VOLUME 16, NO. 1 JANUARY 2006 Don’t Miss Our ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Monday, February 6, 2006 7:30 pm at the Calgary JCC featuring More Memories and Mementos Our upcoming AGM will feature more interesting items and stories from the past. If you have an interesting item in your family that has a story to tell, please contact our office and we will try to feature it in our program. Three of the stories from last year’s successful program were featured in our March 2005 issue and three more are included in this issue of Discovery. Jay and Barbara Joffe escorting Their Honours Norman and Mary Kwong through A Joyful Harvest at the gala opening on November 14, 2005. Photo: Impressions by Switzer. A Joyful Harvest: Celebrating the Past and Educating for the Future by Maxine Fischbein for Discovery enthusiastic participation of the Hon- A glance at the guest book says it all. ourable Norman L. Kwong, Lieutenant “This is a treasure,” writes one visitor. Governor of Alberta. Together with the “What an impressive tribute to Jewish life in Honourable Ralph Klein, Premier of Alber- southern Alberta,” says another. ta, and His Worship Dave Bronconnier, These two comments and many others Mayor of Calgary, Kwong served as an Emcee Sheldon Smithens questioning Naomi sum up the atmosphere of celebration honourary patron of the exhibit. Kerr about her mother’s childhood outfit at last that has greeted the Jewish Historical Soci- The opening Gala was filled with high- year’s AGM. For more stories from last year’s ety of Southern Alberta’s labour of love, A lights including moving tributes to the Memories and Mementos program see page 4. Joyful Harvest: A Centennial Exhibit Cele- JHSSA’s founding and long-serving presi- brating the Jewish Contribution to South- dent, Jay Joffe. ern Alberta life. Doug Cass, the Director of Library and In this Issue: Setting the tone for the initial showing Archives at the Glenbow Museum, A Joyful Harvest: Celebrating the Past of our once-in-a-century exhibition was the brought greetings, telling a very pleased and Educating for the Future ............1 gala opening on November 14th. The cer- audience that A Joyful Harvest will appear JHSSA Alberta Centennial Exhibit emonies at the Beth Tzedec Synagogue at the Glenbow early in 2007 as an adjunct Held Over..........................................1 had a regal air about them due to the Continued on Page 2 Annual General Meeting .......................1 A Handmade Gift: Gertie Belkin’s Childhood Dress................................2 Calgary’s Grand Story: The Jewish JHSSA Alberta Centennial Exhibit Held Over Connections ......................................3 Artzi Willheim: Champion Swimmer......4 A Joyful Harvest will remain open to the public at the Beth Tzedec Rose Levitt: A Gown for the Belle Synagogue until the end of January, 2006. Public viewing hours are of the Ball..........................................4 on Sundays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. New Library Acquisitions.......................5 To book a group tour at a different time, contact the JHSSA office, JHSSA News ..........................................7 444-3171. Thank You to our 2006 Members .........8 Your membership and continuing support help us to publish Discovery. Thank you. 2 THE JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA JANUARY 2006 A Joyful Harvest: Celebrating the Past Continued from Page 1 A Handmade Gift: exhibit to the world-class museum’s own families and institutions who have joyfully Gertie Belkin’s much-anticipated centennial project titled given back to the province where the earli- Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta. est Jewish pioneers were welcomed and Childhood Dress Also on hand to bring official greetings given the freedom to flourish. were the Honourable Ron Stevens, MLA for There were many touching moments as At our last AGM Naomi Kerr dis- Calgary Glenmore, and Donna Riback, old friends or family members literally played a European-made suit worn by Chair of Calgary’s United Jewish Appeal, squealed in delight, a picture or photo- her mother, Gertrude Smalley Belkin, as who spoke on behalf of the Calgary Jewish graphic image having brought fond mem- a young girl. It is now over 90 years old. Community Council. ories to the surface. Gertrude Smalley arrived as a young The official opening ceremony generat- Those nearby won’t soon forget the girl in Winnipeg from Miedzyrzec, ed much excitement. But the greatest sight of individuals pausing before the Poland in about 1908. A few years later, measure of joy was found in the 100 muse- words and photographs devoted to them. older cousins from her hometown um panels devoted to the remarkable One junior high student was delighted joined the family, and brought with achievements of people and organizations when, stopping before the panel on Ted that have defined Jewish life in southern Riback, she actually met, in person, the Alberta since the arrival of Jacob and Rachel man responsible for establishing and gen- Diamond, this community’s first perma- erously supporting the eponymous Jewish nent Jewish settlers, in 1889. summer camp she enjoys every summer. Many in the opening night crowd of Meanwhile, a happy reunion was taking nearly 400 could claim a direct connection place in front of another panel when the to the project. Some appear in the exhibit. Lieutenant Governor – a man with many Others contributed some of the photo- friends in the Jewish community – was graphs and archival material that so beau- pleased to encounter another familiar face. tifully illustrate 116 years of Jewish history. As His Honour stood before the biography Some had worked on the exhibit, either as on Ayala Manolson, a Calgary-born world- paid professionals or as volunteers. Many renowned speech pathologist, he com- more were delighted to reminisce about mented that he had known her as a stu- the accomplishments of family members, dent. Having traveled to Calgary from her forebears and friends who had made a dif- home in Toronto for the opening, Manol- ference in every imaginable endeavour son soon appeared beside him, live and in within and often well beyond the Jewish person, and a happy reunion took place community. between two old friends and schoolmates. More than anything, the exhibit stands Quite a few out-of-towners have spent as a reminder that the concept of “six considerable time visiting and re-visiting Gertie Belkin, c. 1980. Photo: Naomi Kerr. degrees of separation” does not apply in the exhibit. His Excellency Alan Baker, the Jewish community. The ink was barely Israel’s Ambassador to Canada, is one dis- them a precious gift for the young Ger- dry on the harvest-coloured museum pan- tinguished guest who quickly discovered tie. It was a colourful hand-embroi- els when visitors began connecting the oft during a November visit to Calgary that dered blouse and apron that they had invisible dots linking various individuals, he, too, has a connection to Jews in made for her. They had planned to southern Alberta. As he make a skirt for it, but had left for viewed the panels from Canada before they had a chance to the 1950s, he was sew it. Gertie wore the outfit only for amazed to discover that very special occasions. an old friend – William Gertie married Dr. Alex Belkin and Epstein – was born and their family moved to Calgary in 1945. raised in Calgary. The embroidered outfit came with her “We used to have and it was given to her daughter, lunch together at the Naomi Kerr when Naomi’s daughters United Nations,” says were born. Naomi, her sister Annette, Baker, fondly recalling his and the granddaughters used the out- own posting in New York fit for “dress up” until Naomi’s daugh- and his warm relationship ter Roberta pointed out that perhaps with the man who once such a unique handmade item had his- headed the Disarmament torical significance and should merit Division at the UN. more delicate treatment. It is, indeed, a small The blouse and apron are embroi- world after all! dered with precise cross stitching. The While A Joyful Harvest outfit has indeed remained in excellent has attracted plenty of condition despite the many hours of School mates, His Honour Norman L. Kwong and Ayala Manolson pleasure it must have given Gertie and reunite at A Joyful Harvest gala opening. Photo: Richard Bronstein. Continued on Page 6 her descendants. JANUARY 2006 THE JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA 3 Calgary’s Grand Story – The Jewish Connections By Jack Switzer money, and shortly after the Senator’s Calgary’s Grand Story, by Donald B. death in 1925 his estate sold off its Smith, Calgary University of Calgary theatres to the growing Famous Play- Press, 2005 ers chain. Donald Smith, author of Calgary’s J.B. Barron was able to buy the Grand Grand Story, was the featured speaker at in 1937. our AGM in October 2000. He spoke about Jacob Bell Barron (J.B. or Jack) and his his research on the Grand Theatre and col- brother Abraham Lee Barron were raised lected stories about the theatre from audi- in Winnipeg and spent two years (1903 – ence members. Both Jay Joffe and Jack 1905) at Dawson, Yukon Territory, where Switzer are listed in the acknowledgements their father ran a store catering to gold in the book. In the signed copy of his new miners. (There were over 200 Jews in the book that is in the JHSSA library, Dr. Smith Yukon goldfields in 1901.) The Barron has written, “I’ll never forget the wonderful brothers earned law degrees in Chicago, response at my slide talk to your society sev- and moved to Calgary in 1911 at the invi- eral years ago”.