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Jewish Roots, Canadian SoilYiddish Cultural Life in Montreal, 1905-1945 |
eBook Available
How Montreal's Yiddish community ensured its lasting cultural importance and influence.
In 1931, ninety-nine percent of Montreal's sixty thousand Jews reported that Yiddish was their mother tongue. In the succeeding decades, Yiddish culture has continued to have a prominent place in Montreal's social landscape. In Jewish Roots, Canadian Soil, Rebecca Margolis shows that the city's vibrant Yiddish culture is the legacy of a driven group of the city's Jews who devoted themselves to the revitalization of the Jewish community, creating a long-lasting infrastructure and institutions that have bolstered Yiddish identity.
Looking at Montreal's Jewish community during the first half of the twentieth century, Margolis explores the lives and works of activists, writers, scholars, performers, and organizations that fuelled a still-thriving community. She also considers the foundations and development of Yiddish cultural life in Montreal in its interaction with broader issues of diasporic Jewish culture.
An illuminating look at the ways in which Yiddish culture was maintained in North America, Jewish Roots, Canadian Soil is the story of how a minority culture was transplanted and transformed.
Looking at Montreal's Jewish community during the first half of the twentieth century, Margolis explores the lives and works of activists, writers, scholars, performers, and organizations that fuelled a still-thriving community. She also considers the foundations and development of Yiddish cultural life in Montreal in its interaction with broader issues of diasporic Jewish culture.
An illuminating look at the ways in which Yiddish culture was maintained in North America, Jewish Roots, Canadian Soil is the story of how a minority culture was transplanted and transformed.
Details
Part of the McGill-Queen's Studies in Ethnic History Series (number 2.28 in series)
320 Pages, 6 x 9
25 b&w photos
ISBN 9780773538122
February 2011
Formats: Cloth, eBook
"Rebecca Margolis' fine study deepens our knowledge of Montreal and immigrant centers elsewhere. It is not just a local history, but a study with important implications for understanding modern Jewish history, as well as the history of Canadian immigration, in a broad frame." Tony Michels, Department of History, University of Wisconsin
"A welcome addition to the field of Canadian Jewish Studies that will appeal to both specialists and those interested in the evolution of multi-culturalism in Canada." Franklin Bialystok, Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto
"This is an engaging narrative that contributes greatly to the history of immigration and our knowledge of Canada's ethnic groups." Alexander Freund, University of Winnipeg
"In this well-researched volume, Margolis provides a thick description of Montreal's 'Yiddishland,' focusing on the 'community activists, organizations, and publication' that fueled the city's community-based Yiddish culture. The author provides a fulsome background and makes a persuasive case for why, given Montreal's distinct binational history, Yiddish thrived there more than it did in Toronto or New York. Recommended." CHOICE
"...an engaging narrative that contributes greatly to the history of immigration and our knowledge of Canada's ethnic group." Alexander Freund, German-Canadian Studies
"A welcome addition to the field of Canadian Jewish Studies that will appeal to both specialists and those interested in the evolution of multi-culturalism in Canada." Franklin Bialystok, Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto
"This is an engaging narrative that contributes greatly to the history of immigration and our knowledge of Canada's ethnic groups." Alexander Freund, University of Winnipeg
"In this well-researched volume, Margolis provides a thick description of Montreal's 'Yiddishland,' focusing on the 'community activists, organizations, and publication' that fueled the city's community-based Yiddish culture. The author provides a fulsome background and makes a persuasive case for why, given Montreal's distinct binational history, Yiddish thrived there more than it did in Toronto or New York. Recommended." CHOICE
"...an engaging narrative that contributes greatly to the history of immigration and our knowledge of Canada's ethnic group." Alexander Freund, German-Canadian Studies
Rebecca Margolis is an associate professor in the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program at the University of Ottawa.
Illustrations and Figures ix
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
1 Introduction 3
2 The Montreal Yiddish Press 39
3 Yiddish Literary Activity in Montreal 75
4 Montreal’s Secular Jewish Schools 123
5 The Montreal Yiddish Theatre 159
6 Transitions: 1945 and Beyond 190
Notes 209
Bibliography 237
Index 277
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
1 Introduction 3
2 The Montreal Yiddish Press 39
3 Yiddish Literary Activity in Montreal 75
4 Montreal’s Secular Jewish Schools 123
5 The Montreal Yiddish Theatre 159
6 Transitions: 1945 and Beyond 190
Notes 209
Bibliography 237
Index 277
Winner
Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award
(2012)
Winner
J.I. Segal Award
English Non-Fiction on Jewish Themes (2012)
Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award
(2012)
Winner
J.I. Segal Award
English Non-Fiction on Jewish Themes (2012)
