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Tagged “Biography and Memoir”

Browse Tagged “Biography and Memoir” from the Canadian Macedonian Heritage Society archive, library and community collections.

Chris Paliare Presents: “My Journey in Defending Human Rights for Macedonians, Here and Abroad”

The Canadian Macedonian Historical Society was pleased to host Chris Paliare for an engaging presentation, “My Journey in Defending Human Rights for Macedonians, Here and Abroad.” Paliare reflected on the early years of Macedonian human rights advocacy in Canada during the 1980s, when speaking publicly for Macedonian identity and rights was both rare and challenging. He shared his experiences working alongside Mary and Trian Dimitriou and international delegations to bring attention to the human rights struggles of Macedonians in Greece and Bulgaria, efforts that helped shape the formation of the Macedonian Human Rights Movement International in 1986. Through stories of advocacy at both grassroots demonstrations in Toronto and international forums in Helsinki, Warsaw, and Moscow, Paliare reminded attendees that meaningful change begins when individuals choose to stand up, speak out, and defend human rights for future generations.

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Spero Thompson - SPOKEN TO IN MACEDONIAN ANSWERING IN ENGLISH

I consider myself fortunate in having had a happy childhood. I lived and grew up in the Regent Park area of Cabbagetown in the City of Toronto. In the 1940`s this area was heavily populated with immigrant Macedonian families. They liked to live in close proximity to St. Georges Macedonian Church located on the corner of Regent Street and Sutton Avenue. My Father was an immigrant from the village of Oshchima in ...

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Spero Thompson - RED EGG DAY IN CABBAGETOWN

Red Egg Day was the name given by the neighborhood boys for the observance of Easter Sunday by the local Macedonian Orthodox community. Our neighborhood was located in the Cabbagetown area of Toronto around Saint Georges Macedonian Church on Regent Street. I lived four doors east of the Church on Sutton Avenue. My Father was an immigrant from Macedonia and my Mother an Irish immigrant. I grew up enjoying both ...

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Spero Thompson - MY MACEDONIAN FATHER AND THE PRINCE

Every time I pass Niagara Street in Toronto’s west end a story my Father told me comes to mind. My Grandfather Tanas Radeff with some fellow villagers from Ohschima had come to Canada from Macedonia in1898 looking for work. They had not come to stay but to sojourn for a few years then to return, hoping to buy a farm or build a bigger house with what money they saved. When my Grandfather returned to Macedonia at the ...

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Spero Thompson - JACK LONDON AND THE MACEDONIAN WHO COULD NOT READ

Recently in a local bookstore, I opened a copy of Jack London’s collected stories. Glancing down the list of titles, I smiled in recognition of familiar readings from my boyhood. Coming upon the title The Sea Wolf I stopped, as memories of my Father and the arrogance of my youth came into my mind. Turning to chapter 24 in this particular story, I looked for that special word. My eyes went up and down the pages where ...

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The Anastasoff Tenekeff Family

Lambo Anastasoff Tenekeff was born in 1895 in the village of Gabresh,Macedonia. He immigrated to Canada with his father Anastas Kizoff in 1907. He worked as a butcher and three years later opened his own grocery/butcher store and named it Louis Meat Market. In the established Canadian community he became known as Mr. Louis. In 1919 he sent for his fiancee Kiratza Zolumoff. They were married in 1921 and over a period of eleven years had four children (Mary, Chris, Victoria, Tsana). In the Macedonian community the Anastasoffs were known as the Tenekeff family. Tenekeff was a nickname Lanbo's father acquired while growing up in the village of Gabresh Macedonia. In Canada and the USA Lambo was widely regarded as a leader in the Macedonian community.

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The Story of Vasilka

The Canadian Macedonian Historical Society (CMHS) transformed this year’s Annual General Meeting into a deeply resonant cultural experience. In a special collaboration with the Macedonian Film Festival, members were treated to a screening of the evocative documentary Story of Vasilka. Directed by Giovanni Princigalli, the film is a masterclass in narrative storytelling, weaving together intimate family photographs with rare archival footage from the Kinoteka (Cinémathèque) of Skopje to create an authoritative and emotionally charged historical record. A screening was set ...

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Steve and Lilly Pliakes

Steve Pliakes or Stefo Plakov, as he prefers to introduce himself, is a Canadian Macedonian, or Macedonian Canadian whose origin is from the beautiful Macedonian village of Zeleniche, in the region of Lerin, from the Aegean part of Macedonia. He is well recognized among the Macedonians in Canada and in the United States.

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Alex Gigeroff: One Oro!

On a Sunday in September, the Canadian Macedonian Historical Society hosted "Zaedno Alex… One More Time!" at the University of Toronto to celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of Dr. Alex Gigeroff. The event showcased Gigeroff’s multifaceted contributions as a philosopher, historian, criminal lawyer, and artist, featuring an exhibition of his vibrant paintings and copies of his book, Baba’s Macedonian Socks. Family, friends, and distinguished guests—including his son, artist Andre Haines, and Judge Barry Stuart—shared poignant stories of Alex’s intellectual energy, his passionate advocacy for Macedonian identity, and his unique "rules for life," which encouraged others to live dangerously and seek justice. The celebration concluded with a traditional oro dance, embodying Alex’s lifelong philosophy of "Zaedno" (Togetherness) and his enduring belief that life should be lived with color, music, and a commitment to one's roots.

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