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Podcast: North Star with Ellin Bessner
Episode: Memorial for 1950 garment factory fire strives for closure—but also opens old wounds
Description: On Oct. 6, in a downtown park in Toronto, a ceremony was held to unveil a new plaque commemorating the Phillips garment factory fire of 1950.
The plaque was installed near the site where 9 people were killed more than 70 years ago. Among the victims was the factory’s owner, Phillip Chikofsky. His 18-year-old son, Sidney, managed to escape—but ran back inside to help, and ended up dying as well, along with 7 other workers, including recent Jewish immigrants who had survived the Holocaust.
The recent public ceremony was meant to help bring some closure to the families, but...