Three Montreal rabbis are now reflecting on the tragedy and humanity they witnessed at the Ukrainian-Poland border—and they urge Canadians to do more
Some might say there was no need for three Canadian rabbis to leave the comfort of our congregations and the safety of Canada to travel to the Polish-Ukrainian border, but we felt an obligation to provide whatever aid and support we could to the refugees fleeing war. We simply could not sit back while preaching […]
Montreal’s Jewish Public Library is going ahead with the March 15 screening of a film financed by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich
Montreal’s Jewish Public Library (JPL) is going ahead with screening a film that was financially backed by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich who is now sanctioned by Canada, despite some critics saying the event should be cancelled. JPL executive director Michael Crelinsten confirmed that the online screening of Song Searcher: The Times and Toils of Moyshe […]
Léa Roback, an ardent Montreal unionist and feminist, inspired Ariela Freedman’s new novel
Ariela Freedman feels a little sheepish that she was in her 40s before she heard of Léa Roback, the indefatigable fighter for the rights of workers and women in Quebec in the 1930s and ‘40s. She’s atoning for that oversight by making Roback the heroine of her new historical novel Léa (Linda Leith Publishing). Growing […]
Montreal rabbis travel to the Ukrainian border to bear witness to immense human tragedy and tremendous generosity
Two Montreal rabbis who spent 48 hours in Poland near the Ukrainian border said they are shaken by the human suffering they had seen, but also heartened by the massive outpouring of generosity being shown by the Polish people to the hundreds of thousands of desperate people pouring into their country. Speaking by video call […]
Criminal hate or black humour? A Quebec judge will decide in alleged neo-Nazi’s case
A Montreal man on trial for an antisemitic article evoking violence published on a neo-Nazi website offered the defense that it was satire aimed at goading the sensibilities of the political left. Gabriel Sohier Chaput, 35, is charged with one count of wilfully promoting hatred against an identifiable group that hinges on a single piece […]
Obituary: Montreal’s matriarch Leila Paperman was a role model for Jewish women in philanthropy
“True matriarch” is the praise repeated many times in tributes to Leila Paperman, who died on Feb. 28 at age 91. Her name is inextricably associated with the funeral home, Paperman & Sons, founded more than a century ago by her late husband Herbert’s grandfather and today run by her sons. Her devotion to her […]
Obituary: Montreal composer David Botwinik spent his lifetime reviving Yiddish song
Preservation of Yiddish songs and poetry of the Holocaust and pre-war Eastern European Jewry was the life’s work of David Botwinik, who died Feb. 9 at age 101. The Vilna-born composer and music educator was a tireless advocate for Yiddish as a living language, and he used music to transmit its rich culture to younger […]
Montreal councillor Alex Norris gave BDS a couple of social media likes—and now several people have questions about it
A high-ranking Montreal city councillor is not backing down from his apparent endorsement of the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel, nor has Mayor Valérie Plante dissociated her administration from his views. B’nai Brith Canada called out Alex Norris for his “liking” of a Facebook promotion for a Feb. 17 BDS France online event […]
Montreal’s Zera Café puts fulfilling work for neurodiverse young adults on the menu
Randy Karpman is ecstatic about the change in her son, who has a developmental disability, over the past year and a half. Daniel Lach, 23, works for Zera Café, a not-for-profit catering business that trains and employs people who are on the autism spectrum or otherwise neurodiverse. “He loves it; he’s as happy as can […]
Deep diving into Shaar Hashomayim’s hidden history of Montreal with archivist Hannah Srour
At the beginning of 2021, as Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal sat empty due to COVID restrictions, its past president Claire Berger saw an opportunity to advance a project that began a year earlier: sorting through the effects of the Shaar’s longtime spiritual leader, Rabbi Wilfred Shuchat. It was during that time that she noticed […]
