North Star with Ellin Bessner Memorial for 1950 garment factory fire strives for closure—but also opens old wounds
On Oct. 6, in a downtown park in Toronto, a ceremony was held to unveil a new plaque commemorating the Phillips garment factory fire of 1950.
The plaque was installed near the site where 9 people were killed more than 70 years ago. Among the victims was the factory’s owner, Phillip Chikofsky. His 18-year-old son, Sidney, managed to escape—but ran back inside to help, and ended up dying as well, along with 7 other workers, including recent Jewish immigrants who had survived the Holocaust.
The recent public ceremony was meant to help bring some closure to the families, but it also brought out the long-held private anguish, which both the workers' families and the owner's family carry with them to this day.
What we talked about:
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Credits
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.