This lesson is written to provide educators with an entry point to teach the Ontario Grade 6 Social Studies Curriculum (A3.7). The lesson introduces students to the diversity and complexity of Jewish Identities. Students will learn about the first waves of Jewish people to Canada and the community institutions that were established by these newcomers. Students will make personal connections to institutions in their own communities, and consider the ways in which communal institutions hold important meaning to individuals and to communities.
Duration: Four to five 50-minute class periods.
What’s included: one film, one lesson, six readings and two handouts.
In 2022 the Ontario Ministry of Education announced new curriculum expectations about the Holocaust, in response to rising rates of antisemitism. The updated curriculum document was released in the fall of 2023 and included specific expectations for Holocaust education and teaching students about the contributions of the Jewish community to Canadian society.
While teaching about the Holocaust is vital, combating antisemitism requires broader learning about Jewish identities, history, and contributions, which can dispel stereotypes and humanize Jewish people for students unfamiliar with the community. Jewish students also benefit from seeing their identities reflected in stories of celebration, resilience, and joy.
The lesson includes a video on the contemporary Jewish experience and resources to support classroom learning. Additional opportunities include books, holiday celebrations, Jewish Heritage Month in May, or engaging with local Jewish Community Centres or synagogues.
As you begin to prepare to teach this unit, take a moment to consider your own identity, and your connection to the topic and themes that you will be introducing to your students. You might want to ask yourself the following questions:
It is also important to think about your students as you prepare to teach this lesson. Who are the students, what is the demographic of your classroom and your school community? Considering the following questions before beginning teaching this lesson will help you meet the varied needs of the students in your class:
A3 Understanding Context: The Development of Communities in Canada
A3.7 Describe significant events or developments in the history of Jewish communities in Canada, including some of the ways they have contributed to Canada, and identify some of the impacts of antisemitism on these communities’ development and/or identities.
In what ways do the institutions and spaces in our community help to shape and support who we are?
What were the motivating factors that contributed to the development of institutions that were established by the early waves of Jewish immigrants to Ontario (late 1800s to early 1900s)?
What can we learn about the communal needs of newcomers to Canada, by studying this wave of Jewish immigrants to Ontario and the institutions that they established that would support future waves of newcomers?
Open the lesson by sharing with students that they will be learning about the Jewish Community in Ontario. The class will learn about the early waves of Jewish immigrants to Ontario who came mostly from Poland and Russia at the end of the 1800s and the early years of the 1900s. They came to Ontario to escape religious persecution and poverty, with hopes of finding security and opportunity in Canada (pushes and pulls of immigration).
Before diving into the history of Jewish newcomers who arrived in Ontario over a century ago, we’re starting with a short film. This vibrant video brings together a chorus of Jewish voices sharing their personal stories, unique identities, and diverse experiences of living in Ontario today. It’s a perfect way to connect the past to the present and set the stage for the historical activity.
Following the film, you can ask students to use the SIT strategy to reflect on what they learned in the film. Students can share one thing that they learned that was surprising, one thing that was interesting, and one thing that was troubling to hear. It is helpful to introduce the SIT strategy before watching the video. You may want to show the video twice, the first time to simply watch, then introduce the strategy, and then watch a second time using the strategy.
Providing students with a historical overview of Jewish immigration to Canada provides important context for the lesson. Sharing this overview will help to situate the learning in the time period in which the specific stories that will be shared take place. The reading on Jewish immigration to Canada, entitled Building a New Life and Vibrant Community provides a helpful background for students.
You can choose how you will introduce this historical context to your students. Your decision can be made based on the amount of time that you are able to allocate to this lesson, the reading level of your students, as well as your own background knowledge and personal connection to this history.
The Facing History & Ourselves Learning Journey begins by exploring personal identity, helping students connect personally to the histories and lives they study.
Start by asking students to brainstorm institutions and spaces that form a healthy community, such as schools, hospitals, places of worship, community centres, parks, and homes. Use the Community Chart handout for individual work or complete the activity as a class.
Ask students to journal (read here for more information about journaling) about one place from the list and its significance to them, reflecting on personal experiences or memories tied to it. For example, a student might write about a park where they won a championship, a mosque they visit with family, or a hospital where a sibling was born. Let students know that they will be sharing their responses to this journal prompt with another student from the class.
Finally, using the Think-Pair-Share strategy, invite students to share their journal responses with a partner and, if comfortable, with the whole class. This activity fosters connection and understanding through personal and shared experiences.
In this final activity students will have the opportunity to learn about institutions that were established by the Jewish community members who arrived in the late 1800s through the early 1900s.
Venn Diagram
Create Primary Source Stations
Small Groups
Alternate Activity
Students can use the Ontario Jewish Archives website to research another Jewish communal organization/institution. Their learning can be shared as a powerpoint presentation that includes photographs and short paragraph descriptions.
Based on their learning students can write a fictionalized account of a person who came to Ontario in the early 1900s. In their writing students can describe how that person engages with the institutions that are featured in this lesson. For example, students might write about a young person who participates in YMHA programming, a small town Rabbi, or a member of a Landsmanshaft.
Students can research the Jewish community that was centered around Kensington Market in Toronto in the early 1900s, or the Jewish community in your town or city, and create a map of different locations and label each location with the ways that it supported the needs of the Jewish community at the time. The OJA’s Scrolling Spadina is a helpful resource for students.
After completing this lesson, the following are recommended resources and lessons to help you teach about Canadian immigration policies during WWII, the Holocaust, and the survivors who came to Canada after the Second World War.
Seeking Refuge: Immigration to Canada Before, During and After the Holocaust
Toronto Holocaust Museum: Virtual Museum Experiences for Middle School Students
