Since 1973, the Ontario Jewish Archives has been actively collecting, preserving, and sharing records documenting Jewish life in Ontario. These records provide evidence of the many organizations founded by our mothers to support the most vulnerable in our community locally and abroad. Individually and collectively, their efforts have aided the needy with unsurpassed skill, devotion, and creativity. Their vital contributions reverberate in our present day lives as we continue to support the very institutions they helped found. Today, we are tasked with not only following their lead and continuing their legacies, but also considering how we as individuals and as a community have benefited from their gifts of courage, strength, and compassion.
Toronto’s earliest Jewish philanthropic bodies were quick to respond to the influx of immigrants fleeing eastern Europe in the early 1900s. Women-run institutions provided widows, orphans, the sick, and the needy with critical services. Here, we take a closer look at the immense effort and impact of early women leaders in our community.
Ida Lewis Siegel (1885–1982) was instrumental in the founding and development of several of these early Jewish organizations. She is credited with helping found the Daughters of Zion, the first ladies' Zionist society in Canada (1899); the Herzl Girls' Club (1904); Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada (1916); the Hebrew Ladies' Sewing Circle, the YM-YWHA (1919); and more. Siegel was also instrumental in unifying the early Jewish social service organizations into the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies in 1917, when they realized that fundraising needed to be centralized.
In 1918, Dora Till (1896-1987) took her first steps towards becoming an important figure in Jewish communal health and welfare when she joined the Hebrew Maternity Aid Society. She would serve in this capacity for fifteen years. One of the most important projects Till facilitated as vice-president of the society was the Mothers’ and Babes’ Summer Rest Home. Till founded the rest home in Bronte, Ontario in 1919 and became its first president. The home provided mothers and children with two-week vacations, a much needed respite from the heat of the summer. Till continued to play an important role in the Mothers’ and Babes’ Summer Rest Home until its closure in 1977.
Dorothy Dworkin (1890–1976) was a prominent healthcare worker in the Toronto Jewish community and a founder of Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto). Throughout her life, Dorothy played a pivotal role in helping to raise both public and financial support for this important institution.
In her own words, she reflected:
“No history of Mount Sinai would be complete without an accompanying history of its women’s aids. Lack of space prevents telling a complete story, but during the course of its busy life, Mount Sinai would have fallen by the wayside time and again had it not been for the unflagging enthusiasm and devotion of its women supporters. In 1926, the Mount Sinai Hospital Women’s Auxiliary was formed. I was its first and only president. No volunteer, working for Mount Sinai today as a member of an organized group, can conceive of the tasks performed by these women. When cooks could not be hired or were absent for some reason; when there was a lack of dishwashers; when vegetables needed to be peeled or fruit to be canned; if there was shortage of bed linen, if it needed mending and so on and on.”
Archives collect historical records, but did you know that we collect contemporary records too? Contemporary records chronicle present-day activities in the Jewish community and will one day serve as evidence of the past. In response to a recent outreach campaign to collect Mother’s Day greetings from our colleagues at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, we received the following heartfelt tributes. These stories of resilience, community activism, strength, and nurturing are not only lovely meditations on the impactful role of our mothers to us individually but are examples of the role mothers collectively play in our community. We are pleased to share with you this recent acquisition, a new collection at the Ontario Jewish Archives.
It isn’t often that sons get to walk their mother down the aisle, but my brother Corey and I had that opportunity. My mother has been a lot of things in her life, but most important to me is as a mother. Before there was anyone else in my life there was her. You see, she was a single mother when I was born. Things weren’t easy, but we had each other. That is why it was so important when she was married for the second time in 2019 . . . that we got to give her away.
Thank you, Mom. For everything.
—Jordan Glass
My mother moved to Toronto with her parents when she was in high school and was active in a variety of different Jewish women’s organizations during that time. After marrying and starting a family, she and my father Arthur (from Wingham, Ontario) joined a new Reform congregation in Thornhill called Temple Har Zion—an offshoot of Holy Blossom Temple. Both of my parents were very active in the congregation: Mom was the second Sisterhood President and also taught in the supplementary school on Sunday mornings and sat on a variety of committees.
Thank you, Mom, for everything and for being such an incredible role model. You are missed dearly.
— Samantha Bacher
My mom has a great laugh. In this photo, we were in Niagara-on-the-Lake wine tasting for my dad's birthday. It was a lovely family day together. I can't remember what she's laughing at, but it must have been funny! My mom is also the most beautiful and fashionable woman I know. She always looks put together and is stunning in every photograph.
Thank you, Mom, for being my role model and my friend.
— Sam Mogelonsky
Marilyn Cohen is shown with her youngest grandson, Shai. This picture captures her essence as a hands-on bubbie. She gains great joy from attending events with her grandchildren and showing them how much our Jewish traditions mean to her. Here, she attended a workshop with Shai to create a beautiful challah cover. Jewish community is of great importance to Marilyn and a value that she modeled for all her kids. She served as Beth Tikvah's Sisterhood President and interim conductor of the choir and devoted countless hours to the synagogue's music program. Recently, she has taken on the role of Women's League president of the International North East Region. With bubbies like Marilyn, our traditions are secure!
Thanks, Marilyn, for being an inspiration to those around you! You inspire us all to volunteer our time and enrich our Jewish community. We all wish we had your spirited energy!
— Debbie Savage
My mom will do ANYTHING to hang out with her five grandchildren. Even if that means going way outside her comfort zone and snorkeling with the rest of the family. In addition, she ensures we celebrate every Jewish holiday together as a family with traditional food. In short . . . she's the best!
Mom, you are always there when I need someone to talk to. Thanks for being the best mom and bubbie to your five grandkids. We all love you very much!
— Mindy Goldblatt Webber
My mom is Olga Abazov. She was born in 1954 in the post-Stalin city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), a city that was destroyed by the Nazis to the ground and rebuilt in the 1950s.
My mom finished school and pursued her passion in music and opera. She enrolled in the State Music Conservatory to become an opera singer. In the late 1970s, she left for Moscow to study with the world-famous mezzo soprano Elena Obraztsova and performed in opera theatres across Russia.
In the mid-1980s, my mom had to give up her opera career to take care of her little children (my brother and me) and of her dying mother. She spent most of her years as a music teacher in early childhood education.
In early 1994, we made aliyah to Israel, and she had to, once again, change her work and redirect. After learning Hebrew in an ulpan and briefly juggling work in retail, she went on to become an early childhood education professional. She continues to work with kids to this day.
My mom lives in Israel with my father and uses every opportunity she gets to come visit us in Toronto, a city she loves dearly.
She is loving and kind, and she always puts others first to make sure they are helped and happy.
— Kate Noam
Seated in the centre of the dance floor, adorned with a floral wreath, and honoured like a queen: this photograph perfectly captures my mom’s lighthearted and joyful demeanour. A Holocaust survivor, Mom fled her hometown village Serniki, Ukraine, in the fall of 1942. She hid in the nearby forests and marshes for two years, after narrowly escaping the massacre that destroyed her community. She was cold and scared, sometimes with family and sometimes alone, and dreaming: dreaming of survival and that one day she would have a family. In this photo, she celebrates the crowning accomplishment of marrying off her last child, the mezinka. The expression on her face says it all!
I hear your Yiddish sing-song laughter in my heart every day. Thank you for your gentleness and resolute belief in the human capacity for kindness.
— Faye Blum
We are grateful for the opportunity to share these beautiful narratives from our community. We hope you will be inspired to contribute to our Mother’s Day collection. Please consider preserving your family’s history at the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Contact ojainquiries@ujafed.org to learn more.
"Mother's Day at the Ontario Jewish Archives" is brought to you by the Ontario Jewish Archives with Faye Blum.
Since 1973, the Ontario Jewish Archives has been actively collecting, preserving, and sharing records documenting Jewish life in Ontario. These records provide evidence of the many organizations founded by our mothers to support the most vulnerable in our community locally and abroad. Individually and collectively, their efforts have aided the needy with unsurpassed skill, devotion, and creativity. Their vital contributions reverberate in our present day lives as we continue to support the very institutions they helped found. Today, we are tasked with not only following their lead and continuing their legacies, but also considering how we as individuals and as a community have benefited from their gifts of courage, strength, and compassion.
Toronto’s earliest Jewish philanthropic bodies were quick to respond to the influx of immigrants fleeing eastern Europe in the early 1900s. Women-run institutions provided widows, orphans, the sick, and the needy with critical services. Here, we take a closer look at the immense effort and impact of early women leaders in our community.
Ida Lewis Siegel (1885–1982) was instrumental in the founding and development of several of these early Jewish organizations. She is credited with helping found the Daughters of Zion, the first ladies' Zionist society in Canada (1899); the Herzl Girls' Club (1904); Hadassah-WIZO Organization of Canada (1916); the Hebrew Ladies' Sewing Circle, the YM-YWHA (1919); and more. Siegel was also instrumental in unifying the early Jewish social service organizations into the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies in 1917, when they realized that fundraising needed to be centralized.
In 1918, Dora Till (1896-1987) took her first steps towards becoming an important figure in Jewish communal health and welfare when she joined the Hebrew Maternity Aid Society. She would serve in this capacity for fifteen years. One of the most important projects Till facilitated as vice-president of the society was the Mothers’ and Babes’ Summer Rest Home. Till founded the rest home in Bronte, Ontario in 1919 and became its first president. The home provided mothers and children with two-week vacations, a much needed respite from the heat of the summer. Till continued to play an important role in the Mothers’ and Babes’ Summer Rest Home until its closure in 1977.
Dorothy Dworkin (1890–1976) was a prominent healthcare worker in the Toronto Jewish community and a founder of Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto). Throughout her life, Dorothy played a pivotal role in helping to raise both public and financial support for this important institution.
In her own words, she reflected:
“No history of Mount Sinai would be complete without an accompanying history of its women’s aids. Lack of space prevents telling a complete story, but during the course of its busy life, Mount Sinai would have fallen by the wayside time and again had it not been for the unflagging enthusiasm and devotion of its women supporters. In 1926, the Mount Sinai Hospital Women’s Auxiliary was formed. I was its first and only president. No volunteer, working for Mount Sinai today as a member of an organized group, can conceive of the tasks performed by these women. When cooks could not be hired or were absent for some reason; when there was a lack of dishwashers; when vegetables needed to be peeled or fruit to be canned; if there was shortage of bed linen, if it needed mending and so on and on.”
Archives collect historical records, but did you know that we collect contemporary records too? Contemporary records chronicle present-day activities in the Jewish community and will one day serve as evidence of the past. In response to a recent outreach campaign to collect Mother’s Day greetings from our colleagues at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, we received the following heartfelt tributes. These stories of resilience, community activism, strength, and nurturing are not only lovely meditations on the impactful role of our mothers to us individually but are examples of the role mothers collectively play in our community. We are pleased to share with you this recent acquisition, a new collection at the Ontario Jewish Archives.
It isn’t often that sons get to walk their mother down the aisle, but my brother Corey and I had that opportunity. My mother has been a lot of things in her life, but most important to me is as a mother. Before there was anyone else in my life there was her. You see, she was a single mother when I was born. Things weren’t easy, but we had each other. That is why it was so important when she was married for the second time in 2019 . . . that we got to give her away.
Thank you, Mom. For everything.
—Jordan Glass
My mother moved to Toronto with her parents when she was in high school and was active in a variety of different Jewish women’s organizations during that time. After marrying and starting a family, she and my father Arthur (from Wingham, Ontario) joined a new Reform congregation in Thornhill called Temple Har Zion—an offshoot of Holy Blossom Temple. Both of my parents were very active in the congregation: Mom was the second Sisterhood President and also taught in the supplementary school on Sunday mornings and sat on a variety of committees.
Thank you, Mom, for everything and for being such an incredible role model. You are missed dearly.
— Samantha Bacher
My mom has a great laugh. In this photo, we were in Niagara-on-the-Lake wine tasting for my dad's birthday. It was a lovely family day together. I can't remember what she's laughing at, but it must have been funny! My mom is also the most beautiful and fashionable woman I know. She always looks put together and is stunning in every photograph.
Thank you, Mom, for being my role model and my friend.
— Sam Mogelonsky
Marilyn Cohen is shown with her youngest grandson, Shai. This picture captures her essence as a hands-on bubbie. She gains great joy from attending events with her grandchildren and showing them how much our Jewish traditions mean to her. Here, she attended a workshop with Shai to create a beautiful challah cover. Jewish community is of great importance to Marilyn and a value that she modeled for all her kids. She served as Beth Tikvah's Sisterhood President and interim conductor of the choir and devoted countless hours to the synagogue's music program. Recently, she has taken on the role of Women's League president of the International North East Region. With bubbies like Marilyn, our traditions are secure!
Thanks, Marilyn, for being an inspiration to those around you! You inspire us all to volunteer our time and enrich our Jewish community. We all wish we had your spirited energy!
— Debbie Savage
My mom will do ANYTHING to hang out with her five grandchildren. Even if that means going way outside her comfort zone and snorkeling with the rest of the family. In addition, she ensures we celebrate every Jewish holiday together as a family with traditional food. In short . . . she's the best!
Mom, you are always there when I need someone to talk to. Thanks for being the best mom and bubbie to your five grandkids. We all love you very much!
— Mindy Goldblatt Webber
My mom is Olga Abazov. She was born in 1954 in the post-Stalin city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), a city that was destroyed by the Nazis to the ground and rebuilt in the 1950s.
My mom finished school and pursued her passion in music and opera. She enrolled in the State Music Conservatory to become an opera singer. In the late 1970s, she left for Moscow to study with the world-famous mezzo soprano Elena Obraztsova and performed in opera theatres across Russia.
In the mid-1980s, my mom had to give up her opera career to take care of her little children (my brother and me) and of her dying mother. She spent most of her years as a music teacher in early childhood education.
In early 1994, we made aliyah to Israel, and she had to, once again, change her work and redirect. After learning Hebrew in an ulpan and briefly juggling work in retail, she went on to become an early childhood education professional. She continues to work with kids to this day.
My mom lives in Israel with my father and uses every opportunity she gets to come visit us in Toronto, a city she loves dearly.
She is loving and kind, and she always puts others first to make sure they are helped and happy.
— Kate Noam
Seated in the centre of the dance floor, adorned with a floral wreath, and honoured like a queen: this photograph perfectly captures my mom’s lighthearted and joyful demeanour. A Holocaust survivor, Mom fled her hometown village Serniki, Ukraine, in the fall of 1942. She hid in the nearby forests and marshes for two years, after narrowly escaping the massacre that destroyed her community. She was cold and scared, sometimes with family and sometimes alone, and dreaming: dreaming of survival and that one day she would have a family. In this photo, she celebrates the crowning accomplishment of marrying off her last child, the mezinka. The expression on her face says it all!
I hear your Yiddish sing-song laughter in my heart every day. Thank you for your gentleness and resolute belief in the human capacity for kindness.
— Faye Blum
We are grateful for the opportunity to share these beautiful narratives from our community. We hope you will be inspired to contribute to our Mother’s Day collection. Please consider preserving your family’s history at the Ontario Jewish Archives.
Contact ojainquiries@ujafed.org to learn more.
"Mother's Day at the Ontario Jewish Archives" is brought to you by the Ontario Jewish Archives with Faye Blum.