Retired regimental Sgt.-Maj. Sam Cohen, who celebrates his 100th birthday on August 12 (2005), defies all medical logic. “He eats all the wrong foods, such as pastrami with fat and fried foods, and he smokes more than a package of unfiltered Sweet Caporal cigarettes a day,” says his daughter Theresa Strom. “We have to order…
Tag: profile
Centenarian Abraham Lieff looks back on Canadian Jewry
by •
For more than a century, Abraham (Abe) Lieff, who is known as the father of modern Canadian family law, has witnessed history unfolding in Canada and Israel. Lieff is a walking history book. His memory reaches back into the pioneer days of the development of the organized Jewish community in Canada, particularly the Jewish community…
The Ostrys: a legacy of accomplishment in public life
by •
Sylvia and Bernard Ostry are an exceptional Jewish couple, says book publishing consultant Malcolm Lester of Malcolm Lester and Associates. “They are one of a kind in terms of their joint accomplishments in Canadian public service,” adds Lester, who has been a consultant on their recently published books. Both of the Ostrys are respected around…
1911 profile of Mrs. Jacobs, wife of Holy Blossom rabbi
by •
Note: The following article, which appeared in the Toronto Star Weekly of April 15, 1911, highlights the various activities of Mrs. Jacobs, wife of the Rabbi Solomon Jacobs of the city’s most prominent Jewish congregation, Holy Blossom, then situated at 97 Bond Street. * * * Mrs. Jacobs, Leader Among Jewish Women, and Working Girls’…
90-year-old stays active teaching dance
by •
Irving Naftolin teaches dancing. Naftolin, who will be 90 years old in October, is spry, articulate and has a clear memory of events past and present. He is enthusiastic about sharing his thoughts on staying youthful, his love of dancing and the tremendous benefits he gets from dancing and teaching others to dance. He believes…
Profile: Honest Ed Mirvish (2001)
by •
If this year is anything like previous years, the sun will be shining when “Honest” Ed Mirvish, Toronto’s legendary salesman and theatre impresario, hosts a mammoth street party on Sunday July 22 in celebration of his 87th birthday, offering free refreshments and entertainment to as many as 60,000 people over a seven-hour period. The party…
Restoring Jewish heritage sites with Sam Gruber
by •
The first time Sam Gruber stepped inside the Tempel Synagogue in Krakow, Poland, he was “incredibly moved” by what he saw. Considered the lone surviving example of the great 19th-century synagogues of Poland, the sumptuously decorated Moorish-Gothic structure had been built as a Reform synagogue in 1862. It had been enlarged in 1892 and again…
Profile: Deepak Chopra, growth-industry guru
by •
From out of the infinite void comes a new book by Deepak Chopra — How To Know God: The Soul’s Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries — along with Chopra himself, fresh off an early-morning flight from Washington DC, visiting Toronto as part of an 18-city promotional tour. At 53, the Californian growth-industry guru appears…
Stewart Bell: Keeping tabs on terrorists
by •
A new book on Canada’s role as a haven for international terrorism provides alarming details on how border and immigration authorities here have repeatedly slipped up and allowed known Middle Eastern and other terrorists to enter the country and even attain citizenship. In his new book Cold Terror, author Stewart Bell documents how the country’s…
Obit: Mandel Sprachman (1925-2002)
by •
Mandel Sprachman, the Toronto architect who restored the city’s legendary Elgin-Winter Garden vaudeville house to its original splendour, has died at the age of 77. Like his father before him, Sprachman specialized in old movie palaces and theatres; he renovated and restored many such edifices in Toronto, Montreal and other Canadian cities. He was also…
