Being Jewish in Ontario Film

This film was created to provide an important introduction to this lesson on Jewish heritage, identity, and community.

Before learning about the Jewish newcomers who came to Ontario over a hundred years ago, this video provides an introduction to Jewish people living in Ontario today. It features voices of Jewish families talking about their Jewish identities, and their experiences living in Ontario. 

Jewish people are not a monolith, and Jewish identities are diverse as well as intersectional. In this short film, it was not possible to represent all the different ways that Jewish people practice their customs and traditions, or all the different places where Jewish people have come from.  The links below provide resources for students to learn more about Jewish people and hear  stories that are not represented in this film.

With thanks to

The Daniel family
The Lovinsky family
The Rosenthal family
The Solomon family
The Shime family
The Yunger family

Additional Resources

Facing History & Ourselves Lesson What it Means to Be Jewish

• Students expand their understanding of what it means to be Jewish by engaging with imagery, text, and video that illustrate diverse expressions of Jewish life.

Self-guided exploration of some of the many facets of Jewish identity Components of Jewish Identity

• This tool allows students to take a self-guided tour through components of Jewish life for many Jews, and it can serve as an introduction to the multifaceted nature of Jewish identity. It does not contain an exhaustive list of all aspects of Jewish identity.

Periphery is a short film about ethnic diversity in the Jewish community in Toronto, Canada.

• Developed by No Silence on Race (NSOR) and the Ontario Jewish Archives (OJA). View the film and access support materials for the classroom.