Jews in Montreal

Montreal's Jewish community is one of the oldest and most populous in the country, formerly first but now second to Toronto and numbering about 100,000 according to the 2001 census. The community is quite diverse, and is composed of many different Jewish ethnic divisions that arrived in Canada at different periods of time and under differing circumstances. Predominant in number and cultural influence throughout much of the 20th century were the European Jews (Ashkenazim) who arrived mostly prior to and following World War II; they settled largely along The Main and in Mile End, a life vividly chronicled by Mordecai Richler. There are also substantial French-speaking groups called Mizrahim, originating from former French colonies in the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, there were a few Spanish Jews (Sepharadim) and again Ashkenazim who had previously settled in Britain and from there moved to Canada as far back as the 18th century. More recent arrivals include significant numbers of Russian, Argentinian, and French Jews as well as some individual Indian Jews, Ethiopian Jews and others. Close to 25% of Montreal's Jewish population have French as their mother tongue. Yiddish is still a living part of the Montreal language mix, amongst for example the substantial Hassidic community.

Demographically smaller as a result of the exodus that came with the instability provoked by Quebec sovereignty movement, Montreal's Jewish community has nevertheless been a leading contributor to the city's cultural landscape and is renowned for its level of charitable giving and its plethora of social service community institutions. Among these are the world-renowned Jewish Public Library of Montreal, Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre and Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.

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