setName:"Edelson Family fonds" found 1 record - The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of Edelson's Jewellers memorabilia including a poster presented by The Ottawa Citizen newspaper in recognition of Edelson's Jewellers being a long standing member of the Ottawa community, printed [1986?] (see 2-316); ring sizer; Alice Edelson Hadassah memberships; Hadassah certificat…

Collection: Edelson Family fonds

Description Level: Fonds

Material Type: multiple media

Physical Description: multiple media

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of Edelson's Jewellers memorabilia including a poster presented by The Ottawa Citizen newspaper in recognition of Edelson's Jewellers being a long standing member of the Ottawa community, printed [1986?] (see 2-316); ring sizer; Alice Edelson Hadassah memberships; Hadassah certificates; 1988 offprint about Edelson’s Jewellers; Dina Edelson’s tennis racquet; Certificate of Membership of B'nai B'rith for Eli Edelson dated 1962, Pioneer Women certificate "Kanot builder" issued in memory of Ida Naomi Coblentz and Samuel Levis by Coblentz family ca. 1950; Jack Edelson Catering Hat; State of Israel Bonds hat made by Alice Edelson. Box 1: Edelson Jewelry, Jack Edelson Catering, Edelson Family Alice Edelson Hadassah Wizo Brooch; Jack Edelson Catering Company, Packet of Matches; Joel and Sharon Wolff, Wedding Photograph – 1964; Maccabi Festival, Johannesburg Pin – 1965; Photograph: Dina Edelson, Book Fair – 1969; Photographs: Dina’s Dog Bijou, Dina Edelson, Benjamin Edelson – 1980-1980; Photographs: Jack Edelson Catering, Donna Kalin, Louis, Barbara Fine, Jackie Margoleses, Harold Feldman – 1981-1999; Edelson Jewelry: Receipts – 1950-1951; Edelson Jewelry: Wedding Invitation, Sisterhood Membership Card, Envelop – 1952, 1959; Edelson Jewelry: Correspondence – 1954-1986; Edelson Jewelry: Certificated from Hadassah-Wizo Organization of Canada for Ben and Alice Edelson Anniversary – 1972; Edelson Jewelry: News Clippings – 1974-1994; Edelson Jewelry: Memorabilia, Business Cards and Store Bag; Edelson Jewelry: Memorabilia, Letter Heads and receipts; Edelson Jewelry: News Article about Monda Halpern’s Book “Alice in Shanehland” – June 9, 2015; Jack Edelson Catering: Correspondence, Thank you notes – 1964-1997; Jack Edelson Catering: Ottawa Citizen Article, Kosher Controversy – July 26, 1995; Jack Edelson Catering: Yom Tov Foods flyers and Menus – 2000; Jack Edelson Catering: Menus and Pamphlets – 2005; Jack Edelson Catering: Jack Edelson Interview – 2010; Jack Edelson Catering: Letterhead and Blank Contracts; Edelson Family: Sharon Wolff Newspaper Clippings, Athlete of the year – 1956; Edelson Family: Eli Edelson and Helen Wiseman Certificates, Original wedding Certificate – 1956-1962; Edelson Family: Sharon Wolff, Baseball Photographs – 1962; Edelson Family: Elihu Edelson – 1972-1985; Edelson Family: Advertising, Financial Receipts – 2005; Edelson Family: Family Tree – 2009; Edelson Family: Sam Edelson – 2009; Edelson Family: Lurie- Coblentz Yiddish Letters Book: Alice in Shandehland; Scandal and Scorn in the Edelson Horowitz Murder Case, by Monda Halpern, 2015.

Date: 1950-2015

Fonds No.: I0061

Storage Location: 1 box in OS

History / Biographical: Benjamin (Ben) Simon Edelson (b. March 27, 1889 - d. October 12, 1988) and his wife Alice Coblentz (b. October 15, 1891, Lithuania - d. December 28, 1972, Ottawa) first visited Ottawa from Montreal in 1920 and soon after decided to move to the city. They had relocated from New York City to Montreal in 1906 and were married in 1912. Ben was a watchmaker and opened a Jewelry shop in Ottawa. Edelson's jewelry shop was first located at 588 Sussex Street, then 24 Rideau Street and finally 379 Dalhousie Street. Ben and Alice had seven children: Samuel (b. December 7, 1913 - d. October 15, 2004), Dina (b. July 27, 1915 - d. died on October 24, 2010), Lillian (Kaztnelson) (b. January 27, 1917), Vivian (Caplan) (b. July 27, 1919 - d. March 16, 2012), Jack (b. March 21, 1924), Joyce (Aiken) (b. June 13, 1926), and Elihu (b. June 14, 1927). In 1931 the family became engulfed in controversy as Benjamin was charged with the murder of fellow jeweller, Jack Horowitz. Ben had been aware that for some time Alice and Jack had been carrying on an affair, then an anonymous phone call prompted a confrontation in Edelson’s store in which Jack was fatally wounded by a gunshot to the abdomen. Ben was acquitted of the charges and the whole affair was rarely spoken of again. The incident received much attention in the media of the day but subsequently was subject to "collective forgetting" by Ottawa's Jewish Community. The case became the subject of Monda Halpern’s book “Alice and Shanehland” published in June 2015. Alice Edelson was a member of the Agudath Israel Sisterhood and an active participant in Hadassah- Wizo Canada. Alice was active in the State of Israel Bonds campaign during the late 1950's and 1960's. She organized a special Bar Mitzvah Year celebration in 1961 for the Ottawa Committee in which girls and boys were encouraged to invest money they received to be invested in State of Israel Bonds. Alice was also a registered shareholder with the Hadassah-Wizo Organization of Canada, Cancer Research Foundation. Alice died on December 28, 1972 at the age of 81. The eldest of the Edelson children, Samuel, married Rose Manheim (b. December 25, 1916 - d. February 21, 2005) on March 26, 1938. Sam and Rose had three children; Elihu Philip (b. March 6, 1939), Joel Norman (b. February 4, 1941), Michael David (b. November 16, 1949). Samuel was a member of the Camera Club of Ottawa from 1940-1947. Their son Michael is high profile a criminal defense attorney in Ottawa and works at the firm of Edelson, Clifford, d’Angelo. Ben’s daughter Dina took over the Jewelry business in 1967. Edelson’s were in business for 83 years. Dina was a keen tennis player, winning a 1949 Championship at the Tel Aviv Tennis Club. She was also well known for her dogs, at one time owning the 1979 Canadian Champion Pomroth Edelson Diamond. Dina was a vocal opponent of the drive to construct the Rideau Centre and glass covered bus mall throughout the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Dina never married and had no children. Lillian Edelson married Dr. Harry Katznelson (b. November 7, 1917 - d. February 10, 1965) on March 26, 1938. They two children Carla Jan Katznelson (b. Septmber 14, 1943) and Peter Richard Katznelson (b. July 11, 1947) Vivian married Donald Peter Caplan (b. September 23, 1917 - d. November 26, 2007) on October 3, 1941. Vivian and Donald had two children; Jean Ruth (b. January 12, 1944) and Susan Paula (June 30, 1946). Jack Edelson graduated from the Ottawa Technical Institute Secondary School. Jack joined the Air Force at the age of 19 and served in World War II. After the war Jack owned and operated Jack Edelson Catering which served both the Jewish and non-Jewish community. Yom Tov Catering was operated by Jack under his catering company to cater kosher events. In 1995 Jack’s catering company faced controversy after non-kosher food was served at a kosher event; this resulted in a brief suspension by the Vaad Ha’ir. Jack married Freda Davis (b. August 20, 1926 - d. October 16, 1976) on December 25, 1949. Jack and Freda had two children, Benjamin Mark Edelson (b. January 17, 1962) and Natalie Dana (b. May 9, 1990). After Freda’s death, Jack married Annette Diotte (b. July 6, 1938) on August 11, 1984. Joyce Edelson married Hank Aiken on October 19, 1947. The youngest Edelson child, Elihu, graduated from Ottawa Technical High School majoring in drafting. Elihu worked at Rideau Aluminum before opening up his own workshop. Elihu married Helen Wiseman (b. July 5, 1937) on October 7, 1956. Elihu and Helen’s marriage was the first to be performed in the new Congregation Beth Shalom Synagogue. After closing his workshop, Elihu became a Real Estate agent working first for Rhodes Real Estate and then for Harry Froman Real Estate. From 1973 until his retirement in 1985, Elihu worked for the National Capital Commission.

Acquisition Source: Sharon Edelson; Shirley Berman

Notes: 1. Yiddish letters photocopied for translation by Miriam Paghis.

Related Material: Saros Ltd fonds; Tel Aviv Tennis Club fonds; State of Israel Bonds fonds; Jack Edelson Catering fonds

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Ottawa Jewish Archives