Collection

FINEBERG Family Home Movies.

Description Level

Fonds

Physical Description

11 films. - 2 compact discs (DVD-ROM) (movie).

Scope and Content

9 reels of 16 mm silent film, mostly in colour (well preserved) with 3 small reels in one canister and the other 6 in individual canisters, each 5 to 15 minutes long. Subjects are the Fineberg family of Montreal, Davaar Street in Outremont, parents and 3 children (Sheila Notkin is the middle child, with an older brother and a younger sister). Scenes show home in Outremont including at Passover and birthday parties, summer and winter vacations in the Laurentians at Val Morin, Ivry, and Ste. Agathe (Rabiner's Hotel) as well as Atlantic City and Old Orchard Beach and places along the road in New York State. The Rabiner's Hotel scenes include a B'nai Brith Lodge stage show with calisthenic performances by adults. Added Sept. 25 2007, 1 large reel of brother Bob Fineberg's wedding to Rhoda Wiener, Adath Israel synagogue, April 1958, shot by Drummond Photo Studio of E. Fineberg's staff (Eli Fineberg was then deceased).Addition 2009: 3 small home movie reels (a total of 4.10 minutes of footage) show the Sweet Sixteen party of Sheila Fineberg (now Notkin) at Ruby Foo's restaurant, and at home (?) opening presents, Montreal 1958. The view outside the restaurant window appears rural. Period clothing and hats. The 16 mm film was transferred to DVD digital files at the time of the donation, and the original reels were donated as well. Two additional reels totalling 2.50 minutes show a toddler girl, Ellen Fineberg (now Coopersmith), the donor's niece. The setting may be a summer cottage in Val Morin Quebec, 1960. A period car is also shown. This film was transferred to the same DVD, but the original reels were returned to the donor, for eventual transfer to Ellen Coopersmith.

Date

1947-1958.

Fonds No.

P0212

History / Biographical

Biographical Sketch: Eli Fineberg was a professional photographer in Montreal. He was the owner of Society Studio, located on Park Avenue in Montreal, which was responsible for many of the photographs taken of the mid-20th century Montreal Jewish community, including those of the YM-YWHA. He married Leah Gold (now Leah Gold Fineberg Wiseberg) and had three children: a son Robert (Bob), deceased in 1960 at the age of 23, and two daughters, Sheila (now Sheila Notkin) and Rickiee (now Rickiee Ship Itovitch). Eli Fineberg died at age 48, in 1952.

Custodial History

The collection was donnated by Sheila Notkin, Eli Fineberg's daughter, on Aug. 16, 2007 and with an addition on Sept. 25 2007. Addtion was made on July 24, 2009 by Sheila Notkin.

Notes

These films were transferred to DVD in September by the Concordia University audio-visual department.P07/17 and P09/15.Drummond Photo, wedding negatives series.Most of the films were shot by the father, Eli Fineberg, who was a professional photographer, so the quality is very good. The scenes are typical of Montreal Jewish families in the late 1940s, with clothing and material culture details of the era. The Sweet Sixteen (Sweet 16) was a socio-cultural phenomenon of this era and was especially common in Jewish households.

Archival / Genealogical

Archival Descriptions

Repository

Canadian Jewish Archives

Less detail