Victoria Jews in Scribe

DOROTHY GRAD SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

At the peak of the gold rush in 1863, there were 119 Jewish families in Victoria. They came from the United States, Germany, Poland and England. They formed the first Hebrew Benevolent Society to raise money to rent a hall for the High Holy Day services. Then they consecrated a burial ground, established a congregation and built a synagogue, the first one in Western Canada, spearheaded by Abraham Blackman and Myer and John Malawanski. The Victoria Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society's task was to continuously raise funds to help establish the community and to maintain it.

The latest edition of the Scribe, the official journal of the Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia (JHS), features the men and women who established the Victoria Jewish community, how they did it and who the players were. It will be launched Sunday, May 30, 2 p.m., at Congregation Emanu-El, 1462 Blanchard St., in Victoria. Author and JHS historian Cyril Leonoff will show slides of photos in the Scribe with accompanying commentary. Eveyone is invited to attend.

In the Scribe, volume 24, Leonoff tells the interesting story of the origins of the West Coast Jewish community. Through this journal, readers meet the founders of Temple Emanu-El, as well as business and society leaders. They also meet the women who kept the congregation solvent with the organizational and fund-raising skills that they developed over the years as members of the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society of Victoria.

The story takes us through the trials and tribulations of developing a new Jewish community. Readers are introduced to Cecelia and Frank Sylvester, Henrietta and Jacob Lenz, Caroline and Simon Leiser, Lena and Godfrey Oppenheimer, Eva Rostein of Seattle and husband Henry Emanuel Levy of Wellington, New Zealand, Dr. Rabbi Solomon and Regina Philo, Minnie (Philo) and Isaac Waxstock, Louisa (Philo) and John Mahrer, Rachel "Ray" Frank and Alice and Harry Mallek. These families' stories intertwine with the development of commerce and trade, the gold rush and the community.

All JHS members in good standing are mailed a copy of the Scribe. Additional copies are available for $10 from the JHS office, which is in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.

The JHS is a unique organization that services the entire population of British Columbia – a monumental task for a small organization on a small budget. The amount of material received in the last several years has forced the society to secure a second archival storage and work/research space.

A few of the many ways the community can participate for the continued success of the society are by becoming a member, using JHS donation cards, remembering the JHS in your will, sponsoring a project or becoming an oral history taker. You could also complete your family history and become another important addition to the collection of family stories in the archives. Every life has a story and the JHS wants yours.

Dorothy Grad is publicity chair of the Jewish Historical Society.

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