Belarus

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Belarus

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Belarus

21 Archival description results for Belarus

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Jeff Kushner

Interview with Jeff Kushner for On The Record: The BC Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project in collaboration with JQT Vancouver. Interviewed by Carmel Tanaka via remote Zoom video call. Jeff (he/him) is a gay Jewish man, born in Winnipeg and residing in Victoria, B.C. with his partner, Randall. Jeff talks about his parents’ lives as children of immigrants in Winnipeg, telling poignant stories of his family members and their influences on his life growing up. Jeff talks about coming out at the age of 30 and how Jewish culture of family and achievement makes a lot of queer Jews come out later as to not disappoint expectations. Jeff talks about the accepting nature of the Jewish community and Victoria of LGBTQ people, which was different from growing up in Winnipeg. Jeff talks about his education, including becoming an engineer out of the University of Manitoba which led him to a career in Alberta’s oil industry. He tells stories of working for different Canadian oil corporations and the experiences he had being a gay Jewish man throughout, which included experiences of antisemitism and homophobia. He closes by talking about finding the dream home in Victoria, where him and his partner both retired early, and he continues to participate in Jewish organizations as a way to build a legacy based on tikkun olam. This includes how he wishes to work on projects for gay and/or Jewish seniors to have old folks’ homes free of prejudice or having to return to ‘the closet’ in old age.

Marsha Ablowitz on Uncle Max Dexall

Interview with Marsha Ablowitz regarding her uncle Max Dexall for On The Record: The BC Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project in collaboration with JQT Vancouver. Interviewed by Carmel Tanaka via remote Zoom video call. Marsha recalls what she knows of Max (he/him) and his family who originated as farmers in and around Antopol, Belarus. He immigrated from Belarus to Vancouver with siblings in attempt to avoid Russian pogroms. Marsha describes how Max was well connected in the gay and Jewish communities, including stories of meeting gay men at gender-segregated synagogue meetings and how the community had hoped to make a Jewish gay synagogue in Vancouver similar to San Francisco. Marsha also discusses how Max continued in the family shoe store business where he was very successful and offered a safe space for the queer community including gay men and drag queens. Marsha shares the story of how Max would meet his life-long partner George at the store and discusses their relationship dynamic, including caring for the queer community in Vancouver. Marsha goes on to relish stories Max had shared about his time as a drag queen, different men he encountered and how he would get recognized wherever they went based on his reputation from his shoe store.

Marsha Ablowitz

Interview with Marsha Ablowitz for On The Record: The BC Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project in collaboration with JQT Vancouver. Interviewed by Carmel Tanaka via remote Zoom video call. Marsha (she/her) is a Jewish lesbian born in Vancouver. Marsha discusses her family’s origins both in Canada, and as immigrants from Europe. She tells stories of her immediate family in Winnipeg and Vancouver. She talks about her heterosexual marriage, and how she didn’t realize she was interested in women until after getting married. She explains her little exposure to queer Jews outside of her uncle Max, and how she experienced discrimination more through racism against her husband, than through anti-Semitism or homophobia in the community. Marsha talks about being aware of the Holocaust and Jewish issues as a kid, being involved in Jewish youth groups into her twenties, and eventually becoming a social worker. She describes her community initiatives within Jewish community organizations, teaching women’s self defense classes and empowering women and LGBT communities. Marsha closes the interview by talking about Quirk-e, a queer writing collective she is presently involved in, life with her partner Maribel during COVID, and her connection to feminist counselling and women’s health movements across Canada.

Gyda Chud

Number: CA JMABC A.1971.001-20.20-08
Name: Gyda Chud
Interviewer: Debby Freiman
Date: May 12th, 2020
Place: Vancouver, BC, via Zoom
Project: The Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia Oral History Project

Summary:
00:00: Debby Freiman begins to introduce Gyda Chud, a male voice interrupts her.
00:37: Freiman introduces herself and Chud who are meeting over Zoom. Gyda was born in 1947 and has lived in Vancouver all of her life.
1:53: Gyda has a sister named Rita who kept the full version of their last name, Chudnovsky. Her mother, Gallia Chud was ninety-seven at the time of the interview but her father, Ben Chud had died many years prior. Gallia’s family came from Belarus while Ben’s came from Russia. Gallia’s family lived in Winnipeg. Ben and Gallia met in Toronto and married before coming to Vancouver.
3:56: Chud describes how her parents came to Vancouver and were met by several other community members at the train station. The Chuds arrived to help start the new Peretz school in Vancouver.
6:15: Chud mentions several families that were influential in the beginning of the Peretz school such as the Sarkins, Wynes, [Oberbachs]. The Peretz school was initially in an old Tudor style house on Broadway.
8:20: Gallia Chud was involved in parent’s organizations at Peretz. The students used to be at Peretz school twice a week and on Sunday mornings.
10:03: Chud explains the original secular humanist approach of the Peretz school. The children were taught Yiddish rather than Hebrew. Chud was an early childhood education professional.
13:23: Chud recalls performing plays in the auditorium of the old Peretz school building on the holidays.
16:14: Chud describes having her father as a teacher and his teaching style that attempted to be more interactive and engaging for the students.
18:00: Ben Chud left Peretz school in order to complete his high school education. He then went on to get his Master’s of Social Work and taught at the School of Social Work at UBC.
19:42: The two speakers discuss their memories of Ben Chud’s successor, [Label Bossman].
21:40: Chud describes a group she is part of called the Exploring Jewish Authors Group.
23:30: Chud describes making latkes for the holidays while attending Peretz. She also describes a secular humanist Haggadah that was developed at Peretz.
28:10: Chud tells the story of how the P’nei Mitzvah program and celebration came about.
35:35: The speakers discuss their memories and knowledge of Sara Sarkin.
37:06: Chud discusses the adult programming at Peretz including the Sholom Aleichem Speaker Series. She also discusses the other regular activities and classes that go on at the Peretz Centre.
41:06: The speakers discuss the rumours about the Peretz Centre being a place for communists. Chud rationalizes that people who saw the photo of I.L. Peretz on the wall may have thought he was a Russian man and a communist influencer.
44:30: Chud mentions her son and that he and his wife were married in the Peretz auditorium.
46:31: Freiman asks Chud about the population of Jewish people in Vancouver and how many are regularly involved in the Peretz Centre. Chud mentions that many local Jewish people don’t even know that Peretz exists.
49:18: Chud describes her happiness that the Peretz Centre has become a gathering place for the Jewish community and its organizations.
50:52: The Peretz Centre has several levels of Yiddish classes.
51:44: Chud describes how one of the teachers visited several Jewish families in the Squamish area and described the Peretz services and programs. She also tells of a program where children in the P’nei Mitzvah program gather with students from an Islamic school to learn from each other and cook for the poor of the area.
54:50: End of interview.

Elliot Dainow

Number: CA JMABC A.1971.001-20.18-44
Name: Elliot Dainow
Interviewer: Victor Neuman
Date: October 25th, 2018
Place: Peretz Centre
Project: The Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia Oral History Project
Summar:
00:00: The interviewer, Victor Neuman, introduces himself and Elliot Dainow who is being interviewed. Dainow was born in Montreal to parents who had immigrated from what is now Belarus. Dainow also describes his education.
4:07: Dainow describes his career path up until the time of the interview and includes a description of how he came to be part of the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir. Neuman also asks Dainow about his history with music and being a pianist.
9:34: Dainow recalls some of his most prominent memories of being in the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir.
12:55: Neuman asks Dainow what he believes is the importance of the Choir to its members and the community in general. Dainow replies that is has an important role in keeping Secular Jewish and Yiddish culture alive. Dainow occasionally still plays or sings for the Choir.
14:55: End of interview.

Boris Chenkis

Oral history interview with Boris Chenkis in preparation for the 2015 Scribe on Jewish clothiers. Boris’ parents were born in Chernovke, Ukraine. Boris was born in Belarus in 1952. His family moved to Canada in 1959, when he was 7 years old. His Father was an x-ray technician and got a job in Nanaimo. His mother was a cook. They loved in Nanaimo until 1967 when they moved to Vancouver so his mother could open a clothing store. He talks about going to camp Miriam and Habonim. He went to Israel during his gap year on a Habonim program then went to UBC. In 1984, he opened After Five, a clothing store, with his wife. He talks about running the store and fashion.

Sol Kort

Oral history interview with Sol Kort who was born in Detroit, 1918. He did his Master’s degree in Science Education and Chemistry which he used in various chemical manufacturing jobs. Drafted into army in June of 1941 and found it very exciting. After the army he took Advanced Organics courses at University of Washington, than going to work at Kent Chemical. Later in life he was hired by the University of British Columbia to be program director at Centre for Continuing Education, which became Continuing Studies, Extension Dept. He ran the Great Books Discussion Group and J.C.C. with Search for Meaning series.

Dr. Bluma Tischler

Oral history interview with Dr. Bluma Tischler, who was born 1924 in Baranowicz, Poland - now Baranavichy in Belarus. Bluma and her husband Issac attended medical school at the University of Odessa, than studied in Munich, Germany. Bulma and Issac wanted to emigrate to the United States but due to their quota's being full they decided to come to Canada.

Sam Rothstein

Oral history interview with Sam Rothstein who was born in Russia, 1921. His family left Russia due to anti-semitism and post-revolution fallout, despite his father’s success in the lumber business. His father was Yisrael Leib and his mother was Elka Raisel. They settled in Vancouver because that’s where the rest of his family had chosen to live when they had arrived years before. He attended UBC for undergraduate studies and did a joined honours program in French and English and completed his masters there in French and English. He did his PhD at Berkeley and then got a teaching fellowship at the University of Washington in 1942 as a French teacher. He was drafted into the Canadian military during WWII. He served in counterintelligence. He was shipped to England in June, 1944 and then to Italy, Belgium and then stopped in Holland. While finishing his service, he came across a Librarianship pamphlet. He had money for the first time in his life and felt it was time for a change as he felt distance from the idea of being a French professor. He was invited to the faculty of the University of Manitoba as a French Professor but decided to go to Berkeley instead to become a Librarian, doing his PhD in Illinois. UBC offered him a job while he was briefly on return to Vancouver. He met his wife Miriam in 1948/49 through youth group activities at the JCC, they wed and then moved to Illinois to do his PhD, which he received in 1954 while Miriam worked as the dietician for the men’s residence. In 1961, he became the acting director of the UBC libraries. He also started the library school at UBC that same fall. Their daughter Linda was born in 1955 and Sharon was born in 1957. They were members of Beth Israel and Miriam was active in Hadassah. Sam served as an advisor to Hillel and joined the board at the JCC and eventually became president from 1970-1972. He served as one of the vice presidents of Jewish Congress.

Michael Ratner

Oral history interview with Michael Ratner, who was born in England, 1912. His father was born in Minsk, Russia; mother was born near Leningrad. Michael studied and worked as a Pharmacist in Vancouver until the 1970's. Michael was involved in the West Coast Historical Medical Society.

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