Collectivité

Saint John Jewish community

1858 -

Saint John's Jews were very active within their own ethnic and religious community and also in the city's organizations and business life from the first arrivals in 1858 to the present day. Many community members are noted for their extensive contributions to charitable organizations, educational and professional achievements, business presence and military involvement

The general history of the Saint John Jewish community includes written histories by community members, most notably Dr. Eli Boyaner and Dr. Joseph Tanzman. Additional articles include Jewish immigration to the city, athletes, artists, businesses and the film industry. Lists of Jewish residents have been compiled from census returns and city directories.

A reunion of the now widely scattered Saint John Jewish Community, called the "Koom Ahaim", was held in Saint John in July 1984 to coincide with provincial bicentennial celebrations.

Jewish men in business were led by Solomon Hart who opened a cigar factory in 1858. Similar businesses were established by the families that followed from England and Western Europe. The Eastern Europeans possessed skills and trades when they arrived, but they turned first to the peddling of goods into the countryside to earn money and also to learn English. After a few years, small shops and factories were established in the city's North end along Main Street and some later moved uptown or to other parts of the city. It was a varied group of businesses but clothing, food, and manufactured goods were the most common things available. Many also sold second hand goods and dealt in scrap metal. The history of Jewish businesses has been well documented through the city directories, newspaper advertisements and features, and a limited number of company records. At one time a great many of Saint John's prominent merchants were Jewish, but by 2007 all of the "original" Jewish run businesses had closed.

The Saint John Jewish community was very active in both World Wars. During the Second World War many men enlisted for the army, navy, and air force, while many women joined the Red Cross, the Canadian Women Army Corps, enlisted as nurses, or stayed in Saint John to provide assistance to the servicemen passing through the city, either in their own homes, in the Jewish Servicemen's Centre on Union Street, or in other service centres.

Jewish life throughout Canada and the rest of the world is also represented, mostly from newspaper clippings and magazines. This serves to place this community into a context with the rest of the world and reflects information easily available in the local city newspapers on world events.