- Ottawa Jewish Archives
- Ottawa Jewish Community Council = Ottawa Vaad Ha'Ir = The Jewish Federation of Ottawa fonds
- Interview with Thelma Steinman
Interview with Thelma Steinman
Description only — contact the archiveO0043
- Held by
- Ottawa Jewish Archives via Canadian Jewish Heritage Network (incl. Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives)
- Dates
- January 22, 2002 (indexed as 2002)
- Level
- item
- Scope & content
- Thelma was born in a little town called Montk[?] in Russia. There were only 80 Jewish families. The capital city was Kiev. Thelma arrived in Ottawa in the summer of 1921, when she was 9 years old. Thelma recalls traveling from Russia. She had to pass through a canal, and there were soldiers with guns who were not letting them cross over. Her parents and her 3 siblings were traveling one cold night, and they crossed the frozen canal. The soldiers heard them and started shooting, but they were too far away. Sheila and her family were met by a Jewish person who took them in and kept them safe for the night. She also recalls in another European city, there were several families living in one room with curtains to divide them. They had no money and her father would go out to a market, buy something, and then go to another market to sell it so they had something to eat. She came to Canada on a boat, called the Canada[?]. Thelma was 9 when she arrived in Canada. *Disclaimer- subject matter may be disturbing* Thelma’s family left Russia because the Bolsheviks were chasing out Jewish families. Before leaving the Bolsheviks were attacking Jewish homes, and Thelma recalls her grandfather had a strongly fortified home, with bars on the windows. The Bolsheviks broke down the doors and lined up the family, and tried to kill them, killing 3. The rest of the family ran to the river, hiding from the dogs that were chasing them, and returned the next morning to collect their dead. Thelma recalls being told as a child to pretend she was asleep, and to not respond. She recalls a time when she had to pretend to be asleep when someone touched her pillow. Her family chose Ottawa because her father had a sister here, Mrs. Black. She went to a friend and asked if he could lend her $300 to bring a family of 6 here, which he did. When Thelma and her family came, it took them a long time, but a lot of people were at her aunt and uncle’s home to welcome them Thelma’s parents were Jack and Leah Rivers. They brought 4 children to Canada, and had 2 more once settled in Canada. Their children in chronological order were: Eleanor, who lived in New York and Florida. Thelma. Eileen Albert Irving who owned a place in the market. Goldie They lived with her aunt and her family. She had 4 children, and they tried to teach Thelma and her family about Ottawa. York St School was built in 1921, and Thelma and her siblings were some of the first students. Thelma went to Lisgar while they were building the highschool of Commerce, and once it was finished she attended there. Thelma says that the fear of being persecuted as a Jew is something that has and will last forever. Thelma has experienced antisemitism, and people treating her differently when they find out she is Jewish. She thinks that antisemitism and other forms of persecution stem from greed and wanting control, and not religion since religion is about love. Thelma recalls her dad had a wagon without a horse, and would go door to door trying to sell fruit. He couldn’t speak English at all. Thelma recalls her older sister used to help her father sell peaches and other fruit down at the market, and often had to help her father with customers since she spoke English. He was eventually able to rent a store in the market. Her father died of a heart attack much later in life. He was very kind, and often tried to be generous. Her mother had to tell him to stop letting people buy things on credit because they needed the money. Thelma’s family spoke Russian and Yiddish. She has since lost it from speaking English. Her parents mostly spoke Yiddish. Thelma recalls being very busy growing up. She went to school during the day, and then piano and violin lessons after school. From there she would go back to her father’s store to be there until closing. They grew up at 12 ½ Byward Market, living above the store. Thelma got married in 1937 to Nathan Steinman. They had 3 daughters: Elaine, Gail, and Adele. Elaine was born December 13, 1939. Elaine now lives in Toronto. Gail was born March 21, 1943 Adele was born June 11, 194[?] Thelma used to work on the Sabbath to help her husband in the grocery store, but she made sure her daughters went to Synagogue which they complained about Thelma cared for her mother in her final years. Thelma recalls making a big fuss about her girl’s bat mitzvahs, birthdays, and other holidays, but she also thinks it’s important for her girls to be independent. Thelma has 6 grandchildren: 5 girls and 1 boy. Their ages range from 39 to 24. Thelma has not really told her grandchildren about her experiences with the Bolsheviks and leaving Russia, because she wants them to be able to live their lives and their experiences, but she has recently had the urge to share. She has 1 granddaughter who likes to ask her questions about the past. Nathan was well liked in the community, but was struggling to find work because of antisemitic employers, but Mr. Freeman had called Thelma’s father and offered him the store next to his for Nathan and Thelma. Thelma was able to get Nathan to agree even though he didn’t know anything about running a grocery store, and they ended up in the store for 38 years. Their daughters used to come to help in the store after synagogue on Saturdays, and would get paid for their work. Thelma speaks about how the Jewish community was very close and looked out for each other because of antisemitic policies in business, education and other aspects of life. Thelma says that is why education is so valued in the Jewish community because it was necessary for Jews to make names for themselves in business. Thelma speaks about her son in law Steven Victor. Steven lives in Ottawa and is invested in the Jewish community. He’s involved in the Heart Institute and with the government he’s been recognized for his volunteer work. The interviewer asks Thelma about her reaction to the Holocaust as a Jewish woman living in Ottawa. She says that it was an extreme version of the antisemitism that she still thinks is prevalent today. *audio skips* Thelma discusses the difficulty of being a modern Orthodox Jew and her relationship with customs. Thelma was very involved in the community. She won the Gilbert Greenberg award, and a citizenship award from the province. She was a long standing member of the National Council of Jewish Women. Thelma was involved with start Hillel Academy, the Jewish school. There were 10 couples involved. They started the school in 1948. Thelma recalls there were fundraising events, but they Vaad Ha’ir and asked them to support the school. The Vaad said they had to raise enough money first, and then they would help. Thelma was also involved with building Beth Shalom, and at Hillel Lodge. Thelma was involved with various different organizations including Hillel Lodge, Beth Shalom Synagogue, Jewish Family Services and others she can’t recall. She’s also on the Ottawa Jewish Historical Society. Thelma has fond memories of the Beth Shalom synagogue, but also recalls some of the struggles of running a conservative synagogue. Thelma was the recipient of the Gilbert Greenberg award. The President of the Vaad Ha'ir called to tell her she was the one who was chosen for the award. Thelma didn’t feel like she deserved it but was thankful nonetheless. Thelma is involved with Jewish family services. She helps fundraise and organize other services. Thelma and Andrew discuss her position on forgiveness, religion, and believing in God. Audio ends mid sentence: 1:36:16
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- 2026-10-17T20:12:48Z · source datestamp n/a · cjhn