1
A Community's Growing Pains
Windsor Jewry to Join City's Centennial
By FRANK SIMONS
While Jews in the United
States anxiously plan for 1954
and the events of the Tercen-
tennial celebration of the ar-
rival of Jewish Pilgrims on
American soil, Windsor Jewry-
2,800 strong—is actively prepar-
ing for the centennial observ-
ance of its city, also forthcoming
next year.
With 700 Jewish families now
living in Windsor, the commun-
ity is a far cry from the early
1800's when there were only two
known Jews living in the area.
It is equally different from 60
years ago when the first flood
of Jewish immigration came
from Russia and Poland.
Among those early pioneers
were the Meretzkys, the Gellers,
Englanders, Burnstines, Gelbers,
Kovinskys, Abramsons and Katz-
mans. One of their first acts
was to form the Cong. Shaarey
Zedek, at Pitt and McDougall
Streets, today still one of Wind-
sor's three Orthodox synagogues.
Prior to this time, there was
only one other Jewish landmark
—the Jew's grave, marking the
spot where Moses David is
buried.
David was one of the Montreal
Davids, one of the oldest and
most prominent families in
Montreal. He came to the area
as a trader, served as a captain
in the War of 1812, married
a Protestant woman and became
a warden in the church.
But when it came to burial he
could not concede to interment
in the church cemetery. He set
aside a 25 foot square plot on his
land at Sandwich, and built a
wall surrounding it. There he
was laid to rest, and a marker
erected in his memory.
The only other Jew who
might have preceded David
was George Jacob, who lived
in the territory from 1795 to
1835, and ran a trading post
and distillery. He, too, inter-
married, and was buried in St.
John's Cemetery, indicating'
that he became completely at-
tached to the church.
Old-timers refer to the Pitt
Street Synagogue as "that brick
building next to the fire house,"
but it actually did - not stay there
long. In 1904, with 40 families
now in the community, the syn-
agogue was moved to Mercer
and Brant Streets.
The community's second syn-
agogue was organized in 1920 by
Jews in East Windsor and named
Cong. Tiferes Israel. The largest,
hoWever, is the baby of the three
—Cong. S h a a r Hashomayim,
built in 1927 at Jiles and Goyeau
and now numbering nearly 350
families among its congregants.
The growth of its synagogue
life closely parallels the waves
of immigration which swelled
the Windsor community. Both
new synagogues were erected
after the mass of immigrants
who arrived there following
World . War I.
Many of the "greenies" were
on their way to Detroit and
other parts of the United States.
but remained in Windsor. Most
did go to the U. S., but therein
is - one of the most exciting
chapters in the Windsor com-
munity's history.
We had no McCarran Act in
those days, but there were
national quotas that the U. S.
Government maintained. With
many immigrants wishing to
reach America, Windsor Jew-
ry formed the Hachnosa.s Or-
chim, a welcoming committee
w h i c h sheltered, fed and
clothed immigrants.
At the same time, the "green-
ies" were taught three English
words, which they rehearsed
daily for weeks until they could
say them with no trace of an
sa
accent. The words were, "Wind-
,so back tonight."
sor,
They were given American
shown how to fix a tie
and how to tilt their hats like
the Americans. Many immi-
grants crossed the border before
th e authorities learned of the
scheme.
Another plan was soon worked
12 —THE JEWISH NEWS
- Friday, March 27, 1953
out—this the contribution of a ment of Holland and Belgium.
ity has earned itself a good
tions and by being just plain
14-year-old youth, who today is
To be sure, in Windsor, as
name and a prominent place
good citizens, Windsor's Jews
a prominent businessman and in every other community,
in the city's annals.
will receive many plaudits when
communal leader—Mike Sumner. there are not many David
By cooperating in city drives, the city celebrates its centennial
His idea was to send the Crolls. But the local commun- by participating in general func- anniversary
in 1954.
"greenies" down the river to
Amhurstberg where they crossed
over to Bob-Lo, the amusement
park owned by Canada, but fre-
quented more by Americans.
With picnic baskets contain-
ing clothes and personal effects,
the immigrants mixed with pic-
nickers until it was time to
leave. Then, with tickets bought
in Detroit, they would dock at
the foot of WoodwArd.
It was a long time before au-
thorities detected the chicanery
With d reat hila it
Pieta kvactedelorn in.jmile of R. B. a
and by then, so many had ar-
rived that their entry was legal-
ized. This little trick on immi-
gration officials is the reason
R.- sat sea-son of
cheer,
Spring time of the
year,
many Windsorites claim that for
/a to
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every Jewish resident in Wind-
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sor there are two in Detroit who
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used to live there.
The Windsor comm unity
formed its Zionist Organization
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In 1938 the Welfare Fund
Drive, the equivalent of our
United Jewish Appeal, was or-
ganized for overseas relief.
From this sprang the Windsor
Jewish Community Council
(organized in 1941) which gave
the city the distinction of hav-
ing the first Council structure
in Canada.
After only 12 years, the Coun-
cil has become the vital core of
the Windsor community, serving
as the focal point for the pre-
viously named organizations in
addition to Bnai Brith (men,,
women and youth groups), two'
groups of Hadassah, a chapter
of 'Pioneer Women, Arbiter Ring,
Jewish Free, Loan Association.
Cooperative Credit Society and
Youth Council.
The Council is run by Morris
B. Seidelman, its executive . di-
rector, and his busy "Gal Fri-
day," Florence Pearl. Handling
the work of the constituent or-
ganizations is a task in itself,
but when a campaign for $135,-
000 for local and overseas re-
lief is added to its responsibili-
ties the phone jangles con-
stantly.
No story of the Windsor
community would be complete
without adding the name of
David Croll, who began his ca-
reer as a lawyer and was the
only Jew to be elected Mayor
of the city.
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served as Mayor in 1932. He was
elected to the Provincial Par-
liament in 1934, and served in
the Liberal Cabinet as Minister
of Welfare.
In 1936 he resigned the Lib-
eral Party because of its anti-
union policies, and was again
elected Windsor's Mayor, serv-
ing until 1939 when he enlisted
as a private in Windsor's famed
Essex Scottish Regiment.
As a professional man and
government leader he fully ex-
pected a commission, but his po-
litical opponents were chief fig-
ures in the Essex Scottish, and
Croll was kept a private.
'Welcome, dearest of feast days!
'Welcome, dearest of feast days!
When the Essex Scottish land-
ed in England with Pvt. Croll on
Passover seder's bete.
•
Passover seder's here.
board a host of newsmen met
the boat. The story that day
Set the seder table fine,
Chant "Mah ni8hianah,"
was not the arrival of the divi-
Polish goblets till they shine,
Read the old Haggadah,
sion, however, but that David
Croll was a member of the
Fill the cops with sparkling wine,
Learn a new b'rahah,
group, serving as a private.
Then like princes we shall dine!
"Al ahi lot Maizak"I
Such a furor was created that
Croll was summoned to Buck-
Praise the Lord, etc.
Praise the Lord, etc.
ingham Palace by King George
VI, who sent him to Sandring-
ham, the British West Point.
Here, he received his commis-
*Begin at tap
sion, and at war's end had
Pesach,
Season
of Cheer," one of 24 songs appearing in "Songs to Share" by Rose
reached the rank of lieutenant
colonel, serving as administrator B. Goldstein, published by United Synagogue of America, is syndicated as a Passover feature by
of the Allied Military Govern- American Jewish Press, the news service of Association of English Jewish Newspapers.
-