Canadian Judaism in the Mid-Twentieth Century

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Canadian Judaism in the 20th century and how it differs greatly from Judaism in other regions of North America. This paper explores how social and cultural changes were more likely to impact the Jewish community than were theological changes, and mentions examples such as women's rights.

From the Paper:

"The initial establishment of Judaism in Canada rivaled any possible historical upheaval of this faith. The need to balance religious practices against basic survival created conditions in which both Orthodox and Reform Judaism were significantly altered. Furthermore, social changes altered the established structure of the Jewish community in addition to the basic changes related to theological practice (Schenfeld, 230). As a result, Canadian Judaism within the middle of the Twentieth Century was extremely distinctive, and was arguably different than Judaism in other regions of North America. Ironically, many researchers appear to give up in the attempt to determine what it means to be Jewish in Canada in the years following World War II. Weinfeld writs that "social scientific studies of Judaism in the post-war period are invariably behavioral. Researchers measure actions and ritual observances" (Weinfeld, 282). "

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