The Montreal Shtetl: Making Home After the Holocaust

by Zelda Abramson, John Lynch

Overview

As the Holocaust is memorialized worldwide through education programs and commemoration days, the common perception is that after survivors arrived and settled in their new homes they continued on a successful journey from rags to riches. While this story is comforting, a closer look at the experience of Holocaust survivors in North America shows it to be untrue. The arrival of tens of thousands of Jewish refugees was palpable in the streets of Montreal and their impact on the existing Jewish community is well-recognized. But what do we really know about how survivors' experienced their new community? Drawing on more than 60 interviews with survivors, hundreds of case files from Jewish Immigrant Aid Services, and other archival documents, The Montreal Shtetl presents a portrait of the daily struggles of Holocaust survivors who settled in Montreal, where they encountered difficulties with work, language, culture, health care, and a Jewish community that was not always welcoming to survivors.

By reflecting on how institutional supports, gender, and community relationships shaped the survivors''settlement experiences, Abramson and Lynch show the relevance of these stories to current state policies on refugee immigration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771134040
Publisher:	Between the Lines
Publication date:	02/15/2019
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Zelda Abramson is an associate professor of sociology at Acadia University. Her areas of teaching and research include: methodology, health, and family. As a public sociologist, she strives to combine academic research with social activism. Zelda grew up in Montreal as a child of Holocaust survivors.

John Lynch is a woodworker and designer with a keen interest in social history and creative writing.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Introduction

1 The Research 3

2 The Context 15

Part I Uprooting

3 No Way Home 29

4 The Narratives I

Sirnka: Buttonholes 33

Sidney: A Pack of Player's 44

Paul: The &cgpBB;&cgpM;&cgpDD;&cgpL;&cgpL;&cgpP;-Sheygetz 48

Henia: Coffee Beans 53

Renata &cgpN; North Star 58

Theresa: International Women's Day 63

Miriam B.: Border Crossings 68

Olga: Me and My Two Boys 72

Hank: Red Banner in the Sky 74

Aba $$$: Disillusioned 82

Paula: Third Class 84

Part II Unpacking

5 Montreal and Jewish Immigrants 95

6 The Narratives II

Paul: Two Left Hands 103

Esther: Intake 110

Greta: Coffee, Biscuits, and Clothing 120

Simka: The Jewish Seminary 124

Paula: Baggage 129

Myra $$$: I Speak Yiddish but I Do Not Understand It 133

Gahor: Friday Night Peddling 135

Henia: The Domestic 137

Renata $$$: The Queen's English 141

Esther: Overwhelmed 147

Olga: Making Do 153

Miriam B.: Allez chez Us protestants 156

Sonja: The Strike 159

Myra G.: Motherwork 163

Aba $$$: The Bankbook 167

Esther: Compassion 172

Harry: Going Out of Business 178

Part III Making Home

7 The Great Divides 187

8 The Narratives III

Paul: Tongue-tied 191

Sidney: Dance to the End of Time 194

Gabor and Miriam A.: The Outsider 197

Paula: School Books 202

Myra G.: Second Generation 204

Estelle and Irving: Restricted! 208

Theresa: À la mode 214

Hank: Becoming Hank 220

Rita and Hank: Theatre of Survival 223

Harry and Sonja: Hierarchies 225

Miriam B.: The Montreal Shtetl 228

Tom: Matryoshka Dolls 232

Aba $$$: Revolutionary 235

Conclusion

9 Loose Threads 243

Acknowledgements 259

Interviewees 261

Notes 263