Canada's Jews: In Time, Space and Spirit

by Ira Robinson (Editor)

Overview

Canada is home to one of the world’s largest and most culturally creative Jewish communities, one of the few in the Diaspora that continues to grow demographically. With its ability to mirror trends found in Jewish communities elsewhere (particularly the United States) while simultaneously functioning as a distinct society, Canada’s Jewish community holds great interest for scholars, exercising a measurable influence on the culture and politics of World Jewry. Consisting of a series of essays written by experts in their respective fields, Canada’s Jews is a topical encyclopaedia, covering a wide variety of topics, from history and religion to the intellectual and cultural contributions of Canada’s Jews. An indispensable reference book for both laypeople and for scholars of Jewish and Canadian studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934843864
Publisher:	Academic Studies Press
Publication date:	07/01/2013
Series:	Jews in Space and Time
Pages:	504
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Ira Robinson is Professor of Judaic studies in the Department of Religion of Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec. He is President of the Canadian Society for Jewish Studies. His latest books are: Rabbis and Their Community: Studies in the Eastern European Orthodox Rabbinate in Montreal, 1896-1930 (2007) and Translating a Tradition: Studies in American Jewish History (2009).

Table of Contents

Preface. I. In Time: Canada ’s Jews and Their History. 1. Jews and New France. 2. Jewish beginnings under the British (eighteenth century). 3. Jews in British North America (nineteenth century). 4. Eastern European Jewish immigration and its impact: Farming Colonies and the West. 5. Eastern European Jewish immigration and its impact: Quebec and Ontario ; Jewish labor. 6. Jews and the Political and Social Life of Canada (to 1945): anti-Semitism; Zionism; Canadian Jewish Congress. 7. Jews in Postwar Canada: Holocaust survivors, Sephardim, Russians and Israelis, Federations and Communal Governance. II. In Space: a Survey of Jews in Contemporary Canada. 1. Toronto. 2. Montreal. 3. Vancouver. 4. Winnipeg. 5. Maritimes. 6. Central Canada (not including Toronto and Montreal). 7. Prairies (not including Winnipeg). 8. West and North (not including Vancouver). III. In Spirit: the Religious and Cultural Expressions of Canadian Jews. A. Religious. 1. Ashkenazic Orthodox: Hasidic, Modern, Kashrut. 2. Sephardic. 3. Non-Orthodox: Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform. B. Languages, Literatures and Cultures. 1. Yiddish. 2. Jews in Canadian literature. 3. Jews in Quebec literature. 4. Canadian Jewish Studies. Conclusion. For further reading. List of contributors. Index.

Editorial Reviews

Canada’s Jews has the potential to be a “go-to” resource for Canadian Jewish studies, to be used as a textbook and reference book. It is up to those in the field to promote and encourage its use.

The American Jewish Archives Journal (Vol. LXVI, Nos. 1 & 2) - Susan Landau-Chark

"Canada's Jews has the potential to be a 'go-to' resource for Canadian Jewish studies, to be used as a textbook and reference book. It is up to those in the field to promote and encourage its use." —Susan Landau-Chark, The American Jewish Archives Journal, (Vol. LXVI, Nos. 1 & 2)

From the Publisher

This collection of 26 essays offers a comprehensive snapshot of the history of Jews in Canada, their contemporary situation, their spiritual/cultural life, and their representation in Canadian literature. . . . The essays are written in a clear style largely by experts in their respective fields. . . . This book would serve equally well as a University text book on Canadian Jewish Studies for the uninitiated and as an introduction to the topic for the curious lay person.”

The Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews, September/October 2014, Volume IV, No. 3 - Leah Cohen Jacob M. Lowy Collection

This collection of 26 essays offers a comprehensive snapshot of the history of Jews in Canada, their contemporary situation, their spiritual/cultural life, and their representation in Canadian literature. . . . The essays are written in a clear style largely by experts in their respective fields. . . . This book would serve equally well as a Universitytext book on Canadian Jewish Studies for the uninitiated and as an introduction to the topic for the curious lay person.

Leah Cohen