Heritage – Yerusha Summer 2012 Sivan 5772 VOLUME 14, NO. 3 HERITAGEHERITAGE www.jahsena.ca The Journal of THE JEWISH ARCHIVES & HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF EDMONTON & NORTHERN ALBERTA Inside: Mandel Bloomfield Jews in AZA ca. 1973 Professional Sports page 4 Sparkie Milner page 10 Jewish Street Names in Edmonton page 12 Hold the date: Thursday, July 5th Bus Tour Back Row L-R: Dan Kauffman, Gary Lyons, Steve Kushner, David Kauffman, Phil Rosensweig, Mark Rozenberg, Bruce Mintz, Neil Kredentser, Marshall Shoctor. of Jewish Second Row: L-R: David Bernstein, Norm Hanson, Danny Warhaft, Perry Hendin, David Edmonton Zimmer, David Warhaft. 2 VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.jahsena.ca HERITAGE • SUMMER 2012 hwry HERITAGEHERITAGE From the President, The Journal of the Jewish by JINI VOgel Archives & Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Summer, 2012 Alberta President Jini Vogel Archivist & Editor orking with organizations pictures, documents or artifacts that Debby Shoctor Wcan often be very disappoint- reflect our members from all parts of Treasurer ing. You certainly hear about the the world. The Jewish community Howard Davidow oversights and mistakes and rarely in Edmonton and Northern Alberta hear about the good stuff. Well I am is a melting pot and that is what Secretary delighted to tell you that all of us at gives us our unified strength. So no Hal Simons JAHseNA are thrilled to hear from matter where you were born (yes, Vice Presidents so many of our members in support even Calgary!) if you live here in Judy Goldsand of our Quarterly magazine “Heritage”. Edmonton or Northern Alberta we Miriam Rabinovitch We hear from members who no are interested in you!!! Members-at-Large longer live here or who are no longer The importance of capturing active in the community, linking us historical moments in our community Dr. Manuel Friedman, Mel Wyne, Caroline Ullman, together. Each issue is a labour of came home to me this year during the Phil Lister, love. Our Archivist Debby Shoctor Holocaust Memorial service at the Dr. George Goldsand, is the driving force behind the issues. legislature grounds. The previous Doreen Jampolsky, Ron Bercov She locates writers, does research, year Dasha Zottenberg (of blessed edits and often puts the stamps on memory) once again took the micro- Past-President the envelopes. We are always looking phone and sang the Partisan song of Dan Kauffman for themes for the issues so please call the Polish underground. Her voice Founding President or e-mail the office if you have sugges- was full of passion and dedication and Uri Rosenzweig tions. We can always use more writers there was not a dry eye in the house. and source materials. Thankfully one of the attendees, Frida Graphic Design Several times this past year, I spoke Pesin, had the foresight to record PageMaster to people in the community about Dasha’s song in 2011. This year we recording their life stories. Some back had only the recording. What a payoff Mailing Address off saying they were not born here…. for the Archives and thank you, Frida! JAHSENA, 7200-156 St., but when questioned how long they Have a great summer and watch the Edmonton, Alberta, T5R 1X3 have lived here, they answer 10, 15 mail for some exciting JAHSENA or 35 years. One even said 70 years! events . Telephone: (780) 489-2809 You do not have to have been born Jini Vogel, Fax: (780) 481-1854 here to have a history in our commu- President, Email: [email protected] nity. We are very interested in stories, JAHSENA Website: www.jahsena.ca. HERITAGE • summER 2012 VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.jahsena.ca 3 JAHSENA Welcomes Dr. Eva Olsson n Sunday, May 18th, JAHSENA Hungary, one of six children in a poor Owelcomed Holocaust Survivor and Hasidic family. On May 15, 1944, she speaker Dr. Eva Olsson in a joint program and her family were taken away, then co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of ended up in several Concentration Camps, Edmonton. Mrs. Olsson was in Alberta including Auschwitz, which she man- speaking to local school groups, including aged to survive. She then went to live in at the annual Holocaust Symposium Sweden, where she met her husband, and for Grade 12 students sponsored by they ultimately immigrated to Toronto, the Education Committee of the Jewish Canada, where she has lived ever since. Federation of Edmonton. About 60 Her books, “Unlocking the doors: A people attended the Sunday night event. Woman’s Struggle Against Intolerance” Mrs. Olsson was very well-received, and and “Remembering Forever: A Journey talked about her experiences growing up of Darkness & Light,” are available for Dr. Eva Olsson and JAHSENA in an Orthodox Jewish family in Szatmar, purchase online at www.eveolsson.ca. President Jini Vogel, Shoctor photo. JAHSENA Completes Digitization of DONATION Oral History Holdings CARDS JAHSENA has donation he Board of Directors and Staff of office for researchers. In addition, we are cards with historic pictures on JAHSENA (The Jewish Archives still working on creating summary guides T them available for purchase. and Historical Foundation of Edmonton for these interviews, so that researchers and Northern Alberta) are pleased to will find it easier to access the specific Mark your special simchas announce that we have completed the information which they may be looking by sending a donation to digitization of 90% of our Oral History for. JAHSENA. Contact the office collection of approximately 200 interviews In the future, we will be using digital for more details at: 780-489- with Edmontonians and others of Jewish equipment such as digital video cams and 2809. We have received the origin. This project was completed thanks I-pods to record the history of our elders. following donations: to a grant from the Archives Society This will make it much easier to preserve Sympathy of Alberta with funds made available this information for the future, allow easy To the family of Prof. Gerald Gall, from from the Alberta Historic Resources access for our researchers, and transmis- the Board of JAHSENA. Foundation and the National Archival sion of information via the internet. Development Program of the Canadian JAHSENA is very grateful to the Mazel Tov Council of Archives. National Archival Development Program, To Tessa Gregson on her birthday, from This $7000 grant allowed JAHSENA the Archives Society of Alberta and to the Rick & Nikki Vogel. to digitize our magnetic tape interviews Alberta Historic Research Foundation To Max Dolgoy on his 100th Birthday, to make them more easily accessible to and the Provincial Archives of Alberta from the Board of JAHSENA users, as well as giving them a longer life. for their help with this important project. Magnetic cassette tape has become an At the time of this writing, we had just obsolete technology, so it was imperative been informed of the termination of the NEW MEMBERS that we migrate these interviews to digital $1.7 million annual National Archival JAHSENA would like to welcome the following new members: format or they would be lost forever. With Development Program (NADP) by the the help of the Provincial Archives of Federal Government and Library and Steven & Talya Shafir, Edmonton, AB Alberta’s Archives Service Centre, we were Archives Canada. This is a terrible blow Dr. Rosalie Rubin Shadlyn, Toronto, ON able to use the expertise of staff members to the Canadian archival community. We Jean & Aaron Oshry, Edmonton, AB Terry O’Riordan and Tom Bernier to urge all supporters of archives to write Leo Superstein, Edmonton, AB translate these tapes to digital format. letters to their local MPs protesting these Lea Neaman, Edmonton, AB They are now available in the JAHSENA cuts. Bernice Milner, Edmonton, AB 4 VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.jahsena.ca HERITAGE • SUMMER 2012 Edmonton’s Jewish Community and Professional Sports By Paula E. Kirman ewish people and professional sports are Jnot often associated in most people’s minds. While there may be local, amateur baseball and other teams in the community, jokes are often made about the dearth of Jews involved with professional sports. While many of the people featured here are sports team founders or owners, a number are also professional (or Army & Navy Baseball Team, sponsored by Harry Cohen. Left rear: Albert Superstein; Right Rear: accomplished) athletes. The variety of the kinds Tiger Goldstick. JAHSENA Archives photo. of sports is also notable. National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues Liberty Grand. Harry Ornest in 1983, selling it in 1986 for $19 million. In his spare Harry Ornest was a successful sports Ornest also bought the Canadian Football time, David enjoys entrepreneur. Born on June 30, 1923, League team Toronto Argonauts in 1988. spending time Ornest grew up in Edmonton and had He sold the team in 1991 (for $5 million with his wife, been a minor-league hockey referee in the to Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky, and the Stacey, and their AHL as well as a linesman in the NHL. late actor John Candy), then in 1996 was three children, As well, he played in minor baseball in the part of a ten-man group who purchased Jesse, Josh, and mid ‘40s for teams in Tacoma and Albany. the B.C. Lions. He also became the deputy Geri. David David Cynamon, JAHSENA photo. He also invested in several minor-league managing director and the largest share- and Stacey are sports clubs. As he grew his fortune, he holder in Hollywood Park, a California also involved in Toronto’s philanthropic realized his dream of owning a major horse racing track. Originally from community. They have endowed a chair league sports franchise. He purchased the Edmonton, Ornest lived in Beverly Hills, at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children California.