (1918)
Esther Greenberg, age 7, accidentally shot (1915)
Profile: Dorothy Dworkin, nurse & Mount Sinai founder
A Matzah Factory on Ontario Street (1908)
Jews loyal to British throne, says Scheuer (1914)
Chestnut Street fracas: the day the police came to shul
Christian missions proselytized Jews in ‘the Ward’
Love turns to murder on Adelaide Street (1914)
A Bitter Dispute in Centre Avenue Synagogue (1908)
Toronto foreigners and their banking (1906)
Yom Kippur on University Avenue (1912)
Jewish Voters Out in Force for Liberal Maguire (1911)
Globe notices sharp increase of Jews in Toronto (1910)
Toronto’s junk trade worth $10 million a year (1913)
Toronto Pioneers — the Robinsons and Franklins
Profile of an old Russian Jew (Zeth Slavin) in Toronto (1913)
Police Raid Matzah Factory (1909)
Toronto’s Jewish ‘Unknown Soldier’ from WWI
From Post Office Manager to Prison — A Tale of the Ward
Making girls of Jewish birth into good Canadians (1916)
Goel Tzedec opens on University Avenue, 1907
Sam Harris witnessed Toronto’s great fire of 1904
Some Early Toronto Film Pioneers
On Toronto’s First Synagogue, by Dr. David Eisen
List of Jews naturalized in Toronto, 1910
Immigrant children learn English quickly (1910)
Inside Toronto’s first synagogue on Yom Kippur, 1881
Toronto’s first Jewish pharmacist (1866) (Eisen)
Toronto Jews Rally for the Allies in WWI (Globe)
Excluded from YMCA, Jews built their own ‘Y’
Massey Hall rally for Jews in Europe, 1915 (Star)
Profile of city’s Jews & wealthy Jacob Singer (1911)
All in a day’s work: Census takers in ‘the Ward’
Pioneers of Toronto’s Jewish Community (S. J. Birnbaum)
Jew-Baiting goes on in Victoria Street (1910)
Tales of Toronto’s first Jewish shvitz (Gasner)
Toronto Jewish community celebrates 100 years (1956) (Rose)
Reminiscences of a bygone era (Rose)
Toronto’s first Jewish nurse writes of early Toronto
Passover 1911: Rabbi Jacobs criticizes yacht club prejudice
Pre-1950 Jewish Toronto manuscript published (Gasner)
Harry Wineberg, mayoral candidate in 1915
LANDSMANSHAFT & MUTUAL BENEFIT SOCIETIES, etc
Mutual Benefit: Toronto’s ‘Society’ doctors
Landsmanschaft societies stretched forth their helping hands
Special! Landsmanshaft and Jewish mutual benefit societies of Toronto
List of Toronto landsmanshaft & mutual benefit societies
Landsmanshaft societies helped immigrants feel at home (Gasner)
B’nai Brith Toronto Lodge was founded 1919
Sons of Jacob still going strong after 87 years (Gasner)
Drildzer Society, founded 1934, celebrates anniversary (Gasner)
Chmielniker Society carries on heritage (Gasner)
Benevolent society celebrates its 110th anniversary (Gasner)
Alpha Omega dental fraternity to mark 100th anniversary in 2007 (Gasner)
Labor Zionist Alliance marks its 90th anniversary (1999) (Rose)
Upper Canada Lodge marks 60 years of chesed (Gasner)
CAMPS, CLUBS, SCHOOLS
Making girls of Jewish birth into good Canadians (1916)
Club Desmond members hold 50th anniversary reunion (Gasner)
Island Yacht Club dedicates new clubhouse (Gasner)
King Edward P.S. marks 100th birthday, 2002 (Gasner)
YMHA reunion rekindles memories for club members (Gasner)
Boys club members (Orion) still gather 60 years later (Gasner)
Oakwood Collegiate marks 100 years (2008) (Gasner)
Harbord class of ’53 gathers for 50th reunion (Gasner)
Camp Arrowhead holds 50-year reunion (Gasner)
SYNAGOGUES
Profile: Morton Brown of Beth Sholom (2013)
Fond farewell to Frydman-Kohl after 25 years (2019)
Samuel Sachs, long-time Goel Tzedec rabbi (1989)
Cecil Street Reunion: former shul receives plaque (2014)
(Bais Yehudah) Rabbi Beryl Rosensweig first to return here (1951)
Mishpocha memories at the Beth Sholom
History scrapbook: Beth Jacob Congregation
Bar mitzvah takes family back to old Ostrovtzer Synagogue (Gasner)
Beth Torah celebrates 40th anniversary (2002) (Gasner)
Village Shul celebrates its bar mitzvah (2003) (Gasner)
Purim at Holy Blossom on Bond Street, 1920
Holy Blossom invites homeless Out of the Cold
YIDDISH THEATRE
The Barsh family fondly recalls its musical past (Rose)
3,000 people attend marriage of Yiddish actors in 1913
Opening of Toronto’s Lyric Theatre, 1909
Opening of the Standard Yiddish Theatre, 1922
New Yiddish theatre an asset to Toronto (1922)
The Standard Yiddish theatre becomes a movie house, 1935
Former Yiddish theatre may become heritage site
PEOPLE & FAMILIES
(Alexander-King) A conversation with great aunt Sophie
(Bacher) A Bacher family reunion in the Catskills, 1983
(Bachrack) See Harry Wineberg, mayoral candidate, 1915
(Banack) Beth Sholom Profile: Sylvia Banack (2013)
(Beck) Profile: David Beck, late shammus at Beth Sholom (died 2010)
(Benjamin) Obits: Alfred D. Benjamin (d.1900); Frank Benjamin (d.1937)
(Bessin) Obit: Marion Bessin (d. 1981)
(Blugerman) Jimmy Blugerman (1887-1991), labour organizer extraordinaire
(Bossin) Bossin family celebrates 100 years in Canada (Gasner)
(Breslin) Obits: Hyman Breslin (d 1934); Reva Breslin (d. 1918)
(Brown) Sad case of Louis Brown, 1915
(Brown) Profile: Morton Brown of Beth Sholom (2013)
(Burke) The Burke family at Beth Sholom (2011)
(Cadesky) Profile: Frank Cadesky of Beth Sholom (2009)
(Carlen) The Doctor’s Office: A Secretary’s Memoir (Rose)
(Clavir) Obit: Rabbi Moses B. Clavir (1857-1928)
(Cohen) Obit: Movie pioneer Arthur Cohen (1880-1975)
(Cohen) Minnie Cohen, Toronto’s first Jewish woman doctor
(Cohen) Profile: centenarian Sam Cohen (2005) (Gasner)
(Cohen) Profile: Jacob Cohen, Jewish magistrate, from the Globe 1910
(Cohen) WWII veteran remembered for his generosity (Gasner)
(Devor) Devor family reunion in Toronto, 1983
(Devor, Dwor) Of the Dwor and Devor Families
(Draimin) Obit: Flora Draimin (1842-1925)
(Dworkin) Profile: Dorothy Dworkin, nurse & Mount Sinai founder
(Eisen) Dr. David Eisen was a dedicated historian
(Fortinsky) Service for Reb Israel Fortinsky
(Friedman) Profile: Rose Friedman at 100 (Part of Rubinoff-Naftolin family of Toronto)
(Frydman-Kohl) Fond farewell to Frydman-Kohl after 25 years (2019)
(Fuerstenberg) Obit: Adam Fuerstenberg (1939-2016)
(Gamulka) Rokitno Reunion: five who survived 2-1/2 years in forest
(Ganz) Profile: Fred Ganz (2008)
(Gasner) The legacy of Meyer W. Gasner (1906-1974) (Gasner)
(Gitterman) Independent 97-year-old leads a fulfilling life (Gasner)
(Glass) Glass family reunion in Toronto, 1985
(Gold) Max Gold celebrates his 100th birthday (Gasner)
(Goldberg) Artist Karla Goldberg triumphs over adversity
(Goldenberg) Profile: Jerry & Naomi Goldenberg
On Goldhars, Golds, Greens & Grinsteins
(Goldblatts of Hamilton, Toronto) Goldblatt family reunion is an annual event (Gasner)
(Goldfarb) Cliff Goldfarb organizes conference on Arthur Conan Doyle
(Gollom) Lillian Gollom, loyal Mount Sinai volunteer (d. 2000) (Rose)
(Goodbaum) Growth of a Kensington grocery store (1987) (Rose)
(Goodis) Obit: Jerry Goodis. founding member of Travellers (2002) (Gasner)
Goodman, Graubart, Grosberg & Hausman mourned (1982)
(Gordon) Obit: Rebbetzin Lifsha Gordon (1938)
(Gordon) Profile: Wilferd Gordon (1909-1994)
(Graubart) J. B. Salsberg on Rabbi Yehuda Leib Graubart
(Green, Grossman, Harris) Obits: Fanny Green, Moshe Grossman, Esther Harris
(Greenwald) Greenwalds celebrate 50th (1985)
(Gryfe) Gryfe family reunion in Toronto, 2010
(Halpern) Rabbi Halpern dead, founder of synagogue (1922)
(Hayman) Obit: Julius Hayman, Jewish Standard publisher (d. 2000) (Rose)
(Henig) King of Spadina, Harry Henig dies at 91 (2000) (Rose)
(Hurwitz) Memorial to Rabbi Israel Hurwitz of Toronto (d. 1979)
(Jacobs) 1911 profile of Mrs. Jacobs, wife of Holy Blossom rabbi
(Kernerman) Samuel Kernerman at 101: a man of three centuries (Rose)
(Kerzner) Clanton Park’s rabbi set to retire after 30 years (Gasner)
(Kirshenblatt) Obit: Rabbi Jacob Mendel Kirshenblatt (c1904 – 2002) (Gasner)
(Kaminker) Kaminker family plans reunion
(Kelman) Kelman family pay tribute to their mother (Gasner)
(Kerbel) A visit with Moishe and Gert Kerbel (2009)
(Krugel) Krugel brothers came from Galicia in 1890s
(Krystal) Josef Krystal, 74, Labour Zionist activist (2000) (Rose)
(Ladovsky) Obit: restaurateur Herman Ladovsky (1912-2002) (Gasner)
(Latchman) Profile: The Latchman Triplets
(Leventon) Irish rabbi’s descendants gather in Dublin (Gasner)
(Levinsky) Obit: Louis Levinsky (1862-1932)
(Lieff) Centenarian Abraham Lieff looks back on Canadian Jewry (mostly Ottawa) (Gasner)
(Lowe Sandler) Songwriter is remembered for I’ll Never Smile Again (Gasner)
(Magder) Stones of Remembrance installed in Vienna sidewalks
(Marks) Oppenheimer-Marks “Rainbow Wedding,” 1902
(Mather) The Doctor’s Office: A Secretary’s Memoir (Rose)
(Moskowitz) Lawyer’s roots are a real pickle (Gasner)
(Musicar) Profile: Harry & Selma Musicar (2016)
(Naftolin) 90-year-old stays active teaching dance (Gasner)
(Naftolin, Rubinoff) Bridging 90 years of Rubinoff-Naftolin history
(Nesker) Fay and Harry Nesker celebrate 75th anniversary (Gasner)
(Novak) Toronto’s David Novak to address papal conference
(Nurenberger) Obit: Meyer Joshua Nurenberger (1911-2001) (founded CJN)
(Nurenberger) M.J. Nurenberger founded the CJN (2017)
(Ochs) Obit: Rabbi David Ochs (1905-1985) (Gasner)
(Oppenheimer) Oppenheimer-Marks “Rainbow Wedding,” 1902
(Perlmutter) Dr. Perlmutter puts down drill after more than 50 years (Gasner)
(Plaut) Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut: An Appreciation
(Raab) Obit: artist Ernest Raab (died 2003) (Gasner)
(Rose) Rose family has 35th annual gathering, 1980
(Rosenberg) Lily and David Rosenberg belonged to Kielcer shul
(Rosenthal) Rabbi co-owned Miriam’s Fine Judaica for 41 years (Gasner)
(Rotenberg) Obit: Elazar (Louis) Rotenberg, ran steamship agency (1936)
(Roy) Roy family clan gathers in Toronto for reunion (Gasner)
(Salsberg) Obit: Sarah Salsberg dead at 94 (1977)
(Samuels) Lewis Samuels arrived in Toronto in 1844 (Speisman)
(Scheuer) Edmund Scheuer and the Toronto Jewish Free School for Girls
(Scheuer) Obit: Edmund Scheuer (1847-1943)
(Shapira) Shapira family held key to Terauley Street synagogue
(Seiden) Greenwalds celebrate 50th (1985)
(Seidman) Bases (and basement) loaded for baseball aficionado Peter Seidman
(Serota) Conversation with Alex Serota (2009)
(Shapiro) Centenarian says she is ‘young at heart’ (Gasner)
(Sharp) Obit: builder, philanthropist Max Sharp (c1902-2004)
(Shemen) Toronto’s Rabbi Shemen adds to Jewish scholarship (Gasner)
(Sherman) Sherman was society president for 60 years (Gasner)
(Sherman) At 103, Ben Sherman isn’t ready to retire (1974)
(Shopsowitz) Obit: Sam Shopsowitz, hot-dog king, dead at 63 (1984)
(Shuster) Obit: comedian Frank Shuster (1916-2002)
(Simcovitch) Obit: Simcha Simchovitch, eminent Yiddish writer (2017)
(Sky) 91-year-old reflects on life as a pharmacy pioneer (Gasner)
(Slavin) Profile of an old Russian Jew in Toronto (1913)
(Slonim) Obit: Rabbi Reuben Slonim (d. 2000) (Rose)
(Smith) Obit: Nathan Smith (d. 1936)
(Sniderman) Obit: Sports hero Harry Sniderman (1976)
(Snow) Profile: Mickey & Frimette Snow (2011)
(Stein) Former seamstress featured in Spadina doc (Rose)
(Steinhauer Rumack) She started nursery at Brunswick Talmud Torah (Gasner)
(Stopper) Centenarian [Jack Stopper] is a Drildzer stalwart (Gasner)
(Starkman) 20,000 gawkers swarm Bessie Starkman funeral, 1930 (Hamilton, Ont.)
(Sterling) Profile: “Button King” Sam Sterling (1983)
(Stransman) Warm Toronto Memoirs
(Strub) Strub family brought pickle recipe from Russia
(Tator) Neurosurgeon maintains busy schedule at 63 (2000) (Rose)
(Till) Dora Till receives inaugural Primrose Award, 1980
(Unger) Centenarian a physical fitness buff (Gasner)
(Ungerman) Profile: Irving Ungerman
(Vanek) David Vanek’s Fulfillment
(Vanek) Former Vanek family resort to become a park
(Wagman) Five generations of Wagman family gather for reunion (Gasner)
(Weintraub) JCC davener Reb Abraham Weintraub turns 90
(Wilensky) Obit: Mary Wilensky (d. 1958)
(Mrs Harry Winberg) Obit: Mrs. Harry (Bachrack) Winberg
(Winer) Memorial service to honour former Toronto rabbi (Gasner)
(Wise) Volunteer has devoted more than 60 years to Stashover (Gasner)
(Wolfe) Flees pogroms, he builds commercial enterprise (Max Wolfe)
(Wyman) Mildred Wyman’s ‘Forest of Trees’
BOOKS
(Berris) A Toronto doc’s memoir
(Cantor) Memoirist grew up Jewish in Toronto’s Little Italy (Gasner)
(Diamond) A study of Toronto’s Orthodox Jews
(Diamond) Book examines city’s Jewish community
(Eisen) The doctor who loved history
(Levine) Seeking the Fabled City: the Canadian Jewish Experience
JEWS OF ONTARIO & CANADA (outside Toronto)
The Keeping of Jewish Records in Ontario (1990)
A ‘robust, new’ history of Jews in Canada
A visit with the Jews of Kingston (Rose)
50th anniversary of Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Congregation (Gasner)
Marianne Grand, oldest Jewish resident in Markham
First synagogue for Barrie, Ontario (2000) (Rose)
Peterborough Jewish community comes to life (2000) (Rose)
Annie Black, Peterborough pioneer (d. 1980)
Jewish community thriving in Kitchener-Waterloo (Rose)
Cornwall maintains minyan despite dwindling numbers (Rose)
Of the Dwor and Devor families (Port Colborne, St. Catharines)
David Rome, an appreciation (Kayfetz)
