From the Holy Blossom Temple Archives: Edmund Scheuer

By Michael Cole, Holy Blossom Archives Committee

In the Star Weekly of February 12, 1916, the following was reported about the Jewish Free School and its founder and superintendent, Edmund Scheuer:

“Ones impressed with [the students’] discipline—founded, one can easily see, on their respect and affection (amounting almost to reverence) for their teacher, Mr. Scheuer …
… For attentiveness, for alertness, for discipline, these girls would stand comparison with any similar number of girls in any other Sunday school one could readily find.”

Edmund Scheuer, unusually for his time, was convinced that girls, as well as boys, deserved a good Jewish education, and the Jewish Free School, ostensibly run under the auspices of the Zionists of Toronto, put this conviction into practice, not only for the girls of Holy Blossom, where Mr. Scheuer (as he was always referred to) had been school superintendent for twenty years, but for Jewish girls across the city. At its height, the school enrolled about 300 students. Mr. Scheuer also compiled a textbook, containing hymns, prayers, and instructions on how to observe the holidays, that came to be used at Holy Blossom. It is likely the first Jewish textbook produced in Canada.

At Holy Blossom, Edmund Scheuer was a commanding presence in the Religious School well beyond his years as school superintendent. He was a born teacher and a knowledgeable Jew. To study Hebrew with Mr. Scheuer was considered a privilege. But his main emphasis was to teach young Jews to be good people and good citizens of Canada. The Star Weekly’s observer notes that “ … the lesson to the younger children was on the duty of truthfulness in all things—and especially in prayer. ‘It is only the sincere and truthful prayer that God answers, and He always answers that.’”

Heinz Warschauer, Mr. Scheuer’s eventual successor as head of the Religious School, wrote of his predecessor, “The children liked and respected him. He taught Judaism because he loved it and because he was convinced that only educated Jews would be able to be good Jews. And only good Jews would be able to work with good Christians for the Brotherhood of Man!”

Edmund Scheuer arrived in Toronto in 1886, and, until his death at 96 in 1943, was active in virtually every aspect of Holy Blossom’s life. He was the only person to serve on the Building Committee of both the Bond Street and Bathurst Street buildings. In 1934, he was elected an Honorary President of the synagogue. The Yohanan ben Zakkai window in our sanctuary is dedicated to Mr. Scheuer’s memory, and his portrait hangs in the foyer to the Enkin Boardroom.

Edmund Scheuer was very active in the affairs of the larger Jewish community. He helped found the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, the precursor of the UJA.

But it is his contribution to the education of Holy Blossom’s young people—and the young Jewish women of Toronto—that he will be most remembered.

Watch the video below of three late Holy Blossom Wardens, each a former student of Mr. Scheuer, reflect on the teacher, mentor, and remarkable person who left an enduring mark on their lives.

The Archives Committee receives inquiries regularly. We invite you to contact us about this or other areas of interest at: [email protected].   We are always interested in learning and sharing more about our remarkable history. We also encourage you to examine the archival displays in the Schwartz-Reisman Atrium.

From the Archives: Cantor Benjamin Zeev Maissner z’l, Sweet Singer of Israel Exhibit

By Denise Gordon

The indomitable spirit of our beloved Cantor Benjamin Zeev Maissner, z’l, continues to touch our hearts and minds when we least suspect. We might be attending a service, listening to a particular prayer, or remembering a life-cycle event when we conjure these memories.  How we loved Beny’s voice, his devotion to Holy Blossom, his love of Judaism, and Beny’s absolute zest for living.

In collaboration with the Archives Committee and, of course, Hope Maissner and her children, Eva Ormut-Fleishman and I (both members of Temple Singers) assembled a display of items from the Archives and from the cantor’s family. The exhibit:  Cantor Benjamin Zeev Maissner z’l, Sweet Singer of Israel, highlights aspects of his extraordinary 40-year tenure here, as well as glimpses into his personal and musical life beyond Temple. At each display case, a convenient QR code takes you directly to his own voice and music.

The first of the display cases dedicated to this exhibition in the Schwartz/Reisman Atrium is lovingly called Between Heaven and Earth.  You may tingle with nostalgia upon seeing Beny’s shofar and a photo of him blowing it. The feelings may continue upon viewing and remembering Beny wearing the tallit on display. There are also three handwritten music manuscripts, each one composed by him to honour his three children. In my mind’s eye, I recall Beny’s beautiful hand gestures as he held or wore these items, how he spoke with us, led us in prayer, taught us, celebrated a simcha or consoled us in sorrow throughout various Jewish lifecycle events. These items practically whisper and transport us into the past. Lean in and see if they speak to your heart or conjure a loving memory.

The other case encapsulates Beny’s great love and prolific musical programming at Holy Blossom and across the globe. Featured in the cabinet are more of Beny’s ritual items shared with us from the Maissner family: his yad, kippah, and even his kiddush cup. And of course, there is Beny’s famous tuning fork. How I remember the latter at various rehearsals, whether of Temple Singers or Lachan, his beloved community choir. Beny was so proud when we kept in tune.  And boy, did we hear about it when we weren’t!

We are grateful to the Maissner family for also sharing a wonderful collection of photos and personal memorabilia to deepen our memories.  In cabinets, one can glimpse photos of Beny kibbitzing with colleagues, Beny conducting, Beny on his innumerable musical missions, Beny bearing witness to tragic historical events in Jewish history, and most compellingly, Beny with his beautiful and cherished Hope and family, truly enjoying his life to the brim. Seeing these photos captures the love Beny gave and the love he received from all who knew him, personally and professionally.

The Archives Committee warmly invites you to catch a glimpse of Beny’s good life as seen in the exhibit: Cantor Benjamin Zeev Maissner z’l, Sweet Singer of Israel. It will be on display until December 2025 and is located on the main floor of the Schwartz/Reisman Atrium, adjacent to the living (plant) wall on the west side.

May Cantor Benjamin Z. Maissner’s memory continue to be a beacon and a blessing for all of us at Holy Blossom and beyond.

From the HBT Archives Committee: Jewish Summer Camps

By Susan Mogil

When Pesach is over, the minds of some turn to summer camp.  Even the parents and grandparents of campers recall their summers at sleepover camp with fondness. In the early days of the community, establishing activities for Jewish youth was an important way for Jewish organizations to not only occupy children during the summer months but also to impart specific Jewish values and political principles.

Readers may read more and see photos of Jewish camping movement on the website of the Ontario Jewish Archives. OJA has a vast amount of archival material related to this unique experience. The collection reveals the early days of the community when summer camps were aligned with political movements or branches of Judaism.

As early as the 1930s, private summer camps that catered to the Jewish communities around Ontario were established all over the Muskoka and Kawartha regions. At many of these camps, Jewish traditions such as a Shabbat service, were blended into a largely secular program. Several Jewish summer camps have owners with strong ties to Holy Blossom.

Camps Winnebagoe and Ogama

Camp Winnebagoe was the first Jewish co-educational camp established in Canada. Founded by Joe and Sadie Danson in 1933, it has always been steeped in rich traditions, particularly mindful of its Jewish heritage. The camp had several lakeside locations, but in 1971, Camp Winnegaboe purchased Camp Ogama, originally operated by Jill and Ben Lustig on Fox Lake near Huntsville, and it has been there since. Both Danson and Lustig families are long-time Temple members. Daughter Ilyse Lustig now runs the camp.

Camp Wahanowin

Harold Nashman and his mother, Anne (Bubby Nash), always dreamed of owning a summer camp for Jewish children. They discovered the site on Lake Couchiching near Orillia, and Camp Wahanowin welcomed its first campers in the summer of 1955. Harold’s son Bruce and his wife Patti own and run the camp 80 years on.

Camp White Pine

Joe Kronick founded Camp White Pine in 1956 in Haliburton on Hurricane Lake (also known as Lake Placid). Camp White Pine has a strong tradition as a Jewish camp, with programming, rituals, and community involvement designed to teach campers about their heritage. Joe and Doreen Kronick were active members of Holy Blossom, and Joe was the temple’s Youth Director in the 1950s. Their son Adam and daughter-in-law Dana took over as camp directors in 1987, continuing Joe’s approach to camping.

Camp Kawagama

Elsie and David Palter opened Camp Kawagama in 1945 on Hollow Lakes in Haliburton. They promoted Kawagama as a progressive Jewish camp with special meals on Friday night and services. In later years, it was run by their son David Palter and daughter-in-law Ruth-Ellen Soles.

Camp George is the 1^st and only Canadian camp run by URJ and has a close connection to Holy Blossom. It was founded in 1999 on Maple Lake on a campsite previously owned by Camp Winnebago since 1960. HBT and Temple Sinai brotherhoods were “hands-on” to clear the site. Camp George has many staff and campers who are HBT members. Every summer, the camp is visited by HBT and Leo Baeck clergy & staff. Holy Blossom also supports 4 Camp George scholarships.  Watch here for the introductory Camp George video.

 

(The Archives Committee receives inquiries regularly. We invite you to contact us about this or other areas of interest at:  [email protected].   We are always interested in learning and sharing more about our remarkable history.  We also encourage you to examine the archival displays in the Schwartz-Reisman Atrium.)

From the Holy Blossom Archives Committee 

Basya Hunter: A Woman For All Seasons

by Michael Cole, Holy Blossom Temple Archives

In April 1951, Basya Hunter, Supervisor of Hebrew at Holy Blossom, wrote a letter to the Temple’s Board of Trustees asking for a raise in pay.

My job has not been part-time. I meet with staff and students on Saturdays, holidays and evenings … I devote four mornings a week to preparation (at home). I am at Temple from four to five afternoons a week for regular working schedules or rehearsals, plus regular Sunday mornings … Unless I am given a wage commensurate with the time spent and the responsibilities carried, I cannot continue with this position.

At the next meeting of the Board, Basya’s request was granted without discussion.

Basya’s responsibilities at Holy Blossom were indeed many and varied. Not only was she head of the Hebrew Department, she was also responsible for Confirmation (an onerous task, involving working with individual students on their contribution to what, in those years, was a large, well-rehearsed production), and she was in charge of programming for Hanukkah and Purim.

However, with all of her contributions to the educational side of Holy Blossom’s life (and she was the assistant principal and then principal of our Religious School in the early 1940s), it is as a director of drama, both of students in the Religious School and then with Temple Players, for which she is most remembered. During the 1950s and 1960s, she directed Temple Players in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, All My Sons, and Death of A Salesman. (A socially conscious woman, Basya was attracted to Miller’s dramas.) Temple Players also mounted a play based on the Thomas Mann novel, Joseph and His Brothers and another, The World of Sholom Aleichem, based on tales of the Yiddish story-teller.

In February 1977, Basya’s own play, Johannes and the Talmud, opened at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. The play was based on the life of Johannes Reuchlin, according to a column in The Globe and Mail, “a 16th century German scholar and Christian who steadfastly defended the right of Jews to practise their religion.” The play took Basya twelve years to write and went through nearly twenty drafts. The same Globe article noted that Johannes was widely acclaimed in religious circles, if not among professional critics. Notwithstanding the critics, the play was remounted twice in Toronto, first at St. Michael’s College in 1979 and then at the Leah Posluns Theatre in 1988.

Born in 1911, Basya Zavin grew up in a tenement on New York City’s Lower East Side, one of seven children. As a young girl, she directed her friends in plays on the city’s streets. At age eighteen, she went to Russia to study drama with Konstantin Stanislavsky at the Moscow Arts Theatre. Stanislavsky was the inventor of ‘the method,’ a theory of acting according to which actors are encouraged to discover their characters’ inner emotions and motivations. As adapted by Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler in New York, ‘the method’ produced such stars as Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, and Robert De Niro. Basya brought method acting to a group of amateurs at Holy Blossom!

On the ship taking her to Russia, Basya met Peter Hunter. They later married and had one son, David. Peter was an interesting person. His devotion to and later disillusionment with the Communist Party and Soviet Russia is the subject of a fascinating memoir, Which Side Are You On, Boys?

Basya’s work in establishing the Canadian theatre scene was remarkable. She taught such luminaries of Canadian drama as William Shatner, Robert Goulet, and Toby Robins, first at her own Arts Theatre and then at Ryerson (now TMU).

I knew Basya; she and my mother were good friends. I missed the years when she worked in Holy Blossom’s Religious and Hebrew School, and I was too young to be involved in Temple Players. At one visit to our home, Basya told me of her discovery of the teaching skills of a young German immigrant. He was Heinz Warschauer, who succeeded her as Principal of Holy Blossom’s Religious School and went on to a legendary thirty-year career as the Temple’s first Director of Education.

Basya died in 1997. Few people at Holy Blossom are around today who remember her, but Basya’s legacy to Temple in so many areas is still felt.

 

(The Archives Committee receives inquiries regularly. We invite you to contact us about this or other areas of interest at [email protected]. We are always interested in learning and sharing more about our remarkable history. We also encourage you to examine the archival displays in the Schwartz-Reisman Atrium.)