The Jews of Windsor, 1790-1990. Jonathan V. Plaut

Wife

      Charlotte David

      That archaeological find was indeed the gravesite of Moses David! It revealed that what was believed to have been a southerly “brick wall” was the remnants of a pedestal, on which the memorial stone had once rested. After viewing the stone “in situ,” it was removed to a safe place for further study. During the final stages of exploration, it became clear that the pedestal had a solid foundation, consisting of several thick and heavy slate slabs that had been set on the floor in a level position. When the rest of the “tomb” was later cleared, it provided evidence that the floor, pedestal and inner wall were composed of brick. Eleven geese, symbols normally used by Indians as part of their funeral rites, had been placed around the pedestal, and inner wall, including a padlock found on the floor of the tomb.

      Five feet below ground, in a test pit area measuring five feet by five feet, the skeleton was finally uncovered. Dr. Samuel S. Stollman, who had been the rabbi of Shaar Hashomayim congregation for over a quarter century and then was its rabbi emeritus, was called upon to act as religious authority in the disinterment, which was performed in accordance with Jewish law. That law not only forbids the viewing of skeletal remains, so that the soul of the deceased may rest in peace, but also requires that the coffin be made completely of wood. Professor Kroon meticulously followed these religious stipulations. Without disturbing the consecrated earth surrounding the skeleton, he exposed, solely for verification purposes, only a small area of bone. He then removed the remains in situ, making sure that iron did not come into contact with them.

      A special plywood casket was designed, equipped with wooden dowels and corner blocks, and held together with glue, with a separate bottom or palette that would fit into a cement vault. After using a back hoe to excavate a wide area around the burial site, an archeological team again trowelled and brushed its way to the shredded remnants of the original rough box that then was pedestalled before setting the plywood framing over it and positioning the palette beside it.

      On the day of disinterment, the complete unit was lifted up and out of the pit and set inside the cement vault resting on the bed of an open truck waiting nearby. After placing a cover over the vault, the earthly remains of Moses David were transported to Pillette Road, the site of Shaar Hashomayim cemetery. It was there that Windsor’s illustrious first Jew was re-interred with all the Jewish religious rites due to him. Adorned with the original tombstone, this new grave is a fitting resting-place for the man who had established the first familial and cultural links between Montreal and Windsor — the new frontier. It is a monument to all those Jews who came after him to pioneer in this very challenging environment.¹⁴¹

PART II

      Chapter 2

      The Earliest Jews Who Choose Windsor

       The Rise of Windsor

      The end of the War of 1812 and the establishment of peaceful relations between Canada and the United States assured the separate futures of these two nations. As settlers poured in, the fur trade, which had been so important to the area’s economy in Moses David’s day, declined. The 1821 merger of the Montreal-based North West Company with the Hudson’s Bay Company resulted in a shift in the trade and its requirements away from Detroit to the North, where furs were plentiful and transport by Hudson Bay more economical. Detroit would suffer little from this change as it was becoming a frontier metropolis — a centre of trade and shipping as well as the territorial capital. As “Michigan fever” attracted thousands of settlers, steamships appeared on the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal opened in 1825, giving direct access to New York City, and the Welland Canal in 1829 offered a similar connection to Montreal. By 1837 Michigan achieved statehood and began the evolution toward the urban industrial complex Detroit would become in the twentieth century.

      In the 1820s the small ferry landing opposite Detroit began to emerge, soon surpassing its more historic neighbour, Sandwich, which continued to slumber under its status as capital of the Western District of Upper Canada. Its legal and administrative functions were not matched by entrepreneurial activities as downriver Amherstburg outgrew its fortress functions to become a major port and business centre and the Ferry — the future Windsor — blossomed as the major transportation centre and border crossing in the region. Roads, regular stage and ferry crossing schedules, and business activity that focused not only upon the local and immigrant trades but also on a steady stream of customers from Detroit and the US led to surveys, land subdivision, and the emergence of a municipality. In 1836 Windsor’s citizens chose its name. A financial panic followed by the rebellions of 1837–38 ruined early railroad plans and retarded the economic growth of the area for a decade. By the 1850s, however, renewed railway construction provided a stimulus to immigrant workers and the arrival of the Great Western Railroad gave Windsor new importance as the premier rail crossing to the United States along the New York-Chicago corridor. Other railway lines reached Windsor in the 1880s, all seeking river outlets and ferry connections with the United States. In 1882, the Grand Trunk took over the Great Western; a year later the Canada Southern shifted its operations from Amherstburg to Windsor (Essex Cutoff) and the Canadian Pacific Railway, Canada’s transcontinental line, arrived before the end of the decade. The municipality achieved city status in 1892 — the community had arrived and awaited the new century with anticipation and optimism. It could expect to garner its share of immigrants to the New World seeking opportunities and new lives. Three border communities with nearly contiguous boundaries — Sandwich, Windsor, and Walkerville — were soon to be joined by a fourth, Ford City. Together, the Border Cities constituted a formidable urban entity by the beginning of the twentieth century.

      From earliest times, the region had hosted a diverse population. The first inhabitants were Native peoples, followed by pioneer French Canadians. Fur traders and merchants of many nationalities worked closely with the military contingents, French or British, who were established at Fort Detroit. In the wake of the American Revolution and the resulting political division of the continent in 1796, Loyalists from the South poured into the emerging colony of Upper Canada. After 1815, these pioneers were joined by a new wave of British immigrants, culminating in the massive Irish influx of the 1840s and 1850s. As a railway centre and international border crossing, Windsor received a significant volume of the immigrant traffic bound for the United States. Sick immigrants were often refused entry and turned back by Detroit customs officers, dumping responsibility for the problems of medical attention, isolation facilities and general care on the young border community.

      The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 produced new problems and opportunities for Windsor as an influx of black residents, often destitute, arrived seeking freedom and a new life in Canada. Henry Bibb’s Voice of the Fugitive, published in Windsor/Sandwich during these years, served as a beacon of hope for the oppressed. Mounting Civil War pressures and border incidents provoked nationalist responses on both sides, and for a short time the imposition of a restrictive passport system, but the border usually remained open allowing easy access between the two countries.

      The Windsor community consisted of a mix of people; it was a place where all sorts could make their way. By the time of the Great Migration of the 1880s, Windsor had developed sufficiently to be attractive to newcomers, offering a variety of opportunities enhanced by border location, proximity to Detroit, and a relatively porous border. The flat, but fertile agricultural lands of Essex County and improved communication with the completion of the Gravel Road (Howard Avenue) made Windsor the market centre of a growing agricultural economy.¹

       The First Jews

      The Jews who came to Windsor from Russia seeking economic opportunity found the community a good place to earn a livelihood. They hoped that, after their initial struggle, other members of their families and friends could be brought over to the New World. Suited for work in a capitalist economy, the early Jewish settlers adapted to the border’s relatively open and tolerant atmosphere, even though the language was foreign and the culture and customs were strange.

      Windsor had always been a place where people came for a short time and, when possible, moved on to the United States. Some pioneering Jews found that the Canadian side of the Detroit River held great promise and although they had relatives in Detroit, traded there, and relied upon the larger community for