Talmud Torah's 100Th Anniversary
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Heritage – Yerusha Fall 2010 Tishrei 5771 VOLUME 13, NO. 1 HERITAGEHERITAGE www.jahsena.ca The Journal of THE JEWISH ARCHIVES & HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF EDMONTON & NORTHERN ALBERTA Inside: Talmud Torah’s 100th Anniversary: May, 2012 Dr. Joel Wilbush page 4 Shelley Switzer page 7 Jewish War Orphans page 9 AGM Graduating Class of Edmonton Talmud Torah, ca. 1954 Front Row: Mrs. Goelman, Florie Rubin Axler, Doreen Pakes, Shanee Birenbaum, Sora Sunday, Satanove, Esther Estrin Starkman, Mrs. Tova Yedlin. November 14th Back Row: Mr. Moshe Goelman, Eli Shtabsky, Hershel Sorokin, Elliot Phillipson, Jack Chetner, David Lyons, Cyril Sapiro, Arnold Bernstein. Donated by Cyril Sapiro. 7:30 pm If you have any class or other Talmud Torah pictures, please bring them in to the JAHSENA office so that they can be included in the 100th Anniversary website. If you have any photos to donate, JCC please phone or email the office at: 780-489-2809 or [email protected]. 2 VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.jahsena.ca HERITAGE • FALL 2010 hwry From the President, by JINI VOgel HERITAGEHERITAGE Fall, 2010 The Journal of the Jewish Archives & Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Alberta t has been a very busy and seemingly a few months she will be very busy with Ishort summer. The kids went back a new baby. President to school and the High Holidays were Please mark your calendar as Sunday Jini Vogel upon us. November 14th is our AGM. We will Archivist & Editor This year we kicked off our member- have a very short business meeting Debby Shoctor ship drive a bit early. It was a resounding and then a very special program. Ram Treasurer success. Thank you to all of you who Romanovsky will introduce and show Howard Davidow responded so generously and for those the film “Ochberg’s Orphans”. His Secretary who increased your membership level. father was one of the orphans and his Gloria Aaron The additional funds will help to story is very compelling. Vice Presidents develop new programs/services. If you Over the past year, I have told you Judy Goldsand did not receive the notice please give our about how, via the internet, I found Mel Wyne office a call. Remember we issue a Tax a huge family I never knew existed. Members-at-Large Receipt but the dues must be in to us by We met again in LA this fall and we st Cory Felber December 31 . We take charge cards, talked, cried and debated like any large Dr. Manuel Friedman cheques and cash. family, truly a new experience for me. Barry Zalmanowitz Our third Family Writing Workshop However, on the other side of the family Dr. Eric Schloss will be held Sunday, October 31st at 1 I attended a family reunion that was Hal Simons pm, led by Lil Blume. We had an excel- highly computerized. A few cousins Miriam Rabinovitch lent turnout for the last session and the established a web site and through the Past-President discussions and sharing of experiences site collected all kinds of materials and Dan Kauffman was very special. Don’t worry if you pictures, informed us regarding details Founding President missed the first two parts you won’t of the reunion, made available a family Uri Rosenzweig want to miss the third one. Call the chart and in conclusion posted pictures Graphic Design office if you plan to attend. of the whole four days that each of PageMaster Our office receives phone calls and us could download and print. Not a inquiries from people who are doing postage stamp was purchased! Quite Mailing Address family genealogical projects who often amazing. JAHSENA, 7200-156 St., find themselves at a dead-end looking If you enjoyed reading this issue of Edmonton, Alberta, T5R 1X3, for information. We are delighted to “Heritage/Yerusha” please pass it on to tell you that Caroline Ullman, who has somebody who perhaps is not a mem- Telephone: (403) 489-2809 just returned from the International ber. The more members we have the Fax: (780) 481-1854 Jewish Genealogy Conference this stronger our society family is. I’ll talk Email: [email protected] summer in Los Angeles, and has been to you later in the year when that white Website: www.jahsena.ca. conducting a major project for her fam- stuff is here. ily, has agreed to chair a new Genealogy Subcommittee of the Board. Watch for Shalom, more information later in the year as for Jini Vogel HERITAGE • fAll 2010 VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.jahsena.ca 3 UPCOMING PROGRAM Writing Jewish Family Stories and Memoirs: Themes of Chanukah DONATION Family Writing Workshop – Lil Blume is back! Please join her for another instalment of our Faimily Writing Workshop on October 31st at 1 PM. Register with the office. CARDS Fee is $10 per person, including coffee break. JAHSENA now has donation The story of Chanukah invites thoughts about darkness and light, rebellion and cards with historic pictures on miracles. We light up them available for purchase. our houses and sing Mark your special simchas by songs of triumph over oppression. sending a donation to JAHSENA. Our family stories Contact the office for more and personal memoirs details at: 780‑489‑2809. We also involve moving have received the following from darkness to light donations: and triumphing over Sympathy oppression through To Bernie, Gail and Ashley Estrin, rebellion, faith, in memory of Goldy Estrin, z’l, and miracles. This from Lewis and Freya Wasel. workshop hopes to uncover these stories. AGM CORRECTIONS Our Annual General Meeting will take place Sunday, November 14th at 7:30 pm in the Coloniale Room of the JCC. Kosher refreshments will be served. Three Jewish dentists of note left Our feature presentation will be “Ochberg’s Orphans,” a documentary film out from the last issue of Heritage/ produced by Ram Romanovsky. It details the life of Samuel Ochberg, a South African Yerusha include Dr. Marty Zell, Dr. Jewish businessman and philanthropist, who saved the lives of over 200 Jewish war Barney Mass and Dr. David Mintz. orphans in post‑World War I Europe by bringing them to South Africa and finding Dr. Barney Mass practiced in the homes for them. Among those orphans was Ram’s father, who appears in the film. Tegler Building and served as the Ram will also offer a personal commentary on the story and making of the film. Cantor at Beth Shalom Synagogue. On Display At the JCC… On the Web… Torah School, is featured in a new 2011 calendar. These calendars Currently on display at the JCC Check out the Archives Society are available for purchase from you will find an exhibit of items of Alberta Exhibit prepared our office for $10. Also check out formerly belonging to Cecil “Tiger” for Archives Week 2010, titled the Peter Owen exhibit online at Goldstick. If you would like to “Growing Up Albertan”, at the same website under “Letters donate a book, document or a www.archivesalberta.org. You from the Trunk.” Old issues of our piece of memorabilia to add to will find five photos from our newsletter, Heritage/Yerusha are our collection, call 780‑489‑2809. collection, one of which, a photo available on our website, www. Please stop by the JCC and view of Mel Hurtig leading Junior jahsena.ca. these items on display opposite the Congregation at the old Talmud office in the glass display case. 4 VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.jahsena.ca HERITAGE • FALL 2010 Dr. Joel Wilbush: the Wandering Jewish Physician By Debby Shoctor tech nion in Germany and qualified as a mechanical engineer, before making ost Jewish Edmontonians have aliyah to Palestine in 1903. There, he Mnever heard of Dr. Joel Wilbush, started in the engineering and natural but that is not the case in Israel. The resources business. He and Mendele Wilbush name is synonymous with the Hanke were the first engineers to survey founding of the State and the family is the future State of Israel in order to one of the earliest pioneer families. He map the watersheds, agricultural land is also related on his mother’s side to and mineral deposits on behalf of a the Belkind and Feinberg families, other group of Russian investors from Minsk. early pioneers in the land of Israel. As a result of this report, he was asked Nahum Wilbush, Joel’s father, came to join the commission of the Zionist to Israel from Grodno, Lithuania, where Organization that was sending people Dr. Joel Wilbush, ca. 1945, supplied photo. he was born in 1879. The youngest of to examine territory being offered by the nine children, his father Ze’ev Volf ’s British Government for Jewish settle- with Bezalel Shatz when it was about estate included a flour mill on the river ment in Uganda, (former British East to collapse and was the founder of the Niemen. This mill was important, as it Africa). first art school in Jerusalem and the first inspired all of his children to be inter- The only Jewish member of this Hebrew language school in Jaffa. ested in technology. committee, Nahum wrote a report on In 1906, Nahum married Shoshana Gedaliah (Grisha) Wilbushewitz, the suitability of the Ugandan land as Feinberg. Her uncle was Israel Belkind, Joel’s uncle, became a mechanical engi- a temporary Jewish settlement. His leader of the Biluim, and founder of the neer, and went to Eretz Israel in 1892 conclusions were that the land was first Hebrew school in Jaffa in 1889. to found a machine and metal-casting totally unsuitable for Jews, and his On his way to Jaffa in 1903, Nahum factory in Jaffa, the first Jewish enter- report was instrumental in the Zionists’ had attended the 6th Zionist Congress prise of its kind in the country.