topic:"Women" found 1191 records - The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network

Workmen's Circle of Montreal Fonds

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn18200

Collection: Workmen's Circle of Montreal Fonds

Description Level: Fonds

Material Type: multiple media

Physical Description: 4 m of textual records and other material

Date: 1908-current

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of 10 series containing the operating records of the Workmen's Circle, its committees, branches, choir and school program. Series I – Committees Series II – Branches Series III – His tory and Organizational Papers Series IV – Publications Series V – Abra…

Collection: Workmen's Circle of Montreal Fonds

Description Level: Fonds

Material Type: multiple media

Physical Description: 4 m of textual records and other material

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of 10 series containing the operating records of the Workmen's Circle, its committees, branches, choir and school program. Series I – Committees Series II – Branches Series III – His tory and Organizational Papers Series IV – Publications Series V – Abraham Reisen Schools Series VI – Workmen’s Circle Loan Syndicate Series VII – Workmen’s Circle Choir Series VIII – Workmen’s Circle, New York Series IX – Correspondence Series X – Scrapbooks and Artefacts

Date: 1908-current

Storage Location: Bay 6

Creator: Workmen's Circle

Physical Condition: Excellent.

History / Biographical: The Workmen’s Circle (Arbeter Ring) of Montreal (now Worker’s Circle) celebrated its 100th Anniversary in the city in 2007. The organization, which was originally founded in New York in 1892 by mainly Russian Jewish immigrants fleeing Czarist pogroms, conducted itself as an “irretrievable part of the radical labour movement.” An advocate for change, the Workmen’s Circle also provided education, enlightenment, health benefits, open forums, a library, clubs and cemetery plots for its members. The work of the group extended to emergencies such as operating a soup kitchen during the Depression or organizing the Action Committee for Soviet Jewry in the late-1980s and early 1990s to aid immigration. Their involvement in politics saw support for the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and candidates such as A.M. Klein, David Lewis and Kalman Kaplansky. In 1940, two Workmen’s Circle members from Branch 151 were elected to the Montreal municipal council, Michael Rubenstein and Albert Eaton. The first Workmen’s Circle building was completed in 1936 after several years of planning and a hold due to the Depression. The building was located at 4848 St. Laurent and served the Workmen’s Circle’s business and social activities as well as one of the schools. Like most other Jewish organizations, the Workmen’s Circle moved from the once-traditionally Jewish Main area and re-located to Isabella closer to the Jewish community campus. The Worker’s Circle is still housed there although the organization is shrinking and serves an aging population.

Language: Yiddish, English, Russian

Acquisition Source: Workmen's Circle of Montreal

Custodial History: Transferred directly from the Workmen's Circle, first date of transfer unknown, accural of new materials in November 2007.

Arrangement: Current arrangement based on an older system of description used by the JPL-A during the 1970s and 1980s. The finding aid was up-dated to RAD standards in March 2008.