The presence of Jews in Quebec dates back four centuries. Quebec Jewry, in Montreal in particular, has evolved over time, thanks to successive waves of migration from different regions of the world. The Jews of Quebec belong to a unique society in North America, which they have worked to fashion. The dedication with which they have defended their rights and their extensive achievements in multiple sectors of activity have helped foster diversity in Quebec. This work recounts the different contributions Jews have made over the years, along with the cultural context that encouraged the emergence in Montreal of a Jewish community like no other in North America. This is the first overview of a history that began during the French Regime and continued, through many twists and turns, up to the turn of the twenty-first century.

The presence of Jews in Quebec dates back four centuries. Quebec Jewry, in Montreal in particular, has evolved over time, thanks to successive waves of migration from different regions of the world. The Jews of Quebec belong to a unique society in North America, which they have worked to fashion. The dedication with which they have defended their rights and their extensive achievements in multiple sectors of activity have helped foster diversity in Quebec. This work recounts the different contributions Jews have made over the years, along with the cultural context that encouraged the emergence in Montreal of a Jewish community like no other in North America. This is the first overview of a history that began during the French Regime and continued, through many twists and turns, up to the turn of the twenty-first century.

Born in the Ukraine in 1896, and settling in Montreal in 1910, Segal became one of the first Yiddish writers in Canada. His poetry, infused with lyricism and mysticism, along with the numerous essays and articles he penned, embodied both a rich literary tradition and the modernism of his day. Pierre Anctil has written so much more than a biography. For the first time, Segal's poetic production is referenced, translated and rigorously analyzed, and includes over 100 pages of appendices, shedding light on the artistic, spiritual, cultural and historical importance of his oeuvre. By introducing the reader to the poet's work through previously unpublished translations, Anctil demonstrates that in many respects it reflects the history of the Jewish immigrants who arrived in North America from Russia, the Ukraine and Poland at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the tragic experiences of Jewish intellectual refugees of the interwar period. This admirably written, sweeping yet subtle, work will appeal both to scholars and to a broader audience. The original French version was awarded the prestigious 2014 Canada Prize in the Humanities by the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Noted historian Pierre Anctil takes a deep dive into editorials devoted to Jews and Judaism in Quebec's daily Le Devoir in the first half of the twentieth century. Long one of the most discussed historiographical issues in Canadian Jewish history, these editorials are of great significance as they are representative of the reaction of the nationalist Francophone elite to the Jewish presence in Montreal, to German Nazi State anti-Semitism and to the Shoah. Pierre Anctil proposes a new reading of the editorials published in the pages of Le Devoir from 1910 to 1947-from the founding of the newspaper by Henri Bourassa until the death of its second director, Georges Pelletier. During that time, some two hundred editorials were devoted to Jews and Judaism, of which Anctil has selected sixty for inclusion in this volume. Although many of the editorials conveyed the clearly anti-Semitic views of Le Devoir's editorialists and of Quebec society at large, a number of the editorials did express positive views of Jewish activities and accomplishments in Quebec society. Readers will find this to be an in-depth analysis and nuanced treatment of an important aspect of Canadian Jewish history. This book is published in English, translated from the original "A chacun ses juifs". - Quelle place la question juive a-t-elle occupee dans les pages du quotidien quebecois Le Devoir dans la premiere moitie du XXe siecle? L'historien Pierre Anctil propose une analyse detaillee des editoriaux publies par ce journal respecte entre 1910 et 1947. La position du Devoir relativement a la communaute juive de Montreal et au judaisme en general est l'une des questions historiographiques les plus debattues en histoire juive canadienne. En effet, les editoriaux parus dans Le Devoir sont d'une grande signification dans la mesure ou ils sont representatifs de la reaction de l'elite francophone nationaliste a la presence juive a Montreal, a l'antisemitisme de l'Etat nazi allemand, et a la Shoah. Plusieurs ouvrages de langue anglaise decrivent Le Devoir comme un exemple typique de la position ideologique du Canada francais des annees 1930 et sa mefiance, voire son hostilite, envers les Juifs. Jusqu'a maintenant, toutefois, aucune etude serieuse n'avait ete realisee pour appuyer ou pour refuter ce postulat. Pierre Anctil propose une nouvelle lecture des editoriaux du Devoir parus entre 1910 et 1947 - soit depuis la fondation du journal par Henri Bourassa jusqu'a la mort de son deuxieme editeur, Georges Pelletier. Environ 200 des editoriaux publies pendant cette periode - soit 2 % du nombre total - portaient sur les Juifs et le judaisme. Anctil a fait une selection de soixante editoriaux et les presente en version integrale et offre un commentaire critique pour chacun. De cette collection d'editoriaux et leur analyse emerge enfin une idee plus claire de l'antisemitisme de l'epoque, a la fois dans Le Devoir et dans la societe quebecoise. Ce livre est publie en anglais, une traduction du titre original "A chacun ses juifs".

The Canadian principle of reasonable accommodation demands that the cultural majority make certain concessions to the needs of minority groups if these concessions will not cause 'undue hardship.' This principle has caused much debate in Quebec, particularly over issues of language, Muslim head coverings, and religious symbols such as the kirpan (traditional Sikh dagger). In 2007, Quebec Premier Jean Charest commissioned historian and sociologist G?rard Bouchard and philosopher and political scientist Charles Taylor to co-chair a commission that would investigate the limits of reasonable accommodation in that province.Religion, Culture, and the State addresses reasonable accommodation from legal, political, and anthropological perspectives. Using the 2008 Bouchard-Taylor Report as their point of departure, the contributors contextualize the English and French Canadian experiences of multiculturalism and diversity through socio-historical analysis, political philosophy, and practical comparisons to other jurisdictions. Timely and engaging, Religion, Culture, and the State is a valuable resource in the discussion of religious pluralism in Canadian society.

To what extent does Canada need to be reappraised? «Canada Exposed, the 6th biennial conference of the International Council for Canadian Studies, aimed to establish a better understanding of Canada. In this collection of papers from the conference, Canadian and international scholars examine little-studied or lesser-known aspects of Canadian culture, economics, politics, history and sociology, thus revealing the strengths and weaknesses of a society grappling with issues shared by many other contemporary societies.