Mapping Work in Early Twentieth-Century Montreal: a Rabbi, a Neighbourhood, and a Community Mary Anne Poutanen and Jason Gilliland

Document generated on 10/02/2021 5:08 p.m. Urban History Review Revue d'histoire urbaine Mapping Work in Early Twentieth-Century Montreal: A Rabbi, a Neighbourhood, and a Community Mary Anne Poutanen and Jason Gilliland Volume 45, Number 2, Spring 2017 Article abstract Rabbi Simon Glazer’s 1909 daily journal provides a window onto his role as an URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1051383ar orthodox rabbi of a largely Yiddish-speaking immigrant community, his DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1051383ar interactions with Jewish newcomers, the range of tasks he performed to augment the inadequate stipends he received from a consortium of five city synagogues See table of contents where he was chief rabbi, and the ways in which Jewish newcomers sought to become economically independent. Using a multidisciplinary methodology, including Historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS), Glazer’s journal Publisher(s) offers a new lens through which to view and map the social geography of this community. Our study contributes to a growing body of literature on immigrant Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine settlement, which has shown that such clustering encouraged economic independence and social mobility. Characterized by a high degree of diversity in ISSN ethnicity and commerce, the St. Lawrence Boulevard corridor was an ideal location for Jewish newcomers to set down roots. We argue that the community 0703-0428 (print) served as a springboard for social mobility and that Simon Glazer played an 1918-5138 (digital) important role at a critical moment in its early development. It was on its way to becoming one of Canada’s most significant Jewish communities. Over the eleven Explore this journal years that he worked in Montreal (1907–18), Glazer carved out a vital place for himself in the city’s Jewish immigrant community and honed skills that would serve him well when he returned to the United States. Cite this article Poutanen, M. A. & Gilliland, J. (2017). Mapping Work in Early Twentieth-Century Montreal: A Rabbi, a Neighbourhood, and a Community. Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine, 45(2), 7–24. https://doi.org/10.7202/1051383ar All Rights Reserved © Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine, 2018 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ Mapping Work in Early Twentieth-Century Montreal: A Rabbi, a Neighbourhood, and a Community Mary Anne Poutanen and Jason Gilliland Rabbi Simon Glazer’s 1909 daily journal provides a window onto de diversité ethnique et commerciale, le corridor du boulevard his role as an orthodox rabbi of a largely Yiddish-speaking im- Saint-Laurent est l’endroit indiqué pour l’enracinement des nou- migrant community, his interactions with Jewish newcomers, the veaux arrivants juifs. Nous soutenons que la communauté a servi range of tasks he performed to augment the inadequate stipends he de tremplin pour la mobilité sociale et que Simon Glazer y a joué received from a consortium of five city synagogues where he was chief un rôle central à une étape cruciale de son développement initial. rabbi, and the ways in which Jewish newcomers sought to become Cette communauté juive était en voie de devenir l’une des plus economically independent. Using a multidisciplinary methodol- importantes du Canada. Au cours des onze années (1907–1918) ogy, including Historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS), travaillées à Montréal, Glazer s’est taillé une place vitale en son Glazer’s journal offers a new lens through which to view and map sein et a perfectionné des compétences qui allaient bien le servir à the social geography of this community. Our study contributes to son retour aux États-Unis. a growing body of literature on immigrant settlement, which has shown that such clustering encouraged economic independence and social mobility. Characterized by a high degree of diversity in Introduction ethnicity and commerce, the St. Lawrence Boulevard corridor was On 3 January 1909, Rabbi Simon Glazer spent a busy and long an ideal location for Jewish newcomers to set down roots. We argue although not an unusual day in Montreal. He conducted three that the community served as a springboard for social mobility and marriages, each held in a different location, wrote a letter to Rabbi that Simon Glazer played an important role at a critical moment in Grossman of Philadelphia to inform him about a future son-in-law, its early development. It was on its way to becoming one of Canada’s adjudicated the case of Markson versus Wagner, and counselled 1 most significant Jewish communities. Over the eleven years that he the Sosins, who had asked him to grant them a divorce. He carried worked in Montreal (1907–18), Glazer carved out a vital place for out these responsibilities within walking distance of his home on himself in the city’s Jewish immigrant community and honed skills St. Urbain Street. The seven lines that Glazer inscribed in his 1909 that would serve him well when he returned to the United States. daily journal depicting such work-related activities provide a window onto his role as an orthodox rabbi of a largely immigrant community and on the range of tasks he performed to augment the inadequate Le journal quotidien que tient le Rabbin Simon Glazer en 1909 stipends he received from a consortium of five city synagogues, the ouvre une fenêtre sur son rôle de rabbin orthodoxe au sein d’une “United Orthodox Congregations,” where he was chief rabbi.2 communauté largement yiddishophone, ses interactions avec des nouveaux arrivants juifs, l’éventail de tâches accomplies pour His journal offers a new lens through which to view and map the palier le cachet insuffisant qu’il reçoit d’un regroupement de social geography of the immigrant Jewish community of early cinq synagogues urbaines dont il est le grand rabbin ainsi que twentieth-century Montreal. While scholars have used diaries les moyens mis en œuvre par les nouveaux arrivants juifs pour as sources of information,3 few attempt to map from this textual atteindre l’indépendance économique. À l’aide d’une métho- document.4 The Glazer journal is especially valuable in identifying dologie multidisciplinaire comprenant le recours aux systèmes key relationships between the rabbi and leading members of the d’information géographiques historiques (SIGH), le journal du Jewish community, municipal government, as well as with the dif- Rabbin Glazer permet d’envisager la géographie sociale de cette ferent congregations of the synagogues where he was chief rabbi, communauté à travers un nouveau prisme. Notre étude s’ajoute and in providing clues to the everyday life of ordinary people. à une documentation croissante sur l’établissement des immi- Using a multidisciplinary methodology coming from our inter- grants qui démontre que le regroupement encourage l’autonomie ests in both human geography and social history, the Glazer économique et la mobilité sociale. Caractérisé par un haut degré 7 Urban History Review / Revue d’histoire urbaine Vol. XLv, N0. 2 (Spring 2017 printemps) Mapping Work in Early Twentieth-Century Montreal journal allows us to explore ways in which he and others in the We also intend this research article to contribute to urban histor- Jewish immigrant community sought to become economically ical scholarship on immigrant settlement patterns, which have independent. On the one hand, our study examines the diverse shown that clustering encouraged economic mutual support roles played by an economically deprived rabbi, and on the and independence—both necessary for integration and social other hand it enquires into his interactions (social and spatial) mobility.10 The St. Lawrence Boulevard corridor, characterized with the Yiddish-speaking Jewish community grouped along by a high degree of ethnic and commercial diversity, served as and around St. Lawrence Boulevard. We argue that not only an ideal location for Jewish newcomers to set down roots close did the community provide a springboard for Glazer’s social to the city’s business district on St. Jacques, Street, therefore mobility but also that he played an important role at a critical permitting integration into the larger economy.11 Echoing studies moment in its early history. The city’s Jewish community was on of the built environment and Jewish immigrant settlement pat- its way to becoming the most important one in Canada in size terns by Laura Vaughan and Alan Penn in the United Kingdom, and influence. Over the eleven years that he worked in Montreal newcomers in Montreal took advantage of their proximity to (1907–18), Glazer carved out a vital place for himself in the city’s Montreal’s bourgeoning garment industry where they found em- Jewish immigrant community and honed skills that would serve ployment.12 Known as “the people’s rabbi,”13 Glazer’s relation- him well when he returned to the United States.5 ship with these new arrivals was also embodied in labour poli- tics that pitted Jewish factory owners against Jewish workers, This study makes a novel contribution to the growing body of Jewish union organizers, and Glazer himself in strikes over

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