Benjamin Zimmerman (July 23, 1862 – September 12, 1923) was a

Jewish-Canadian Canadian citizens who follow Judaism as their religion and/or are Jewish ethnic divisions, ethnically Jewish are a part of the greater Jewish diaspora and form the third largest Jewish community in the world, exceeded only by those Israeli Jew ...

businessman, community leader, and

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. He was one of the founders of the

Hebrew Benevolent Society Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, one of the earliest Jewish

charitable organizations A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Biography

He and his family were part of the Jewish immigration from Russia during the early 1880s. Victims of the pogroms and of social, economic, and political persecution, the Zimmermans were among hundreds who arrived in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Canada, in 1882. The father, Nathan Zimmerman and Benjamin both found work as labourers with the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

. When some capital had been saved, Nathan became a pedlar and, by 1884, had established a small clothing and dry-goods store with Benjamin assisting him. Three years later, his father established a pawnbroking business with another relative. Benjamin Zimmerman had also started a peddling company by 1890 and became a jobber specializing in clothing. By the turn of the century, he also had a pawnbroking business and was well known as a reputable lender. He and his family branched into other profitable areas of business and he became a leader of the growing Jewish community in Winnipeg. His prominence in the Jewish community allowed him to exert a great deal of influence on the politics of the time. He was appointed a JP during the provincial government of

Thomas Greenway Thomas Greenway (March 25, 1838 – October 30, 1908) was a Canadian politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900. A Liberal, his ministry formally ended Manitoba's non-partisan government, al ...

. He was a founder of Jewish charitable organizations within the community and a strong influence on the religious community with many positions within various synagogue congregations. He was also a JP in Winnipeg for almost 25 years and his judicial work was highly regarded. Most importantly, he was a hard-working first generation eastern European Jewish immigrant who became financially successful and integrated into the larger society and, as such stands as a representative of those people.

External links

Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Benjamin Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent Businesspeople from Winnipeg 1862 births 1923 deaths Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Canada