Sylva Gelber fonds
https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn107321
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 2 artifacts, 1 plaque, 1 parchment, 1 award
- Fonds No.
- I0228
- Date
- 1976-1999
- Scope and Content
- 2,000 year old perfume bottle given to Sylva Gelber from the United Jewish Appeal of Ottawa on May 11th 1976, in tribute to her distinguished service to Canada; Ancient oil lamp recieved from the Public Service Division United Jewish Appeal of Ottawa in tribute to Sylva's service to the jewish co…
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 2 artifacts, 1 plaque, 1 parchment, 1 award
- Scope and Content
- 2,000 year old perfume bottle given to Sylva Gelber from the United Jewish Appeal of Ottawa on May 11th 1976, in tribute to her distinguished service to Canada; Ancient oil lamp recieved from the Public Service Division United Jewish Appeal of Ottawa in tribute to Sylva's service to the jewish community; Plaque awarded by the Canadian Labour Congress on March 1976 in recognition of Sylva's service to working women of Canada; Parchment given by the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance on May 25th 1999, conferring upon Sylva the title of honorary trustee of the academy; Award given by the Canada-Israel Foundation, in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel, on November 1996 paying tribute to Sylva Gelber's support of the arts in Israel and Canada.
- Date
- 1976-1999
- Fonds No.
- I0228
- History / Biographical
- Sylva Malka Gelber was born in Toronto in 1910, the daughter of Louis Gelber (b.1878 - d. 1968) and Sara Morris (d. 1954). Her father was a successful textile wholesaler who had immigrated from Berezhany. Sylva attended Havergal Ladies College and was rejected from Barnard College in 1929 because "the Jewish quota was already filled." She took courses at Columbia University and the University of Toronto, but did not earn a degree. She was a distinguished Canadian who served Canada in various capacities, most notably as Director of the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labour and Canadian representative on the UN Commission for the Status of Women (1970-1974). She spent 15 years as a medical social worker and government administrator in British-mandate Palestine. She published an award winning memoir, "No Balm in Gilead", based on these events. Sylva was an outspoken advocate of women’s rights who helped to introduce equal-pay legislation, maternity leave and women’s pension benefits into Canadian society. She held many international appointments during her lifetime, including that of the Canadian Delegate to the United Nation General Assembly (1976-1978). Sylva Gelber was a patron of the arts who had a love of music. She established her Foundation, The Sylva Gelber Music Foundation, as a means to help young musicians at the beginning of their professional careers. She was awarded honourary degrees from Queen's University, Memorial University, Guelph University, Trent University, and Mount St. Vincent's University and was awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal in 1967. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1975. She died December 9, 2003 in Ottawa.
- Notes
- 1. See Ottawa Jewish Historical Society fonds for interviews about her life. 2. http://www.sylvagelber.ca/home/ - The Sylva Gelber Music Foundation website 3. http://www.billgladstone.ca/?p=2471 - Globe and Mail obituary.
- Archival / Genealogical
- Archival Descriptions
- Repository
- Ottawa Jewish Archives
A 2000 year old glass perfume bottle, encased in Plexiglas, given to Sylva Gelber by the United Jewish Appeal of Ottawa.
https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn107339
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col.
- Fonds No.
- I0228; OJA 1-1124
- Date
- May 11, 1976
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col.
- Date
- May 11, 1976
- Fonds No.
- I0228
- Item No.
- OJA 1-1124
- Storage Location
- vault
- Notes
- The box states that the award was given to Sylva in tribute to her, for her distinguished service to Canada on the occasion of her retirement from the Public Service of Canada at the Annual Dinner of the Public Service Division of the United Jewish Appeal.
- Archival / Genealogical
- Archival Descriptions
- Repository
- Ottawa Jewish Archives
Images
An approximately 1500 year old oil lamp sitting in an olive wood box, presented to Sylva Gelber by the United Jewish Appeal of Ottawa.
https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn107340
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col.
- Fonds No.
- I0228; OJA 1-1125
- Date
- March 29, 1982
- Scope and Content
- The lamp is sitting in a velvet hollow in an olive wood box. A paper scroll in the box states that the olive wood comes from trees surround Jerusalem, and an inscribed copper plate on the inside of the box is made from copper from the ancient mines of King Solomon in the Negev desert, and that the…
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col.
- Scope and Content
- The lamp is sitting in a velvet hollow in an olive wood box. A paper scroll in the box states that the olive wood comes from trees surround Jerusalem, and an inscribed copper plate on the inside of the box is made from copper from the ancient mines of King Solomon in the Negev desert, and that the glass ring holding the scroll was made in Hebron, one of the world's oldest cities (the glass ring is missing). The scroll also says that the lamp is made of burnt clay and was unearthed in the Holy Land. It dates from the Roman Byzantine period.
- Date
- March 29, 1982
- Fonds No.
- I0228
- Item No.
- OJA 1-1125
- Storage Location
- vault
- Notes
- Specifically it states that the lamp was presented for distinguished service to Canada and the Jewish community by the Public Service Division of the United Jewish Appeal of Ottawa.
- Archival / Genealogical
- Archival Descriptions
- Repository
- Ottawa Jewish Archives
Images
A parchment certificate presented to Sylva Gelber from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn107341
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col.
- Fonds No.
- I0228; OJA 1-1126
- Date
- May 25, 1999
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col.
- Date
- May 25, 1999
- Fonds No.
- I0228
- Item No.
- OJA 1-1126
- Storage Location
- vault
- Notes
- Signed by Avner Biron and Jacob Perry.
- Specifically it states that the Academy's Board of Directors conferred upon Mrs. Gelber the title and dignity of Honourary Trustee of the Academy in apreciation of her generosity to the Academy and devotion to the State of Israel.
- Archival / Genealogical
- Archival Descriptions
- Repository
- Ottawa Jewish Archives
Images
Glass award presented to Sylva Gelber by the Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation and the Embassy of Israel.
https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn107342
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 award ; glass
- Fonds No.
- I0228; OJA 1-1127
- Date
- November 1996
- Collection
- Sylva Gelber fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- 1 award ; glass
- Date
- November 1996
- Fonds No.
- I0228
- Item No.
- OJA 1-1127
- Storage Location
- vault
- Notes
- Presented to Sylva Gelber, O.C. the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in recognition of Dedicated Support of the Arts in Israel and Canad, bythe Canada-Israel Foundation in cooperation and the Embassy of Israel.
- Archival / Genealogical
- Archival Descriptions
- Repository
- Ottawa Jewish Archives
Images
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