Date Range

1923-1941

Description Level

Fonds

Creator

Klinger family

Physical Description

4 cm of textual records

History Biographical

Progress Clothing has an extensive history in Lethbridge, having opened in the early 1930s and is still in business. It was first owned by Morris Wex and Max Hoffman in 1932 and operated by Cyril Serkin from 1955 onward. Other individuals associated with the business are Haim Serkin (Cyril’s father), David Serkin (Cyril’s brother), and Jack Klinger (Cyril’s uncle, and owner of neighboring business, Klinger’s Men’s and Boy’s Wear). The Singer family also had ties to the business; Pearl Singer married Jack Klinger and aided in running Klinger’s Men’s and Boy’s Wear, and Leo Singer ran another nearby business, Leo Singer’s Men’s and Boy’s Wear. In addition to their family relations and the interconnectedness of their businesses, the Serkin, Klinger, and Singer families were part of the local Jewish community. Although there was an active community in the Lethbridge area since the early 1900s, there was no official space for meetings and community events until 1935, when the Lethbridge congregation purchased a former church, and converted it into the Beth Israel Synagogue. This helped further their participation in charities, clubs, and advocacy groups, including a Ladies’ Aid group. At its peak in 1956, the Beth Israel Synagogue included 62 families, but numbers slowly declined over the years as people moved away, leading to the eventual closure of the synagogue around 2009.

Scope and Content

2023.1103/01 Beth Israel Synagogue visitor registration book 1935 2023.1103/02 Misc. papers from the Lethbridge Hebrew Ladies Ca. 1935 2023.1103/03 Lethbridge Hebrew Ladies minute book 1931-1935 2023.1103/04 Lethbridge Hebrew Ladies cash book 1923-1935 2023.1103/05 Klinger’s Men’s and Boy’s Wear synoptic journal 1/2 1940 2023.1103/06 Klinger’s Men’s and Boy’s Wear synoptic journal 2/2 1941

Accession No.

20231103

Collection

Archive

Less detail