Embedded Files
Canadian Jewish Heritage Month was given Royal Assent in the Senate of Canada on March 29, 2018. Canada is home to the fourth-largest Jewish population in the world. There are close to 400,000 Jewish residents in Canada, and almost half of that number reside in Ontario. Jewish settlers in Canada can be traced as far back as 1760. Jewish Canadians have proudly contributed to Canadian heritage in all of its facets including the military, the arts, government, business, academia, law, medicine, culture, and sports. Throughout the month of May, we celebrate the contributions Jewish Canadians make in communities across the country.
Important Jewish Holidays
Important Jewish Holidays
Rosh Hashanah begins Saturday, September 16th and ends on September 17th. Rosh Hashanah is considered the Jewish New Year. It is the turning back of the Torah and a time for friends and family to gather together in celebration. (Farmers' Almanac Rosh Hashanah)
Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the 10 Days of Awe or the 10 Days of Repentance.
Yom Kippur begins Monday, September 25th. It is one of holiest Jewish holidays and is known as the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur commemorates the day Moses came down from Mount Sinai after seeking God’s divine forgiveness for the Israelites who sinned against him by worshipping a false idol, the golden calf. The day before Yom Kippur it is customary to have a special meal, light candles, and donate to charities. During Yom Kippur, people will wear white and fast to refocus their attention on prayer and their connection to God. The day ends with a meal at home with family and friends. (Farmers' Almanac Yom Kippur)
Fast Facts
Fast Facts
There are 17,300 Holocaust survivors living in Canada today, comprising 28.2% of this country’s Jewish population of seniors who are 66 years or older.
Jewish people have lived in Canada for more than 250 years, with the first recorded Jewish new-comer settling in Trois-Rivières,Quebec, in 1760.
It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that Jewish people began to arrive in this country in significant numbers with some 120,000 Jews arriving from Eastern Europe between 1900 and 1920. At that time most Jews spoke Yiddish, a language that evolved from Hebrew and German.They subsequently adapted to the English/French language culture in Canada.
Canada accepted 40,000 Holocaust survivors in the aftermath of World War II.
During the Second World War,Canadian Jews fought in numbers that far exceeded their proportion of the population. 17,000 – that is 20% of Canadian Jews of military age – fought on and under the sea, in the air and on the ground. Among those, nearly 2,000 were awarded citations and medals. Over 420 Jewish soldiers died and were buried with the Maple Leaf and Star of David on their graves during World War II.
Today - Canada is home to the fourth largest Jewish population when ranked by country coming after Israel, United States and France. The size of the Canadian Jewish community is estimated to be about 400,000 with the largest populations in Toronto and Montreal.
The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network brings together a large group of databases and digital materials.
The Anne Frank House is a writer's house and biographical museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. The building is located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, in central Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Books to read about JEWISH HERITAGE MONTH that can be found in the MPPS library
Books to read about JEWISH HERITAGE MONTH that can be found in the MPPS library
Page updated
Report abuse