Three detectives of the past will guide us on a virtual tour through the streets of the Jewish neighbourhoods of Montreal in the early part of the 20th century. Follow Zev Moses in search of Jewish businesses and institutions, Sara Tauben in tracking down the early synagogues, and Mary-Anne Poutanen in mapping the activities of the intriguing Rabbi Glazer, a brash, complicated, and determined crusader of social justice.
All these points on a map provide a glimpse into the challenges and aspirations of an immigrant community in its formative years.
Zev Moses is the founder and curator of the Interactive Museum of Jewish Montreal, an online and mobile museum of Montreal's Jewish experience. Before delving into Montreal's Jewish history, Zev studied Political Science and History at McGill University and completed a Master's degree in City Planning at the University of Pennsylvania. He is passionate about the power of place and the stories that give places meaning. You can visit the museum at www.imjm.ca.
Sara Ferdman Tauben is the author of Traces of the Past: Montreal's Early Synagogues (Véhicule Press, Montreal). She has a BA in History and Art History from Haifa University, an MA in Judaic Studies from Concordia University and diplomas and professional experience in Fashion Design and Interior Design. A volunteer in the Montreal Jewish community for over thirty years, her leadership has been recognized with both the Young Leadership and Distinguished Leadership awards. She was raised in a Yiddish-speaking home in Los Angeles and worked as a designer in Israel before moving to Montreal. Traces of the Past is a result of the intersection of all of these interests, experiences, and skills.
Mary Anne Poutanen is a social historian, part-time faculty in the Dept of History at Concordia and in Quebec Studies at McGill University. She is also research coordinator for the Montreal History Group at McGill. She completed her Ph.d at the Université de Montréal. Her research interests include criminal justice, gender, Protestant schooling, and the history of ethnicity in Montreal. She is the co-author of an award-winning book, A Meeting of the People: School Boards and Protestant Communities in Quebec, 1801-1998.