From Immigration To Integration

The Canadian Jewish Experience:
A Millennium Edition

Acknowledgments

This publication was made possible through the generous support of the Millennium Bureau of Canada, which co-sponsored From Immigration to Integration as one of its special millennium projects. We would also like to recognize the financial commitment of the B’nai Brith Foundation and the Jewish Tribune, which enabled us to fulfill our mandate to the Bureau, to our community, and to the wider Canadian public.

During the past year we have appreciated the ongoing support, encouragement, and creative vision of Rochelle Wilner, who held the position of chair of the Institute for International Affairs throughout the planning and implementation of our millennium project. It is appropriate that an individual who displays such an appreciation of history and its implications for the future will now be leading B’nai Brith Canada into the millennium as its new president.

We would also like to note the contribution of Alex Pomson, Professor of Jewish Education at York University, whose astute judgment in the early stages was so helpful in shaping the parameters of this volume. Similarly, we were able to benefit from the scholarship and insight of Dr. David Goldberg, Director of Research at the Canada-Israel Committee, who has always made himself available for consultation and advice.

In terms of the contribution of the elder statesmen in our community, Lou Ronson has been an invaluable resource. His reminiscences, supplemented by his meticulous and extensive records, are testament to the remarkable scope of his memory and the dynamic nature of his ongoing commitment to community service.

We have appreciated collaborating with Malcolm Lester in the preparation of this volume. With his years of experience in the field, coupled with his impeccable judgment and extensive knowledge base, Malcolm Lester has been a guiding force in helping to bring this project to fruition. Andrea Knight also played a key role in the process with her discerning eye and commitment to perfection, while the cover and overall design attest to Jack Steiner’s creativity and artistic talents.

When undertaking any project with such an extensive scope, it is heartening to be able to rely on colleagues. Pearl Gladman’s depth of knowledge relating to the Canadian Jewish community has been most valuable throughout the implementation stage. We would also like to thank Jesse Guberman for his assistance in keeping the lines of communication open to the community. Jeremy Ronson, who is in charge of putting this publication on-line in a format that will include organizational and resource links, has always been available to help us with technical difficulties and we have appreciated his ongoing patience and support.

Two former colleagues must also be mentioned here. Rebecca Holzman, who now works for the Jewish Community Council of Ottawa, was a great asset in the earliest conceptual stages of this project. Nir Katzour, who worked as a communications intern for B’nai Brith Canada, brought a fresh perspective to his background research for the book.

We would also like to acknowledge the co-operation we received in the course of this project from professionals and volunteers in other community organizations: Perry Romberg of UIA Federations Canada, Jay Brodbar of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Bernard Shoub of its Board of Jewish Education, Charles Shahar of Federation CJA of Montreal, Shlomo Shimon of the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre, and Jack Kugelmass of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society. Many other individuals, too numerous to mention, helped us with queries both large and small. Each point of information or clarification was valuable; every expression of interest was welcome.

It is often taken for granted that close family will offer support and encouragement, but we have been fortunate in that our spouses demonstrated their ongoing interest in our work through tangible involvement. Florence Dimant spent many long hours reviewing the text at the proof stage and the book was greatly enhanced by her language skills and years of experience as an educator. Gerard Klein offered valuable insights on many core issues relating to the immigrant experience that put the psychological dimensions of community interaction into perspective.

It is only fitting to acknowledge that our interest in community history has been shaped by our respective parents in marked and often unique ways. Our approach to the theme of this book was influenced by the memory of Moshe Dimant, Nechama (Schwartzbrem) Dimant, and Sela (Schlussel) Oster, survivors of a lost generation, who truly understood what it meant to rebuild their lives in new land, and by the example of Vivian Oster, a gentleman who appreciates the power of history and continues to study its lasting lessons.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, without written permission of the Institute for International Affairs, B’nai Brith Canada. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the government of Canada or the opinions of B’nai Brith Canada.

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data

From Immigration to integration: the Canadian Jewish experience: a millennium edition

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-9688635-0-7

1. Jews - Canada - History. I. Klein, Ruth, 1954- . II. Dimant, Frank, 1946- . III. B’nai Brith Canada, Institute for International Affairs.

FC106.J5F76 2001 305.892’4071 C2001-930564-8
FC1035.J5F76 2001

An excerpt from The Second Scroll by A.M. Klein is reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.

Design: Jack Steiner Graphic Design

This book has been produced for the Institute for International Affairs, B’nai Brith Canada by Malcolm Lester.

Institute for International Affairs, B’nai Brith Canada
15 Hove Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3H 4Y8
www.bnaibrith.ca

Printed and bound in Canada.

[ Introduction ] [ Contents ]

From Immigration To Integration

The Canadian Jewish Experience: A Millennium Edition

Acknowledgments

The Canadian Jewish Experience:
A Millennium Edition