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Howard Gontovnick

FROM COLONY TO COMMUNITY: STE-SOPHIE, QUEBEC

THE MIDDLE YEARS: 1930 TO 1960

During the twenties and into the thirties, several new avenues of income were introduced. As mentioned previously, the growing popularity of renting rooms to people from the city was a needed economic boost for the area. The extra money that could be made from this activity influenced more and more people to become involved. This new trend, combined with the success of poultry farming, began to open up more opportunities in Ste Sophie. Unfortunately, the 1930s were not the best of times eco-nomically in North America. It was a period when many Canadian farmers were losing their properties, and business in general was extremely difficult. The Jewish colony of Ste-Sophie was no exception. Although there were possibilities and minor opportunities, progress required investment in capital at a time when funds were in short supply and next to impossi-ble to acquire. Economic times were tough and people did what was necessary to survive. Even though the number of vacationers was increasing slowly, there was a limited number of facilities. Sti11 some confident residents envisioned a future for this kind of endeavor and ventured into building larger accommodations in the area. Years later, The Pines, Cedar Villa, Kottenbergs and Goodz became some of the more popular loca-tions in Ste-Sophie.19Travelling to Ste-Sophie wasn't too difficult, which made this an ideal summer location for people who just wanted to get out of the city, according to Sol Goodz a long time resident.2O It was closer than Ste Agathe and offered a similar environment. Whether by train to St. Jerome and then walking a few miles to Ste-Sophie or by car, this growing vacation play-ground became the choice of many Jewish people from Montreal. While the farming industry struggled, the income from boarding vacationers significantly helped.21

Receiving a boost from this secondary industry, the Jewish farmers in Ste-Sophie continued to maintain their agricultural activities. One family of early settlers following this direction was that of Moses and Sarah Goodz who original-ly arrived in 1926 with their children. Like other families of that time, they came to Ste-Sophie with high hopes and a strong desire to build a successfullife.22 With no knowledge of farming" Moses Goodz began with the help of the JCA and purchased a section of land on what is now 2e rue (2nd Paisley). According to their son Sol who is still a resident of Ste-Sophie, "the whole family struggled to make it work."23 Unfortunately after a few years of trying unsuccessfully with cattle and different forms of cultivation, the family packed up and returned to Montreal, still keeping the farm in their possession.

Sometime in the early 1930s, the Goodz family returned to Ste-Sophie and attempted to start again. As previously men-tioned, renting rooms to boarders or visitors from Montreal was an expanding business. Because of this situation, the Goodz family decided to build a larger rooming house that could accommodate a considerable number of people. In addition to this, there was a greater involvement with raising chickens, the production of eggs and a different type of livestock that in the past had been a rare commodity amongst Jewish farmers.

Pigs were introduced as a viable form of livestock that had a high profit return. In the past, most Jewish farmers had been reluctant to raise pigs. However economics influenced many to consider seriously this type of livestock. One of the reasons pigs had been avoided in the past, besides the non-kosher aspect, was the amount it would cost to feed these animals. As the industry developed and with some innovations this situation changed and a cheaper option was available. Instead of feeding the animals a specially produced food, most hog farmers would use a combination of discarded products such as old bread and cheese mixed in with body scraps of processed pigs. Using this as a food source, costs were lower and the profits were higher. According to the Statistical Reports of the JCA, 1939 was the first recorded entry of pigs/hogs as a form of livestock on Jewish farms.24 This same report acknowledges two reasons that influenced many local farmers to venture into this commodity. First, there was the proximity to the growing marketplace in Montreal. Most important for the farmer was the rather good price paid for this type of livestock. The report concludes that, "it might be expected that other farmers will overcome their aversion to hog raising and that this branch may be extended in the future".25 Naturally it was these economic realities that influ-enced the Goodz family and others to venture into what was once the unacceptable.

During these years earning a living wasn't easy, accord-ing to Sol Goodz. People did whatever could be done to bring in enough money to survive. If it was necessary to venture into the non-kosher activity of raising pigs, then it had to be done. Furthermore the margin of profit was so much better than with other forms of livestock, that some Jewish farmers could not avoid becoming involved. Still there were others who were uncomfortable with the product and searched for different alter-natives. Even though raising chickens was considered viable, it could only support so many farms before there would be an overabundance. Therefore other choices had to be made. One such option was the sale of cut wood for heating, cooking and building materials.

Because of the extensive forest area and availability of unprocessed lumber in the region, this option seemed to have a considerable potential. Unfortunately this was not a very profitable industry.26 There were too many people involved in the same activity and this, combined with a low selling price, discouraged most individualsY Still there were some colonists who tried their hand at this occupation and continued during the winter months even though it wasn't that profitable. Only those who were able to eliminate additional labor costs found it possible to earn something. This meant a solitary effort that was more demanding physically than the usual farming chores. Even so, it was a product that could earn farmers extra money when money was hard to come by. Also during the 1930s, the developing poultry business began to take serious shape. Charles Yarosky, who originally arrived in 1906, and, in later years, his son Harry were two indi-viduals who participated in the growth of this endeavor. Based on the early recommendations of lCA, more and more farmers were encouraged to raise poultry. Nonetheless, it was the Yaroskys who went furthest. Harry Yarosky followed his father's lead but on a larger scale. He began his career by spending a short time at McDonald Agricultural College, in Ste.Anne de Bellevue. It was there that he learned the essentials of raising poultry and the effective management of this type of livestock. Following this period of training, Yarosky returned to Ste-Sophie and built the first mo_ern chicken house in the area (on what is now 2e rue). The Statistical Report for 1939 states that "we did not press Yarosky to payoff his mortgage to us in order to enable him to proceed with this development... ".28 This was an important consideration in a time when every little bit was necessary to help these farn1ers continue. Even though Yarosky seemed to be operating a new and insecure business, the person writing the lCA report suggested that the success of one would lead to others feeling just as confident that they could achieve the same status.

Yarosky freely gave of his training to help others in the community and "encourage them to develop their poultry yards," upon his return from Macdonald College.29 With time and considerable effort, Yarosky and his father-in-law Lagunow became the largest poultry keepers in the colony with Yarosky raising 1500 birds and Lagunow 1200. Other local families such as Albert, Goodz, Resnikoff, Rudy, Zaritzsky and Simkin were among the twenty-three farms with small flocks of egg producing chickens in the late 1930s. In all there were a total of just a little over 8,000 laying hens in the region, with a good possibility for more in the future according to the speculations made in the JCA report for 1939. In a period when more and more chicken farmers were open to increasing their profits, Yarosky introduced the idea of people raising their own chickens from baby chicks until the chickens were mature enough to start producing eggs. This new development would greatly influence the level of prof-itability for all fanns in a similar situation. Taking this a step further, the next variable would be the cost of grain to feed the livestock, thus putting more control in the hands of the farmer. Controlling these kinds of factors became very significant for a fanner's profitability in the long-term. Continuing along the same lines, farmers had to consider these factors and the size of production as two variables that either made them successful or bankrupt. The bigger the farm, the greater the advantage for the producer in determining costs. Even with all this considered, JCA and the Jewish settlers (now second genera-tion) agreed that this business had considerable potential to expand in the future.

Among the reports found in the archives, there was one reference to the amount of profit earned from the sale of eggs. According to this report, one small farmer's average income (from the sale of eggs), was $22.50 a week with only 50% of his total production. Furthermore, it was stated that the average net income during that month was 8 cents a week, per chicken. Naturally farmers who were able to purchase their chicken feed at a lower cost, had a higher income per chicken, a ratio that was critical in order to determine the profitability of this kind of livestock. However, it seems that the bottom line according to the report for 1939, was that the more chickens a farmer in Ste-Sophie would keep, the more profitable his economic position would be.3O Confirming that this was the trend are the statistics from two reports. The number of chickens recorded in a 1913 register was 1198, as compared to 8005 in 1939.31

Clearly this increase in the number of poultry farms was indeed. the result of the relative profitability of this livestock as com-pared to other agricultural options. With the increase in egg production, a few smaller farm-ers ventured to Montreal to offer their products, usually by selIing door to door. As for the larger producers, most of their production was sold to retail stores in and around the Saint Jerome/Ste-Sophie area. Long time resident Sol Goodz recalls how his brother would gather up all the unsold farm products, load them in his truck and head off to sell whatever he could in MontreaJ.32 Over time, he developed an established route where he would go to homes, primarily in the Jewish areas of the city, and sell eggs, cream, and butter. Still this was a seasonal activity. Travelling into Montreal during the severe winter season was often not possible. Even with the possibilities of transporting products to Montreal, there continued to be problems with dairy products for farmers in Ste-Sophie.33 Prices were low for fluid milk and issues of hygiene made the selling of milk products by local farmers very difficult. As a result, the private sale of these types of items gradually diminished and this without doubt affected the community in Ste-Sophie. For some, this situation would greatly influence the choice and direction of their fanning activity while for others this situation was of little concern because they were not involved in the dairy business. Although this community was doing better than other colonies in Canada, economic and social forces had a significant impact in the direction that people of Ste-Sophie would take.

COMING OF AGE AND MOVING ON: 1960 TO 2000

Around 1960, there was a growing trend in agriculture toward greater modernization. Innovations in machinery influenced both the labor and processing sectors of the farming industry. Consequently, Jewish farmers in Ste-Sophie had to adjust. Agriculture was fast becoming more automated which meant a reduction in the number of work hours necessary for what took a great deal more time in the past. Furthermore, more efficient equipment with increased potential all pointed to expansion and greater possibilities. What were once small family owned and operated farms, were now evolving into larger centrally controlled operations responding to the demands of the market-place. As a direct result, the smaller farms were no longer profitable. Residents of the community were confronted with two choices: continue along the path of growth and expansion, or close down and sell. For some of the older colonists, the demands were too much. Slowly they began to move away, and only a few of the younger generation continued. Though this marked the beginning of the reduction in the community, there was still a substantial core of families that maintained their presence. Also related to this situation was a new influx of Jewish farmers who decided not to live in the area. These were people who owned operational fanns but decided to reside in communities closer to Montreal. Agriculture was changing and so was the Jewish community of Ste-Sophie.

As the number of small farms slowly began to disappear, there was still a strong core of Jewish Farmers who remained in Ste-Sophie. According to a general community file stored in the archives, I was able to find a hand written list containing the names and occupations of most of the community for the year 1959, which included twenty-six farmers.34 Also mentioned on this paper were references to six other families (non farmers), and one junk dealer, as the combined composition of the Jewish community. Simple in form, this document also described the type of farming or business that each individual was involved in.

Whether they were also raising cattle, milk cows, hogs, turkeys, or growing cucumbers, it seemed that most of the residents were involved in the poultry industry. Strangely enough it appeared that little had really changed over the years. The only exception was the size of some of the farming operations at the time. More often than not, the family name remained the same and it was the children or grandchildren of the anginal settlers who were running the farms. Based on an article found in the Canadian Jewish News, I was able to determine that there were 18 Jewish families living in Ste-Sophie in 1973. By 1981, this number had decreased to 12 families of a total population of approximately 6,000.35 These statistics illustrate the deterioration of the com-munity's membership.

One individual whose family was part of the group of early settlers was Benny Goodz, a second generation resident who came to Ste-Sophie during the middle of the 1920s. As a young adult during the 1940s, he began cutting lumber, keeping milk cows, pigs, and raising chickens for egg production.36 At some point during this time, Benny ventured into an arrange-ment . to grow cucumbers for a local food processor. Unfortunately the individual reneged on his part of the deal and left Mr. Goodz with hundreds of bushels of cucumbers. Unsure what to do, Benny's father suggested he try pickling them while at the same time look to develop some kind of market for this product. Since making pickles was something that Goodz had done with his family in the hotel business years before, he chose this option seeing that he really didn't have a choice. Using old herring barrels and careful planning, he began pickling and stor-ing the barrels in the basement of his house. Eventually he was able to find some customers and the pickles began to sell. It took many years of hard work to establish kosher pickles as a well-known product available in many stores around Montreal. Surprisingly, what began as a serious problem, was an introduc-tion into what would become a profitable industry. Over the years, Benny began to expand into other products of a similar nature and developed a popular following. Although there were others who made similar products, Putter's (or Goodies) Pickles was one of the original local commercial items of this nature. Later, what had begun as a small husband and wife part-time business in the basement of their home, gradual1y became a major enterprise. In the 1970s, the pickling business matured, and became too large for its original facility. A new structure was built to accommodate the growing demands and expanding business. During that time, other aspects of Benny's farming operations were also experien6ing the demands of modernization. The ever- changing egg business was experiencing fluctuations in process-ing and the regulation of sales and pricing. It was a difficult peri-od for egg farmers with regard to the distribution and sale of their eggs. Gradual1y the situation improved and the farmers gained back a greater control of this aspect of the business. In the early 1990s, Benny Goodz retired from his regular fanning duties while his son Alvin and grandson now carry on the fami-ly's business and presence in Ste-Sophie. Today, what remains is an expanding pickling business, which is currently expanding into a larger facility. Unfortunately, this is one of the few remaining-..eompanies remaining active in Ste-Sophie today that employs local residents.

If there is one name that has a long history in Ste-Sophie, it is Zaritsky. As one of the early colonists that settled in the area, the family has maintained a prominent presence ever since the founding of the Jewish community. Around the mid 1940s, Willie Zaritsky expanded his small in-house business of produc-ing and selling processed chicken by building a new facility specifically constructed for this industry. What then became known locally as simply the "Plant," was the first facility of its kind in the region. It represented the beginning of a growing trend in this type of commerce that reflected an increased demand for processed chicken. Gone were the days at the Rachel Market of people choosing their own chickens and then preparing them there or at home. Willie having been a long time chicken farmer decided that raising his own chickens for both consumption and egg production would be the most profitable direction to follow. Along with his two brothers (Issie and Jack), Willie continued to expand and build a larger facility that allowed for more processing and increased storage space. Operating under Willie's leadership, over the years this opera-tion involved other members of the Zaritsky family that also included brothers-in-law, wives, and younger siblings.

Gradually this small family company would eventually become one of the most successful processors of chicken and chicken products in the region. As this operation expanded, this firm became a major supplier to wholesale and retail companies throughout metropolitan Montreal and. the Laurentians. In the 1980s, Abbatoir Laurentien once again moved into a larger building, approximately ten times the size of the originalloca-tion. At its peak, this modern facility was processing chickens from local farms as well as the production from other farms from all dver the province of Quebec and from parts of Ontario. According to a rough estimate, this facility processed over 200,000 chickens per week. As the business grew, there had been diversification into further processing of poultry and other. aspects of the agriculture business. In 1999, this operation was the largest employer in Ste-Sophie and a major processing facility in this province. Ownership and control of this company still resides within the late Willie Zaritsky'sfamily, with his daughter at the helm. Further details must be added to this story as I edit this paper. As of January 2000, the poultry farms, all the land and the processing plant have all be.en sold to a larger competitor. Unfortunately everything was subsequently closed down and the large processing plant now stands empty and a visible reminder of what once was a leading economic entity in Ste-Sophie that employed a few hundred local residents. This considerable turn of events has only had harmful consequences for the community of Ste-Sophie and the local farming industry. As I have mentioned, raising chickens for consumption was a growing business in Ste-Sophie from the 1960s onwards.

One person who also arrived in Ste-Sophie to pursue this was venture was Jack Wolinsky, who was then working in Montreal. Originally a butcher by trade, Wolinsky arrived in Ste-Sophie during the late 1950s. At that time, he began to raise an assort-ment of livestock that included chickens, turkeys and hogs. As a newcomer, Wolinsky purchased his farm and worked towards producing different kinds of livestock that yielded the best return: In later years, part of his poultry production went exclusively for kosher processing and could be found throughout Canada in kosher sections of food stores. In the late 1980s, Wolinsky's farm was sold and Jack retired from the farming business. During the 1970s and 1980s, it was more evident than ever before that agriculture was chan_ing. In order to continue in agriculture, farming practices had to be modernized, other-wise one could not complete against the growing number of bigger companies. By then, most of the families who were descended from the original settlers were gone. Either they had moved away or passed on. Modernization was now confronting a new generation. As mentioned earlier, there was now a new type of Jewish farmer establishing roots in Ste-Sophie. Jack Wolinsky was probably the first to represent this trend. They were people who were able to establish operational farn1s in Ste-Sophie and lived elsewhere, either the city of Montreal or in Laval. At that time, Chomedey, Laval (an off-island suburb), was just beginning to emerge as a strong Jewish community. Even though it wasn't easy to travel back and fourth to Ste-Sophie, Jewish farmers residing at a distance did so because of the services available in a larger community as opposed to a somewhat isolated Jewish community in the north. Accordingly it was no surprise that the Jewish population (now into the 2nd & 3rd generations) was decreasing and there were no new families moving in.

Another representative of this new trend of Jewish farmers had once lived in the community during the 40s. After having finished nine years of employment as manager of. a poultry farm for Mt. Sinai Hospital in Prefontaine near Ste-Agathe, Louis Gontovnick purchased a section of what was once known as Kaplan's farm on Paisley (2nd road). It was on this land that he built his first chicken house for egg production in 1963. A few years later, he expanded with a second facility. With the help of a hired hand, the farm was maintained, the eggs were processed and then sold commercially and privately into the Montreal market. It is interesting to note that from the early 1960s to the mid 1990s, eggs produced on this farm would be the only fresh egg product found in almost every Jewish Hospital and in a number of nursing homes in the city of Montreal and surrounding areas.

Beginning in the 1970s what began as a small egg farm gradually became one of the major egg processing stations in Quebec, known as Mirage Ste-Sophie. Eggs from this farm whether under the brand "Super Lou", or. "Ste.Sophie" were familiar products found in many Jewish homes. For that matter, it was Louis Gontovnick who first began to distribute specially packaged and separated eggs during the Passover season. Originally this was done for the Tash Hasidic community in Boisbriand, and later on for other individuals in and around Montreal. In 1994, part of this operation that involved the processing and marketing was sold. At the time of sale, this company was a major supplier to wholesalers, supermarkets, restaurants and the network of hospitals throughout metropolitan Montreal.

In the aftermath of this development, Louis Gontovnick continues to maintain his farm and daily production of eggs with the actual processing and sales done by an independent firm. Sadly, he remains the last of a long line of Jewish egg farmers who originated in an industry built and developed by a long list of Jewish people who first settled in the community of Ste-Sophie. Today, Gontovnick remains not only one of the very few Jewish farmers in Ste.Sophie, but also the last Jewish egg farmer in the Province of Quebec.

1960-2000