Born at Mogilev, Russia in 1880, son of Yisrael Yaacov Chisvin and Chasha Devorah Retsky, he came to Winnipeg and worked as a building contractor. He and wife Pesha Geeta “Pearl” Serebrin (1881-1936) had seven children: Fanny Chisvin (1904-1999, wife of Harry Katz), Max Jack Chisvin (1905-1959, husband of Rose Dorfman), Lily Chisvin (1907-2010, wife of Sam Koven), Minnie Chisvin (1909-2003), Besse Chisvin (1913-2009), Jack Chisvin (1916-1983), and Molly Merle Chisvin (1918-2004, wife of Oscar Desser). He died at Winnipeg on 1 February 1943 and was buried in the Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery.
Some of his construction work in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
307 Inkster Boulevard, Winnipeg
1913
456 Cathedral Avenue, Winnipeg
1913
309 Inkster Boulevard, Winnipeg
1913
311 Inkster Boulevard, Winnipeg
1913
315 Inkster Boulevard, Winnipeg
1913
313 Inkster Boulevard, Winnipeg
1913
Birth registrations [Fanny Chisvin, Minnie Chisvin, Lily Chisvin, Bessie Chisvin, Jack Chisvin, Molly Merle Chisvin], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Marriage registration [Max Jack Chisvin, Rose Dorfman], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Death registration [Bessie Chisvin], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary [Molly Dresser], Winnipeg Free Press, 17 January 2004.
Obituary [Besse Chisvin], Winnipeg Free Press, 5 December 2009.
Ben “Beral” Chisvin, FamilySearch.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 14 March 2026
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