The demand for French-language Jewish day schools to be established in Montreal, supported by the provincial government, was voiced here by Rabbi David Feuerwerker who said he speaks for 15,000 French-speaking Jews in the city.
“My people are in danger of losing not only religious values but French-cultural identity as well,” he said in demanding government support for French-language Jewish day schools. He reported that most of the French-speaking Jews are recent arrivals who do not have the resources to create their own day schools, as English-speaking Canadian Jews have done. He said many of the French-speaking Jewish families were suffering conflicts because their children who go to English-language Protestant-sponsored schools cannot communicate with their parents.
The rabbi spoke in support of the Committee for Tax Supported Jewish Schools which presented a brief to the special committee studying the non-Protestant and non-Catholic minorities in the province. The Committee asks that Jews in Quebec have the same educational rights which Protestants and Catholics have, without suffering extra financial burdens. A Jewish parent, to educate his child in a Jewish day school, must pay about $400 above his annual school taxes.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
