Facing an uncertain future with an aging population, low birth rate and the loss of younger members for jobs elsewhere, Montreal's Jewish community suddenly has a more optimistic outlook.The profiles of individual immigrants mix ominous details with qualifying statements:
The Argentine economic crash of 2001-2002 and the upsurge in anti-Semitism in France linked to the Palestinian intifada have been a boon to Montreal's Jewish community.
Karine said she was relieved to be in Quebec, away from the recent stresses the family faced in France, though she said they had left more for the children's sake than for their own.We might ask how long Canada and America will remain safe for Jews. See this from Daniel Pipes.
"The environment is bad for them in Paris," she said. "The Jewish schools have security barriers around them and the children are afraid to go to school."
Karine and Jean Charles frequently encountered verbal anti-Semitism, taunts about "Jews being rich and things of that nature, but never anything more aggressive or threatening," she said. "The future did not look bright for us and our children, however, so we choose to leave."
"In Canada," she said, "We can live our Judaism openly, unlike in France."
Tags: France, Canada, anti-Semitism, Montreal
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