Gather

The Jewish population of Canada is currently about 400,000 people of which close to half reside in the GTA. They first settled in the area in the 1820s and their number continued to increase when Jewish immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe arrived in Canada in large numbers after 1880. They came seeking a home and country in which they could not only survive and prosper, but one in which they could leave a positive legacy for their children, grandchildren, and the generations that followed. They did indeed find the refuge they were searching for in Toronto and elsewhere, yet their acceptance and integration into the larger society was not always wanted or welcome, and the struggles they faced caused much inner turmoil and hardship. In this lecture historian and author Allan Levine examines the key lessons, trends and patterns of two centuries of Jewish life in Toronto.

Are you a reader? Do you like to discuss books that you have read? Then this group is for you. Join us in our casual monthly get together to share your love of reading with like-minded individuals. While we primarily read fiction, we do have two non-fiction titles on our list for this coming year. At each meeting every participant is given an opportunity to tell the group their thoughts on the book, their likes, and dislikes, and / or how the book has touched them. Discussion follows where we can all comment on different aspects of the story. Leader: Denise Roeleveld This Month's Book: The Bluest Eye - By Toni Morrison