British Columbia
Awarded to Debby Freiman, President of the Drora Chapter of B'nai B'rith Girls. Inscription reads "Love Drora."
Awarded to Debby Freiman, President of the Drora Chapter of B'nai B'rith Girls. Menorah with gavel attached by chain.
Candles are lit to usher in the Sabbath and many Jewish holidays. These candlesticks were used in the home of Hans and Herta Gruenthal.
This decorative ornament sits over both the wooden dowels of the Torah scroll and symbolizes the regal nature of the Torah. Helen and Harry Fugman donated this Torah crown to Congregation Schara Tzedeck in memory of their son, Mordecai Fugman, who was killed in Israel's War of Independence in 1948.
A decorative Torah mantle or case protects the scroll when it is stored. Cloth Torah mantles are part of the Ashkenazic tradition. Hard Torah cases are part of the Sephardic tradition. This mantle is dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Pastinsky, wife of Rabbi Nathan Pastinsky.
Distance Swim Trophy awarded to Saul Lechtzier from the Vancouver Jewish Community Centre.
From Lechtzier bowling alley. In 1926 brothers Samuel, Saul, and Harris Lechtzier opened La Salle Recreations on Granville Street in Vancouver. It was the first modern bowling centre on the Pacific Coast.
Used by David Matlin; apprenticed under his father Simon, who was a master tailor from Liverpool, England. The family immigrated to Winnipeg in 1907, when David was seventeen, he became a ladies' coat and dress designer, working in clothing factories in Winnipeg and Vancouver for over 50 years. He moved to Vancouver in 1952 and spent the last 35 years of his life there. This sewing machine was used in David Matlin's home.
In Vancouver, early twentieth century Jewish immigrants, who arrived from Russia, Romania, Poland, and Germany may not have been able to speak English, but they shared the Yiddish language. Developed in the late Middle Ages as a mix of Hebrew, German and Slavic languages, Yiddish was the common language of Eastern European Jews. In Strathcona, it was the language spoken in Jewish homes and in the sermons at the Synagogue.
Besides being the first recorded Jewish person to arrive in British Columbia, Alexander Aaron Phillips was Victoria's first baker of "Passover Bread" (matzoh), which he sold all over Vancouver Island and the state of Washington. In the fall of 1858 he opened the Pioneer Syrup, Soda and Cider Works. ALexander Phillips was the second president of Temple Emanu-El, a founding member of a local Masonic Lodge and Odd Fellows Lodge, as well as a member of the ST. George's Society and the British Columbia Benevolent Association.
