Fridoy/August 16, 1957
JEW IS H W E S T E R N R U L L E T I N
P6ge Three
By DAVID ROME
Based on moterials in thie Bronfmon Collection of Jewish Cdnodibnd ot tfce
Jewish'Public Library off Montreol
TT the incfeasing interest in Cana-VVdian history, growing iii part as a result of the forthcoiiiing British Columbia Centennial, it is fitting to recall the names of the first JeAvi^h settlers to come to the Pacific Northwest Q)ast. '
In part their story has been told in an article in the Ctmadian Jewish Year Book, volume i, published in Montreal in 1939 by Vladimu- Grossman ("Jews in the Far Northwest of Canada/' Pp. 82402).
An essay in tills Mstdry was afe^ lished under the title, "The Fu-ist Two Years" issued by the late H. M. Gaisermari in 1942 in Montreal. This litfle volume of 120 pages is a record of the Jewish pioneers on Canada's Pacific coast, 1858-60. Since it was published a good deal more information on these Jewish pioneers has come to hand, including the names of many more Jiewish |)ioneers of the first year of the opening of the colony to free settlement.
tlie furst Jewish name associated with British Columbia goes back to tlie latter part ofi May, 1858 when Eugene L. Den-nery was drowned while ascending the Fraser River in a canoe. ("Canadian Notes of Long Ago,*" in Canadian Jewish Chronicle of Sept. 19, 1952).
Isaac Rjosenbaum was also drowneid ;in B.C. waters in 1858, on June 21, in the hrabour of Esquiraalt.
W. Kiersky was in business on Yates St. by September, 1858.
The story of Frank Sylvester has been told in the Congress Bulletin. Kady Gambitz has also been dealt with in the Congress Bulletih. ("Kady Qambitz in Vic-
toria," September, 1951).
The Joseph brothers, Josephus Bamet Josephs and Lionel Barnet Josephs,, are)
DAVID ROME
spoken of in *The First Two Years."
Polish-born Lewis Lewis was a pioneer offreemasonry in British Columbia. , Simon Reinhardt was among the first pf tbe Venturesome businessmen to settle in the colony. '
A. J. Ifrpnn was established in the clothing and tailoring business by Sept> embpr, 185Si and we find his advertisement in the Frenph newspaper which was published in yictpria in Sept. 1858, Le Coiirrier de la I^;giavelle Caledonie.
The great Sutro family was represent-• ed in Victoria in 1858 by.Emile and Gus-tave Sutro.
Jules David was established on Water St. in Victoria by August that year, but know that he visited the mainland the fpllowing month.
His partner A. A. Guild v/as one of the organizers of the Victoria LO.O.F. in August, 1858.
S^iiet Hyman C!ohen must have been in Victoria in 1858, for when he was married in San Francisco on February 25, 18;59, he is listed as formerly of Victoria. Under the conditions of tiiese times it is scarcely possible that he went up to the British Columbia capital and returned between January and tiie end of February. 'He had figured ieki-lier in interesting discussions on Chinese Jews in the Occident of 1853.
COMMUNITY FOUNDEE
Abraham BJackman was tlie virtual organizer of tl\e. Jewish comibuni^ of Victoria in August, 1858, He was also a charter member of the masonic lodge m the f:oIony and was instrumental in arranging for inasonic participatipn in tije laying of the cornerstone of the synagogue in 1863.
Jacob Ehrenbacher was establistied as autioneer on Johnson St. by August, 1958.
The name 6T" Oppenheimer first enters our record in 18^8 in association with Ehrenbacher when the two are listed as partners in the auctioning and commission merchant line at this time.
P. M. Edder and A. Friedlander who advertised in Lc Courrier m September, 1858. may have been Jewish.
Henry Meiss, auctioneer, advertised in the Victoria Gazette of July 28, 1858.
Samuel Bloom, formerly in the employ of Nathan Gambitz in California, also came to Victoria in 1858.
Morris Harris befriended Blooni in Victoria when the latter arrived penniless after losing his possessions in the upsetting of a canoe.
Herman Schultz, the father of the first Jewish Judge in Canada, was a pioneer of 1858.
Jules Rueff was a leader in the small French colony of Victpria in 1858.
"MASSACRE OF JEWS"
Harris l^emn, who came to the colony in 1858, was to lose his life in the tragedy which has gone down in B.C. history as
"The Massacre of tiie Jews."
Lewis Wolff, whose name figures in the fire-fighting annals of the colony, was elected trustee of the First'Victoria Hebrew Benefit Society when it was organized in August, 1858.
William Zeiner operated a drug store on Gdvernment St, iii 1858.
Henry Moses Cohen came to Victoria in 1858 an&l soon after was in business as auctioneer. '
Morris Spbrborg was a distinguished merchant and importer in the early colppy. He arrived in 1858 aiid by August was doing business on the lower side of Wharf St., fronting Yates St.
William Cbpperman was an Indian trader who came to the colony in 1858. Three years later he petitioned for-British citizenship,
Selim Fr^lin and his brother Luniley,,pioneers of 1858, were to write ^an importaiat chapter in Canadian Jewish history. Selim was the first Jew to sit in a legislature in what is now Canada, and his brother Lirailey was to serve as mayor of Victoria—^thus anticipating -David Oppenheimer, David Croll, Nathan Phillips and Aaron Horowitz. Theh-^^tory has been told in part in the Universal Jewish ]Encyclopaedia.
FIRST JEWISH MEETING
Kalian ICS jL^aviii wwiLvwuvu
ulc. i.txai.
meeting of Victoria Jews at the store of Nathan Gambitz on August 29, 1858. _
J. Goldsmith was elected treasurer pro tern at this first meeting.
These are the first Jews known to us in British Columbia, We know from the , written record that they fame between May and December, 1858. We have the names of others arrived in 1859 or later. It may be that some of them had come as early as 1858, but the accident of record does not record their names in this connection. Other documents may cpme to light to add to this list, but in the present state of our information that is the roll of the venturesome pioneers of the first year pf our community. Honour and gratitude to their memory.
Ncxr Week: The Joseph Brothers
" ISliiS
tidii
in
TGRONTO: PubUc opinion is sharply divided on the question of religious education in' public schools,acc6rdihg to a recent gal-lup poll, the results of which were published in the Toronto ^tar. The poll showed that 50 j)erceht of those questioned were in favor of religious education in public schools while 42 percent favored leaving it to the churches. Another 8 percent were unde^ cided.
By religious denomination, the results showed that the Catholics were most strongly in favor of religious education in public schools; 66 per-{cent of the Catholics favored the idea
while 26 percenit were oppose^. Among Anglicans, 44 percent favored :religu>us education in pub-lie school while 50 per<%nt were opposed; United Church, 39 percent in ^avor, 54 percent op|K)sed;, other religious groui% 41 ipercent in favor, 51 percent.ppppsed^. j In summarizjiig tli^ results, the re-
port stated: "Althou^ the question of teaching reli^on in Canadian public schools is an old and much debated one, public reaction to the issue has remained strikingly static ovei* the past 13 years." A simi|[ar gallup poii was conducted in 1944 a.t which time the results were approximately the same.
FAIR ACCOMMODATIONS COMPLAINT
TORpKTO: A complaint about a picnic ground which displayed a discriminatory sign has been submitted to the JFair Acconamodations Practises Branch of the Ontario government by the Central Region of Canadian Jewish Congress. The. department has acknowledged receipt of the complaint and has undertaken to ip-vestigate it.
ASK MORE DIGNIFIEb^ ADS FOR HOLY DAYS
TORONTO: A call for more dignified advertising of high hply days services was recently isstied here by the Joint Public Relations Coniniittee, Central Region, of Canadian Jewish
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Congress and B'nali B'ritni. The call was issued in-the form of a letter to synagogue presidents and rabbis in Toronto i^^ed by S. M. Harris, chairman, and Professor Bora Laskin, vice-chairman of the Central Region Public Relations Committee.
"A plethora of advertiesments," said the letter, "has appeared prior to the high holiday season in the past number of yearsboth in the daily metropolitan press and in th6 form of billboards and posters advertising the services of various congrejgation^.
"The growing number of congregations in our city is certainly a phenomenon we welcome and one which gives all of us the greatest satisfaction, A few of the advertisiements which have appeared in the past, however, leave a good deal to be. desired from the point of view^ of good , taste, proclaiming rather blatantly the vocal attainments of cantor and choir, listing seat prices and pointing out physical conveniences and ac-conmiodations, all of which would be mdre appropriate for a commercial en-r tertiainment project than for a house of worship. Other types of questionable advertisement are large billboards and placards on lagip po^ts— the latter, incidentally-^in contravention of by-laws in some municipalities. These detract from the dignity of worship and present a somewhat untidy appearance of conunercialized houses of worship catering to the casual trade.
"Simple and straightforward announcements which give the information details such as time, place, type of service and method of arranging for seating reservations, placed in nieat order without garish display should be adequate and productive of a more wholesome and dignified condition," the letter stated.
ISRAELI YOElfHS kl MOSCOW SYNAGOGUE
NEW YORK—Fifty, young Israelis, members of the Israel delegation to the World Youth Festival which is now taking place in Moscow, attended the Sabbath services in the Moscow synagogue last Saturday and were the centre of attention of about 3,000 Jews who crowded the synagogue building and streets outside .the building-,
This was flie largest crowd ever seeking entrance into the ^piagogae.
The Moscow Jews, attracted by tte presence of die Israeli youths^ flocked to die honse of worship, despite *^viet official disapproval of Is-xser and notwidistandfaig die fact diat *^ere were a good many persons fai plalnclodies around to watch die proceedii^'' Daniel Schorr," Moscow correspondent of die Colombia Broadcasting System^ reported. He, emphadzed diat die (Continued on page 6)
Talmud Torah Announcement
REGISTRATION OF ALL GRADES
1
REGISTRATION FOR ALL GRADES WALL TAKE PLACE
ON:
Sunday^- August IS—houFS 10 e.RfB. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, August 21—hours 7 r 9 p.itt^ Sunday/August 25-—hours 10 o.m. to 1 p.m.
SCHEDULE OF FEES: Nursery and kindergarten .... $15 per month
Day School............... .............$20 per month
Evening C9asses —.............=.$100 per ycor
Please register your children as soon as possible as space Is limited and it is necessary to know in.advance the extra facilities that will be required.
VANCOUVIR TALMUD TORAH
27th & Ook St.
Phone CE. 1312