Montreal Jewish Lawyers Seek Admittance to Bar Council

Jewish members of the local Bar have decided to again press their demand for representation on the Bar Council. The number of Jewish lawyers is probably as large as English Protestants, yet Jewish lawyers are never nominated to the Council by their Gentile colleagues.

Commenting on the action of the Jewish lawyers, the “Canadian Jewish Chronicle” says: “Notwithstanding our numbers, neither English-speaking Protestants nor French-speaking Catholics are inclined to concede positions of honor to Jews. When an appointment has to be made by the Government, Provincial or Federal, in Montreal, a Jew stands little chance of getting it, either on his merits as an ordinary citizen, overlooking the adventitious circumstance of his being a Jew, as is the case in other countries, nor as a Jew on the tacit principle adopted in this province that offices should be distributed with due regard to religious and racial representation. Neither of the two religio-racial groups will give up willingly one of their places to a Jewish nominee when a judgeship or other high office is vacant.

“When we descend to positions of infinitely less importance, the same meanness of spirit prevails. At the Montreal Bar, the number of Jewish lawyers is very large. There are as many Jewish members, probably, as English Protestants. Here, too, a division of representation is made roughly on the basis of race. But it never occurs to the members of the so-called liberal profession to nominate a Jewish lawyer to the Council. If a Jew is by chance nominated, and no special understanding made beforehand with the general members of the Bar, the best Jewish nominees will be defeated by Gentile candidates of very mediocre standing.”