Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military, and World War II

by Ellin Bessner

"He died so Jewry should suffer no more." These words on a Canadian Jewish soldier's tombstone in Normandy inspired the author to explore the role of Canadian Jews in the war effort. As PM Mackenzie King wrote in 1947, Jewish servicemen faced a "double threat" - they were not only fighting against Fascism but for Jewish survival. At the same time, they encountered widespread antisemitism and the danger of being identified as Jews if captured. Bessner conducted hundreds of interviews and extensive archival research to paint a complex picture of the 17,000 Canadian Jews - about 10 per cent of the Jewish population in wartime Canada - who chose to enlist, including future Cabinet minister Barney Danson, future game-show host Monty Hall, and comedians Wayne and Schuster. Added to this fascinating account are Jews who were among the so-called "Zombies" - Canadians who were drafted, but chose to serve at home - the various perspectives of the Jewish community, and the participation of Canadian Jewish women.

Genres: World War II

358 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2018

About the author

Ellin Bessner is a professor of journalism at Centennial College in Toronto, and the author of a new book about Canada’s Jewish servicemen and women who fought in the Second World War. The book is called “Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military and WWll” and published by the University of Toronto Press. It is available from fine booksellers including Chapters, Amazon and Target.
Ellin was born in Montreal and graduated with a degree in journalism and political science from Carleton University. Her career as a journalist took her from Canada and around the world, working for CTV News and CBC News, and also for the Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press and other organizations. As a foreign correspondent based in Italy, during the 1990s, aside from reporting on the Vatican, the Mafia, Italian food, fashion, and the Opera, and of course, on Italian soccer --- Ellin also covered several brutal civil wars in Africa.
She’s interviewed Prince Phillip and the Dalai Lama. For her new book, she spent six years researching and traveling, and interviewed over 300 veterans and their families, to tell the untold stories of how and why Canada’s Jewish community sent 17,000+ men and women in uniform to defeat Hitler in the Second World War.
Ellin has also taught hundreds of budding young journalists, in her capacity as a professor at Centennial College Journalism School in Toronto. In her spare time, she plays Mahjongg, gardens, and loves the “Outlander” series.
She is married to John Friedlan, an accounting professor, and they have two sons. Ellin lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Reviews

[Lindaschwebke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double Threat is a double treat to anyone interested in the history of WWll in general and the history of Jewish participation in the military in specific. Bessner makes the stories of these brave young soldiers come alive. Through letters, interviews, service records, journals and more Bessner sets the record straight. Jews faced not one but two challenges: antisemitism on the homefront as well as abroad. Through her informed narrative, Bessner shines a light on the enormous contribution of young Jewish men and women to the Canadian war effort in spite of prejudice at all levels of the military. I personally found this book difficult to put down. There is nothing dry about this history. This book would not only appeal to scholars but also the general public as it is written in straightforward language that expresses Bessner’s passion and gratitude towards her subjects.

[Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellin Bessner's "Double Threat" plunges into the stories of some of the 17,000 Jewish men and women who served in the Canadian Armed Forces in the Second World War. She details, with great empathy and exquisite and scrupulous detail, the stories of many Jewish individuals, men and women, and of the many dangers - on all fronts - that they faced, from racism and prejudice and exclusion in Canada and in the armed forces, and from the perils of battle and the Nazis they confronted abroad. Many of these stories are also moving coming-of-age stories, and others are love stories, and comic and ironic moments are not lacking. Ellin Bessner's book is full of humanity and wisdom and it is a must-read for anyone interested in Canadian history, in military history, in the subtle and unsubtle aspects of racism and prejudice, in the Second World War, and in Jewish history.

[Susan Novack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and detailed with respect to Canadian Jews in the armed forces during World War II. I kept flipping back and forth between the chapters and the notes. I personally would have preferred them at the bottom of the page because there were so many sources. Great division of chapters based on subject matter but sometimes that resulted in repetition of some of the anecdotes. Not a quick read but definitely worth reading especially for history buffs.

[Andrew Theobald · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of this excellent book appears in Canadian Military History, Vol. 29, No. 1 (2020): 37-39. https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol29/iss...