Miriam (London) Goldstein fonds

Miriam (nee London) Goldstein Rosenfeld (b. September 29, 1913, Marijampole, Lithuania - d. February 19, 1995, Toronto) was the cousin of A.J. Freiman, and she immigrated to Ottawa with the help of her cousin in 1931. Miriam was from Marijampole, which is located near Freiman’s home town of Virbalis (Wirballen), in the south-west of Lithuania. According to Miriam Paghis, who knew her during her life, Miriam’s oldest brother David London arrived in Canada first, and settled in Montreal. He went into the needle trade, and raised enough money for the next oldest brother in the family to immigrate. This brother failed the TB test however, and was not eligible, so Miriam was sent instead. After immigrating to Canada, Miriam continued to correspond throughout the 1930s and 1940s with her friend from Marijampole Isak Markowitz, who shared information about his own life and their mutual friends and family from Marijampole with Miriam, as well as information about social and political events. Isak moved from Marijampole to Kibbutz Yagour, Palestine, then to a town near Jerusalem, Israel. After moving to Ottawa, Miriam married Shmuel “Sam” Goldstein on July 27, 1937. Sam was an electrician, who worked from two locations at 278 Murray Street and 4570 Rideau Street. He occasionally ran into legal trouble for doing electrical work without a permit, and was charged with a $20 fine or six days in jail in 1939 for his second offense. However, he also achieved success in his career, and was responsible for doing all of the electrical work at the Belle Claire Hotel, which opened in 1934 on Queen Street. The couple lived at 201 Besserer Street, in Sandy Hill. Sam Goldstein (b. Sep. 17, 1912, Ungvar, Hungary - d. August 30, 1960, Ottawa) was the third child of Mozes “Moishe” Moritz Goldstein and Betty “Bella” Gluck Goldstein. He had seven siblings; Rosalie “Rose” Goldstein Rappaport, Henach “Henry” Goldstein, Sari Goldstein Glouberman, Rella “Raisl” Goldstein Major, Herman “Hershl” Harry Goldstein, Leopold “Lipu” Goldstein, and Lazar (Louis) “Luzer” Goldstein. Sam’s older sister Bella immigrated to Canada first and sponsored Sam, who joined her in Ottawa. All of the Goldstein siblings and their parents had immigrated to Canada by 1939. Miriam and Sam had four children; Morris Goldstein (b. August 12, 1939, Ottawa), Franklin William Goldstein (b. August 25, 1943, Ottawa), Roushell Nechama Goldstein Bergman (b. August 21, 1947, Ottawa), and Esther “Jessica” Rosalie Goldstein Gelbloom (b. August 9, 1950, Ottawa). The couple was mentioned in the Ottawa Citizen in 1943 for naming their son Franklin after President Franklin Roosevelt made a historic trip to Ottawa on the day their son was born. Sam Goldstein died on August 30, 1960, at the age of 48, leaving Miriam to raise their four children, aged 10-19, on her own. She later married Murray Rosenfeld, who passed away while vacationing in Miami in 1983. Morris married Shirley Halpern in 1961, and had one child, Samuel David Goldstein. Franklin married Elaine Pearlman in 1968, and had four children; Tiah, Tamar (Bodek), Hadas, and Noam. Roushell married Jerry Brodey in 1982; the couple later divorced and Roushell married Robert Bergman in 1987, with whom she had one daughter, Sarah London Berman. Esther married Jack Gelbloom in 1988, and had one child, Lee Beth Gelbloom. Miriam was a member of multiple organizations within the Ottawa Jewish community. She belonged to the Dagania Chapter of Pioneer Women, and was part of their executive team in the 1940s. She was also the secretary of Hashomer Hatzair Ottawa, and was part of the women’s divisions of the U.J.A. and the Israel Bond program. Miriam volunteered along with her husband Murray Rosenfeld with the Meals to Wheels program in 1978 at the Jewish Community Centre, where seniors were able to enjoy entertainment and home-cooked kosher meals. The couple also volunteered with the Ottawa Jewish Historical Society in 1980; Miriam translated several Yiddish minute books and Murray assisted with the arrangement of archived copies of the bulletin. Miriam was one of the volunteers celebrated at a Hillel Lodge event in 1984, for her volunteer work as part of the women’s auxiliary and as a reader at Hillel Lodge.

Morton Rappaport donated two photographs of the Goldstein weddings in January, 2010 and family histories in February 2010.