Hirsch Wolofsky

Hirsch (Harry) Wolofsky (1878–1949), was a Canadian Yiddish author, publisher/editor and business owner.

Biography

Wolofsky was born in Szydłowiec, Poland, into a Hasidic community. He received a traditional Jewish education until orphaned at 15. Soon after he moved to Łódź, married Sarah Bercovitch, and immigrated to Canada via England in 1900 to join his two brothers, Aaron and Srul Dovid who were already in Montreal.

Upon arrival, he opened a fruit store on St. Lawrence Boulevard (a.k.a. The Main). After a fire in 1907, he created the Eagle Publishing Company and started Keneder Adler ("The Canadian Eagle"), Canada's first daily Yiddish newspaper. The first issue appeared on August 30, 1907. Until the 1950s, Yiddish was Montreal's third most-spoken language, after English and French. Wolofsky served as the paper's managing editor until his death.

The Keneder Adler served an ideologically diverse readership. The paper's focus was on world events, but the editorial staff understood its importance to the neighbourhood so well that they listed births and deaths on the front page. If no deaths were announced in the morning edition, it was referred to as a "clean paper." and Miriam (Cooperberg)

According to family folklore, after Moishe and Saul became involved in the Communist Party, their father asked them to change their names so as not to embarrass the family.

A Park in the City bears his name to this day, on, Ave. Coloniale, in the City of Montreal. Parc Hirsch Wolofsky

Legacy The city of Montreal named a park after Hirsch Wolofsky, on Coloniale, between Prince-Arthur and Sherbrooke.

Wolofsky was designated a Person of National Historic Significance by the federal government in 2007, and a plaque reflecting that status from the national Historic Sites and Monuments Board was unveiled in Montreal on November 19, 2017.