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Rose Dunkelman (1889-1949) was born Rose Miller in Philadelphia to Mr. Harry Miller and Mrs. Dora (Belkin) Miller. At the age of 13 she moved to Toronto where she received her education and where she resided with her family until her death in 1949 at the age of 59. Rose Dunkelman devoted her life to helping the less fortunate, particularly children and orphans, and to championing the cause of Zionism at home and abroad. She was internationally known and respected for her philanthropic work and for her knowledge of, and dedication to, Zionist causes. She was a leader in the Canadian Jewish community for more than 30 years.
On 19 January 1910 she married David Dunkelman (1883-1978), founder and president of Tip Top Tailors Ltd. The couple had 6 children: Joseph, Ernest, Benajamin, Theodora, Veronica (Annenberg) (Ourisman) and Zelda (Wilner).
Rose was a founding member of the Zionist Organization of Canada, vice-president of the Ontario Zionist Region, and founded and chaired the Canadian branch of Youth Aliyah in 1933. For over 25 years, Rose held various positions within the Hadassah-Wizo Organization of Canada, including president of the Toronto Council of Hadassah (1921), honourary president on the executive board (1938-40), joint chairman of the war effort (1941), president of the Hadassah Organization of Canada Central Chapter of Toronto (1937-8; 1945-6), and honourary national vice-president. Rose also founded the Hadassah Bazaar in 1924. There is currently a Canadian Hadassah day care centre in Neve Sharett named in her honour as well as the Rose Dunkelman Memorial Community Center in Hadassim erected in 1950 in her memory.
In 1930, prompted by the 1929 attack on Jews at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and in Hebron, Rose and David Dunkelman founded the magazine, the Jewish Standard, as a Zionist forum for the English-speaking Jewish population of Canada. She was the periodical's first publisher and managing editor.
After the First World War, Rose worked as an officer with the Canadian Red Cross, bringing war orphans to Canada from Eastern Europe, for which she was presented with the Coronation Medal by King George VI in 1937. She was also active in the rehabilitation of First World War veterans.
During the Second World War, as chair of Ontario Youth Aliyah, Rose helped rescue children from Nazi persecution at Auschwitz, Treblinka, Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps and helped secure their passage to and resettlement in Palestine. Dunkelman held leadership positions in many domestic and international Jewish and Zionist programs and projects -- many focused on the welfare of Jewish children -- including the Jewish National Fund, Karen Hayesod, Karen Kayemeth, Young Judaea, the Toronto Hebrew Free Schools, and the YM-YWHA. She also served on the Canadian Family Allowance Board after the Second World War.
After a lengthy illness, Rose died on 20 October 1949 in Toronto at the age of 59. She was buried at Goel Tzedec's cemetery on Dawes Rd. and was later re-interred in Israel's national cemetery at Degania on 14 January 1953, as she requested in her will.