Remembering Monty Hall and His Family, An American Jewish Hadassah Story

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                        

Monty Hall OC, OM (born Monte Halperin); August 25, 1921 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sportscaster, Hall returned to television in the U.S., this time in game shows. Starting in 1963, he was best known as the game show host and producer of Let's Make a Deal. As a celebrity, he had a conundrum with game theory and psychology aspects named after him: the Monty Hall problem. Behind the scenes, Hall also carried on an active life of philanthropy.  He was a Jewish celebrity whose Jewishness went deeper than other Jewish celebrities of which some were closet Jews.                       

Monty's mother was Rose Luria Halperin, (1895-1978) who was president of the Hadassah organization. She was national president of Hadassah from 1932 to 1934 and then from 1947 to 1952. From 1946 to 1968 she was a member of the executive of the Jewish Agency. 

In1969 she was appointed to head the American division of the World Jewish Congress. 

   Hall was born as Monte Halparin or Halperin in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on August 25, 1921, to Orthodox Jewish parents Maurice Harvey Halperin, who owned a slaughterhouse, and Rose (née Rusen). Maurice was born in 1899 in Russia, possibly Lithuania.  He died in 1982 in Winnepeg, Canada.  

 Monte died on September 30, 2017 in Los Angeles.    Monte had a cousin, Sam Rosenwasser living on E. 56th Avenue that he headed for when he left Canada.  

Monty was raised in Winnipeg's north end, where he attended Lord Selkirk School (Elmwood, Winnipeg), and, later St. John's High School. Hall graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba, where he majored in chemistry and zoology. He was sponsored through university by Max Freed, a local businessman who was a customer of his father. Originally though, Hall had hoped to go to medical school but was not admitted due to secret quotas restricting the number of Jewish students. admitted.                             

Monty Hall was possibly the busiest man on TV in his day and still found the time to fly to the most remote areas of the USA and Canada for any and every Jewish cause...when time permitted. 

 He and his wife, Marilyn, recently started a rose garden in Israel totally sponsored by themselves honoring Monty's mother, Rose Halperin, who was president of Hadassah.  There is a rose garden now, in the heart of Jerusalem.  

Monty himself has been presented with the Torch of Liberty award by the Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith.  He served on the Board of Governors of Cedar-Sinai Hospital, the United Jewish Welfare Fund and the State of Israel Bond Drive.  

Family Tree DNA has a Halpern & Branches group which would include Halperin, Halparin and Halprin.  

Resource:

Jewish Digest, December 1975, page 59