Panarchive
  1. Museum of Jewish Montreal
  2. Paperman & Sons

Paperman & Sons

collection1911-1994

19 of 26 descriptions below digitizedOpen enclosing description at source ↗

This description was harvested from its parent's finding aid, but the source catalogue gave no direct link for it. The link opens the nearest enclosing description; look there for Paperman & Sons.

Where

Not on the map yet.

Locate this photo
Held by
Museum of Jewish Montreal via Museum of Jewish Montreal — map of Jewish Montreal
Creator
Marian Pinsky
Dates
1911-1994 (indexed as 1911–1994)
Level
collection (source: Story)
Extent
7 places
Scope & content
A Montreal Jewish institution, Paperman & Sons has been the most prominent funeral home in the Jewish community since 1912. Founded by Lazar Paperman (1872–1954), the business is run on the ideal of providing last rites with dignity, compassion, and observance of Jewish law, at a cost that is accessible to all mourners. Paperman & Sons, better known to the community as ”Paperman’s,” began conducting funeral services for Jews whose families were in financial constraints during World War l. As head of a Chevra Kadisha (volunteer burial society), Lazar Paperman was urged by the Jewish community to open a funeral home. Prior to this, synagogues had made arrangements with non-Jewish funeral directors. Paperman’s business opened in 1910, and was incorporated a few years later, using a horse-drawn hearse in the summer and a sleigh in the winter. Initial headquarters were on St. Elizabeth Street, with preparations often done at the home of the deceased, before the institution moved to larger quarters on St. Urbain in 1926. An increase in the Jewish population led to the relocation to more spacious accommodations again on Côte-des-Neiges Road in 1954, where Paperman’s stayed for forty-one years before moving to their current location on Jean-Talon in 1995. While Paperman’s takes great steps to ensure that the diverse customs and backgrounds of families in the Jewish community are respected, it also pays stringent attention to Jewish law. Preparations are conducted to make sure that the deceased are constantly watched over by individuals reciting Psalms and that they are ritually washed and dressed before burial. This process brings order and dignity into the ritual of Jewish burial. Paperman’s dedication to this process has garnered unique acknowledgement from the Rabbinical Council of America and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations. After a brief incorporation into the Loewen Group in 1995, Paperman & Sons was bought back by the family in 2001. The third and fourth generations of the family are still involved in the business as well as with other communal initiatives and philanthropic endeavours. Compiled by Marian Pinsky Sources: Kucharsky, Danny. 2005. Sacred Ground on De La Savane: Montreal’s Baron de Hirsch Cemetery. Vehicule Press: Montreal. Lazarus, David. 1995 (Dec.21). “Paperman & Sons joins funeral home chain”. The Canadian Jewish News. P. 24. Polak, Monique. 1994 (Dec.9). “A tradition that lasts: The Paperman family’s funeral business is preparing for the future with an ambitious expansion project”. Special to The Gazette. Paperman & Sons, Inc. http://www.paperman.com/ (Accessed on October 13, 2010). Shuchat, Wilfred. 2000. The Gate of Heaven: The Story of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal, 1846-1996. McGill-Queen's University Press.
Location

No place found in this description yet.

Locate this photo
Subjects
Business
Language
English
Harvested
2026-10-17T06:33:27Z · source datestamp n/a · mjm
Original metadata as harvested (mjm)