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No Refuge
by Paul Stortz, University of Calgary
Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, the opinion of the public and the government on the question of immigration became more polarized. As determination to protect scarce jobs hardened, and suspicion of communism and fascism intensified, xenophobia flared in many communities across the country. Amid this fearful atmosphere, Jews were one of the groups perceived as radical, and were at times associated with undesirable ideologies such as communism. They were also targeted because their values and lifestyle were considered different from those of the British.
Yet many individuals and organizations in Canada wanted to open immigration to Jewish people fleeing persecution in Europe. Many churches, the YMCA, local service clubs, the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), several federal and provincial politicians and senators, many prominent Canadians, and a considerable number of newspaper editors, columnists, and journalists voiced their concerns. As well, the Canadian National Committee on Refugees and Victims of Persecution, and Jewish organizations such as the Jewish Immigration Aid Society and the Canadian Jewish Congress all lobbied for a greater awareness of the Jewish plight in Germany and supported much larger quotas for refugees. The Royal Society of Canada and the newly-formed Canadian Society for the Protection of Science and Learning also sought to help refugee professionals and professors enter Canada on visas. The Maple Leaf Fund and other social organizations worked to assist orphaned European children, and individuals and companies put forth their names to billet refugee families.
Despite such concerted efforts, opposition to Jewish immigration and integration into society rose nonetheless.The extent to which anti-Semitism was strong and influential in Canada is open to debate. Today, some would argue that most Canadians likely considered themselves as neither pro- nor anti-Jewish -- they simply believed in maintaining the social and political status quo. Others contend that the conditions faced by Jews in Europe remained largely unknown to many Canadians, who were more focused on surviving difficult economic times. How are we to interpret the attitudes of professionals and industry members, who often expressed sympathy, yet argued that new immigrant professionals, some of whom were in great distress, would only further burden the economy? Likewise, how are we to consider the anti-Semitic attitudes expressed by some nationalists who felt that their Canadian, Catholic, Francophone, or Anglophone cultures were under attack as a result of decades of immigration?
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