Maurice Pollack (January 28, 1885 – December 16, 1968) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

businessman and philanthropist.

Early life

Pollack was born in Kanele,

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

, in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

into a Jewish family. He arrived in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

in 1902, and settled in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

Career

In 1906, at the age of 20, Pollack opened a department store in Saint-Joseph Street in the Saint-Roch district of Quebec City.Ira Robinson.
A History of Antisemitism in Canada
'. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press; 16 October 2015. . p. 73–.VLADIMIR F. WERTSMAN.
Salute to the Romanian Jews in America and Canada, 1850-2010: History, Achievements, and Biographies
'. Xlibris Corporation; 22 July 2010. . p. 88–. The business was successful; M. Pollack Ltd. became one of the largest companies in the region, and Pollock moved into a large house on Quebec City's Grand Allée. In 1950 he set up another store on Charest Boulevard.Lucie K. Morisset.
La mémoire du paysage: histoire de la forme urbaine d'un centre-ville : Saint-Roch, Québec
'. Presses Université Laval; 2001. . p. 220–.
The Anglos: The Hidden Face of Quebec City
'. Editions Sylvain Harvey; 2005. . p. 14, 73.

The Maurice Pollack Foundation

Having amassed a great deal of money from his commercial enterprises, in 1955 Pollack retired and began to devote his time to philanthropy. He set up a foundation to aid Canadian organizations. Pollack was its president until his death, and was succeeded by his son, Charles C. Pollack. The Foundation allocated most of its funds to institutions in Quebec, notably to

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Lux ...

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.Louis O'Neill.
Les trains qui passent: propos et souvenirs d'un citoyen libre
'. Les Editions Fides; 2003. . p. 54–. In 1966, the Foundation earmarked a fund for the construction of a concert hall at

. The Foundation has also funded the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, and the Pollack Cultural Centre at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom (Westmount, Quebec).

Recognition

The Maurice Pollack Award is presented to individuals in recognition of their efforts regarding equal access to employment for Quebecers from cultural communities and visible minorities, as well as accommodation of ethno-cultural diversity and adaptation of services in the workplace. The award honours two laureates, one in the "public and para-public corporations or organizations" categoryand the other, in the "private sector enterprises or organizations" category. At

, the student services building, which his foundation helped to set up, is named after him: the Pavillon Maurice-Pollack."La communauté juive de Québec"
''Prestige'', 5 July 2012 - Johanne Martin

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollack, Maurice 1885 births 1968 deaths Businesspeople from Quebec Jewish Canadian philanthropists Businesspeople from Kyiv People from Quebec City Philanthropists from Quebec Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Canada Ukrainian Jews 20th-century philanthropists Canadian people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent

Early life

Career

The Maurice Pollack Foundation

Recognition

Further reading

References