Through the Eyes of the Eagle: The Early Montreal Yiddish Press, 1907-1916

Norman Ravvin is an assistant professor of English at the University of
New Brunswick. He is the author of Café des Westens, Sex, Skyscrapers,
and Standard Yiddish, and A House of Words.

The recovery of Yiddish Canadiana goes on apace, in part because of the
steady work done by a number of the figures involved in this collection.
Originally translated by David Rome, the long-time archivist for the
Canadian Jewish Congress, the material included in this work touches on
a wide range of issues central to early Jewish-Canadian life: Zionism,
the rise of Hebrew in competition with Yiddish, notes from abroad on
Jewish life, Yiddish theatre, contacts with French Canada, the political
scene, and the specificity of Montreal Jewish life. The issues raised in
these articles drawn from Der Keneder Odler (The Canadian Eagle) offer a
clear portrait of what life was like—particularly in Quebec—during
the first big wave of Jewish immigration to North America. They also
allow English readers to appreciate the kind of journalism being
practised at the Montreal-based Odler early in the last century.

The editor and introducer of the volume is Pierre Anctil, an uncommon
bridge between Jewish and Quebec culture, who in other projects has
dedicated himself to translating from Yiddish to French. Anctil
represents the best-case scenario of hopes for rapprochement between
Jewish and non-Jewish Quebecers, and his enthusiasm for Yiddish language
and culture, as a key aspect of Quebec history, is deep and authentic.
Véhicule Press has in recent years developed an impressive list of
Jewish-themed titles. Canadian Jewish Studies has increased its
viability in recent years with publications like this one.