Nathan Friedman-Burley’s bar mitzvah was a walk down memory lane for his family. The event took place at the Cecil Community Centre at 58 Cecil Street in downtown Toronto, once the home of the vibrant Anshei Ostrovtzer Synagogue where Friedman-Burley’s great-grandfather, Israel Nachman Weinberg, was one of the founders in 1922 and the first president,…
Tag: JEWISH TORONTO
Toronto company boasts 50 years, four generations
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Long before home computers and the Toronto subway, Cooper Office Supply Co. Limited was established at 379 Queen Street West in Toronto. Celebrating its 50th year in business and into the fourth generation of Coopers, the landmark location continues its tradition of excellence, says David Cooper, president of the family business. His father, Jack Cooper,…
Drildzer Society, founded 1934, celebrates anniversary
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Some 120 people recently celebrated the Drildzer Congregation and Society’s 70th anniversary, including a number who were among the group’s early founders. The second, third and fourth generations were also represented at the banquet, held at the Pride of Israel Synagogue, with Rochelle Sufrin, daughter of Jack Stopper, as the evening’s chair. After meeting informally…
Five generations of Wagman family gather for reunion
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More than 400 people representing five generations of Ruchel and Isaac Wagman’s descendants gathered earlier this month (2004) in Chicago for the latest in a series of reunions held every four years in a different city. “It has now been 20 years since the first international reunion of the family,” said Toronto’s Mel Katzman, who…
Goldblatt family reunion is an annual event
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Jacob Norman, the patriarch of the Goldblatt family, came to Canada at the turn of the century. He began his first business, dealing in scrap metal and glass in Hamilton, with a horse and buggy. Eventually, he founded International Iron and Metal. Goldblatt brought many of his relatives to Canada and assisted some of them…
Volunteer has devoted more than 60 years to Stashover
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Albert (Al) Wise, 90, has devoted most of his life to the landsleit of Stashov, the town in Poland where his family lived and where he was born in 1914. His father, Benjamin Weisberg, a tailor, came to Canada in 1920, and two years later, he brought his wife, Al, and Al’s brother and sister.…
Songwriter is remembered for I’ll Never Smile Again
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Many Canadians do not know that one of the world’s greatest pop songs of all time, I’ll Never Smile Again, was written by a Canadian, Ruth Lowe, more than 60 years ago. Although the song has been recorded by famous orchestras and well-known vocalists, it was not until recently (2004) that attention was once again…
Profile: centenarian Sam Cohen (2005)
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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…
Fay and Harry Nesker celebrate 75th anniversary
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Torontonians Fay and Harry Nesker celebrated their wedding anniversary on May 28, 75 years after marrying in secret. Family and friends attended a reception at Cummer Lodge where Fay is a resident to rejoice in their marriage that took place on May 28, 1928. On that day, Fay Lefkovitz and Harry Nesker, who were then…
Sons of Jacob Benevolent Society still going strong after 87 years
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The history of the Sons of Jacob Benevolent Society, which recently entered its 87th year, mirrors the growth and development of the Toronto Jewish community. The society’s current president, Joe Goren, says the records show that the organization, founded in 1918, was formed “to do good works and [give] charitable donations.” Its first meeting was…
