From Immigration To Integration

The Canadian Jewish Experience:
A Millennium Edition

Introduction

On October 13, 1983, B’nai Brith Canada formally presented its collection of records, documents, and papers to the National Archives in Ottawa, representing more than a century of community activism in this country. This bequest marked the start of an ongoing partnership with the Archives aimed at preserving the Jewish community experience within the wider collection of Canadian history. These records reflected the lives of the men and women who shaped the community’s early efforts to establish itself as an integral part of Canadian society. They traced landmark initiatives to fight prejudice and discrimination and documented many joint enterprises with other organizations that were later established to address the community’s needs. The B’nai Brith Canada collection thus represents an important chapter not only in the chronicles of the Jewish community, but also in the diverse pages of Canada’s ethnic history.

But history does not just belong in archives and libraries; it is not solely the domain of scholars and academics. The study of our past cannot be considered static, nor the exclusive territory of any particular academic specialty or special interest group. Ownership of our history belongs to the community and all the different voices and perspectives within it, to be used as a tool in understanding our past, our present, and our future. As such, the lessons of history can be a vibrant force in anchoring our community consciousness and encouraging a more eclectic approach to further study.

Based on these guiding principles, our relationship with the National Archives led to the development of the conceptual framework for this book: it was envisioned as a volume that would not only tell the story of Canada’s Jewish community — charting its struggle for acceptance into wider society and noting its challenges and achievements — but would also identify areas of concern that must be addressed in the coming years. It was the Canadian government’s recognition of the need for such a project that led to its generous support for From Immigration to Integration as one of the initiatives of its Millennium Bureau. The generous support we received from the Bureau reflected a vision that we share: that the legacy of the many religious and ethnic groups that make up our multicultural society should be recorded and preserved as a means of enhancing our overall understanding of the Canadian experience.

In these pages, our goal was to characterize the ebb and flow of more than a century, to link vignettes of our first years as Canadians to a broader understanding of how our community structures have evolved and assumed their current shape and agenda. Our objective was to trace the progression of the community from its earliest tenuous days to its current established profile. While an impressive body of scholarship on Canadian Jewish history already exists, the linkage between past and present that forms our central theme has helped to identify the areas of greatest challenge for the Jewish community as we usher in the new millennium, as well as trends and issues that require further analysis.

It was not possible in this volume to mention all the personalities who have contributed to the community’s growth, nor to cover every aspect of its development. Our aim was rather to provide an overview that gives a broad analysis of the facts and figures that serve as the framework of a rich, diverse and often complex history. In the process, we identified key areas for further study that should be considered for a companion millennium volume: the contribution of Canadian Jews to art and culture, and to science and technology; the involvement of Jewish servicemen and women; and the role of Jewish personalities in journalism and the media, building on the early days of the Yiddish press in Canada. Attention to these dimensions of Canadian Jewish life would enhance an understanding of the community in all its complexities and diversities.

We also discovered that there were many historical facts that were in danger of being forgotten. As just one example, the Joint Public Relations Committee of B’nai Brith and Canadian Jewish Congress, established in 1939, was a veritable model of organizational co-operation in the field of anti-defamation work that operated for over forty years, yet recollection of the broad community participation in its initiatives has, inexplicably, been all but erased. By overlooking or minimizing the rich history of this joint initiative, Canadian Jewry was in danger of losing an important example of community activism, that laid the foundations for the status quo of today.

Through this project, B’nai Brith Canada has appreciated the opportunity to work with a cadre of creative and dedicated academics and experts, representatives of the wider group of eminent scholars who have recorded Canadian Jewish history. They represent an array of disciplines, from history to political science, from law to social work, from religion to sociology. They have discussed a range of issues and perspectives, sometimes approaching similar themes from fresh and diverse perspectives.

Harold Troper has given us an overall framework within which to understand the Canadian governmental and societal approach to Jewish immigration, while Gerald Tulchinsky has highlighted the distinct character of the Canadian Jewish experience that sets it apart from that of its co-religionists south of the border. In order to understand the depth of the challenges that Jewish immigrants faced, Richard Menkis has examined the roots of antisemitism in Canada and charted the growth of this troubling phenomenon, while Steven Scheinberg has described the evolving organizational response to discrimination, and the community’s early efforts to address the challenges it faced.

The special relationship between the Canadian Jewish community and the State of Israel has been examined by Michael Brown, who traces the growing support for Zionism in the pre-statehood era among both Jewish and non-Jewish groups in Canada, while David Goldberg discusses the development of these ties from 1948 to the present day in the context of community and organizational priorities.

Advocating for human rights has long been a priority of the Jewish community and Lorraine Weinrib has outlined the community’s contribution to the development of Canadian constitutional, civil, and common law. David Matas has highlighted a specific area of concern to the community in his examination of the struggle to bring Nazi war criminals to justice in Canada, while Julien Bauer has analyzed challenges to the universal acceptance of human- rights standards that are inherent in the Quebec educational system.

The characteristics of the Canadian Jewish community at the cusp of the millennium are of particular relevance to researchers and policy planners. The innate religious diversity of the community, an essential component in understanding the mindset and priorities of the past century, is the subject of Stuart Schoenfeld’s essay. Norma Joseph has traced the evolving role of women in community life and noted their distinct contribution not only to their community but also to the wider public, while Morton Weinfeld has analyzed the central role of education in the community’s overall agenda from both a historical and a contemporary perspective. Harold Waller’s essay has placed all these aspects of community life in the context of organizational developments and responses in the second half of the last century.

Our authors have also explored particular areas that call for consideration. While the early waves of Jewish immigration to Canada were characterized by specific obstacles and opportunities, Rina Cohen has examined the contemporary challenges posed by the “new immigrants” to Canada — Russian and Israeli-born Jews — and has studied the pace of their adaptation and integration into Canadian society. At a time when centralization has become a primary feature of community life, Sheva Medjuck has identified another distinct area that needs attention — the small communities — and has highlighted their strategies for preserving ethnic identification. James Torczyner’s essay concludes the volume with a socioeconomic profile of the community that confirms many of the trends identified in previous chapters and sets out key areas that strategic planners must put on their agenda for the next millennium.

Community organizations have a particular responsibility and role in facing these challenges. A prescriptive approach will not suffice unless all stakeholders are included in the crucial process of evaluating the lessons of the past and building on this experience to plan for the future. The possibilities for further study, as our contributors will attest, are limitless.

[ Acknowledgments ] [ Contents ]

From Immigration To Integration

The Canadian Jewish Experience: A Millennium Edition

Introduction

The Canadian Jewish Experience:
A Millennium Edition