CREATING COMMUNITY
When Holocaust survivors came to Toronto, they lived among one of the largest Jewish communities in the country. They made new friends and joined clubs. They played sports and went to the movies. They went to synagogues and joined growing Jewish organizations. Many would marry and have children, and were deeply committed to family life.
Learn about how Holocaust survivors built communities around themselves in their new lives.
JEWISH COMMUNITY IN CANADA
The Jewish community in Toronto welcomed the thousands of Holocaust survivors who arrived. They raised money to build new synagogues in the north end of the city that could better serve the growing community. Many people volunteered to help survivors find jobs and homes. The community worked hard to include survivors in all aspects of the city’s Jewish life.
FAMILY AND CHILDREN
Many survivors lost their families to the Holocaust. After the war, the idea of family was often very important to survivors. For many, having children became a priority as a way to rebuild what they had lost. Children symbolized new beginnings and the continuation of the Jewish people. A new generation of Jewish people undermined the extermination the Nazis had set out to accomplish during the Holocaust.
For many survivors, it took decades before they felt they could speak out about their experiences. Once they felt empowered to speak, many survivors worked to educate the world about the Holocaust. Their goal was that no one in the world should ever have to again experience the things they had survived.
