The Jewish Experience In Twentieth Century Canada

By: Hibaq Ali, Jordan Apostoliand Karina Motalleb

Jewish orphans immigrate to Canada in the 1900s17Jan.2011<http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/legacy/chap-4a.asp>

1897-The Jewish Times Newspaper is BornThe first publication of an exclusivelyJewish newspaper, the Jewish Times, wasprinted in Montreal, Quebec. Foundedby Lyon Cohen and Sam Jacobs, thenewspaper intended to supportJewish rights and advocate for thesocial and economic freedoms ofJewish Canadians. The paper beganas a platform for the Jews of Montreal tospeak-out against the injustice of theanti-Semitic articles circulated inMontreal newspapers in the wake of theDreyfus Affair scandal. The paperbecame an avenue for Canadian Jewsto voice their grievances and supporteach other in the face of adversity.

The Jewish Times, the first Canadian Jewish newspaper, in its first year in circulation 17.Jan 2011 <http://www.jewishpubliclibrary.org/blog/?page_id=744>

1903-The Jacob Pinsler Case

School aged kids in Toronto, 1900.17Jan. 2011 <http://www.stpaulsirishmusic.com/st-pauls-school.html>

.

1903- Jacob Pinsler CaseThe Jacob Pinsler case sparked the Jewish Educational RightsMovement, when Pinsler failed to receive a tuition scholarship promisedto him at Dufferin School in Montreal. Pinsler was denied the scholarshipunder claims that by law, Jewish students were not eligible for provincialeducation grants in Protestant school boards. After many demonstrations andprotests the Statues of Quebec was finally revised in 1903 to allow a portion ofthe taxes paid by Jewish proprietors to be allocated to Protestant schoolboards, making them eligible for Protestant education grants. The same lawalso gave Jewish pupils certain rights in both Protestant and Catholic schoolsincluding the right to refuse compulsory classes and daily activities whichinfringe upon their religious freedoms. This new law was significant for theJewish community in Montreal because it guaranteed their social and economicaccess to education. It provided them with many educational opportunities thatwere denied to their ancestors. It gave them hope and inspired them to workwith the Provincial and Federal government to improve the circumstances ofJews across the nation.

 

1906-The Canadian Committee of the Jewish Colonization Association

The Jewish Colonization Associationopened its first Canadian committeein Montreal. The organizationassisted the mass emigration of Jews outof Russia and Eastern Europe. The JCAprepared immigrants to becomeagricultural laborers and encouraged themto take up unoccupied land in the Prairies.This event was significant for CanadianJews because it assisted in theirprofessional and economicassimilation into Canadian society.The organization presented newimmigrants with the opportunities inhousing and work. It trained them, and prepared them to be successfulcontributors to Canadian society.

A JCA photo of the Lipton Jewish farming Community in Saskatchewan, just one of the many Jewish communities assisted by the JCA. 17Jan.2011 <http://www.cjccc.ca/national_archives/photos.html>

1917-The Balfour Declaration

Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour and a copy of the Balfour agreement, addressed to Baron Rothschild, leader of the Jewish community in Great Britain.17Jan. 2011 <http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2009/11/05/hamas-want-britain-to-make-amends-for-crimes-against-palestine/>

1917-The Balfour Declaration

The Balfour Declaration was signed by British Foreign Secretary Arthur JamesBalfour on behalf of the British government promising to aid in theestablishment of Palestine as the national home to the Jewish people. Thisevent was met by positive reaction from the Canadian Jewish community whichrallied together in support of the declaration, holding demonstrations in manymajor cities such as Montreal and Toronto. This was a significant event forthe Jewish community in Canada because it was seen as a reward for theirhard work and dedication to the home front during the war efforts. The Britishand Canadian support of Palestine as the Jewish homeland created a unityamongst politicians and the Jewish community. It was seen as one of the firstmajor political decision to support Jewish refugees and informed them that theywere not alone in their battle.

1919 - Immigration Act of 1919

Immigrants arriving in Canada by boat in the early twentieth century. 17Jan 2011. <http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhnnhs/qc/grosseile/natcul/natcul1/a.aspx>

1919- Immigration Act of 1919Immediately following the First World War the Canadian government revised its immigration policies in the Immigration Act of 1919. To protect the nation from an influx of foreign immigrant, the Immigration Act formalized immigration policies which allowed officials to turn down immigrants and refugees on the basis of cultural and ideological traits. This event was significant not only for the Jewish community but for Canadian history as a whole. It projected an image of Canada as one that was unsympathetic to victims of war. It was a period of institutionalized racism that was followed by the exclusion and restrictions of many marginalized groups. While the period following the First World War is usually represented as one of economic and cultural prosperity in history books, it was also a dark period for Canadian minorities struggling to overcome deep-seated cultural and religious tension.

1930 - North America, the Promised LandCanada’s Jewish populationexceeded 155, 000. The pogroms inRussia and Eastern Europe in the late19th century and the early 20th centurycaused millions of Jews to seekrefuge in North America. After theUnited States, Canada was thesecond choice. Its Democraticgovernment promised freedom fromdictatorial rule and the CanadianPacific Railway guaranteedtransportation and freedom ofmovement to various places inCanada and the United States.Immigrating to Canadaprovided closer proximity to the U.S. and the possibility ofimmigration there at a later date. The massive

exodus of Jewish emigrants from European countries is significant in Canadian History because it reveals the extent to which Canada was seen to be a place of refuge where displaced populations could start over and flourish.

A map of North America, symbolizing where European Jews immigrated in the 1930s. Jan.19.2011<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/canada.html#Between>

1931 - Economic Crisis in Canada

“The Unwanted” – In the 1930s and 1940s, Winnipeg was a place rife with Anti-Semitism. Jan.19.2011<http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vosizneias.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/image015.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vosizneias.com/31428/2009/05/08/quebec-canada-in-winnipeg-in-the-1930s-and-1940s-jews-were-considered-personae-non-gratae/&usg=__HIAirnnW8YhWE1iuwN7Kp7lyEU8=&h=360&w=287&sz=14&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=NHfW9JOFK5RbkM:&tbnh=131&tbnw=104&ei=3FI_TfvxLYKB8gbDwKnsAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DJews%2Bin%2BCanada%2Bin%2Bthe%2B1930s%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1900%26bih%3D704%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=452&vpy=45&dur=109&hovh=251&hovw=200&tx=132&ty=132&oei=3FI_TfvxLYKB8gbDwKnsAw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=41&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0>

1931 - Economic Crisis in CanadaThe Canadian government decided to limit immigration because of the failingeconomy. They attempted to limit immigration by implementing two orders-in-council. In 1930, they implemented the first order-in-council, which preventedEuropeans from immigrating to Canada, except for those who wereeconomically independent and/ or had families in this country. The secondorder in council prevented Jews from entering the country altogether, by statingthat only immigrants from Britain and America who were economicallyindependent and worked in an industry could come to Canada. Some peoplespeculated that Canada had ‘dirty hands’ in this immigration policy and wasdeliberately attempting to exclude Jews from entering. Only 15, 800 Jews wereallowed to immigrate to Canada. Within 1930 and 1934, 16, 785 immigrantswere expelled from Canada. The restriction is significant in that it reveals how

policy makers in Canada, at this time, might well have been anti-Semitic in their orientation. This is a fact that is somewhat repressed in mainstream History.

*1933 - Christie Pits RiotIn August, there was a riot atChristie Pits during a baseball game inwhich Jews attacked Germans that theysuspected were plotting hate crimes. A boymoved his sweatshirt and out tumbled aswastika. This inaugurated the riot. It isconsidered to be one of the most seriousriots in the History of Toronto. The Jews rioting againstGermans was initiated by theirknowledge of anti-Semitism, their awarenessof their fellow Jews distress in Europe underHitler’s Nazi regime and their awarenessof swastika clubs in Toronto. Theemergence of the swastika at the baseballgame was enough to initiate the riot because it reminded them

of Jews distress in Europe and they assumed that an attack on them might be

imminent. The significance of this event is that it reveals that anti-Semitism existed, to some extent, in Toronto, in the 30’s, not necessarily as an entrenched, organized movement, but more on the level of local friction and occasional outbursts. Also, it reveals that Jews felt free and entitled to openly defend themselves in Canada whereas they did not feel this way in their countries of origin.

A plague at Christie Pits, memorializing the riot between two groups.Jan.19.2011 <http://www.alanbrown.com/TorontoHistory/Pages_PQR/Riot_at_Christie_Pits.html>

1939 - Jewish Refugees Refused Entry In May of 1939, Prime Minister William LyonMackenzie King disallowed asteamship, containing 901 GermanJewish refugees, fleeing NaziGermany, from entering Canada. Thisis consistent with the ‘none is toomany’ policy he came to adopt. That is,no Jew in Canada was still too manyJews, in Mackenzie’s eyes. DuringWorld War II, Canada accepted only 1percent (8, 000) of 811, 000 Jewishrefugees. The rest were internationallyaccepted. This boat first went to theHavana Port, in Cuba, where thegovernment would not acknowledgetheir passenger entrance visas. Noother Latin American country wouldallow the refugees admittance. The significance of

this event is that it most certainly reveals the limited, anti-Semitic orientation of Mackenzie King and, perhaps, his entire government. It does not, however, reveal, a widespread anti-Semitism throughout Canada as most people were not economically in a position to contest government policies, nor where they even cognizant of what his policies were.

A picture of the St. Louis steamship, containing 907 German Jews who were disallowed entry into Canada after escaping from Nazi Germany. Jan19.2011<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/canada.html#Between>

*1939 - Jewish Canadian Soldiers

In September, 1939, Canada enteredWorld War II. One-fifth of CanadianJews entered the armed forces(around 17, 000). Many Jewishsoldiers who survived receivedmilitary awards. Some werecommemorated by having parts of thenatural landscape of Saskatchewannamed after them. The significance of

this event is that Canada entered World War II against Nazi Germany and anti-Semitism and Jews were enabled to fight for their own cause. In Canada, Jewish efforts were recognized and commemorated.

This is a picture of the first Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Canada’s entrance into the World War II was a unique event in Canadian History, as it was the first World War that they fought, because they enlisted the services of women and a sizeable number of Jewish men were enlisted in the Canadian armed forces. Jan.19.2011<http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/433720-1/start-world-war-2-24&imgrefurl=http://quebec.inetgiant.ca/Montreal/AdDetails/Canadian-British-World-War-II-medal-group-1939-1945-laval-150/3895872&usg=__leX1LGBRXhIZ16st2gnjEpWsKeU=&h=339&w=400&sz=24&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=SuN-corrukQFPM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=151&ei=k1Y_TaimM8O78gaXo8DTAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCanada%2Benters%2BWorld%2BWar%2B2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26biw%3D1900%26bih%3D704%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=375&oei=k1Y_TaimM8O78gaXo8DTAw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=43&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=101&ty=87>

*1941- Immigration Policy Amendments

The war ended and Canadaimplements anti-racist and antidiscrimination legislation. Theybecame more lax with immigrationlaws. Within 1941-1951, 16, 275people of Jewish descent enteredCanada. The significance of this

event is that Canada became more compassionate and liberal in its immigration policy.

This is an picture of a Canadian solider, fighting abroad.Canada entered World War II to protect the interestsof the British Crown. Its participation in the war effortand the excellence of its service caused it to berecognized as an important country. Jan.19.2011 <http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sevenyearproject.com/images/

cpsoldier.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sevenyearproject.com/canadas-place.htm&usg=__Mp7N5XMPCtKdI5sjTXwwQN2HzDw=&h=299&w=400&sz=30&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=uzHmlssArDQ7kM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=172&ei=alk_TcCIJcOB8ga2-PXZAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCanada%2Bfights%2Bin%2Bworld%2Bwar%2B2%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1900%26bih%3D704%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=344&oei=alk_TcCIJcOB8ga2-PXZAw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=46&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0&tx=90&ty=24>

*1950 - Halychyna Members Welcomed in Canada

A picture of Canada’s rising immigration levels accelerating in the 1950s and 1960s with its new immigration policy which allowed immigrants back into Canada. Jan.19.2010 <http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.healthyanimals.ca/english/doc/discussion/a/images/s2b_e_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.healthyanimals.ca/english/doc/discussion/a/s2b_e.shtml&usg=__1R5qTbT26ZuN1ABUFJAE2JdSaKg=&h=338&w=560&sz=27&hl=en&start=42&zoom=1&tbnid=u1NOUEitKeqVRM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=173&ei=2GE_TZSGFMai8QO0s8nQBA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimmigration%2Bto%2BCanada%2Bsince%2B1950%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1900%26bih%3D704%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=187&oei=IWE_TY-8FcGB8gbB7rDXAw&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=41&ved=1t:429,r:32,s:42&tx=87&ty=94>

1950 - Halychyna Members Welcomed in Canada

Canada permits more immigration and allows people from Europe, including displaced persons, back into Canada. Unfortunately, by the same token, this meant that S.S. members (Halychyna members) were given entrance. The Jewish population was aghast and the Canadian Jewish Congress resisted the government’s decision. The Government was surprised by the Jewish reaction and was willing to negotiate. It deferred the reception of the Halychyna members to permit Congress to demonstrate evidence that the Halychyna members were plotting against the Jews. The Jewish Congress did not produce evidence implicating the Halychyna members as responsible for committing hate acts and so no evidence could be used against the members. The government enabled immigration to continue. The Halychyna members entered Canada the following year. Although Canadian Jews suspected that many were Nazi sympathizers, and, potentially, war criminals, the government did not enlist support to forcibly remove them, nor did they have jurisdiction to do so. The significance of this event is that Canada’s more liberal immigration policy allowed members of nations/ ethnic groups in conflict to carry their antipathies into Canada. •  •  •  

*1960 - The Trial of Adolf Eichmann

In May of 1960, Adolf Eichmann, aGerman Nazi, was tried for warcrimes in Israel. These includecrimes against humanity under Israelilaw and crimes against the Jewishpeople. His case exposed theatrocities committed during theHolocaust to the world and toCanadians. It transformed the trialfrom a private issue that the Jewswere facing into a public issue thathas since become one of the mostnotorious events in History. The

significance of this event is that the world was made cognizant of the fact that Jews had become more powerful globally and were making it known that the horrific events of World War II and would not go unpunished.

A picture of the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal. Eichmann was tried for war crimes, including crimes against humanity and crimesagainst the Jewish people in Israel in 1961. Jan.19.2011<http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://eatourbrains.com/EoB/wp-content/

uploads/2007/05/the-trial-of-adolf-eichmann.jpg&imgrefurl=http://eatourbrains.com/EoB/2007/05/&usg=__xarzwpm9O9yw1QS0zBfNpGdmaNU=&h=370&w=467&sz=49&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=sqJ4KYVuYSovzM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=164&ei=E1o_TZX3Ds6s8Ab96fXxAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DThe%2Btrial%2Bof%2Badolf%2Beichmann%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1900%26bih%3D704%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=265&oei=E1o_TZX3Ds6s8Ab96fXxAw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=48&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=72&ty=60>

1967 – Immigration Point System Begins

Canada implemented a new pointsystem for the selection of newimmigrants based on education,language skills, and employability aswell as age and Canadiandestination. The changes practicallybanished subjective assessment anddiscrimination from the selectionprocess. As a result, Jews havecontinued to immigrate to Canadaover the past several decades.

This image from Canadian Immigration Lawyers captures the idea that Canada is open to immigration and is inclusive of culturally diverse peoples. 17Jan. 2011 <http://www.akcanada.com/wordpress/ ?tag=assessment-Canadian-immigration>

1976 - The Parti Québécois Win Provincial Election

René Lévesque was the founder of the Parti Québécois. He was the Premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. His government passed the Quebec Charter of the French Language. 17Jan. 2011 <http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/francophonie/ histfrqc_s4_modernisation.htm>

1976- The Parti Québécois Win Provincial Election

The Parti Québécois won the provincial election. The party put forward Frenchlanguage regulations and passed Bill 101, the Charter of the French Language,in 1980, ensuring the primacy of French in all aspects of life in Quebec. Thefrancization of the workplace implicitly excluded non- Québécois fromemployment even if such persons were bilingual. Surveys at this time revealthat Jews were concerned that this piece of legislation would narrow theiremployment opportunities. Moreover, certain provisions of Bill 101 that governthe language of education and almost entirely eradicate admission to Englishlanguage schools have a directly negative impact on the Jewish community.While the Canadian Jewish population across Canada has increased, thecommunity in Montreal has decreased between the years 1981 and 1991because Bill 101’s language restrictions on employment and education areunfavourable to Jews and have caused many in the community to emigratefrom the city. The result is that the Montreal Jewish community is strugglingbecause there are no longer enough members to support the group.

1981- Montreal Divorce ConferenceMontreal held its first conference ondivorce to educate the community,suggest strategies, and provideresources for Jewish men and womenundergoing issues with divorce.According to Jewish law, only a mancan give his wife a get, a Jewishdivorce document that is administeredby a rabbinic court. Montreal’sconference was a step toward greaterequity for Jewish women and led tothe contribution of Canadian Jewishwomen in the national amendment tothe country’s Divorce Act on August12, 1990. According to theamendment, agunot, women bound todisintegrated marriages, can now befreed.

The Jewish wedding ceremony is traditionally held under the huppa or canopy. It is here that the blessing, the giving of the ring, the signing of the ketubah, or marriage contract, and the breaking of the glass take place. 17 Jan. 2011<http:// www.israel-wedding.com/ weddings.htm>

1985- Big M Drug Mart CaseIn the Big M Drug Mart case, theSupreme Court invalidated the Lord’sDay Act of 1906, which prohibitedbusiness and recreational activity onSunday. The Jewish community ofCanada contributed to this ruling bysubmitting an argument that thegovernment should either createpolicy on strictly secular foundations or make laws that take into accountminority religions and not just thereligious observations of the dominantgroup. The Supreme Court’s ruling,though it upheld the concept ofreligious freedom, did not make noteof the articulate objection put forwardby the Jewish community against theLord’s Day Alliance.

Schwartz’s Deli is a Jewish establishment in Montreal that was founded in 1928. 17 Jan. 2011 <http://www.schwartzs deli.com /index_fr.html>

1996- OFL Kosher Food Compromised The French Language Office of (OFL) compromised the availability oimported kosher foods that werenecessary for Passover meals on thegrounds that the products lackedFrench labelling. Eventually, OFL andthe Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC)came to an agreement that permittedthe sale of such dietary goods forPassover without French labels for alimited period during the religiousholiday. B’nai Brith Canada wasunhappy with the decision becausethey had preferred to prove that thesale of such goods withoutFrench labelling in the province ofQuebec had constitutional validity.

Kashrut, or Jewish dietary laws, is referred to as kosher in English. 17 Jan. 2011 <www.kosher.com>

THE END