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Farband
of Lithuanian Jews in Toronto |
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Our society was established around
1910 by a group of landsmen who had come to Canada from Vilno, Lithuania
and vicinity. It wasn’t easy to start a new life in Canada. We came
as furriers, tailors and other trades – and with not much more than
the clothes on our backs.
 We help our own. That’s our way. It was then and it still is today.
As such, our early mission was to support our brethren who came from the
Vilno region. In those days we focused on anything that would make life
a little easier for them as they started anew, such as providing interest-free
loans, assistance finding work and a place to live. Sometimes it was simply
offering a helping hand if someone got sick.
War-torn Europe after the Second World War prompted another substantial
burst of immigration to Toronto. As more families settled here our membership
grew. We banded together because we had all experienced what it’s
like to be a newcomer and wanted to give back.
Then in 1948, a third, albeit smaller, wave of immigration came to Toronto
from Vilno. As the years passed, fewer families immigrated from Vilno
—but of course, they came from other places. Our society expanded
its mandate to support our brethren more broadly — locally in the
GTA, in Canada and abroad. After all, aren’t we all part of the same
people?
A key milestone for the
society was the purchase of the Bathurst Lawn Memorial Cemetery. This ensured
that every member in good standing upon his or her death will be entitled
to a cemetery plot here in Toronto.
Israel was also a very strong focus
for us. Over the years, we supported many projects including: Tel Hashomer
Hospital, Therapeutic Riding Program – Kibbutz Grofit, the development
of the city of Eilat, Beit Dagan, Kfar Gvirol, the purchase of ambulances
in Israel and much more.
While our membership
has been somewhat modest in size (about 100 members or so) we were always
mighty in heart. Our spirited volunteers worked tirelessly throughout the
years. Notably, the Masada chapter, our women’s auxiliary, has been
a very dynamic force within our group contributing vastly to many causes
locally and abroad.
Each year, the society
donates funds to the UJA Annual Campaign. It is important that we continue
our support even long after we have each passed on so we established an
endowment fund that will give to the campaign in perpetuity. This honours
one of our most important Jewish values: Take care of our own and others
who are in need. We especially want to support the community that was there
for us in our early days in Toronto.
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