The Montreal Shtetl: Making Home After the Holocaust

by Zelda Abramson, John Lynch

As the Holocaust is memorialized worldwide through education programs and commemoration days, the common perception is that after survivors arrived and settled in their new homes they continued on a successful journey from rags to riches. While this story is comforting, a closer look at the experience of Holocaust survivors in North America shows it to be untrue. The arrival of tens of thousands of Jewish refugees was palpable in the streets of Montreal and their impact on the existing Jewish community is well-recognized. But what do we really know about how survivors' experienced their new community? Drawing on more than 60 interviews with survivors, hundreds of case files from Jewish Immigrant Aid Services, and other archival documents, The Montreal Shtetl presents a portrait of the daily struggles of Holocaust survivors who settled in Montreal, where they encountered difficulties with work, language, culture, health care, and a Jewish community that was not always welcoming to survivors. By reflecting on how institutional supports, gender, and community relationships shaped the survivors''settlement experiences, Abramson and Lynch show the relevance of these stories to current state policies on refugee immigration.

Genres: Holocaust, Canada, Nonfiction, Jewish

299 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2019

Reviews

[Pamela MacNaughtan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read on the experience of Holocaust survivors who resettled in Montréal. The book speaks of the ways survivors were permitted to come to Canada (when Canada finally allowed them), and the support systems in place. The narratives, however, are the meat. From life during WWII to how they came to Montreal, their arrival, and making a home. It chronicles the challenges of survivors and children of survivors, the disconnect with Canadian Jews, discrimination within the Jewish community, as well as in the city.

In some ways, things have improved, but there are some issues that remain today.

[Nora Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most compelling books I have read in a long time. It is hard to tell these kinds of stories with the level of compassion, understanding and justice done by Zelda and John. This book should be read by every Canadian.

[Thelma · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book this was a very good book if you're looking to know more about the Canadian jews what they went through was terrible. after suffering so much during the war they were looking for a place to live and survive, someplace that they could call home but when they arrived in Montreal many of the other Jews didn't want to have any contact with the new arrivals, they were discriminated and most of the time they didn't want to help them at all.

for me reading this book was a very opening eye. how hard is it to come from war all the atrocities they went through and live through only to find more rejections among their own people and also the city and the government? it was sad to see how so inhumane and so non-empathic the rest of the jews in Canada were. I cant believe they were so callous and never offered any kindness at all.

if you went through something like WWll at least you expect other people to embrace you and help you not to keep rejecting you and treating you like a pest.. shame on all of those cold jews and people who were never kind and only contribute to the sadness of this people.. you'll go through that and you expected help, why you can't offer the same to your comrades? anyway, this only tells me how ignorant and callous they were.

The narrations by Margot Dionne were amazing I really enjoy her voice and how she brought the story to life

This was a great book, I'm glad I'm learning that not only the Nazis were evil, there were many people that also inflicted so much pain, like the red army, the Japanese, the alias, and now some of the jews too.. so in fewer words, the war was bringing so much hate and shown many of the terrible aspects of people. that's when the true colors start to show, no matter how many excuses you have to say you were not kind, you were not generous, you didn't give back what you expected when you find a home in Canada, besides returning the kindness you behave like your perpetrators in fewer words you didn't understand the spiritual lesson.

I really recommend this book.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read about a period in Canadian history post WW2.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent ethnography of the Shoah survivors who settled post-war in Montreal. Researched with care and respect, and with ethics and a thoughtfulness and intellect not often found in today's non-fiction, The Montreal Shetl is an important and beautifully crafted book about Jews in North America, their lives as immigrants and outsiders, and the power of their testimonies.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Montreal Shtetl- Making Home After the Holocaust by Zelda Abramson and John Lynch


The Montreal Shtetl- Making Home After the Holocaust by Zelda Abramson and John Lynch is a groundbreaking essential work, both for content and methodology. It is a study of the immigration of Eastern European Jews into Montreal and their integration into Canadian society, after the Holocaust. Most arrived with very little money, normally speaking Yiddish, Hungarian or Russia but little English. Unlike early waves of immigration in which a man would come first, establish himself and then bring over his family, post Holocaust immigrants often came as families. The Montreal Shtetl- Making Home After the Holocaust focuses on immigration from 1947 to 1954.

Immigrants first priorities were a place to live and a job. The lucky ones had family or contact already in Canada to help them. The other were helped by various government and private organizations. The authors go into detail about Canadian immigration laws of the period. Workers were especially needed in the garment trade and those with skills in this area found work right away, mostly initially as paid by pieces completed factory workers. There was no day care so where there were children normally the wife stayed home. It was normal for men to bring work home, often to be helped by his wife. The immigrants were very hard working, very family oriented and wanted very much be a success. (Ten years after arriving success meant owning a house in a decent area, kids in good schools, food anxiety long gone, often owning a business or being in managerial positions.)

Just like in Israel, Holocaust survivors were often viewed by Canadian English speaking Jews as suspect. It was wondered how they survived. The authors show how new arrivals, mostly Hungarian Jews, sometimes also but not always speaking Yiddish, stuck together. In part this was because Holocaust survivors could often only closely bond with other survivors. Third generation Canadian Jew looked down on new arrivals as ignorant and though they helped them they were not warmly welcomed. Many immigrants were in fact highly educated, having had professional positions and wealth before they lost it all. It was sad to learn that an immigrant with a degree in engineering would find his first Canadian landlord explaining what a light switch was for. There were lots of quick marriages in the immigrant community. Many had lost their spouses in the Holocaust. Education of children, who quickly became translators for their family, was a very top priority. It was interesting to see that parents might speak Hungarian or Yiddish to each other and friends but insisted their children speak only “The King’s English”.


The heart of The Montreal Shtetl- Making Home After the Holocaust is in the numerous fascinating interviews with the immigrants. The authors explain the methodology behind the interviews. Most interviewed were seventy plus.
The interviews are in three sections. The first section is devoted to experiences before they arrived and how the arranged passage to Canada. There were set quotas as to how many Jews could be admitted. Canada was more liberal than the USA at the time. Many immigrants applied to the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa, just wanting to put Europe way behind them.

Section two of the interviews deals with settling in Canada. The authors studied the records of Jewish Social Agencies of the period. Immigrants got some cash aid, help with rent and counseling. Some at once found housing and a job, others struggled.

The last section of interviews takes us on into their full integration into Canadian society, their children were professionals and their grandchildren in medical or law school. Most, but not all of course, did very well. We follow them from rooming houses to nice houses in exclusive areas. Most immigrants did socialize mostly with other immigrants and we do see there was a lingering anti immigrant feeling, nearly as bad among prior immigrants as English or French speakers.

The Montreal Shtetl- Making Home After the Holocaust by Zelda Abramson and John Lynch should be read by anyone interested in immigration, Canadian history or post Holocaust Jewish experiences. This is a wonderful book. I liked everything about it! The interviews were a joy to read.

[SundayAtDusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

While WW II concentration camp survivors are now seen as highly courageous and resilient individuals, that was not the case when they were new immigrants to Canada and other countries after the war. They were not particularly wanted in Canada, and often had to have specific skills to enter the country with their families. Some survivors lied about their skills and had to learn quickly, or they lost their jobs and had to find other employment. Nevertheless, they did find other employment, as well as housing and schools for their children. Some had the help of relatives, some had the help of friends or other concentration camp survivors. Most, however, appeared to have had little, if any, help from Canadian Jews, except through organizations; at least not the 60 plus survivors interviewed for this book.

For the most part, survivors were looked down upon by the Jews who were Canadian citizens. Some citizens saw them as uneducated and uncultured, an embarrassment to Canadian Jews. Some believed survivors must have done terrible things to survive the camps, and thus were terrible individuals. Some obviously simply had no idea what the concentration camps were like, as apparent by a question one of the survivors was asked by a Canadian Jew. The question? Why couldn’t the Jews have started a union in Auschwitz and gotten what they wanted? Moreover, many in the field of psychology were claiming concentration camp survivors were “damaged goods”, people who were going to be unable to move forward in life in a normal fashion.

Yet move forward so many of them did. They hit the ground running as soon as landing on Canadian soil. There were Jewish organizations that helped them when needed, but most appeared in this book to not want much or any help, unless absolutely necessary. It’s truly astounding how these individuals experienced the most horrific things imaginable in the camps; had to walk back home after they were freed, where, according to one survivor, “everyone was looking for somebody, and there was nobody left”; went into displaced persons camps; immigrated to foreign countries where they had to learn new languages, find employment, housing and schools for their children; and, finally, had to create new social groups, including new families where all previous generations were gone. Astounding stories, a worthwhile and educational study.

(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the authors or publisher.)
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[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

They thought it would be better than the devastation and homelessness they left behind. But there was no close family to help with the adjustments and the aid agencies just didn't understand that this wave of European Jews were very different from those who came earlier. Then there was the negative/hostile attitude from Canadian Jews in reference to the newcomers, the way that the school system was not based on religion so that even if a youngster was fluent in French, the Catholics wouldn't have them and they were then assigned to the Protestant/English speaking schools. Most were fortunate to have the binding thread of Yiddish among themselves because there were so many languages and feelings about their own religion among them. Learning about the shifting borders of their former home countries (especially Poland) was absolutely astounding. I could go on forever (but I promise not to) about what I learned from this intricately researched and presented history of people who struggled to find a place to thrive and to belong.
Voice actress Margot Dionne is superb at defining each person's narrative.
I requested and received a free temporary audio copy from Between the Lines via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Star Gater · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Montreal Shtetl Is the first WWII book I've read that is dedicated to what survivors face after the war. Researched and respectfully written, as well as narrated. The authors interviewed several people letting them tell their experiences. Some of those interviewed died before they finished their stories. Pronunciations of street names and places are narrated as they would have been said in 1948 which is in English. These are endearing moves of respect.

This should be required reading. Basic rights and compassion are the same today as they have been throughout history. The sheer ignorance of people questioning, belittling, and assumptions are defined by the authors through well-documented reliable resources and personal accounts of some who survived.

The audio book has a male voice giving footnotes throughout. I believe it happens during the educational portion of the book. I didn't notice the interruption when the personal accounts were being told, thankfully. For that reason, I'm giving this four stars. Should The Montreal Shtetl be marketed as educational I suppose its appropriate. Otherwise, I would like to see the voice removed. It diminishes the points, but not enough to forego reading.

Thank you Netgalley for this life-changing opportunity.

[Kacey/Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a front row seat into hearing how some had to live after surviving the holocaust. The different views of each person’s story helps one see how their lives where changed and after having to try to live a normal life again. It was interesting to hear about how some where against each other due to being in different places. The only thing I found difficult to get used to and didn’t like was the interruption of the man’s voice to tell about footnotes. It really broke up the intensity of the information being given at the time. I felt that I didn’t need to know about it and if I was told at the beginning that if I wanted to know about the footnotes to look them up in the physical book. It would have made the auto book flow better. I still recommend it but just want to people to be aware of the interruptions that will be through out the audiobook.

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

THe Montreal Stetl is an enterprising and insightful look at how Jewish refugees made it to Montreal, Canada after WWII. THe authors do an excellent job at selecting the narratives and sharing those stories. The book is divided into three parts. Personally, I would have liked the stories to have been continuous for each of the people interviewed. The Format they used was a bit choppy. The authors conducted many interviews and also provided a plethora of end notes for avid readers to peruse. I found this book a fascinating read and applaud the authors for capturing these stories before they were permanently lost. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this at the Museum of Immigration in Halifax, NS. These were incredibly important histories of Holocaust survivors to capture and I'm so glad the authors did it. I knocked it down a peg because the stories were getting repetitive about the discrimination the refugees received from Canadian Jews.

[Heep · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those familiar with Montreal, this book paints a moving and evocative picture of immigrantion to the city by Holocaust survivors. The book should also interest those in Holocaust scholarship. The narrative is nuanced - it demonstrates unbelievable resilience, but not just to overcome past trauma but also to confront new obstacles including prejudice from their new community.

[Speranta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very heartfelt read. Although I would have liked to have some of the stories in more detail, the author presents very relevant snippets about the struggles of people adapting and integrating in a different society.

[Linda Taggart · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent view of the Jewish community after the war and how difficult it was to immigrate to Canada. The authors, Zelda and John, do a great job writing the stories with empathy. For history buffs I highly recommend

[Schvenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very good and eye-opening. One thing that I did not expect was that the prejudice immigrants faced when coming to Canada was noticeably from the Jewish community who already lived here. This book was surprisingly more interesting than I was expecting.

[Susanne]

Excellent and moving. Highly recommended.

[HN]

how beautiful and rare to be able to read about your own family history and develop an understanding of your grandparents in a way you had only understood in broad stokes before

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read on Holocaust history.

[Idiosyncratic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born after WW II and spent my childhood and adolescence in what grew to become a very Jewish area of Montreal, even though my family was staunchly WASP. (I think my rather snooty, racist parents were mildly horrified that so many Jews moved into our area.) So I grew up going to school with the children of Holocaust survivors, or children of families whose relatives had died in the Holocaust. No one, of course, talked about that at that time. As a result, I had no idea of the experiences some of my neighbours went through. This book was therefore quite an eye opener, and often genuinely heart-rending.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very important read, and while it pertains to a very specific time and specific group of people I think it helps provide an important focus on current events, divides, and thoughts. (I will expand on that more below).

The Montreal Shtetl is a deeply researched book with the aim to provide an insight into the lives of Jewish refugees who ended up in Montreal, Canada, after the war. While the narrative does provide an overview of lives before and during the war, the main focus is on the arrival of refugees after the war, how they were treated, and how their lives were during the first few years of resettlement. It also provides an excellent overview of Canadian immigration policies at the time, and how difficult it was for anyone to immigrate to Canada before, during and even after the war, especially for Jewish refugees, due to a strict closed border policy.

The authors, Zelda Abramson & John Lynch, interviewed many different people, adult survivors, child survivors, children born in displaced person camps before arriving in Montreal, families, orphans, second generation immigrants, as well as Canadian Jews, and social workers. A ton of research into immigration policies, social worker documents from the time, and different institutions was done too. The book is divided into three parts, before, during, and after, and contains parts of different narratives in order to provide the reader with an overview of who people were, how they ended up in Montreal, and how they felt when they started to settle in.

There are so many books (important books) to read on the Holocaust, on what people endured, and on why we have to make sure that this never happens again. Most of those books end with the end of the war. There are very few that detail what happened afterwards, and what people had to go through to find a home again, and the difficulties they faced when they made it to this new home. The Montreal Shtetl provides great insight into this, and while it does focus on Montreal specifically, it’s quite easy to imagine how similar it was in other cities and countries.

Jewish survivors arrived in Montreal at different times between 1947 and 1954, due to the strict constraints of the immigration policies. They were provided with some help from different organizations depending on how they arrived (refugees, sponsorship, immigration for jobs etc), but most were expected to settle in and find jobs and housing within a few days. They faced Antisemitism from Canadians, but they also faced resentment and fear of the “other” from established Canadian Jews, who called them by disparaging nicknames. Integration was therefore difficult and they ended up often not integrating with Canadians. However, for the most part this didn’t stop people from making lives for themselves and being super resourceful. It just goes to show that life wasn’t suddenly much easier for immigrants when they arrived in Canada - it was still very hard. Can you imagine surviving the camps and then facing Antisemitism in a place where you thought you were supposed to be safe?

I didn’t know this, but many survivors stopped talking about how they got through the war mainly because people didn’t want to listen, and/or would use it against them. Or people just had no idea and would make remarks that made people think that they didn’t deserve to be alive. It wasn’t until the 1960’s and beyond that it became “OK” to discuss experiences during the Holocaust with people who had not lived through it. I can’t even begin to imagine surviving hell and then being made to feel like you were a lesser being because you didn’t die.

There is so much more to this book than the above and I do suggest everyone give it a read. It’s easy to take the experiences of European Jews during the Holocaust and afterwards and compare it to what refugees from Syria, Yemen, certain African countries, etc, are going through today. Our countries are limiting immigration, banning asylum, looking at these people as “the other” rather than learning about their countries and what they are going through. People who flee their country on foot usually don’t want to leave their homes, they have no other choice. I’ve never understood why we can’t help people, respect where they come from and who they are, and make them feel at home in our own countries. There is more than enough space for everyone.

The Montreal Shtetl is important, not only to understand how immigration often (still) works (I can personally attest to this), to how life for Holocaust survivors was often a continuous journey of survival for many years after the war ended, and in how we need to expand our empathy and views to start accepting everyone as human, no matter where they come from, what language they speak, what they eat, what they have lived through, and why they do not want to stay in the country they were born.

Also: now is the time to continue talking about this. Within the next 10 years or so there will no longer be any Holocaust survivors alive to tell their tale, so it is up to us to continue to talk about them, about the Holocaust, and about their legacy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book!