Episodes in a People's Journey

An invaluable contribution to Canadian and Jewish history, this book honours the legacy of historian Gerald Tulchinsky, documenting his trailblazing research and achievements. In the essays reproduced in this volume, readers will appreciate how Tulchinsky drew on new archival material to offer insights into Canadian Jewish political activism, the role of the Jews in the Canadian economy (and especially in garment industry), and antisemitism, all set carefully within the broader Canadian context. The book examines how Tulchinsky confronted two primary challenges. First was the longstanding marginalization of the history of minority groups, suddenly replaced by celebratory attention from state-sponsored multiculturalism. Second was the self-conscious and apologetic historical writing within the community, which he disrupted with professional historical training and critical historical writing. Through historiographic essays by historians Richard Menkis and Jack Granatstein, readers will learn how sensitive some of these concerns were to Jews and non-Jews alike, and how Tulchinsky negotiated these issues. Collectively, the contributions to this volume document a milestone in the maturing of the Canadian Jewish community – the creation of an unapologetic examination of its past.