Katzman, secretary.90 In the course of that year, Mrs. Jacob Meretsky donated another Torah,91 and a ladies auxiliary was founded, known as the Daughters of Israel, under the respective presidencies of Mrs. Goldman and Mrs. Tabachnick.92 The social teas and other functions arranged by Tifereth Israel’s members kept it financially sound, at least for a while.93 However, overall attendance gradually declined when the Jewish population moved out of Ford City, which eventually changed its name to East Windsor. In 1934, Barney Hurwitz again became president. Although the synagogue continued to hold services and run its school, the founders’ aspirations to make it the centre of Jewish communal life really never materialized. The other religious institutions, which were more centralized, became the established Jewish institutions because of their proximity to the majority of the Jewish population. Tifereth Israel continued to survive for many years in spite of being away from the majority of the Jewish population.
The Birth of Zionist Fervour
The idea of establishing a Jewish national home in Palestine had occupied the minds of World Jewry long before 1897, the year when Theodor Herzl organized the First Zionist Congress held in Basle, Switzerland.94 In Windsor, Zionism first found expression in 1904 when Max Bernstein, in his attempt to start a Zion lodge, assembled some twenty-five Jews at his home. Following a brief address by a speaker, they elected S. Shapiro as president, a Mr. Barnett as vice president, Nathan Cherniak as financial secretary, and Max Bernstein as treasurer; F. Fisher, Joseph and Julius Kovinsky, Sam Bernstein, and J. Sovolsky became members of the board of directors.95 Although the lodge invited prominent speakers to lecture on Zionism, its activities were, on the whole, sporadic. The signing of the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917, however, provided new impetus for Zionist ideals, reaching full entrenchment in 1918, when three young Windsor Jews — Abner Weingarden, Harry Meretsky, and Monte Rosen96 joined fifteen other recruits from Detroit, who were leaving to fight in Palestine. A town rally, sponsored by the B’nai Zion Society, was organized to give the population a chance to bid farewell to these local heroes.97 The following story, prominently featured on the front page of the Windsor Record edition of May 15, 1918, vividly described the event:
Unique in the annals of Windsor’s war history was the departure Tuesday noon of the Jewish recruits who are now en route to Palestine. It has been some months since there was any kind of a military send-off and this was a distant event, especially in Hebrew circles. The enlisted men, who had signed up with the British recruiting mission in Detroit, numbered about 18 and included 3 Windsorites, A. Weingarden, son of I. Weingarden, and proprietor of the store at the corner of Ferry and Sandwich Sts.; Harry Meretsky, son of Mike Meretsky, and Monte Rosen. They appear about in the center of the picture, close to Sergt.-Major Russell, who was in the machine-gun section of the “fighting 18th,” and wounded. He was in charge of the party that proceeded from the ferry to C.P.R. Station, acting under orders from Captain Brooke Baxter, attached to the British recruiting mission.
On the left is the Piper Sergt. Dickie, of the Chicago depot, whose appearance reminded downtown Windsor of the days of the 241st kilted battalion. In the crowd that marched to the station were Mayor Tuson, Ald. Simon Meretsky, ex-alderman Baum, ex-alderman Aaron Meretsky and prominent Jewish residents, several of whom had their autos decorated with flags and bunting. One of the patriotic Hebrews carried a banner that read: “For Palestine; Land of our fathers; sons of Maccabees; join the Hosts of Israel.”
The spectacle of these descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob going off to war in the year 1918 after the birth of Christ to fight in Palestine for the recovery of the Holy Land left a profound impression in the minds of those who attended the send-off and gave the Jewish boys the parting word of encouragement, “Good-bye and good luck to you.” The send-off was arranged by the Windsor Society of B’nai Zion (sons of Zion). The flag of Zion and the Union Jack were presented to the boys with stirring words of appeal for their protection and support. The B’nai Zion Society is appealing urgently to the young Jewish men to rally to the support of the several Jewish battalions that are to aid the Imperial Army in regaining the Holy Land and securing a lasting and honourable peace for the birth place of our present civilization.98
Photo courtesy of Michael Sumner
Windsor delegates attend the first Zionist Congress (n.d.). Pictured left to right are Aaron Meretsky, Jacob Schwartz, and Barney Hurwitz.
Photo courtesy of Michael Sumner
Windsor’s first Jewish Zionists leave for Palestine in 1918.
Influenced by the events of World War I and the resulting world situation, the Jews of Windsor continued to be inspired by the dream of regaining Palestine as a future home for World Jewry. Members of the local Hadassah group, which had likely been active since the beginning of World War I, not only held dances to collect funds for Jewish war relief but also knitted socks for the soldiers who had gone to Palestine.99 The Zionist cause was further promoted by the Hebrew school students,100 as well as by the members of the Young Judean Club, a group that, after choosing Mr. I. Rosenberg as its general organizer, elected Mrs. L. Rosa as its president, Miss Feldman as vice president, Miss I. Baum as secretary, and Mrs. May Cheifetz as treasurer.101
Many other Windsor Jews actively participated in Zionist activities. In February 1921, Oscar Lehrman and Samuel Schwartz were delegates to the seventeenth Zionist convention in Montreal;102 in May of that year, Aaron Meretsky, Jacob Schwartz, and Barney Hurwitz represented the Windsor community at a special three-day Zionist Congress meeting in Toronto.103 Three weeks later, Barney Hurwitz was made chairman of a committee that would raise $10,000 for Palestine; vice chairman was Samuel Schwartz, S. K. Baum, treasurer, (also a delegate to the 1922 Zionist convention in Ottawa and elected officer of the Canadian Zionist Organization), and H. Kolkol, secretary. Others belonging to the group were Max Cheifetz, Oscar Lehrman, H. Bercuson, Aaron Meretsky, H. Zeitlin, J. Mossman, A. Abrahamson, J. Loikrec, and J. A. Glanz.104 He and I. B. Levin, representing the Western Ontario Division of the national and executive committees of the World Zionist Congress attended its Montreal convention in January 1926.
During the 1920s, Windsor’s Jewish community heard many prominent speakers. They included Zionist world leader, Dr. D. Rubelsky, who, together with the noted Jewish writer and lecturer, Dr. Levin — considered one of the movement’s founders — asked that financial assistance be given to those engaged in the struggle for Palestine.105 In May 1921, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the World Zionist Congress, and Albert Einstein were scheduled to speak in Detroit.106 Even though Einstein’s appearance was cancelled at the last minute, some two hundred people from Windsor turned out to attend the function.107 Keren Hayesod started the United Jewish Appeal in March 1926. At its inaugural meeting, Border Cities’ Zionists were asked to raise $7,000 to meet the demands for the settlement of a flood of new immigrants.108 Samuel K. Baum and I. B. Levin were put in charge of the campaign, assisted by J. Gelber, secretary; J. A. Glanz, treasurer; and Hadassah’s Frances Geller, the group ultimately collected $6,500.109,110
In October 1926, prominent members of Windsor’s Jewish community, anxious to improve their fundraising expertise, invited David A. Brown, chairman of the American United Jewish Appeal (UJA), to tell them about the national Palestine campaign he had organized in the United States eighteen months earlier. Following Brown’s talk, Jerry Glanz was elected chairman of the Windsor campaign, with Benjamin Brody serving as treasurer, and Jacob Geller as secretary.111
They were soon recognized as competent and dedicated fundraisers; J. A. Glanz became a national director of the Zionist movement in 1927, and on the local level, I. B. Levin
