The Federation of the Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto
The Federation of the Jewish Philanthropies was established in 1917 to more effectively raise and distribute funds for charitable work within Toronto's Jewish community.
Photo 1: In the decades before publicly-funded health insurance, the Federation helped provide medical care for Toronto's poor. An early Jewish dispensary, supported by the Federation, became Mount Sinai Hospital in 1923. Mount Sinai, seen above at its first Yorkville Avenue location, was supported by the Federation until 1940.
Photo 2: Edmund Scheuer and Ida Siegel, shown here circa 1927, were two of a handful of people responsible for the formation of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto.
Photo 3: Gathering donations, circa 1950. For many years, the annual fundraising campaign initiatied by the Federation relied heavily on door-to-door canvassers.