Experience Heritage. Newspapers. Jewish Public Library Archives

Transcription

1 Experience Heritage Newspapers Jewish Public Library Archives

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Experience Heritage 2 Introduction to Jewish Montreal Newspapers 3 Digital Archive Images 6 Classroom Discussion 25 Glossary 26 1

3 EXPERIENCE HERITAGE IN YOUR CLASSROOM Thank you very much for allowing the Jewish Public Library Archives the opportunity to share its resources with your students. Each kit contains a variety of copies of archival sources, including newspaper clippings, annual reports, photographs, correspondence, commemorative books and publicity materials. These sources are complimented, when possible, with secondary sources from standard resources that the Library, Archives and researchers use in studying Montreal Jewish history. Also in each kit you will find the guide to the subject. It includes a brief narrative, a glossary if necessary, useful information such as timelines and suggested questions for the students to answer in their research. These questions are merely a suggestion. We designed the questions to match the material in the kit but they should in no way define or limit the students use of the material. In general, there are ten questions provided with each kit but you will notice that some kits have more. This allows for more than one group to work on a topic or for the students to pick and choose those questions they feel are important to them. 2

4 INTRODUCTION Canadian Jewish Times The first Jewish paper was published in English. The Jewish Times was founded by a number of community leaders, in Co-founders included Samuel W. Jacobs, a lawyer and a Member of Parliament (MP), and Lyon Cohen, an important community leader. Mr. Cohen was an important leader in the Young Men s Hebrew Benevolent Society (which eventually became the Baron de Hirsch Institute) and the United Talmud Torahs and as well, was the grandfather of Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen. The first editor of the newspaper was an Irishman named Carroll Ryan. He remained editor of the newspaper until he died in The newspaper s name was changed in 1909 to the Canadian Jewish Times. In 1915, the newspaper joined with another English Jewish newspaper, the Canadian Jewish Chronicle. Der Keneder Adler [The Jewish Daily Eagle] The Keneder Adler was Jewish Montreal s daily Yiddish newspaper. It was not the only Yiddish newspaper to be printed in Montreal but it was the only one that lasted as long as it did. The Adler was founded by a Polish immigrant named Hirsch Wolofsky in The newspaper was very important to Jewish Montreal as at that time, there was a huge immigrant population that used Yiddish as their main language. The Adler gave them a chance to read and discuss the news of their community, Montreal, Canada, and the world in a language that they were comfortable in. There were so many Yiddish-speaking people in Montreal that the government and different business used to publish notices or advertisements in Yiddish in the newspaper. It was recognized all over Canada as a very important newspaper since it reached so many people in Montreal. The Adler eventually had to stop publishing as Yiddish declined as the main language of Jewish Montreal. The newspaper stopped printing in after 70 years of being Montreal s Yiddish newspaper. 3

5 INTRODUCTION Canadian Jewish Chronicle In 1914, the Wolofsky family who founded the Adler founded another newspaper, this time in English. The Chronicle was the sister newspaper to the Yiddish Adler and provided news in English to the Jewish community, important to those people practicing their new language skills or to those Jews who had been here a long time and didn t speak or read Yiddish. The Chronicle wasn t published daily like the Adler, but instead bi-weekly, or every second week. Both the Adler and the Chronicle had many important writers working on the paper. For example, one of the editors of the Chronicle was a Jewish poet from Montreal named A.M. Klein. He won the Governor General s award for poetry and is considered one of Canada s greatest poets. Canadian Jewish News The Canadian Jewish News was founded in Toronto in 1960 by a man named Meyer J. Nurenberger. In the 1970s, the Federations in Toronto and then Montreal took over the newspaper so that both communities could continue to have their own Jewish newspapers. The newspaper continues to this day and is Canada s largest and most important Jewish publication. 4

6 Who Was Involved with the Newspapers? Poets, Writers, Journalists, Politicians, Artists and More! The Keneder Adler and the Canadian Jewish Chronicle were very influential newspapers, partly because they were newspapers for the Jewish community by the Jewish community, but also because the people who wrote for the newspaper were so important! Many of the journalists and editors were leaders in the community, whether by being great artists, worldfamous poets, politicians or novelists. Montreal was a very important city to Jews around the world because of the amazing Yiddish culture here! To this day, historians study many of the people involved with Montreal Jewish newspapers, including people like: Reuben Brainin Reuben Brainin was a Hebrew writer and journalist from Eastern Europe. In 1912, he came to Montreal to be the editor of the Keneder Adler, even though he thought that Hebrew was a more important language to write in rather than Yiddish. Brainin was not editor of the Keneder Adler for very long and left Montreal in Before he left though, he helped to found the Jewish Public Library in 1914 and was involved with many other organizations in the city. J.I. Segal J.I. Segal was a Yiddish poet and at one time, editor of the Canadian Jewish Chronicle. His poetry is so beautiful, and often speaks about Montreal, that it continues to be studied today in translations into English and French. The Jewish Public Library even gives out writing awards named after him to people from all over the world the J.I. Segal Awards! B.G. Sack B.G. Sack was a journalist but also wrote a history of the Jewish people in Canada called, History of the Jews in Canada. The book was originally published in Yiddish in 1948 but has been re-published in English as well. People still use that book as a good source of information about the history of Jewish communities all over the country. Leon Crestohl Leon Crestohl was a Member of Parliament for the Cartier District of Montreal from 1950 until The Cartier District no longer exists in Montreal but it was made up of parts of Outremont, Laurier and St.Jacques. Crestohl was very involved with the Montreal Jewish community in addition to also working on the Keneder Adler. S.W. Jacobs S.W. Jacobs was called the Wit of Parliament. He sat as the Member of Parliament for the Cartier District from 1917 until he died in He founded the Canadian Jewish Times with Lyon Cohen in 1897 and was also involved with other Montreal Jewish organizations like the Jewish General Hospital. 5

7 First issue of The Jewish Times,

8 First issue of The Jewish Times,

9 Advertisements from the Keneder Adler, ca

10 9 Advertisements from the Keneder Adler and Canadian Jewish Chronicle, ca Newspapers of Jewish Montreal

11 Advertisements from the Keneder Adler, ca

12 Advertisements from the Keneder Adler, ca

13 Newspapers of Jewish Montreal First issue of the Canadian Jewish Chronicle,

14 13 Newspapers of Jewish Montreal First issue of the Canadian Jewish Chronicle, 1914.

15 14

16 Editorial staff of the Keneder Adler and Canadian Jewish Chronicle, ca194? Second row, from left: Israel Medres, A.M. Klein, Mordecai Ginsburg, J. Gallay, J.I. Segal, Melech Ravitch, Noah Gotlib, Chana Widerman. First row, from left: Leon Crestohl, Dr. A. Stilman, Max Wolofsky, Israel Medres, Hirsch Wolofsky, B.G. Sack and and A. Halpern. 15

17 Yiddish reads: Canadian Jewry Helps the War-Effort During the Second World War Canadian Jews played a prominent role in the war-effort including service in the Canadian Armed Forces. This photograph was taken in front of the headquarters established by the Canadian Jewish Congress on Park Avenue in Montreal to recruit Jewish volunteers. Included in the photograph are Phil Abbey, Harris Cohen, OBE, Berl Schwartz, Sam Bronfman, H.M. Caiserman, Israel Rabinovitch, Hirsch Wolofsky and Moshe Myerson, who directed the campaign. 16

18 Yiddish reads: Two Historic Personalities Visit Montreal This photograph was taken in 1915 when Nahum Sokolov visited Montreal for the first time. Seated right to left: J. Yampolsky, Reuven Brainin, Carl Rosenberg. Standing: Joseph Brainin, S. Sternklar, Hirsch Wolofsky, M. Stein. This photograph was taken at the Keneder Adler office on Main Street near Ontario Street. 17

19 Congratulatory letters on the Keneder Adler s Golden Jubilee,

20 Congratulatory letters on the Keneder Adler s Golden Jubilee,

21 Congratulatory letters on the Keneder Adler s Golden Jubilee,

22 Congratulatory letters on the Keneder Adler s Golden Jubilee,

23 22

24 Congratulatory letters on the Keneder Adler s Golden Jubilee, 1957 Jew in Canada 23

25 Jew in Canada 24

26 CLASSROOM DISCUSSION 1.List the different nameplates on the newspaper(s) and the dates they were founded. 2. Where were the newspapers published? 3. What language(s) are they in? 4. Who was the editor or editors for the newspapers? 5. Were there any other important people involved in the newspaper? 6. Who were the audience or readers of these newspapers? 7. Did other people in other places also know about these newspapers? 8. What did they think of them? 9. Why do you think these newspapers were important to Montreal? 10. Are there any interesting characteristics of the newspapers that you can see? 11. Can you name an example of a newspaper that exists today that is like these newspapers? 12. Compare newspaper advertisements in this education kit with newspaper advertisements that you see today. How are they different? How are they the same? 25

27 Glossary Parts of a Newspaper Nameplate: The name of the newspaper printed in special font on the top front of the page. Headline: The title of the article Editor: The person in charge of the overall lay-out and content (articles) of the newspaper. Deck: A smaller headline underneath the big one that gives a little more information about the article. Article: The main bodies of writing in a newspaper Lead: The first few sentences of a newspaper article that should answer the 5 W s of the story (Who, What, When, Where, Why) Byline: The name of the author of the article Sidebars: Extra information about the story sometimes more background information that is printed beside the article. Cut: A photograph or illustration that is used to help tell the story in the article. Cutline: A caption underneath a photograph or illustration explaining what it is about. Gutter: The space beside the crease where the pages of the newspaper folds. Index: An alphabetical table of contents that lists the different sections of the newspaper. Different parts of a newspaper could include: Arts and Culture Classifieds Comics Editorial Obituary Op-Ed (Opposite the Editorial) Sports Weather 26