Rabbi Nisan Andrews: Reflections from Western Canada

by Rabbi Nisan Andrews

(Calgary) – Below, you’ll find an article requested this year by the United Synagogue in the UK, celebrating 265 years since the first reports of Jews settling in Canada. Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on our identities and consider how we can improve in the future. To make progress, it’s essential to understand how we have arrived at our current circumstances. Therefore, this essay, titled “Reflections from Western Canada,” is both timely and relevant to the season.

As an associate rabbi who ministered to a congregation in Northwest London, I recollect two events that epitomise what it means to be a Canadian Jew. The first transpired shortly after I arrived in the UK when I was asked to recite the prayer for the Royal Family on Shabbat. As I invoked Her Majesty, the Queen; the Duke of Edinburgh; the Prince of Wales; etc, I began to hear mutterings of discontent from the congregation. The disapproval grew from a subtle undercurrent to an audible expression of frustration. The irritation that an “American” would dare wish the royal family well precipitated our shul leadership to announce publicly during the service, “Our new rabbi is Canadian, and the prayer for the Royal Family is also recited in his home congregation”. After this statement, the congregation seemed to warm up to me immediately. I would only occasionally hear someone say in good humour, “You can’t help sounding as you do, being Canadian and all”.

My second experience transpired shortly before my departure back to North America. I was consulting with a professional who was helping me update my resume. I recall that she often became frustrated and would remind me to “keep your spelling consistent, either UK or American standard”. I had to patiently remind her several times that I was following standard Canadian spelling, which allows for spelling like “tire”, “finalize” and “utilize”, at the same time as “centre”, “colour” and “flavour.”

The Jewish community in Canada reflects the diverse nature of the country itself. Canada is a unique blend of cultures, where we find influences from both the UK and the United States. Similarly, the Jewish community has absorbed elements from both Europe and America. However, the majority of our Rabbis and educators are often brought in from the United States, and those of us who wish to pursue advanced Jewish learning frequently must travel south of the border. Thusly, I have noticed the pendulum sway decidedly towards the south.

When I was a child, it was common for Bar Mitzvah students to be taught the English trope. This practice is quite rare nowadays. In a recent conversation with a Rabbi in Toronto, I was surprised to hear that his substantial congregation does not say the prayer for the Royal Family. Perhaps, due to the current darker climate in the south, we might experience the pendulum swing back toward the east as we reassess our cultural influences.

Historians discuss several possible occasions when Jews first entered Canada. One possibility is that Portuguese Jews arrived in Lower Canada (Quebec) in the late 17th century. One individual often mentioned as the “first Jew” in Canada is Ferdinande Jacobs, who traded with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1732. However, the Heritage Canada (a department of the Government of Canada) website notes that “no record of his religion has been traced in the HBC Archives. From the fort journals, it is evident that he supported the Church of England.”

Even if we discount him, many of these early Jewish immigrants were either transient or quickly assimilated, making it difficult to regard them as the “founders of Canadian Jewry.”

The first indisputably confirmed Jewish community was established in Montreal by soldiers and auxiliary military personnel who arrived in the region with British forces in 1760. By 1768, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue was founded, marking a significant milestone in the history of Jews in Canada.

It’s easy to imagine that in the early days, many people reflected on their established communities and worried about the precariousness of their current circumstances. We can draw a parallel to our present time, where uncertainty leads many to question the future of the Jewish community in Canada. Just as there has ultimately been a Jewish future in Canada that would have seemed unimaginable 266 years ago, there may still be a place for us here in the years to come.

Rabbi Nisan Andrews is the Rabbi at House of Jacob Mikveh Israel, the Jewish Orthodox Congregation in Calgary.