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8. The Jews of Canada: A Demographic Profile

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Canada's Jews
This chapter is in the book Canada's Jews
————————————— The Jews of Canada: A Demographic Profile—————————————— 121 —VIIIThe Jews of Canada: A Demographic ProfileThis article seeks to offer a brief historical overview of contemporary canadian Jewish life, and continues with a discussion of some key cur-rent demographic indicators of canadian Jewish life.early Jewish Settlement in canadaAfter the British gained control of new France in 1760, a small Jewish population from england and British north America arrived in the area, creating a small Jewish community in Montreal. The Jewish population of canada rose slowly but steadily throughout the nineteenth century. While Montreal’s Jewish community remained the largest in canada during this era, in the 1840s Jews from western and central europe established small communities in Hamilton, Kingston, and toronto. The gold rush of the 1850s on the west coast brought small numbers of Jewish traders, merchants, and wholesalers to British columbia. By the 1870s, over a thousand Jews lived in canada, primarily in the provinces of ontario and Quebec. in the late nineteenth century Jewish commun-ities were also established in London (ontario), Halifax (nova Scotia) and Saint John (new Brunswick).expansionAt the end of the nineteenth century, large numbers of Jews fled to north America from eastern europe. While the overwhelming major-ity of these emigrants settled in the United States, between 1880 and 1900 canada received approximately 10,000 of them. The Jewish popu-lation of canada thus grew quickly in these two decades, reaching a total of approximately 16,000. Montreal had the largest Jewish community in the country (approximately 7,000), followed by toronto (3,000) and Winnipeg (1,000). Jewish populations were also forming at this time in ottawa and Windsor. Small numbers of Jews developed modest busi-nesses along the new western railroad lines in towns such as Wapella,
© 2019 Academic Studies Press, Boston, USA

————————————— The Jews of Canada: A Demographic Profile—————————————— 121 —VIIIThe Jews of Canada: A Demographic ProfileThis article seeks to offer a brief historical overview of contemporary canadian Jewish life, and continues with a discussion of some key cur-rent demographic indicators of canadian Jewish life.early Jewish Settlement in canadaAfter the British gained control of new France in 1760, a small Jewish population from england and British north America arrived in the area, creating a small Jewish community in Montreal. The Jewish population of canada rose slowly but steadily throughout the nineteenth century. While Montreal’s Jewish community remained the largest in canada during this era, in the 1840s Jews from western and central europe established small communities in Hamilton, Kingston, and toronto. The gold rush of the 1850s on the west coast brought small numbers of Jewish traders, merchants, and wholesalers to British columbia. By the 1870s, over a thousand Jews lived in canada, primarily in the provinces of ontario and Quebec. in the late nineteenth century Jewish commun-ities were also established in London (ontario), Halifax (nova Scotia) and Saint John (new Brunswick).expansionAt the end of the nineteenth century, large numbers of Jews fled to north America from eastern europe. While the overwhelming major-ity of these emigrants settled in the United States, between 1880 and 1900 canada received approximately 10,000 of them. The Jewish popu-lation of canada thus grew quickly in these two decades, reaching a total of approximately 16,000. Montreal had the largest Jewish community in the country (approximately 7,000), followed by toronto (3,000) and Winnipeg (1,000). Jewish populations were also forming at this time in ottawa and Windsor. Small numbers of Jews developed modest busi-nesses along the new western railroad lines in towns such as Wapella,
© 2019 Academic Studies Press, Boston, USA

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter 1
  2. Contents 7
  3. Preface 9
  4. Section I: In Time: Canada’s Jews and Their History
  5. 1. Jews and New France 13
  6. 2. Struggles and Successes: The Beginnings of Jewish Life in Canada in the Eighteenth Century 21
  7. 3. The Golden Century?: Jews in Nineteenth-Century British North America 29
  8. 4. East European Jewish Migration and its Impact: Farming Colonies across Canada 39
  9. 5. Communities and Conflicts: East European Jewish Immigrants in Ontario and Quebec from the Late 1800s through the 1930s 52
  10. 6. In Search of Unity: Anti-Semitism, Zionism, and the Canadian Jewish Congress to 1945 75
  11. 7. Post-War Canadian Jewry 93
  12. Section II: In Space: Jews in Contemporary Canada
  13. 8. The Jews of Canada: A Demographic Profile 121
  14. 9. The Politics of Canadian Jewish Life 133
  15. 10. Atlantic Canada 149
  16. 11. Jewish Life in Montreal 152
  17. 12. Sephardi Jews in Montreal 168
  18. 13. Steps Forward and Steps Backward: Toronto Jewry at the Beginning of the Second Decade of the Twenty-First Century 184
  19. 14. Jewish Life in Ontario Outside of the Metropolis 215
  20. 15. Winnipeg 241
  21. 16. Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the North 245
  22. 17. Vancouver 263
  23. Section III: In Spirit: The Religious and Cultural Expressions of Canadian Jews
  24. 18. Orthodox Judaism 277
  25. 19. Hasidim in Canada 282
  26. 20. Reform Judaism in Canada 294
  27. 21. Conservative Judaism, and its Challengers From the Left (Reconstructionism and Renewal) and Right 308
  28. 22. Yiddish 343
  29. 23. Jews in English Literature 361
  30. 24. Jews in French Literature 412
  31. 25. Jews in Canadian Art 422
  32. 26. Canadian Jewish Studies since 1999: The State of the Field 451
  33. General Bibliography 468
  34. Glossary 471
  35. Contributors 476
  36. Index 483
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781618110275-009

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter 1
  2. Contents 7
  3. Preface 9
  4. Section I: In Time: Canada’s Jews and Their History
  5. 1. Jews and New France 13
  6. 2. Struggles and Successes: The Beginnings of Jewish Life in Canada in the Eighteenth Century 21
  7. 3. The Golden Century?: Jews in Nineteenth-Century British North America 29
  8. 4. East European Jewish Migration and its Impact: Farming Colonies across Canada 39
  9. 5. Communities and Conflicts: East European Jewish Immigrants in Ontario and Quebec from the Late 1800s through the 1930s 52
  10. 6. In Search of Unity: Anti-Semitism, Zionism, and the Canadian Jewish Congress to 1945 75
  11. 7. Post-War Canadian Jewry 93
  12. Section II: In Space: Jews in Contemporary Canada
  13. 8. The Jews of Canada: A Demographic Profile 121
  14. 9. The Politics of Canadian Jewish Life 133
  15. 10. Atlantic Canada 149
  16. 11. Jewish Life in Montreal 152
  17. 12. Sephardi Jews in Montreal 168
  18. 13. Steps Forward and Steps Backward: Toronto Jewry at the Beginning of the Second Decade of the Twenty-First Century 184
  19. 14. Jewish Life in Ontario Outside of the Metropolis 215
  20. 15. Winnipeg 241
  21. 16. Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the North 245
  22. 17. Vancouver 263
  23. Section III: In Spirit: The Religious and Cultural Expressions of Canadian Jews
  24. 18. Orthodox Judaism 277
  25. 19. Hasidim in Canada 282
  26. 20. Reform Judaism in Canada 294
  27. 21. Conservative Judaism, and its Challengers From the Left (Reconstructionism and Renewal) and Right 308
  28. 22. Yiddish 343
  29. 23. Jews in English Literature 361
  30. 24. Jews in French Literature 412
  31. 25. Jews in Canadian Art 422
  32. 26. Canadian Jewish Studies since 1999: The State of the Field 451
  33. General Bibliography 468
  34. Glossary 471
  35. Contributors 476
  36. Index 483
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