Manitoba Organization: Maple Leaf Curling Club

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Presidents | Sources

In the 1930s, brothers David Ditlove (1907-1946) and Harry W. Ditlove (1914-1968) had a desire to create a curling rink for Jewish residents of Winnipeg. In 1933-1934, the Maple Leaf Curling Club was formed, using rented ice at the St. Johns Curling Club at the corner of Aikens and Machray Avenue. When the St. Johns clubhouse was put up for sale in 1946, they purchased it and affiliated with the Manitoba Curling Association.

In 1949, the club established the legendary B'nai B'rith Bonspiel thanks to the efforts of Eph Portigal, Rock Calof, and Charlie Krupp. The bonspiel became the “World's Largest Jewish Bonspiel,” attracting participants from across western Canada, mid-west United States, and in some years even from eastern Canada. The bonspiel continued annually until 1980.

The club installed artificial ice in 1954. The clubhouse was sold in 1970 to Zion Apostolic Church and the club then rented six sheets of ice at the Highlander Sportplex until 1994, when that building was sold, at which they club members rented ice at other clubs like Grain Exchange Curling Club and Granite Curling Club. An affiliation with the Manitoba Curling Association continued through the 2009-2010 season.

Presidents

Period	President
1934-1935	?
1935-1936	?
1936-1937	?
1937-1938	Max Margolis (1905-1992)
1938-1940	David Ditlove (1907-1946)
1940-1941	John Manly “Jack” Knelman (1905-1990)
1941-1942	?
1942-1943	Robert D. Hurwitz
1943-1944	Israel Guttman (1898-1961)
1944-1945	Hy Altman
1945-1947	Ephraim “Eph” Portigal (1895-1988)
1947-1948	S. Rosenblat
1948-1949	Rockmil “Rock” Calof (1902-1975)
1949-1950	Alexander Elihu Cantor (1896-1969)
1950-1951	Charles “Charlie” Krupp (1906-1958)
1951-1952	Bert Shatsky (1908-1973)
1952-1953	M. Norman Zimmerman (1903-1973)
1953-1954	Rubin “Rube” Ludwig (1920-1991)
1954-1955	Dr. Maxwell Jacob Averback (1916-1994)
1955-1956	John Manly “Jack” Knelman (1905-1990)
1956-1957	Dr. Neville Arthur Winograd (1923-1995)
1957-1958	Louis William Diner (1914-1988)
1958-1959	Chuck Ludwig (1913-2005)
1959-1960	Leon David Cham (1911-1986)
1960-1961	Harvey Leon Kay (1920-2012)
1961-1962	Ralph Hamovich (1916-2008)
1962-1963	Max Cohen (1924-2001)
1963-1964	Dr. Lawrence Soloway (1922-2015)
1964-1965	Sidney Cohen (1911-1984)
1965-1966	Sam Bay (1913-1966)
1966-1967	Max Saper (1919-1998)
1966-1968	Herbert Nitikman (1917-1970)
1968-1969	Lawrie Udow (1910-1982)
1969-1970	Bert Settler (1916-2002)
1970-1971	Easton Irving Lexier (1926-2020)
1971-1972	Ron Zimmerman
1972-1973	Ruben Cohen (1925-2009)
1973-1974	Martin Buchwald
1974-1975	Wilfred S. “Wilf” Jeffries (1938-2005)
1975-1976	Morris Vickar (1921-1984)
1976-1977	?
1977-1978	William “Billy” Rosen (1942-2002)
1978-1979	?
1979-1980	?
1980-1981	?
1981-1982	Sheldon Morley Golden (1930-2017)
1982-1983	?
1983-1984	Gary Gumprich
1984-1985	?
1985-1986	Saul Greenberg
1986-1987	?
1987-1988	?
1988-1989	Gary Gumprich
1989-1990	Saul Greenberg
1990-1991	?
1991-1992	?
1992-1993	?
1993-1994	?
1994-1995	?
1995-1996	?
1996-1997	?
1997-1998	?
1998-1999	?
1999-2000	?
2000-2001	?
2001-2002	?
2002-2003	?
2003-2004	?
2004-2005	?
2005-2006	?
2006-2007	?
2007-2008	?
2008-2009	?
2009-2010	?

Sources:

Birth registration [Harry Ditlovitch], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary [Harry W. Ditlove], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 March 1968, page 32.

This page was prepared by Rick Mutton and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 11 November 2022