Cecil Horwitz Family
Cecil Horwitz was born in Bellingham, Washington, in 1911 and moved to Calgary in 1918 with his sister Annette and their parents Abraham and Bertha Horwitz.
During his teenage years, Cecil was counsellor for the first Jewish Boy Scouts in Calgary. In 1926 he helped form AZA Chapter #31, the first to be established outside the USA.
In 1937 Cecil married Ida Baltzan of Edmonton. They had three children: Joel, Frances and Marvin, and subsequently five grandchildren – Howard, Caroline, Alissa, Cecil and Danielle.
It was in the late 1930’s that Cecil Horwitz went into the scrap iron business with his father. During the war years the iron and metal was converted into guns and ammunition. When other scrap metal became scarce, farm machinery was bought and broken down into metal.
After the war, the business sold new farm equipment, Horwitz & Sons became Calgary Farm Machinery.
Cecil was elected General Committeeman of the North West Canadian Council of B’nai B’rith, as well as President of the lodge’s District Six. In May, 1953, he attended an international BB conference in Washington, D.C., with his wife Ida and mother Bertha. He was official representative of Chicago-based District Six.
The Horwitz family met Richard Nixon, then a young senator and guest speaker at the closing ceremonies. Wives of the delegates toured the White House and were presented to First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower.
In Marc, 1949, Cecil and his B’nai B’rith committee brought Elenor Roosevelt to Calgary for a fund-raising affair.
Cecil Horwitz was the first Jew to be named General Chairman of the Calgary Brotherhood Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. One of his first actions was to bring in as a guest speaker a young baseball star, Jackie Robinson.
He and other community leaders joined to organize the Meadowlark Curling Club, Calgary’s first Jewish curling rink.
In 1950 a dream Cecil had – of a Conservative congregation being formed in Calgary – finally came true. The first meeting of Congregation Beth Israel was held in the Horwitz home. Over time there was heated discussion among the many interested persons. It was an uphill battle, with a splinter group breaking away.
A nucleus committee was formed with Bill Guss as President. The first services were held in the basement of the unfinished community building. E. Ebner was first Rabbi.
With frustration, with anxiety – with a fabulous group of hard-working determined men – dedicated – knocking on doors – raising monies – land was bought on 66th Avenue near 14th Street.
Building began in 1960, with Cecil Horwitz overall Chairman of the building project. The committee worked day and far into the night with architects, designers, planners, and finally a beautiful synagogue emerged.
Rabbi Joe Weisenberg was the first to conduct services in the new synagogue. Cecil Horwitz was first President with Murray Fromson as Treasurer.
The Governor General, Roland Michener, and Mrs. Michener were guests of honour at a ball held to honour the opening of the new Beth Israel Synagogue. (Perhaps the honour should have gone to Cecil Horwitz.)
Cecil Horwitz died in 1968.