Israel

This was a very important time in the history of Israel. In fact, this is
when the history of Israel began, with its Independence on the Fifth of
Iyar, 1948. As well, the Israel Defence Force was founded. Once declared a
State, Israel was attacked from all directions. At the same time, many
penniless Holocaust survivors were pouring into Israel. Three wars were
fought during this time period, the last being in 1967, which lasted
for six days. All three were won by Israel. It was also during this time
that Israel reached a population of 1,000,000.





Associated

World War II ended in 1945 and the need for a Jewish Day School in Toronto
became an important issue in the Toronto community. In 1948 Beth Shalom Torah
became affiliated with the Associated Hebrew School. The first principal of
this new school was Aziel Karney.



The first grade 8 class to graduate from Associated was in 1951. This was a
momentous occasion in the history of the school. In 1954 Associated bought a
piece of land at the corner of Bathurst and Neptune Drive, to build a new
school. At this time the enrolment was 1,391 students. The new school was
called the North Bathurst Talmud Torah. The school celebrated its 50th
anniversary in 1958. The following year a Junior High Day School was created
for grades 7, 8 and 9. Enrolment at this time had grown to 1,785 students.



The school grew steadily during the 1960s. Soon Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda School
became affiliated with Associated. The first Grade 13 class to graduate from
Associated was in 1965.At this time the students and staff of Associated
reflected the multi cultural community that the school served. Many students
were Canadian born while others were early immigrants who had already become
Canadianized. Many of the students and staff were from Israel, having come to
Canada during upheavals in their native lands, such as Hungary, Russia and
South Africa.



By 1967 classes from nursery to grade 8 were being held in rented quarters at
Adath Israel, Beth David, Beth Emeth, Beth Tikva and Shaarei Shomayim
synagogues. At this time the mortgage on the property on Neptune Drive had
been paid off and the school was looking forward to expand further.
All the artifacts in this gallery bring back many memories...enjoy!