I thought today would be a good day to write about the terrible issues between Hamas and Israel.
Then I thought, wait a minute. What do I know about the situation? I would be parroting opinions of others and I would succeed in upsetting people.
So I'll write about a related issue that I have some knowledge about.
Western Canada was opened in the late 1800's for settlers to come to the area. Most people like my ancestors were interested in farming. However, there had to be some businesses established to serve the people. Many Europeans came to Saskatchewan, which is my home province
One group who came were Jews. They set up small general stores . To supply settlers. The Jews came to the small villages and towns and lived a very lonely life. They did not participate in community activities and were shunned. However, they worked hard and made a meagre living. Our town had a clothing store which was owned by a Jew. There was not another clothing store for many miles. With the transportation at that time a local clothing store was very convenient.
As time went on the poorer Jewish business men went on to work for others. Some Jews became involved with larger businesses like machinery dealerships or car dealerships.
They were also active in artistic and academic fields.
One interesting book I read was "Don't You Know it's 40 below" by Jack Kates It details the life of a Jewish family in a small village. It's well worth a read.
Fredelle Bruser Maynard is another writer who gives a description of Jewish life on the prairies.
One man had a store in a very small community. He had music talent and formed a community band. The band won many competitions. Abe Katz was well liked and respected in the community. When He left they had a celebration for him and gave him some money. Very few Jews received this treatment.
Sadly the Jewish people were not treated well here but managed to succeed. They are still here but have moved to larger centers where they can practice their religion and conduct social events.
I enjoyed your post today. I would be interested in reading the books you mentioned and will try to find them. The late husband of a friend of mine wrote a book years ago called Fragile Freedoms. Each chapter is devoted to discrimination faced by various groups, including Jewish people. We have a shameful history here in Canada as to how we treat other ethnic groups but it's probably the same or worse in other countries.
ReplyDeleteOur family was extremely prejudiced and certainly dislike Jews just because they were Jews.
DeleteYou have a good attitude to go with what you know.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, what I knew was from a couple of students who shared some of traditions with the class. It was fascinating. Those were the days when reading the Bible after the Pledge of Alligance was recited. How different faiths in my community were treated is something I didn't know about.Other than Protestants and Catholics squabbles sometimes, I thought we all got along.
We have to be ready to listen when someone genuinely shares their faith with us whether we have faith or not.
DeleteInteresting. It all reminds me of the Chinese in Britain. In every town or large village in this country there's a Chinese family operating a takeaway - often far away from other people of Chinese origin. Theirs is a story that has never been told as far as I am aware.
ReplyDeleteIt was the same in Canada. No matter how remote a place was it had a small Chinese restaurant. Those Chinese lived a lonely separate life.
DeleteI can't imagine what it must have been like for them to leave their communities and move to a relatively remote place where they were the only Jewish people for many miles. It would take a lot of courage!
ReplyDeleteYes, it took courage but the opportunities were better here than in Europe.
DeleteAn interesting read Red - I guess your story is one which could be replicated in many places throughout the Western World.
ReplyDeleteYes it's the same in many places and still is racially prejudiced.
DeleteI will never understand the issues in the Middle East. I didn’t know any Jewish people when I was young but II would have liked to know them. There weren’t any that I knew of living in the area.
ReplyDeleteI knew Jewish people but not on a personal level.
DeleteThank you for this look at Canadian culture and how the Jewish community was ill treated back then. So sad, but there you are.
ReplyDeleteThe sad part is that we are still prejudiced in many ways. We are just smoother and smugger about how we do it.
DeleteYes all slaves to taxes and discrimination while big cities help segregate the many many social differences. Very Sad politics seems where the most corrupt and hate filled congregate. War crimes hate crimes continue...
ReplyDeleteWhat you say sounds like it's mixed up but it's true. It's all one ball of wax. Thanks Skating pal.
DeleteI'm not sure I have ever met anybody Jewish. I probably have as there is a now defunct Jewish temple in town. I guess since I never have thought to ask somebody their religion, I just assess them by character alone.
ReplyDeleteRight on. Character is what counts.
DeleteTo me, one of the great things about following Hiawatha House, is your interest in history. Thanks for telling us this story of the Jewish people and their part in helping with the settlement of Western Canada. By the way, thanks to you, I’ve got Jack Kates’ book on my Kindle. You got me interested in him with your post of February 26, 2016.
ReplyDeleteWow! Am I repeating myself? What did you thin of the book?
DeleteIt gave me an interesting perspective of life in rural Saskatchewan in the 30s through 50s. Enjoyed the look at small rural towns, and the life at that time. No worries about repeating yourself ... I do it all the time. 😊
DeleteHard lives for them but they were brave enough to try it.
ReplyDeleteThere has been prejudice on many European groups throughout the beginning of the U.S. as well as the indigenous people who were here before us. We are tribes!
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting reading this, Red. I am Jewish. My maternal grandparents came to the US from Germany in 1921. The extended family that stayed in Germany were all killed in the Holocaust. We never practiced religion when I grew up. Still, when I read the news it breaks my heart that wars are still be fought over these ideas about God.
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand why religion is so important that people kill each other .
DeleteWhat a fascinating way to add a dimension of sorts to current times. My mother did some housekeeping for Jews, and my daughter married a Jew.
ReplyDeleteIt's more open today as in your family but there are still prejudices.
DeleteI have never understood antisemitism.
ReplyDeleteI do understand dispute over land and territory. What happens when one ethnicity wants to claim their "promised" land and it is already occupied by others who claim it as their homeland?
Or when "pioneers" from across the sea want to claim the land of indigenous peoples?
Well, what happens over these land claims is violence. many people have spread across the earth. In some cases we live with each other and in other cases we fight.
DeleteIt's interesting to read first-hand accounts of observers of this kind of situation. I agree with Steve - it would take a lot of courage to immigrate and set up in a community where there were few or no other folks from the same background. When I was growing up, a Jewish couple came to our small village. They were well educated and very musical and set up several choirs and a theatre group for all ages. We had so much fun and learned so much. My childhood was enriched far beyond what it would otherwise have been.
ReplyDeleteBy my time in a fairly big city, the distinction of Jew among the children in school was not important. Thank you for picking a topic relevant to yourself.
ReplyDeleteDuring the settlement of the west it was an issue and a problem.
DeleteWe had one Jewish family in the town where I went to high school, they owned a business and were civic minded, the wife was a school board member for years. They were just like anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI was brought up in a Jewish area of the city and my best friend was jewish but until our 25th school anniversary I didn’t realize that at least half of my class was Jewish.. it really never made any difference to us. At Sunday school we were taken to the Jewish temple to learn about their religion. I think that would be a good idea even today. Gigi
ReplyDeletemy knowledge is limited but with little i understand that all main religious nations have been troubled by each other since beginning ,that makes me sad . Jews seem one of the most intelligent people but they mostly faced hatter just like now Muslims are facing after 9 .11 unfortunately .
ReplyDeletei liked the way you shared here
Admittedly if any of my classmates were Jewish, I didn't know it.
ReplyDeleteMoving from Hawaii to Chicago, I didn't have a good idea of the prejudice lurking on the mainland except what we heard in the news. Then we moved to a small community that was predominantly Catholic in a Jewish area. We had many friends who were Catholic, Jewish and even Palestinian.
ReplyDeleteOne Jewish friend moved back to Israel. Dina tells me she lives within 30 miles of the Gaza strip. I worry for her, but so far she says she's OK.
This is a terrible, terrible time. You have to really understand the past history of the area to understand the hatred of the present.