The Tailor Project documentary is an upcoming production by YAP films to tell the story of the tailors who came to Canada during the 1948 Garment Workers' Scheme.
The above short film, The Tailor Project by First Capture Studios, focuses on the lives of two people impacted by the 1948 – 1949 Garment Workers' Scheme: Irving Leibgott and Soozi Schlanger.
Irving Leibgott came to Canada through the Tailor Project as a young man and raised three children with his wife in Montreal. Their children are Jeffrey Leibgott, Karen Baron and Brian Leibgott.
Soozi Schlanger’s father, Jonas Hersh Schlanger, came to Canada through the Tailor Project with his wife, Mary Aaron Schlanger, and two young daughters Chaya and Liba. Both daughters were born in Bergen-Belsen camp. Jonas and Mary eventually settled in Toronto and had two daughters, Goldie and Soozi.
The stories of both families demonstrate the value of the Garment Workers' Scheme. Success in this scheme was not solely the tailors who rebuilt their lives and escaped adversity; it is also the success of the second generation, who continue to thrive and make meaningful contributions to Canadian society today.