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child survivors of the Holocaust arrive in Vancouver, 1949.
JHS |
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POSTWAR REALITIES
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I. POST WAR IMMIGRANTS, 1945-1950
In postwar Europe, the surviving Jews were anxious to move quickly
from the sites where their families had been killed, and from the
cities and towns that were often still hostile to them. In the summer
of 1946, a number of Jews attempting to return to their homes in
Kielce, Poland were attacked and massacred. They became convinced
that their only hope lay elsewhere. Many opted for Palestine; others
looked to North America. Although polls after the War still revealed
anti-Jewish sentiment and immigration did not immediately increase,
by 1947-1948, Canadian industries were calling for more workers,
forcing the government to change its restrictive policies.
Canadian Jews once again mobilized to assist
Jewish refugees. In early 1948, the first group arrived in Vancouver:
47 orphaned
children. Next came Jewish garment workers, who were provided
with hospitality and jobs. The Council of Jewish Women helped to
"Canadianize" the new immigrants, providing information on citizenship
and etiquette and giving English lessons. Some people took on responsibilities
as individuals; Sam Tenenbaum was believed to have met every single
refugee who arrived at the train station. In later years, he was
honoured by them.
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II.
THE ISRAELI WAR OF INDEPENDENCE AND BC JEWS
As allied representatives in the Displaced Persons Camps discovered,
most Jews were set on emigrating to Palestine. The wish to
end the refugee problem, and the agitation of Jews in the
Yishuv* and the Diaspora* supportive of Zionism, led to international
discussions to the end the British Mandate in Palestine. In
November 1947, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine
into Jewish and Arab-controlled areas. Jews in the Mandate
accepted the proposal. The Arabs, however, felt the creation
of the Jewish state was a betrayal of British promises to
them in WW I and a theft of their lands. They did not accept
the proposals. As a result, when the State of Israel was proclaimed
in May 1948, Arab countries attacked Israel. This became known
in Jewish circles as The War of Independence and among Arabs
as The Catastrophe.
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Commemorative
plaque, BC volunteers, Israel War of Independence,
1948. Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.
JHS
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Many
British Columbia Jews responded with financial and moral support
for the infant state. Twenty-seven Vancouver young Jewish
men volunteered
to fight. One of them, Ralph Moster, Commanding Officer of
Tel Aviv airport, died during the War. The Vancouver orphans
of the Holocaust were deeply impressed by Moster and named
their social club after him.
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III.
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY
VANCOUVER, 1930-1950
The Jewish community was dramatically transformed in
the immediate postwar years. According to the 1941 census,
2737 Jews lived in Vancouver; by 1951 the number was 5015.
The city moved from fifth to fourth largest Jewish population
in Canada. Jewish settlement also shifted decisively at this
time, as Jews increasingly left the old Strathcona district
and settled around the new Oak Street corridor.
Jewish institutions followed suit. In 1947, the Orthodox Synagogue,
Schara Tzedeck, opened up at 19th and Oak; in 1948, the Conservative
Congregation Beth Israel held its first high holiday services
in its new building at 28th and Oak. The Talmud Torah school,
which had existed on West 14th as an afternoon school between
1944-1948, opened its doors as a day school at 26th and Oak.
The left-wing Peretz Institute ran classes in the old Jewish
Community Centre at Oak and 11th until 1947 when they secured
a building on Broadway where they could get a school permit.
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Talmud
Torah teaching staff,1949. L: Al Gelmon, Reva Goldberg,
Dr. Joseph Kowarsky, Anne Keel, Felixe Rosenstein.
JHS R. Kent
fonds
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Meeting
of the congregation during construction, Schara Tzedeck
Synagogue, 3476 Oak St., Vancouver, 1947. JHS
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Beth
Israel Synagogue, 4350 Oak St., Vancouver. Dedicated
1949. JHS
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Talmud
Torah's 1st graduating class, 1954 (Class of 1948).
Seated, L: Reesa Gelmon, Michael Levy, Gerald Lipsky,
Elaine Wall, Gary Averbach. Standing, L: Mr. Reznik,
Sydney Ehrlichman, Leon Bogner, Mrs. Trunkfield, Malcolm
Weinstein, Kenny Glasner, Mr. Sherman, acting principal.
JHS,
R. Kent fonds
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The
community was experiencing a period of rapid transformation.
Oak Street had become the backbone of Jewish communal life.
In fact, from 1950 to the present, most of these institutions
have remained in their place and have been complemented by
new institutions and new patterns of settlement as Jewish
Vancouver continues to grow.
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VICTORIA,
1933-1950
With the end of the gold rush and arrival of the transcontinental
railway in Vancouver, Victoria's economy declined. Its pioneer
Jewish community managed to persevere in the face of difficult
economic circumstances and shrinking numbers. Finally, in
the mid 1960s, with the establishment of the University of
Victoria and growth of the city, the Jewish population of
Victoria once again began to increase.
Although a rabbi would seem to be an essential component of
a Jewish community, there have been many periods in the 140
year history of Victoria's Jewish community when there has
not been a rabbi. During these times, services are led by
members of the congregation. Victoria's first rabbi, Morris
R. Cohen, was a Polish Jew who arrived from Sacramento, California
in 1863. He remained in Victoria for only three years.
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Rabbi
Marcus Berner, Temple Emanu-El, Victoria 1931-1941.
JHS
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State
of Israel float wins a Victoria Day prize, Victoria,
1950. L: Nessi Raels, Pearl Raels, Lila Israel, Stephen
Bricker, Lorilee Mallek, Cyril Boas, Alan Carr. JHS
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Ray
Rose's bar mitzvah, Temple Emanu-El, Victoria, 1933.
JHS,
Rose family album
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The congregation
(Emanu-El)
continued without a rabbi for over twenty years, until a search
was initiated 1889. For the next 42 years Victoria had seven
rabbis, each of whom stayed for a very short period. Finally,
in 1931 the congregation was able to hire Rabbi Marcus Berner,
who led the Victoria Jewish community with great distinction
until his death in 1941. For thirty years after Rabbi Berner's
death, the community was once again without a rabbi. During
this time traditional activities, such as meetings of the
women's group, Hadassah-Wizo, remained active.
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Rose
Jewellers, 3rd store, Victoria. JHS,
Rose family album
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Clare
Wise and Chuck Waldman, first Jewish wedding in Trail,
1947. JHS
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KOOTENEYS,
1933-1950
Through much of the 1930s - 1950s, Trail-Rossland was the third
largest Jewish community in BC; at its maximum about 22 families.
This small body had a strong Jewish focus. They were active
participants in the mercantile and social life of their
towns and several served in the armed forces. As a Jewish community
they had the requisite organizations, such as a Hebrew Benevolent
Society, a Hadassah chapter, a branch of the Zionist Organization
and a Young Judea group. They held community-led religious services
and festivals - doing their best to educate their children without
a permanent teacher, and were active supporters of a Jewish
homeland and the subsequent State of Israel.
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Sam
Wise, the "Garlic King of the Kootenays". JHS
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Community
banquet, c.1948. JHS
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Bessie
Wise, Wise hardware store, Rossland. JHS
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Excerpted
from Memories of Trail, by Leopold Levey, The Scribe, #15, pp.
2, 5, March 1983 [Vancouver: JHS]
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Section
1
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Section
2
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Section
3
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Integration/Rejection
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World
War II and the Holocaust
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Postwar
Realities
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