By MYRON LOVE In the first half of the last century, virtually every town and village in North America was home to at least one  (and often several) Jewish families  – be it the general store owner – or doctor – or, in the case of Toby Gershfield, the dentist.
In her memoir, “Rainy River Girl”, co-written by Gershfield and her, son, James, the daughter of the late Dr. Nathan and Sophie Helman  (and granddaughter of the esteemed Rabbi Israel Kahanovitch – western Canada’s foremost rabbi in the interwar years and beyond) recounts her early life in Rainy River, Ontario – a small community about a two hour drive southeast of Winnipeg in the Lake of the Woods area. 
For those of us of a certain age – myself included – “Rainy River Girl” brings back memories of growing up Jewish in rural communities where there were few if any other Jewish families.  My father’s family, the Kanees, were most closely identified with Melville, Saskatchewan.  MY grandparents also operated businesses in several other Saskatchewan communities and I spent my early years in the small town of Shoal Lake in Western Manitoba.  We moved into Winnipeg in the mid-1950s just before I turned seven.
In “Rainy River Girl”, Toby  Gershfield  – who recently turned 91, begins by outlining her family’s origins in Poland and Lithuania, how her parents met, and their decision that her father should become a dentist.  She further writes about the history of Rainy River.  Then she proceeds to paint vivid pictures of the town and its people in the 1930s, her father’s dental office, the family home, her mother trying to encourage her to learn to play a musical instrument (piano), her father teaching her some Hebrew, her early schooling, and the challenges of a Jewish family trying to keep kosher and follow the traditions in such an alien environment.
She also has a chapter of anecdotes stemming from living with her illustrious zaida.  In 19040, when she was 7, her parents sent her to Winnipeg for a year to get some proper Jewish schooling (at the Talmud Torah).
Finally, she writes about the family moving back to Winnipeg , her father enlisting in the Canadian dental corps in 1942 and going off to war in Europe, and his dental practice back in Winnipeg postwar.
“Rainy River Girl” is published by Scribal Scion Publishers, the publishing company that James Gershfield founded in Teaneck, new Jersey, just two years ago.  His mother’s memoirs are the fifth book that Scribal Scion has published – the others being Ashkenazi and Sephardi versions of “The Illuminated Omer Counting Book”,  “How Jewish laws and Customs Develop Over Time” and, most recently, Rabbi Shawn Zell’s “Meaningful Mourning” (see last issue of the Jewish Post).
James Gershfield has come rather late in life to publishing.  Gershfield was born and raised in Manhattan where his father, Winnipeg-born Rabbi Edward Gershfield, was Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at JTS (the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in Manhattan).  Rabbi Gershfield received his ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1958.  He followed that up with two MAs from Columbia and a P.hd  from Oxford.
Rabbi Gershfield taught at JTS for four decades. He was also an expert in Jewish divorce, and administered and wrote thousands of Gittin during his career at JTS.  Rabbi Gershfield passed away in 2019.

James Gershfield is a graduate of Yeshiva University High School and Columbia University, where he majored in computer science. For most of his career, he was a software developer.  A couple of years ago, he decided to change direction and founded Scribal Scion Publishing LLC, a small publishing company dedicated to publishing – under the Scribal Scion imprint – Jewish books that inspire and comfort. Genres include memoir, biography, religion, and comfort for mourners.
Gershfield notes that he is particularly interested in books that bring together Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions.
“I have always enjoyed books,” Gershfield says.  “And with modern technology, it is not difficult to set up a publishing company. The challenge for a small publisher is marketing our books. I hope to grow not only by focusing  on Jewish themes but also expanding into self-help and related books via other imprints within the company.”
He reports that he began working with his mother on her memoirs a couple of years ago – after she moved to New Jersey.
He says that his next project is a biography of his father – which is scheduled to be released at the end of this month. Readers who may be interested in buying “Rainy River Girl” can go to Amazon.com.  Information about the company can be obtained at scribalscionpublishing.com.