Moroccan Jews in France and Canada - (Canadian Studies) by Yolande Cohen

About the Book

Drawing on rich oral histories, Moroccan Jews in France and Canada traces the post-colonial migrations of Moroccan Jews who settled in France and Canada instead of Israel. It explores their emotional journeys, the role of language in integration, and the enduring traumas and legacies of this little-known diaspora.

Book Synopsis

Moroccan Jews in France and Canada provides an extensive exploration of the post-colonial migrations of Moroccan Jews to France and Canada. Yolande Cohen, herself a migrant, and her collaborators draw on vivid oral histories to uncover the emotional journeys of departure and exile. Why did Moroccan Jews leave? When and how did this migration unfold?

After the establishment of Israel and the Palestinian-Israeli wars, most Moroccan Jews migrated to Israel. Yet a significant more Westernized, minority settled in France and Canada, supported by transnational Jewish organizations.

In Montreal, a city with an important multi-ethnic Jewish community, speaking French became crucial for their integration. By tracing these journeys and analyzing the language of exile, Moroccan Jews in France and Canada reveals the deep traumas underlying this historic migration. A powerful and essential account shedding light on a little-known diaspora and its complex legacy.

The English and French version of this title, though distinct, complement each other to offer a more comprehensive look at the topic.

Review Quotes

Drawing on archival records and oral histories, Cohen and her co-authors track the mobility and experience of Moroccan Jews from their hometowns to Montreal and, in parallel, to France. With analytic rigor, ethnographic detail, and careful historiographic framing, the essays show how migration reshapes citizenship and home in North America. This collection is an indispensable anthropological and historical reference on Moroccan Jewish migration, settlement, and belonging in Québec and France.--Aomar Boum, Maurice Amado Chair in Sephardic Studies and Resident Member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco "University of California, Los Angeles."

In a brilliant retrospective, Canadian historian Yolande Cohen revisits her life-long fascination with the mid-century resettlement of Moroccan Jews in Montreal, where they not only found refuge, but also novel expressions for their own rich heritage. Elaborated with scientific data as well as highly personal recollections, her story of the integration of African-born Jews into an unfamiliar multicultural environment is a tale of amazing adaptability on one side, and open-hearted generosity on the other.--Susan Gilson Miller, Professor Emerita of History "University of California, Davis."

About the Author

Yolande Cohen (Author)
Yolande Cohen is Full Professor of Contemporary History at the Université du Québec à Montréal and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Knight of Quebec's Ordre national and of France's Légion d'honneur, she received an honorary doctorate from Université de Montréal and the 2024 ACFAS André-Laurendeau prize for humanities, arts and letters.