Hebrew School
The first Cheder program in Fort William was established in 1911. At the time, 41 students were enrolled. Young boys prepared for their Bar Mitzvah and young girls were taught how to keep kosher homes and prepare for significant holidays. Key figures involved in establishing the school included Z. Weretnikow, E. Weissman, A. Katzva and Joe Enzer. Hebrew lessons were also taught in the home of David Rosenthal in Port Arthur, prior to the merger of the Port Arthur and Fort William congregations in the late 1920s. The school programs were also combined at the same time.
The more formal Talmud Torah program started in the 1930s, involving between 40 and 50 students at its peak. They met five days a week after regular day school classes and on Sundays to study Hebrew, Jewish culture and history. Simon Kirsh was remembered as one of the more prominent teachers in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a strong Zionist and also served as president of B’nai Brith in the 1940s. Local rabbis would assist in the teaching programs, as did many members of the community. Mr. Carney, Dr. Weistraub, Mr. Eisenslatz, Mr. Rosenbaum, Bora and Saul Laskin and Sam Speigel were all involved in teaching with the Talmud program in later years.
Learning in Cheder
Saul Laskin talks about learning “an awful lot” in his cheder and Talmud Torah classes.
Interview with Saul Laskin, 26 July 2007, Sharon Gubbay Helfer. OJA, Oral History #334
Click here to watch the video
