Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes

Kerr, Thomas

English

Rendre l’équivalence dans la langue cible : traduction communicative de Portraits d’un pays vers l’anglais

Glowacka, Dorota

Review: Gideon Mailer, Remembering Histories of Trauma: North American Genocide and the Holocaust in Public Memory

Toufexis, Jesse

Review: Aaron Kreuter, Leaving Other People Alone: Diaspora, Zionism, and Palestine in Contemporary Jewish Fiction

Koffman, David S.

Tapper, Joshua

8  David S. Koffman and Joshua Tapper / Foreword 
Volume 39 Editors’ Foreword
Volume 39 of Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes marks the journal’s 
third publication of 2024 and, following Robert Brym’s path-breaking survey on 
post-October 7 attitudes toward Jews and Israel in Canada (Volume 37) and a special 
issue on Jewish education in this country (Volume 38), its first general volume. The 
volume’s section of peer-reviewed articles features two sociological studies on Jew-
ish continuity in Canada and two works of historical scholarship, one a fresh look at a 
well-studied topic and the other a first look at a previously unstudied topic. We also 
publish two of our regular subsections—Reflections and Translation—and a third, 
appearing for the first time, that points to an exciting new approach to how CJS / Éjc 
covers contemporary Jewish life and letters. 
 
Leading our Articles section, Brym, a sociologist, returns to our pages with the first 
of several analyses of Jewish representation in the 2021 Canadian census data. He 
compares census data from 2011 and 2021 to develop a positive outlook on Jewish 
continuity trends in Canada. While the secularization of Canadian Jewry continues 
apace, and organizations critical of Zionism and Israel have become more estab-
lished in recent years (a noticeable shift in the country’s institutional makeup), Jews 
in Canada continue to seek ethnic and cultural outlets for expressing their Jewish 
identities. As Brym points out, even Canadian Jewish organizations less all-embrac-
ing of Zionism and Israel nevertheless embody Jewish principles, just one sign of a 
healthy forecast for Jewish continuity in Canada. The second work of social science, 
a co-authored article by the sociologists Libby Bear and Randal F. Schnoor, draws on 
in-depth interviews with Jewish singles to conclude that endogamy and ethnocul-
tural particularism remain vital considerations for twenty-first-century Canadian 
Jews seeking long-term partners. 
 
Elsewhere, Gilli Cohen examines the discursive context surrounding the founding of 
the Canadian Jewish Congress in 1919 and finds that for all of the institution’s Zion-
ist motivations, it actually reflected a strong diasporist impulse among early Jewish 
leaders in Canada. Joseph B. Glass contributes a social history of seven Jewish refu-
gee doctors who found their way to Prince Edward Island during the Second World 
War—an important moment in the Island’s mid-century medical history and for its 
small Jewish community. Glass’s work promises to contribute to a robust historiog-
raphy on Jewish wartime immigration to Canada while helping build one on Jewish 
life in PEI. 
 
In Reflections, the Université du Québec à Montréal historian Yolande Cohen 
writes about her personal journey from Morocco to France to Canada and her first 
intellectual forays into the study of Sephardic Jewry in Quebec. Having pioneered in 
the field for nearly four decades, Cohen reflects movingly on the complex position 
9Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 39, 2024
of Jewish studies in Quebec universities, especially in our post-October 7 world. 
We are delighted to feature Cohen’s reflection in its original French and in an En-
glish translation by associate editor Valentina Gaddi. Our Translation section fea-
tures the work of Jazmin Rymberg, who brings us two letters written by her parents 
shortly after the family’s immigration to Winnipeg from Buenos Aires in 1997—one 
of the first to do so through the Jewish community’s Grow Winnipeg initiative. The 
letters, originally written in Spanish and dispatched to friends back in Argentina, 
describe the Rymbergs’ successes and struggles as they acclimated to their new (and 
much colder) reality in Canada.  
 
Finally, CJS / Ejc is pleased to introduce a new section, Field Notes, devoted to criti-
cal reviews of literary and artistic output relevant to the Canadian Jewish experience. 
The section intends to cover work outside the traditional scholarly publishing pipe-
line—art and museum exhibitions, film and theatrical productions, popular fiction 
and nonfiction, memoirs and poetry, podcasts and digital humanities projects, as 
well as contemporary literary, cultural, intellectual, and communal events of inter-
est—and offer a forum for reflection and vibrant debate on the varieties of Cana-
dian Jewish culture. The section will also include research and teaching reflections 
geared toward a popular audience, literary travelogues, photo essays, and more. Field 
Notes supports the journal’s mission—and that of its publisher, the Association for 
Canadian Jewish Studies—to create public-facing scholarship for a Canadian Jewish 
readership and all those interested in Canadian Jewish life. 
 
Our first instalment of Field Notes includes four items: a follow-up by Brym to his 
much-discussed Volume 37 survey that answers ten frequently asked questions; a 
collaborative, data-rich report by Brym and the Canadian studies scholar Jack Jed-
wab on the supporters and opponents of the pro-Palestinian encampments that 
sprouted on Canadian university campuses in 2024; a review by the art historian 
Andrew Kear on an updated and revised publication of William Kurelek’s Jewish 
Life in Canada, released in conjunction with a recent exhibit of Kurelek’s suite of 
Jewish-themed paintings at the McMichael Art Collection in Kleinberg, Ontario; 
and literary scholar Norm Ravvin’s on-the-ground report from Łódź, Poland, where 
he attended a centennial conference devoted to the Canadian Yiddish writer Chava 
Rosenfarb, who was born in the city. All Field Notes pieces can be read in a dedicated 
new section on the CJS / Éjc website.
Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes acknowledges and appreciates the 
support it currently receives from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research 
Council’s Support for Scholarly Journals program, from York University’s Faculty of 
Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, and of course, from the members of our parent 
body, the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies. Our journal is open access and 
free online, hosted on the Open Journal System by York University Libraries. We are 
10  David S. Koffman and Joshua Tapper / Foreword 
also immensely grateful for a recent generous donation to the journal and the ACJS 
from the Tauben Family Foundation.
We also thank all those scholars who have contributed to this volume, including our 
contributing authors, subsection contributors, anonymous peer reviewers, and our 
own editorial team, Amir Lavie, Valentina Gaddi, Janice Rosen, and Vardit Lightstone. 
Thanks as well to our designer, Derek Broad. 
David S. Koffman             Joshua Tapper           November 2024 
Editor-in-Chief              Managing Editor
11Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 39, 2024
Volume 39 Avant-propos des rédacteurs 
Le volume 39 de Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes marque la 
troisième publication de la revue en 2024. A la suite de l’enquête novatrice de Robert 
Brym sur les attitudes canadiennes à l’égard des Juif.ves et d’Israël après le 7 octobre 
(volume 37) et d’un numéro spécial sur l’éducation juive (volume 38), il s’agit du pre-
mier volume général. La section d’articles évalués par des pairs présente deux études 
sociologiques sur la continuité juive au Canada et deux recherches historiques : l’une 
pose un nouveau regard sur un sujet bien étudié et l’autre un premier regard sur un 
sujet peu exploré. Nous publions également deux de nos sous-sections régulières - 
Réflexions et Traduction - et une troisième, apparaissant pour la première fois, qui 
propose une nouvelle et passionnante approche à partir de laquelle aborder la vie et 
les lettres juives contemporaines.  
Dirigeant notre section Articles, Brym, sociologue, revient sur nos pages avec la 
première de plusieurs analyses des représentations des Juif.ves dans les données du 
recensement canadien de 2021. Il compare les données du recensement de 2011 et 
2021 pour développer une vision positive de la continuité juive au Canada. Alors que 
la sécularisation de la communauté juive canadienne se poursuit rapidement et que 
des organisations critiques du sionisme et d’Israël se sont établies au cours des der-
nières années (un changement notable dans la composition institutionnelle du pays), 
les Juif.ves au Canada continuent de chercher des débouchés ethniques et culturels 
pour exprimer leur identité juive. Comme le souligne Brym, même les organisations 
juives canadiennes qui embrassent moins le sionisme et Israël incarnent néanmoins 
les principes juifs, ce qu’il lit comme un signe d’une saine continuité juive au Canada. 
La deuxième contribution en sciences sociales, un article co-écrit par les sociologues 
Libby Bear et Randal F. Schnoor, s’appuie sur des entretiens approfondis avec des 
célibataires juifs pour défendre l’idée que l’endogamie et le particularisme ethnocul-
turel restent des considérations vitales pour les Juif.ves canadien.nes du XXIe siècle à 
la recherche de partenaires à long terme.  
Ensuite, Gilli Cohen examine le contexte discursif entourant la fondation du Congrès 
juif canadien en 1919 et constate que, malgré toutes les motivations sionistes de l’ins-
titution, il est en fait le rélais d’une forte impulsion diasporiste parmi les premiers 
dirigeants juifs au Canada. Joseph B. Glass présente l’histoire sociale de sept méde-
cins juifs réfugiés qui se sont rendus à l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard pendant la Seconde 
Guerre mondiale - un moment important dans l’histoire médicale de l’Île au milieu 
du siècle et pour sa petite communauté juive. Le travail de Glass promet de contri-
buer à une historiographie solide sur l’immigration juive au Canada en temps de 
guerre tout en aidant à en construire une sur la vie juive à l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard. 
  
12  David S. Koffman and Joshua Tapper / Avant-propos
Dans Réflexions, l’historienne de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, Yolande 
Cohen, raconte son voyage personnel du Maroc au Canada, en passant par la France 
ainsi que ses premières incursions intellectuelles dans l’étude de la judéité séfarade 
au Québec. Pionnière dans le domaine depuis près de quatre décennies, Cohen ré-
fléchit de manière émouvante à la position complexe des études juives dans les uni-
versités québécoises, en particulier après le 7 octobre. Nous sommes ravis de pré-
senter la réflexion de Cohen dans son français original ainsi que dans une traduction 
anglaise réalisée par Valentina Gaddi, rédactrice adjointe. Notre section Traduction 
présente le travail de Jazmin Rymberg, qui nous apporte deux lettres écrites par ses 
parents peu après l’immigration de la famille de Buenos Aires à Winnipeg en 1997, 
l’une des premières à le faire dans le cadre de l’initiative de la communauté juive 
Grow Winnipeg. Les lettres, écrites à l’origine en espagnol et envoyées à des amis en 
Argentine, décrivent les succès et les luttes des Rymberg alors qu’iels s’acclimataient 
à leur nouvelle réalité (beaucoup plus froide) au Canada.   
Enfin, CJS / Ejc est heureux de présenter sa nouvelle section Notes de Terrain, consa-
crée aux critiques de la production littéraire et artistique qui touche à l’expérience 
juive canadienne. Elle traitera de sujets qui se situent en dehors du milieu savant tradi-
tionnel - expositions d’art et muséales, productions cinématographiques et théâtrales, 
ouvrages de fiction et de littérature non romanesque, mémoires et poésie, baladodif-
fusions et projets de sciences humaines numériques, ainsi que des événements litté-
raires, culturels, intellectuels et communautaires contemporains d’intérêt - et offre un 
forum de réflexion et de débat dynamique autour des différentes facettes de la culture 
juive canadienne. La section comprendra également des réflexions de recherche et 
d’enseignement destinées au grand public, des récits de voyage littéraires, des essais 
photographiques, etc. Notes de Terrain soutient la mission de la revue - et de son 
éditeur, l’Association d’études juives canadiennes - de créer des publications destinées 
au lectorat juif canadien et tou.tes celleux qui s’intéressent à la vie juive canadienne.  
Notre premier volume de Notes de Terrain comprend quatre contributions :  un 
suivi de Brym de son enquête publié dans le volume 37, à travers la réponse à dix 
questions fréquemment posées ; un rapport collaboratif et riche en données par 
Brym et le chercheur en études canadiennes Jack Jedwab sur les partisans et les 
adversaires des campements pro-palestiniens qui ont germé sur les campus univer-
sitaires canadiens en 2024 ; un compte rendu critique par l’historien de l’art Andrew 
Kear de la publication - mise à jour et révisée - Jewish Life in Canada (La vie juive 
au Canada), de William Kurelek, parue conjointement avec une exposition récente de 
peintures de l'artiste sur le même thème à la Collection d'art McMichael à Kleinberg 
(Ontario) ; et, finalement, les notes de terrain du professeur de littérature Norm Ra-
vvin de passage à Łódź, en Pologne, où il a assisté à une conférence consacrée à l’écri-
vain yiddish canadien Chava Rosenfarb, en occasion du centenaire de sa naissance 
dans cette ville. Toutes les Notes de Terrain peuvent être lues dans une nouvelle 
section dédiée sur le site Web de CJS / Éjc. 
13Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 39, 2024
Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes reconnaît et apprécie le soutien 
qu’elle reçoit actuellement du programme de soutien aux revues savantes du Conseil 
de recherches en sciences humaines, de la Faculté des arts libéraux et des études 
professionnelles de l’Université York et, bien sûr, de l’Association d’études juives ca-
nadiennes, organisme dont nous relevons.
Nous remercions finalement tous les chercheur.es qui ont contribué à ce volume, 
y compris nos auteur.es., les contributeur.ices des sous-sections, les évaluateur.
ices anonymes et notre équipe éditoriale, Amir Lavie, Valentina Gaddi et Vardit 
Lightstone. Merci également à notre designer, Derek Broad.  
David S. Koffman            Joshua Tapper           November 2024  
Rédacteur en chef            Rédacteur adjoint 
 
 
 


Foreword

Perin, Roberto

276
 
Roberto Perin / Jews and Italians in the Land of Milk and Honey?
Roberto Perin
Jews and Italians in the Land of Milk and Honey?
277Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 36, 2023
While similarities abound in the trajectories of Jews and Italians in Canada, fun-
damental differences are also in evidence. Before the Second World War, these two 
groups constituted the most demographically significant ones in Canada’s largest 
cities outside the British and the French. However, in the wake of large-scale post-
war migration from the peninsula and a correspondingly weak flow of Jews arriving 
from abroad, Italians displaced the latter in the top spot, holding that position in 
Montreal, but ceding it to South Asian Indians in Toronto by the end of the millen-
nium. Still, the mass movement of the two groups began roughly at the same time, 
in the early years of the twentieth century. Before that, embryonic communities 
dating back to the Conquest in the case of the Jews and the War of 1812 for Ital-
ians were well integrated, the first among English speakers and the second among 
French speakers. In the 1850s Moses Judah Hays became Montreal’s chief of po-
lice and Abraham de Sola, professor of Hebrew and Oriental Literature, at McGill 
University. At the same time James Forneri held the chair of Modern Languages at 
the University of Toronto, while Paul Bruchési was appointed second archbishop 
of Montreal at the end of the century. 
Mass migration greatly expanded and diversified these communities. The new ar-
rivals used their hometown identities to expedite their integration in the new land. 
Jews founded landsmanshaftn and synagogues whose very names testified to their 
deep-seated local identity. As for Italians, campanilismo, a word derived from the 
belltower of the local parish church (campanile), is perhaps too often used to describe 
the narrow limits of their sense of loyalty. Be that as it may, boarding houses and 
mutual aid societies were often based on local identities. The first Italian parishes in 
both Montreal and Toronto bore names referring to cults predominantly associated 
with southern Italy where most immigrants originated. As well, Italian religiosity 
was very much focused on the patron saint of the town of origin which the parish 
clergy ignored at their peril. Local identities produced fractiousness within these 
immigrant communities, compounded by perceptions of superiority entrenched in 
segments of both groups. One could say that the further south one went in Eastern 
Europe and Italy, the less esteemed were the inhabitants: at the top were Lithuanian 
Jews and northern Italians, while the bottom was occupied by Romanian Jews and 
Sicilians. Factors relating to class and time of arrival, however, were also at play. 
These centrifugal forces were, however, held in check. Immigrant elites had an 
interest, both personal and ideological, in containing them. As well, international 
events such as the Kishinev pogroms, the Messina earthquake, the First World War, 
the Third International, the Sacco and Vanzetti trial, as well as Zionist, Bundist, and 
anarcho-syndicalist ideologies appealed to a broader sense of identity. Activities and 
institutions specifically directed at the entire immigrant group, namely newspapers, 
health and welfare assistance, trade unions, theatre, sports, and other pastimes, all 
reinforced these centripetal tendencies. In this regard, one cannot but be in awe of 
the achievements of the highly literate and cultured Jews who transformed Montreal 
278
 
Roberto Perin / Jews and Italians in the Land of Milk and Honey?
into the Vilna on the St. Lawrence to borrow from the title of Kalman Weiser’s evoc-
ative article. Only a third as numerous in Canada’s major urban centres and with less 
formal education, Italians had to wait until after the Second World War to achieve a 
somewhat similar flourishing. 
In the world of work, Jews and Italians occupied specific job niches, the former in 
the schmatte trade and the latter in construction. A smaller number ran small family 
businesses doubtless escaping the exploitative conditions imposed on their compa-
triots by Jewish, Italian, and Canadian employers, but subjected nonetheless to the 
tyranny of economic survival, especially during the Depression. In the larger indus-
tries, affiliates of US trade or industrial unions engaged in strikes and other action 
to improve workers’ lives. This was not an option in small clothing and construction 
companies where the prevailing intense competition exerted a depressive effect on 
wages and working conditions. Ottawa’s enactment in 1944 of an order-in-council 
protecting workers’ right to organize and employers’ obligation to recognize their 
unions paved the way to the spectacular labour conflicts in Toronto’s construction 
industry in the early 1960s. Italians were in the forefront of the battle to unionize 
and create a safer working environment in the wake of the Hogg’s Hollow disas-
ter that killed five of their compatriots. These events show that a culturally driven 
analysis of labour activism, privileging some immigrant groups over others is de-
ficient, for it is the material conditions constraining workers’ actions that are ulti-
mately more important.
In order to secure a better future for their children, many Jewish immigrants pinned 
their hopes on education. Their offspring’s’ marked proclivity for the liberal profes-
sions, especially law, medicine, and dentistry, impelled universities, such as McGill, 
and hospitals to devise various techniques to restrict their numbers. For those who 
could afford it, obtaining a degree from a US institution became a way of circum-
venting such obstacles. By contrast, Italians seemed to follow another strategy linked 
to what historians such as Bettina Bradbury called the family economy whereby ev-
ery member of the unit contributed however modestly to the economic wellbeing of 
the whole, often at the expense of further study. As a result, the second generation’s 
achievements were less spectacular than those of Jews. In the postwar era, however, 
Italians responded eagerly to the state’s heavy investment in schooling, obtaining 
university degrees in large numbers especially but not only in the vastly expanding 
education sector. They contributed to and benefitted from the growth of the Catho-
lic school system, finding ready jobs especially in Quebec where the British element 
was in rapid decline. 
Is there then no better home than Canada for Jews and Italians, to paraphrase David 
Koffman? As many of the contributors to his volume and for the same reasons, I am 
rather hesitant to say so, irrationally fearing that such hubris will unleash the fury 
of the gods. Immigration incontestably averted the horrors of the Shoah, certainly 
279Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 36, 2023
produced economic and psychic security for most Jews and Italians, as well improv-
ing the lives of their children. And this despite the xenophobia and the antisemitism 
that was a banal fact of life in Canada before the age of multiculturalism and still 
haphazardly dogs Jews to this very day. Both groups produced in the second gener-
ation luminaries in the magistracy, medicine, education, the arts and sciences, and 
even honest and competent political leaders. Jews led the fight for civil liberties in 
this country, while Italians championed the cause of workplace health and safety. All 
this was achieved in the context of the Keynesian state, what the French term “Les 
Trente Glorieuses.” 
Today, we live in a different world, which makes me skeptical of David Weinfeld’s 
optimism about the United States. I for one do not feel the same sense of common-
ality with US Italians that he displays toward US Jews. Already in 1986, filmmaker 
Denys Arcand foretold the decline of the American empire. Despite its economically 
and ecologically unsustainable lifestyle, most Canadians have hitched their wagon 
to this falling star. Ever the followers, politicians have aligned the country’s policies 
even more closely to those of the imperial centre. In this context, how much longer 
can Canada claim to be a promised land? Will we live to regret the choices made by 
our forebears?
Much more compelling is Pierre Anctil’s exasperated cry for Anglophone and Fran-
cophone specialists of Canadian Jewry to read each other’s work. Vitiating Italian 
Canadian studies as well, this dialogue of the deaf characterizes all aspects of the hu-
manities and social sciences relating to Canada. It is one aspect of the broader issue 
of the relations between the two major linguistic groups, which is older than Canada 
itself, and constitutes a key element, along with the country’s relations to the United 
States, of the Canadian question. Although a breach appeared in the wall separating 
the two cultures in the postwar era, it closed again within a few short years. While 
this estrangement can perhaps be excused at the popular level, it is completely in-
comprehensible in academia. And yet, not only do scholars not read the works of 
their counterparts in the other linguistic community, they do not know them as 
individuals and have little hope of interacting with them within the associations of 
their discipline which are organized largely along linguistic lines. Today the reality 
of “the two solitudes” is still very much with us. Whatever the constitutional form 
Canada will assume in future, however, the two language groups cannot afford to 
ignore each other if they wish to survive as distinct entities within the North Amer-
ican continent.
Roberto Perin is an emeritus professor of history at York University. His 
research interests lie in the fields of migration, religion, and Quebec. He is 
currently writing a history of immigrants from a specific province of Italy to 
Quebec in the twentieth century.


Jews and Italians in the Land of Milk and Honey?

CJS Editors

340
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Rymberg, Jazmin

136
 
Jazmin Rymberg / From Buenos Aires to Winnipeg: A Personal Reflection through Translation
Jazmin Rymberg 
From Buenos Aires to Winnipeg: A Personal 
Reflection through Translation1
137Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 39, 2024
Translator’s Introduction
In the 1990s, Argentina was a nation grappling with various social, political, and 
economic challenges that significantly impacted its Jewish community. The country 
faced a wave of terrorism, including the devastating bombings of the Israeli embassy 
in 1992 and the AMIA Jewish Community Centre in 1994, leaving the Jewish popu-
lation feeling vulnerable and insecure. Political corruption and economic instability, 
exacerbated under President Carlos Menem’s administration, rising unemployment, 
and the devaluation of the Argentine peso caused many Jewish families, including 
mine, to seek new opportunities abroad. 
In 1997, we became the first Argentinian family to move to Winnipeg through the 
Grow Winnipeg initiative, an effort by the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg to revi-
talize the local Jewish community by welcoming new immigrants. Although I was 
only eleven months old at the time, the journey my family undertook and the reasons 
behind it have profoundly influenced my life and worldview. 
The economic crisis in Argentina deepened in 2001, leading to the implementation 
of the corralito, a government policy that froze bank accounts and restricted access to 
cash. This event triggered a new wave of Argentine immigration, with many seeking 
stability and security in countries like Canada. My parents, with remarkable fore-
sight, decided to make the move before the crisis peaked, positioning our family as 
part of an earlier wave of immigrants who sought a better future in Canada. 
These letters were written by my father, Gustavo Rymberg, in February and April 
1997, shortly after our family’s arrival in Winnipeg from Buenos Aires, in January. 
The letters capture the early days of our new life in Canada; they reflect the excite-
ment, challenges, and adjustments my family faced as a result of our new beginning. 
On top of juggling the never-ending responsibilities that inevitably come along with 
two very young children (my sister and me) and building a career, my parents were 
in a foreign country. They were committed to learning English quickly—a language 
that neither of them spoke fluently.
The letters were written to close family friends back in Argentina, with whom my 
parents shared many memories before our move. The tone is lighthearted and af-
fectionate, filled with humorous observations about the cold Winnipeg winters and 
the many changes that were happening in our lives. 
I decided to translate these letters after my dad received a whole bag full of them 
following the passing of his best friend, Karina, in March 2020.  Translating these 
letters has been both an academic and emotional exercise. As a translator, I am often 
tasked with translating more technical texts or texts that are not closely linked to 
my personal life. In my master’s program in translation at York University, we fre-
quently discussed the translator’s role in bridging languages and cultures, to ensure 
138
 
Jazmin Rymberg / From Buenos Aires to Winnipeg: A Personal Reflection through Translation
the meaning of the original text remains while making it accessible to the target 
audience. When dealing with primary texts that hold deeply personal significance, 
this task proved challenging. 
These translations aim to preserve the conversational tone and spirit of the original 
Spanish, reflecting both the joy and the sense of adventure that marked our early 
years in Canada. As someone who grew up straddling two cultures, translating these 
letters served as a reminder of the resilience and optimism that defined my family’s 
immigrant experience.
As I worked on these translations, I was reminded of how much my early life was 
shaped by movement and change. My father’s professional trajectory working in 
Jewish community centres and federations meant that we moved frequently during 
my formative years. In 2005, when I was nine years old, we moved to Ottawa when he 
took up a position at the city’s JCC. This transition was challenging; the reception we 
received was not as warm as it had been in Winnipeg. The Jewish day school in Ot-
tawa, with its Orthodox traditions, was a stark contrast to the inclusive environments 
I had previously known. This made me question my Judaism at a young age. After 
two years of petitioning my parents for a change, they finally agreed to enroll me in 
public school. Ironically, this switch allowed me to reconnect with my Jewish iden-
tity and share our traditions with new non-Jewish friends, even introducing them 
to matzah pizza. In 2010, when I was fourteen, we relocated to Toronto, where my 
was hired by the UJA Federation. I attended a public high school in a predominantly 
Jewish neighborhood, where about 98 percent of the student body was Jewish. Each 
move presented unique challenges, becoming more complex as I grew older. By the 
time we arrived in Toronto, we had learned to adapt to the dynamics of a larger city.
This constant uprooting instilled in me a deep empathy for the immigrant expe-
rience, even as I learned to find optimism and opportunity in every new place we 
called home. My parents have always insisted that they never regretted leaving Ar-
gentina—a sentiment that is clearly expressed in their early letter, with the exciting 
stories they shared about our new home. 
In the April 1997 letter, my dad writes about life’s journeys. His words resonated with 
me on a profound level, especially as I now find myself working alongside him in a 
Jewish organization in Hamilton, Ontario, giving back to the community that wel-
comed us so warmly when we first landed in Manitoba. The sense of continuity—of 
being part of a journey that began decades ago—adds an extra layer of meaning to 
the translation process. It is a reminder that the narratives we preserve are not just 
historical records but living legacies that continue to shape our lives.
I write this reflection during a time of renewed instability for Jewish people globally. 
As a young Jewish professional in a Jewish institution, I find navigating these chal-
139Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 39, 2024
lenges both debilitating and extremely frightening, especially as I am now almost the 
same age as my parents were when they made the life-changing decision to move to 
Canada. Their courage in the face of uncertainty is a source of inspiration as I strive 
to continue to be an effective leader in our community. 
Through these translations, I hope to offer readers a glimpse into the lived expe-
rience of Argentinian Jewish immigrants in Canada, while also reflecting on the 
broader themes of identity, memory, and the power of language to connect us across 
time and space. 
Jazmin Rymberg holds a BA (Honours) in cinema studies, history, and Italian 
from the University of Toronto. She earned an MA in translation from Glen-
don College at York University and is working towards ATIO certification. Her 
translation work spans various genres, including technical and literary texts. She 
arrived in Canada on January 16, 1997, when her family moved to Winnipeg from 
Buenos Aires. She has since lived in Ottawa, Toronto, and Oakville, and currently 
serves as the communications coordinator at the Hamilton Jewish Federation.
140
 
Jazmin Rymberg / From Buenos Aires to Winnipeg: A Personal Reflection through Translation
Disclaimer: Some names have been changed to protect individuals’ privacy. 
Postcard  
141Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 39, 2024
Winnipeg 11 de febrero de 1997 
Queridos Kari, Fabi y Guido 
 ¿Como están? Espero que estén todos muy bien, me imagino que negros de Punta. 
¿no? Nosotros estamos super contentos y realmente muy felices con esta nueva vida, 
pero estamos blancos re teta, porque hace un frío increíble y hay nieve hasta en el 
inodoro. Pero se aguanta perfectamente bien abrigado y sin estar mucho tiempo 
pelotudeando en la calle. Alquilamos un departamento muy lindo en un complejo 
copado con pileta cubierta, jacuzzi y gimnasio, estamos en el piso 21 con una vista su-
per copada. Lo alquilamos hasta el verano y después vamos a empezar a buscar casa. 
Los queremos mucho y esperamos pronto su visita y cartas. Escríbannos y un super 
beso. 
Los Rymbergs 
Winnipeg February 11, 1997 
Dear Kari, Fabi and Guido,  
How are you? I hope you’re all doing very well. I imagine you must be all tanned 
from Punta, right? We’re all really happy and excited about this new life, but we 
are really pale, because it is incredibly cold here, there’s even snow in the toilet! But 
we’re managing just fine, staying warm and not fooling around too much outside.  
We rented a really nice apartment in a great complex with an indoor pool, jacuzzi, 
and gym. We’re on the twenty-first floor with a super cool view. We rented it until 
the summer, and then we’ll start looking for a house.  
We love you all very much and look forward to your visit and letters.  
Write back! Sending you a big kiss!  
The Rymbergs 
142
 
Jazmin Rymberg / From Buenos Aires to Winnipeg: A Personal Reflection through Translation
Letter 
143Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 39, 2024
144
 
Jazmin Rymberg / From Buenos Aires to Winnipeg: A Personal Reflection through Translation
Winnipeg, 26 de abril de 1997 
Queridos Kari, Fabi y Guido, 
¡¡¡Hola!!! ¿Como están? ¡Nosotros realmente muy contentos al recibir carta de ustedes 
y saber que están muy bien y en la búsqueda del próximo, nos encanta! Que sea con 
suerte y Felicidad. Ni bien confirmen nos avisan, ¿no? que lindo!!! Mucha suerte de 
todos nosotros. 
Bueno, a nosotros también nos encanta recibir noticias suyas, Melina se pone muy 
contenta al saber de Guido Grande (guido chiquito es de Gabriela y Gerardo) aho-
ra estamos finalizando la semana y media de vacaciones de Pesaj, yo también tuve 
porque mis laburos son en la comunidad y en el Jewish Post and News, así que en 
ambos pude descansar un poco. La verdad que estoy muy contento con el trabajo, 
además de estar obligado a poner en práctica el inglés todo el tiempo. Marisa va a 
su colegio todas las mañanas dos horas y yo voy los sábados, cuatro horas de 9 a 13 
horas, es muy cansador pero muy importante y necesario. Dia a día hablamos mejor 
y entendemos más, bah!!! Por lo menos la gente nos felicita como progresamos, eso 
nos ace muy bien para seguir estudiando.  
¡¡Ah!! ¡¡¡No sé si saben que Alejandro se casa el 25 de octubre en Uruguay (novia es de 
allá) y antes del casamiento vienen a conocer Winnipeg porque a fin de año se vienen 
a vivir acá, no es genial!!! ¿Parece mentira las vueltas que da la vida no? 
¿Hablando de vueltas, cuando viajan ustedes? Acuérdense de avisarnos con tiempo 
así nos podemos encontrar aquí o en algún lugar intermedio (New York, Chicago, 
Toronto) vayan meditándolo. Aprovechen ahora que cuatro es más caro y quilombo. 
Calculo que para cuando vengan ya vamos a estar mudados y vamos a tener cuarto de 
huéspedes, seria lindo que lo estrenen. Nosotros nos vamos a mudar el 1 de octubre. 
El mes que viene vamos a empezar a buscar casa no se si para comprar o para alquilar, 
más Adelante les contamos. 
 Un gran abrazo les mandamos desde acá con mucho cariño y lleno de recuerdos 
hermosos e inolvidables. Los queremos y recordamos siempre, 
Marisa, Meli, Jazmin y Gustavo 
 
 
145Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes, vol. 39, 2024
Winnipeg, April 26, 1997  
Dear Kari, Fabi and Guido,  
Hello!!! How are you? We’re so happy to receive your letter and to know that you are 
doing well and trying for another one! We love it! May it come to you with luck and 
happiness. As soon as you know, let us know, okay? How great! Best of luck from all 
of us.  
Well, we also love hearing news about you. Melina is very happy to hear about Big 
Guido (Little Guido is Gabriela and Gerardo’s son). We are now wrapping up a week 
and a half of Passover break. I also had time off because I work for the Jewish com-
munity and the Jewish Post and News, so I was able to rest for a bit from both places. 
Honestly, I’m very happy with work, it also forces me to practice my English all the 
time. Marisa goes to her class every morning for two hours, and I go on Saturdays for 
four hours, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s very tiring but very important and necessary. Day 
by day we speak better and understand more. Well…at least people compliment us 
on how much we’ve improved, which is good motivation for us to continue studying. 
I’m not sure if you heard, but Alejandro is getting married October 25 in Uruguay 
(his fiancé is from there) and before the wedding they are coming to visit Winnipeg 
because they’re moving here at the end of the year. Isn’t that great? Life’s journeys 
are unbelievable, aren’t they? 
Speaking of journeys, when are you traveling? Remember to let us know in advance 
so we can meet up here or somewhere in between (New York, Chicago, Toronto). 
Think about it. Take advantage now, because four is more expensive and chaotic. I 
guess by the time you come we will have moved in and we will have a guest room, it 
would be nice if you were the first to use it. We are going to move out on October 1. 
Next month we are going to start looking for a house, I don’t know if we are going to 
buy or rent, we will let you know later. 
Sending you a big hug from here with lots of love and full of beautiful and unforget-
table memories. We love and remember you always.  
Marisa, Meli, Jazmin, and Gustavo 
1
I would like to thank my family for their 
bravery and efforts in preserving our heritage 
as they established themselves so beautifully 
in Canada. You’ve instilled in me a deep sense 
of adventure that I carry with me always. I also 
thank my best friend and best proofreader, 
Megan, to whom I owe every A.


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