Delayed Impact: The Holocaust and the Canadian Jewish Community

Ian A. Andrews is editor of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association’s Focus and co-author of Becoming a Teacher.

In this book, Franklin Bialystok combines a synthesis of Jewish
immigration to Canada in the 20th century with an analysis of the
treatment accorded newcomers by the established members of the community
in their adopted land. Although the Holocaust was of seminal importance
to surviving European Jews, it did not engender the same deep feelings
among resident Jews. The monolithic stereotype of a Jewish community is
debunked.

Drawing on extensive interviews, Bialystok introduces the leading
figures and spokespersons in major Canadian Jewish communities and
organizations from the 1930s to the 1990s. He explores the impact the
Holocaust had on these communities and why this impact was delayed for a
generation. His analytical approach and clearly written prose allow the
substance of this historical work to be understood by the lay reader.

In the past few decades, the Holocaust and its related atrocities have
entered public-school curricula while numerous print and film sources
have attracted the general populace. How this unique genocide affected
Canadian Jews—and how, and why, they reacted as they did—are central
features in this insightful and thoroughly researched volume. Delayed
Impact is highly recommended as a source for understanding both the
internal operations of Jewish organizations and the effects of the
Holocaust on the members of Jewish community.