The Life and Times of Dr. Leo Frank: A Jewish Fox Rancher
with Dr. Joseph Glass

Tuesday, November 20, 2018 | 7 p.m. | SDU Main Building Faculty Lounge

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The Island Lecture Series November lecture was Tuesday, November 20, at 7 p.m. in the SDU Main Building Faculty Lounge on the UPEI campus, and featured Dr. Joseph Glass speaking about “The Life and Times of Dr. Leo Frank: A Jewish Fox Rancher.”

Hidden away in Stratford, a small municipal park is named in memory of a former resident, Dr. Leo Frank, a unique individual in the Jewish and general history of PEI.

In 1915, he established the Rosebank Fur Farms: a profitable business and showcase for black silver fox ranching as featured in many postcards, stereoscope cards, articles in North America newspapers, and a motion picture. A mysterious character, he made quite an impression on Islanders and his economic, social, and cultural activities were often discussed in the local press. However, he did not draw attention to his Jewishness until after his marriage in 1935. Although the ranch ceased operations in 1944, he and his wife Ruchamah lived at Rosebank until 1958. The lecture highlights the story of the man memorialized in this green space in Stratford.

Dr. Joseph B. Glass is a recent arrival to the Island. Born in Toronto, he studied and taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for over twenty years. Dr. Glass’ published research has looked at Sephardic Jewish entrepreneurs in Jerusalem, American and Canadian Jewish migration, and the connection between Canada and the Holy Land. His book on the Valero family in Jerusalem received a prestigious award for best monograph in Turkish economic and social history. Since his arrival, he has been researching PEI’s early Jewish history until the mid-twentieth century. He has uncovered a wealth of information and fascinating stories of early Jewish life. He is preparing articles and a book on this little-known group in the Island’s history.

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