HaTzipporim on Spadina and in the Sandwich

HaTzipporim on Spadina and in the Sandwich

By Karen Cohen, HaTzipporim Committee

You might be expecting a review for a restaurant on Spadina after a quick glance at the title of this article. The article’s purpose is actually to share an update on what Holy Blossom’s HaTzipporim (Empty Nesters) are doing this fall. Read on to learn more about our season opener last month, a very informative walk through Toronto’s Jewish History (the Spadina connection), and stay tuned to the end of the article to learn about how our upcoming November 3 event relates to a sandwich.

A large group turned out for our walk, led by dynamic guide Sharoni Sibony. As a relative newcomer to Canada, I was curious to learn about the Jewish history of this area, and happy that I would have Jewish peers with me during the experience.

Our tour started at the Kiever Shul, where Sharoni provided us with background information about Jewish immigration to Toronto and showed us the beautiful sanctuary. From there we walked to Nassau Street, to hear about the local Jewish bootlegger families who used to do business there. We learned that the son of one of the bootleggers was Sammy Luftspring, the featherweight boxing champion. We also visited Shoichet’s Alley, off Kensington Avenue, where families brought their live chickens to be slaughtered, now home to several colourful murals (see the photo). We noted various ways the market area has changed over the years, most notably the non-Jewish populations now predominant. Our final stop was outside the Minsker Synagogue (see the photo) and the old site of the Toronto Labor Lyceum. As we walked between stops I enjoyed chatting with other folks attending the tour.

Sharoni’s descriptions of the reasons people left Europe to settle here and the movement of the Jewish population through different neighbourhoods in the city tied in with my sense of being part of the story of Jewish migration. The tour made me curious to learn more about my own family’s relationship to Toronto, the city where my great-grandparents first lived when they came to North America and hence where my grandfather was born. I subsequently reached out to relatives and was able to find the house on Borden Street where they lived before moving to Detroit.

Sharoni had explained that although some of the old houses looked big, they often had many immigrants living in them together. I wondered who else might have lived in that house with my grandfather’s family.

Another aspect of the tour that intrigued me was learning about contributions that Jews made to non-religious community institutions such as the Toronto Labor Lyceum, the headquarters for some of the trade unions. Established by Henry Dworkin and Sam Easser, it also provided a place for social and cultural events. We learned that Henry Dworkin’s wife, Dorothy Dworkin, who was trained as a nurse and midwife, was a driving force behind the creation of Mount Sinai Hospital.

While Dorothy Dworkin was a caregiver in a very public way, at our HaTzipporim stage of life many of us are caregivers privately for children, spouses, aging parents, or some combination of those. Sandwiched between generations who need our support, we are sometimes referred to as the “sandwich generation.” With this in mind, we will be meeting with lawyer Felice Kirsh at Holy Blossom at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 3 to explore the emotional, mental, physical, legal, and financial aspects of caregiving. We will learn from her expertise, share our own experiences, and support one another as we reflect on the varied aspects of this journey. Treats from Holy Blossom will be provided and all are welcome.

To register for the caregivers’ session, go to https://holyblossom.org/event/hatzipporim-empty-nesters-presents-lets-talk-about-caregiving/

Many of the historical sites and stories from our walk can be explored further at https://ontariojewisharchives.org.

HaTzipporim (Empty Nesters) is a peer group for Holy Blossom Temple members in late midlife. It meets roughly once a month, offering topical programming, Jewish religious and cultural events, and social gatherings. The topical sessions are designed to be relevant for the stage of life when many are in the “sandwich generation,” navigating transitions related to having young adult children and/or aging parents, or are looking towards career changes or next chapters. For more information, contact [email protected].