Canada’s Schindler: Meet the man who gave 79 Jewish orphans a new life on Canadian soil

Photos from Morris Saxe's farm school. (Courtesy David Fleishman)

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Few Canadians know the name Morris Saxe. He was a Jewish dairy farmer who lived in Georgetown, Ontario, having moved to Canada in 1902. He was a hard worker and one of the founders of Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto, but his greatest accomplishment came in the 1920s. He convinced the Canadian government, still quite anti-Semitic at the time, to open its doors to 79 Jewish teens from one particular orphanage in Poland. But there was one catch: all the orphans had to train to become farmers.

Saxe’s story is so inspiring that one author just recently published a young-adult book inspired by the man, who now is sometimes called “Canada’s Schindler.” That book, Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure, by Anne Dublin, tells the story of a 13-year-old Polish Jew who’s promised a new life on a Canadian farm.

On today’s episode of The CJN Daily podcast, Ellin is joined by Dublin and David Fleishman, Saxe’s grandson, to discuss Saxe’s story and legacy. Listen and subscribe above.

What we talked about:

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.