I Have a Story to Tell You

Description

I Have a Story to Tell You is about Eastern European Jewish immigrants living in Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg in the early twentieth century. The stories encompass their travels and travails on leaving home and their struggles in the sweatshops and factories of the garment industry in Canada. Basing her work on extensive interviews, Seemah Berson recreates these immigrants’ stories about their lives in the Old Country and the hardship of finding work in Canada, and she tells how many of these newcomers ended up in the needle trades. Revealing a fervent sense of socialist ideology acquired in the crucible of the Russian Revolution, the stories tell of the influence of Jewish culture and traditions, of personal–and organized–fights against exploitation, and of struggles to establish unions for better working conditions.

This book is a wonderful resource for teachers of Canadian, Jewish, and social history, as well as auto/biography and cultural studies. The simplicity of the language, transcribed from oral reports, makes this work accessible to anyone who enjoys a good story.

Sujets

• Life writing
• Jewish studies

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 04 août 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781554582389
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

I have a story to tell you

Life Writing Series

In theLife Writing Series, Wilfrid Laurier University Press publishes life writing and new lifewriting criticism and theory in order to promote auto biographical accounts, diaries, letters, and testimonials written and/or told by women and men whose political, literary, or philosophical purposes are central to their lives. The Series features accounts written in English, or translated into English from French or the languages of the First Nations, or any of the languages of immigration to Canada. From its inception,Life Writinghas aimed to foreground the stories of those who may never have imagined themselves as writers or as people with lives worthy of being (re)told. Its readership has expanded to include schol ars, youth, and avid general readers both in Canada and abroad. The Series hopes to continue its work as a leading publisher of life writing of all kinds, as an imprint that aims for both broad representation and scholarly excellence, and as a tool for both historical and autobiographical research. As its mandate stipulates, the Series privileges those individuals and communities whose stories may not, under normal circumstances, find a welcoming home with a publisher.Life Writingalso publishes original theoretical investigations about life writing, as long as they are not limited to one author or text.

Series Editor Marlene Kadar Humanities Division, York University

Manuscripts to be sent to Lisa Quinn, Acquisitions Editor Wilfrid Laurier University Press 75University Avenue West Waterloo, Ontario, Canadan2l 3c5

I have a story to tell you  Seemah C. Berson, editor

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

I have a story to tell you / Seemah C. Berson, editor.

(Life writing series) Also available in electronic format. ISBN 9781554582198

1. Clothing workers—Canada—Biography.2. Jews—Canada—Biography.3. East Euro peans—Canada—Biography.4. Immigrants—Canada—Biography.5. Clothing trade—Cana da—History—20I. Berson, Seemah Cathline,th century. 1931Series: Life writing series– II.

hd8039.c62c2 2010

ISBN 9781554582389 Electronic format.

331.7'687092271

c20109038932

1. Clothing workers—Canada—Biography.2. Jews—Canada—Biography.3. East Euro peans—Canada—Biography.4. Immigrants—Canada—Biography.5. Clothing trade—Cana da—History—20th century. I. Berson, Seemah Cathline,1931Series: Life writing series– II.

hd8039.c62c2 2010a

331.7'687092271

c20109038932

Cover design by Blakeley Words+Pictures. Cover photographs by Jose Carlos Alva (mannequin) and Lluís TorrentBescós (woman). Text design by Catharine BonasTaylor.

©2010Wilfrid Laurier University Press Waterloo, Ontario, Canada www.wlupress.wlu.ca

This book is printed on FSC recycled paper and is certified Ecologo. It is made from100% post consumer fibre, processed chlorine free, and manufactured using biogas energy. Printed in Canada

Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the pub lisher’s attention will be corrected in future printings.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to18008935777.

To Yaniv, Ayla, Matan, Noam, Talia, Noah. May the lights in your eyes always serve as beacons. For Harold R. Berson, friend and lifelong partner

It is not your duty to complete the work; Neither are you free to desist from it. —Rabbi Tarfon, Pirkei Avot2:16

Contents

Preface Acknowledgements Introduction

Rose Kaplan Barkusky Rose Gordon Haskell (Harry) Ullman Muriel Grad Fanny (Baba) Osipov Abe Smith David Shaya Kirman Rose Smith Nina Dolgoy Ullman Sidney Sarkin Mr. Shano Sam Greenberg Pauline Chudnovsky Bluma Kogan Norman Massey Albert Abramowitz Lil Abramowitz Max Dolgoy James (Jimmy) Blugerman

Conclusion Notes Glossary

Photographs follow page112.

ix xiii xvii

1 8 15 23 28 35 39 50 54 58 73 76 80 86 94 99 113 125 133

273 277 281

Samuel Nemetz Sylvia Grafstein Klein Molly Klein Goldsman Rose Esterson Joshua (Joe) Gershman Jennie Zelda Litvak Hyman Leibovitch Ena Ship Masha Goldkind Mary Kevalko Max Povitz Art Browner Bertha Dolgoy Guberman Max Yellen Dave Ship Ben Abrams Abraham Taylor Simon Harris

147 157 163 165 169 180 193 206 212 215 220 225 233 247 251 257 260 264

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Preface

I HAVE A STORY—IN FACT, I have a number of stories—not about an important person or one who accomplished great feats in her or his life time. In fact, these aren’t even my stories, but they were told to me and I want to share them with you. There are always stories if you care to listen. Why are these stories dif ferent? What makes them unique? I was an undergraduate at the time I heard Sidney Sarkin speak at a ban quet, and I had a research paper to do. Sarkin was Jewish and what he talked about then, though it was a part of his life, was also a reflection of a larger picture involving more than one Jewish immigrant to North America. It reflected the transition of a people: the Eastern European Jewish people. After spending time with Sidney and listening to his stories, I was inspired to talk with more people from the needle trades. Soon after, I had a chance to do that. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship, and in the summer of 1974, armed with a new tape recorder and brandnew cassette tapes, I said goodbye to my husband and four kids in Vancouver and took a plane to Toronto. I had names of Jewish garment workers in Montreal and Toronto to get me started. However, one needs more than equipment and names of people! I had grown accustomed to visiting Sidney, enjoying a cup of cof fee, chatting with his wife, Sarah, and settling down with the tape recorder between us. In other words, I felt comfortable, at home, with him. In Toronto and Montreal I was a stranger to the people and the cities. Nonetheless, being younger then, I learned to find my way by bus and subway, and soon made many, many friends. I was invited into homes and community centres. I was fed; at times I was even wined and dined. The people I interviewed freely gave me advice. I was welcomed by women and men in hospital beds, who were so glad to have a friendly face to talk to, particularly about a longago part of their lives that

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