These immigrants established important religious and community institutions that still exist today in Montreal. In fact up to the early sixties Montreal served as the "capital city" of Canadian Jewry.
Recently I read two books that brought back the many tales recounted by my parents when they were growing up in Montreal during the early part of the last century.
Israel Medres'book Montreal of Yesterday published by Véhicule Press had been first published in Yiddish in 1947 and only recently had it been translated into English by his granddaughter Vivian Felsen.
The book is a compilation of several articles that had previously appeared in bi-weekly instalments in the Montreal Yiddish newspaper called the "Keneder Odler" ("Jewish Daily Eagle").
As pointed out in the introduction of the book these short articles serve as a commentary on the "social history of the Jewish community years before social history was considered a subject worthy of serious study in university history departments".
The book is very interesting and informative for anyone who wants to experience what life was all about for the Jewish immigrant in Montreal during the turn of the last century.
You will learn about such organizations as the Societies that served as a kind of a support system for the newly arrived immigrant.
The new member of the society had to undergo a medical physical examination by the society's physician. The doctor had to determine if the applicant was fit to be admitted to the society.
This was the immigrant's first contact with a Jewish physician in Canada and was very often comforting to many of these individuals who were often very timid and frightened of their new surroundings.
Other chapters of the book provide the reader with a window looking out on an era that has long passed us but in many instances has not been forgotten.
We also are exposed to the many facets of the immigrant's hardships experienced within a Canadian society that was not always tolerant or supportive.
The chapters are quite short but for the most part very interesting.
At the back of the book there is a glossary of Yiddish terms translated into English.
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