Shtetl House on the Prairie

[durante]

What if the Canadian prairies became a refuge for Jews from the Russian empire, beginning prior to large-scale immigration on the Canadian prairies?

The Canadian prairies are distinct because of the larger numbers of settlers that came from the Austrian and Russian Empires, especially leading up to WWI. Many groups settled precisely because of religious tolerance; including Russian Mennonites, Hutterites, Doukhobors and others. The Prairies are not particularly known for Jews. This musn't necessarily be so:

Background info: (retrieved from niedermayer.ca)

Life in Saskatchewan from a Jewish View​

This is an edited and abridged version of a speech given by Rebecca Landau, at Florida Atlantic University, January, 1996. The talk describes the early settlement of Jews in Saskatchewan and comments on Jewish life today in the Province.

" In 1881 Czar Alexander II was assassinated by revolutionaries. The revolutionaries made the Jews scapegoats. Their "May Laws" of 1882 expelled Jews from all hamlets and villages and prohibited Jews from renting or buying land for agricultural purposes. Large-scale physical attacks (the pogroms) broke out in a number of cities and towns of Southern Russia.

B. Why they Settled in Saskatchewan​

In reaction to this chain of events Jews started a large-scale emigration. But where were they to go? Some gravitated to Palestine. Others looked westward to America. During this period the Canadian Pacific Railway was opening vast agricultural lands in Western Canada. In 1884 an immigration handbook in Yiddish was circulated in parts of Eastern Europe. It extolled the virtues of settlement in Manitoba, the Canadian province that today borders Saskatchewan on the east.

One of Canada's Fathers of Confederation, Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, became an active member of the Russo-Jewish committee to persuade the skeptical Prime Minister of Canada, John A. MacDonald, to accept a number of Russian-Jewish refugees. These first Jews came to the Prairies because the government of Canada offered them land and the freedom to practice their religion.

A Jew who advocated settlement in Canada by Russian Jews was Herman Landau. He was a prominent Anglo-Jewish financier who made his fortune through bold speculation on the London Stock Exchange. He saw the Canadian West as an ideal land for the re-settlement of Russian Jewish Refugees. Canada's climate was similar to that of Russia. Religious tolerance was a hallmark of the land. In 1886 Herman Landau financed a family and six men to homestead in Canada. The Canadian Pacific Railroad land commissioner settled these colonists at Wapella, a town lying just west of the Manitoba border in what today is Saskatchewan.

Among those who arrived to Wapella were Ekiel and Mindel Bronfman. They didn't stay long. They moved east and founded the dynasty that is linked to Seagram's whiskey and Jewish communal leadership.

Also arriving to Wapella in 1889 was Solomon Hirsch Jacobson. Jacobson farmed there until his death in 1943. Jacobson said his reason for coming to Canada was to show the world that a Jew can a farm as well as anybody else. (1)

Jacobson said, "I realized my ambition at Wapella. Starting out alone with no experience, I uprooted trees, cleared the bush, broke the land, and made it one of the most fruitful farms in the district. All this was done by a Jewish peddler whose parents couldn't get land in Russia." (2)

****

PODs:

Simply put, what if these efforts were more effective? Between 1880 and 1925, the USA received around 2 million Jewish immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe. Canada, proportionally, should therefore receive approximately 200,000 during the same time period.

By 1930, there were nearly 4.5 million Jews in America. In 1931, there were only about 155,000 in Canada, with 3/4 in either Toronto or Montreal.

What if there were an additional 155,000 or so Jews in Canada by 1931, with these additions being primarily recent immigrants from Eastern Europe who settled the Prairies? Can we create a situation where a portion of the Canadian prairie is open, in the 1930s and 1940s, to at least some of the 800,000 Jews looking to flee Europe at this time?

 

[DanMcCollum]

Okay, this is interesting. There was some settlements of Jewish homesteaders further south in North Dakota at the time (See: Rachel Coniff(so?) Story). Which isn't too surprising, as there was a large exodus of German-Russians to the Northern Plains at the same time, and the Jewish settlers followed the same immigration pathways.

So this is actually a really interesting idea, and if there's greater rural Jewish migration to the Plains, I'd expect to see them showing up on greater numbers on the Dakotas as well.

 

[Analytical Engine]

Does that mean that Fiddler on the Roof would have to be set in Canada in TTL?

 

[Jürgen]

The question Is why, you can pretty much do one thing on the prairies; farming. Jews was not really farmers and from I have read the few Jews who did began farming in USA and Canada focused on animal factory farms relative close to cities.

 

[durante]

Does that mean that Fiddler on the Roof would have to be set in Canada in TTL?

Alternate "Chanukah Song" lyrics:

"So many Jews are in the sports biz/
Wayne Gretzky isn't Jewish but my Baba thinks he is"

 

[Aghasverov]

Alternate "Chanukah Song" lyrics:

"So many Jews are in the sports biz/
Wayne Gretzky isn't Jewish but my Baba thinks he is"

 

[durante]

The question Is why, you can pretty much do one thing on the prairies; farming. Jews was not really farmers and from I have read the few Jews who did began farming in USA and Canada focused on animal factory farms relative close to cities.

Why would the Jews go? Or why would the Canadian government want them?

Farmers were never a larger part of the Russian Jewish population, for sure. But the prairie population is many many times smaller:

Jewish agricultural colonies in the Russian Empire - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Jews were allowed to own agricultural land in Russia from 1806 to 1882. There were up to 100,000 Jewish farmers in Russia at its peak (well mostly in what's now Ukraine or Belarus). The Canadian government would want to attract these Jews for the same reason they later wanted Ukrainians and other Slavs (of whom a small but non-zero number were Jews). Its true that at the time there wasnt much in the way of occupations on the prairies, but even prairie hamlets needed agricultural supply stores, inns and bars. There were, in fact, a few JCA sponsored colonies in western Canada, but they faltered due to lack of numbers. My own great-great grandfather homesteaded about 75 miles north of Wapella. He and his brother started a farm, but then he opened a store (which was also the village inn and bar) and eventually a gas station (basically exactly like Corner Gas, if you're familiar). The Bronfmans we were not, but there were ways of eking out a living.

 

[Plateosaurus]

Consider myself interested.

 

[kholieken]

Agreed with @Jurgen. Jewish immigrant would want middle-class lifestyle, which mean cities and towns, where they can practice their trade.

 

[scotsofthewest]

I’m curious what township/region would form the heart of this community? As a few others have pointed out Jewish migrants broadly moved to urban centres but I think that can be mitigated by the Jewish farmers forming townships and attracting more “urbanite” Jews.

 

[marktaha]

The question Is why, you can pretty much do one thing on the prairies; farming. Jews was not really farmers and from I have read the few Jews who did began farming in USA and Canada focused on animal factory farms relative close to cities.

Look at what they've achieved in Israel. It seems whatever they turn their hand to they succeed at.

 

[Plateosaurus]

Look at what they've achieved in Israel. It seems whatever they turn their hand to they succeed at.

Im sure Palestine* already had big urbanised cities through Jerusulem.

 

[durante]

I’m curious what township/region would form the heart of this community? As a few others have pointed out Jewish migrants broadly moved to urban centres but I think that can be mitigated by the Jewish farmers forming townships and attracting more “urbanite” Jews.

Edenbridge, Saskatchewan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This place was supposed to become the capital of Jewish Canada (it's original name was Yid'n Bridge).

There were about 16 Jewish block settlements on the prairies, as noted above, in 1882 the Russian empire banned Jews from living in villages or hamlets, or owning agricultural land, and the JCA that was set up to bring Jews over was targeting some of the 100,000 Jews who were farmers, as well as the ones resident in smaller villages or hamlets. So although most Jews are urban, not all of them are, and this plan was specifically targeting those agricultural Jews.

 

[durante]

Little Synagogue on the Prairie - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Looks like my joke was a little obvious.

I'd also like to point out the urban and middle class status of Jews was very much a modern thing (which can be read as a British/American/German thing); some people may be under a false impression of what life was like for Jews in the twilight of the Russian Empire.

@PrinceofApathy

 

[DanMcCollum]

Agreed with @Jurgen. Jewish immigrant would want middle-class lifestyle, which mean cities and towns, where they can practice their trade.

Yes, because as someone who grew up in a rural area myself, I can attest that there were NO towns of any size for hundreds of miles in any direction. The same when I moved to North Dakota - I was shocked to find that Fargo was not only the biggest urban center in the state ... it was the only one. Eveyone else just lived on farms with no communities of any size across the entirety of the northern plains

Rural areas have town life. In fact, towns are essential parts of rural regions, because that is where people go to socialize and congregate, do business, buy goods, etc. Even if a greater percentage of Jewish immigrants take up farming in this TL (and there WERE Jewish homesteader communities throughout the northern plains in OTL - albeit small ones), the chances are likely that those who want a more 'town' environment will have no trouble doing so. Considering there was often an ethnic difference between farmers and townies in OTL, it even makes a bit of sense (in my community, it was usually Yankees and Norwegians who settled 'in town' and Poles who owned the farms. A dichtomy which still holds surprisingly true for their descendents as well, though obviously not to the same extent)

 

[durante]

Yes, because as someone who grew up in a rural area myself, I can attest that there were NO towns of any size for hundreds of miles in any direction. The same when I moved to North Dakota - I was shocked to find that Fargo was not only the biggest urban center in the state ... it was the only one. Eveyone else just lived on farms with no communities of any size across the entirety of the northern plains

Rural areas have town life. In fact, towns are essential parts of rural regions, because that is where people go to socialize and congregate, do business, buy goods, etc. Even if a greater percentage of Jewish immigrants take up farming in this TL (and there WERE Jewish homesteader communities throughout the northern plains in OTL - albeit small ones), the chances are likely that those who want a more 'town' environment will have no trouble doing so. Considering there was often an ethnic difference between farmers and townies in OTL, it even makes a bit of sense (in my community, it was usually Yankees and Norwegians who settled 'in town' and Poles who owned the farms. A dichtomy which still holds surprisingly true for their descendents as well, though obviously not to the same extent)

This. I remember from demographics classes at uni that people will only travel so far for things, and the upper limit is about 3 hours. Saskatchewan, not unlike the Dakotas, is dotted with small towns and villages, which are normally (to easterners) filled with a surprising amount of amenities for towns of their size. This is because, of course, they also supply/support their hinterlands, which have lots of small farmers (Saskatchewan's CCF government placed limits on acreage in the 1950s meaning that they have suffered less from corporate farm consolidation since that time).

 

[Plateosaurus]

Let me just ask the obvious question: how will the natives fare ITTL?

 

[durante]

Let me just ask the obvious question: how will the natives fare ITTL?

Hopefully better or at least no worse.

The early Ukrainian settlers had decent relations with the Cree - they were both poor, remote, and looked down on by the state authorities. The same state apparatus which inflicted the Residential Schools also interned Austrian immigrants during WWI.

 

[durante]

Yes, because as someone who grew up in a rural area myself, I can attest that there were NO towns of any size for hundreds of miles in any direction. The same when I moved to North Dakota - I was shocked to find that Fargo was not only the biggest urban center in the state ... it was the only one. Eveyone else just lived on farms with no communities of any size across the entirety of the northern plains

Rural areas have town life. In fact, towns are essential parts of rural regions, because that is where people go to socialize and congregate, do business, buy goods, etc. Even if a greater percentage of Jewish immigrants take up farming in this TL (and there WERE Jewish homesteader communities throughout the northern plains in OTL - albeit small ones), the chances are likely that those who want a more 'town' environment will have no trouble doing so. Considering there was often an ethnic difference between farmers and townies in OTL, it even makes a bit of sense (in my community, it was usually Yankees and Norwegians who settled 'in town' and Poles who owned the farms. A dichtomy which still holds surprisingly true for their descendents as well, though obviously not to the same extent)

Truth is, Saskatchewan's "Metropolis" at the time was Chicago. These days it's probably Minneapolis.

 

[durante]

@DanMcCollum

As usual, pointing me toward similar patterns in adjacent US states has been immensely helpful.

Due to the discovery of gold, it appears that Jews began settling in the Dakotas in small numbers in the late 1870s. After 1882 and the pogroms in Russia, several utopian agricultural Jewish communities were formed across the Dakotas, although most didn't last long, due to, primarily, lack of settlers.

So even a few small successful settlements in Canada at that time is likely to be able to draw settlers away from the smaller failing communities in the USA.

So, why would they succeed in Canada where they failed in the USA, aside from hand-wavy "there were more of them" reasons?

Two reasons: block settlement and acreage. In the USA, homesteading granted one, IIRC, 160 acres. While in Canada, one had the option of claiming the adjacent quarter-section as well, expanding their allotment to 320 acres.

This is important on the prairies/northern plains because the land is drier and less wooded, meaning more acreage is necessary for a successful farm, and also, timber was absolutely crucial to being able to build a successful farm. It wasn't just a building material, but fuel for heating and cooking as well.

The second reason is block settlements.

In Canada, groups of 10 or more would-be homesteaders were allowed to apply for their land grants as a "block", and fulfill their improvement obligations communally.

This is one of the reasons that brought so many other religious and ethnic minorities to the prairies. There was even an Icelandic settlement in Manitoba which to this day is called Gimli.

So these Jews are going to find themselves allowed, even encouraged, to develop communal block settlements of farms.

And they are doing this 15 years prior to the massive influx of Galician Ukrainians.

When the Ukrainians arrive, they will have a leg up on their OTL selves because they can either homestead or purchase farms from Jews who are moving into the (local, small) towns. Or of course, they may prefer to sell to other incoming Jews, or non-Jewish settlers may avoid the Jewish communities. The wide open spaces of the Prairies provide lots of room for communities to work together while living apart.

Not unlike, y'know, the Pale that they are leaving.