The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, December 16, lS>93-Page 3
to intermarriage increase
Second of a two-part series.
By JANICE ARNOLD
MONTREAL — The rapid growth of smaller Jewish communities like Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton without matching institutional resources is one explanation for the much higher rate of intermarriage, according to a new analysis of the 1991 Canadian census.
The size of a Jewish community does not seem to be the only factor deterrhiniing how likely Jews are to marry a non-Jew. say the authors of Demographic Challenges Facing. Canadian Jewry: Initial Findings From the 1991 Census. "
Accordingly, Winnipeg, with its well-established Jewish institutioris, has a level of intermarriage far below that of Vancouver, which has more Jews. The rapidly growing communities also tend to attract young people of marriageable age, but with less connection to com-. munity!
Nationally, 16.4 percent of all Jewish persons jri husband-wife families (including children) lived in a household where one spouse was not Jewish, either by religion or ethnicity — the accepted definition of Jewish, for this study, sponsored by McGill University, Statistics Canada and the. Council of Jewish Federations Canada. That's an increase of about 30 per cent since 1981.
The figures vary widely by city. Montreal's intermarriage fate is 6.8 per cent rate while in Vancouver it is 24.5 per cent.'Toronto's rate was nine per cent, up slightly from 1981.
"Those communities where a higher percentage of Jews identified as Jews without religious affiliation had higher rates of intermarriage," the authors state.
.The researchers will next look at the religion of the maitied couple; not the whole family.
More than three-quarters of all Jews lived in traditional husband-wife
families, according to the report, but oyer 14 percent lived alone, somewhat more than the Canadian rate.
Elderly women make up a disproportionate number of those living alpne. However, Vancouver with its younger community had by far the highest percentage of Jews liying alone, almost 20 per cent.
"Only one in five was elderly. The remainder represent a larger young single population — many of whom recently migrated to Vancouver. Fifteen per cent of all Jews who live alone arrived in Vancouver during the past five years," says the report.
The census data clearly points to "a trend of Very high rates of educational achievement and the urbanization and professionalization'- among Jews:
Another trend the analysis revealed Was that of Jewish poverty. While income figures will be released later, . . the data analyzed points to what the authors cair'the persistence of invisi-' ble poverty" arnong Jews in Canada.
Almost as many Jews as Canadians — 15.7 per cent versus 18.6 per cent — had incomes near or below Statistics Canada's poverty line. In 1990, that line wasdrawn at $14,155 for a single person living in a city of over 500,000. people. For smaller cities, the inicome cut off was $ 12,433.
Women, people who live alone, single-parent families and the elderly are over-represented among the Jewish poor. The highest rates of Jewish poverty are in Montreal (20;4 per cent); Calgary (18.1 per cent), Vancouver (17.2 per cent) and Edmonton (15.3 per cent). Ottawa and Halifax had the lowest. The figure for Toronto is 13.3 per cent.
"Poverty affects one in six Jews in Canada, yet continues to be under-fecognized by Canadians generally and by many Jews in particular," says the report..
"The Jewish poor, however, have a unique dimension. They are a minority among the Jews because they are poor, and they are a minority among the poor because they are
Jews. They liaCk representation in both communities." ;
The census income data does not take into account other factors determining standard of living, such as owning one's home or being a student.
Of the Je\ys liying in families, 50 per cent of those aged 15 and over were either enrolled in university of had completed a BA. Sixteen per cent had an MA, MD or PhD. Many of these belong to Jews between 25 and 40. ,
The corresponding figures for the Canadian population as a whole are 20 percent and fourper cent, respectively,
On the Other hand, 23 per cent of Jews have less than a high school education.
The survey ahso revealed the work habits and scholastic achiievements of Canadian Jews.;
Jews are three times more likely than Canadians as a whole to pursue careers in medicine, law and accounting, and twice as likely than the national rate to be managers and administrators. Only 13 percent were engaged in manual trades,
Jews were also three times as likely to work in the business services, clothing and jewelry industries than Canadians. A higher percentage of Jews were also in the education sector.
Jews tend to work longer. Of those over 65,22 per cent of Jews were still in the labor force compared to nine per cent of Canadians the same age.
Jewish women were less educated and under-represented, in the professions than Jewish men: 51 per cent of Jewish men were either in university or had a BA, compared to 44 per. cent of women. This gap is similar among Jews aged 25 to 40.
To end the princess image. 60 per cent of Jewish women in Canada worked.
er u
By DAVID LAZARUS
MONTREAL - At 83, Judge Maxwell Cohen, one of Canada's preeminent legal scholars and jurists, is .still taking on formidable tasks.
His appointment to the new Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) committee on constitutional and charter review issues is seen by some as a testament to his capacity and readiness to tackle larger issues.
For admirers like McGill University law professor Irwin Cotler. it came as no surprise.
Paying homage to Cohen recently at CJC's Montreal headquarters. Co-tier described his former law professor as a continuing mentor, friend, influence and inspiration, a "'tfue renaissance man...truly a man for all seasons." ■
The tribute was made following publication of a collection of essays in Cohen's honor. The collection is titled Law, Policy, and International Justice and was published by McGill-Queen's University Press.
Cotler writes in the forward to Law, Policy, and . International Justice that the greatest lesson he learned from Cohen was to treat the law "not only [as] a technical body of rules. Ibut as something articulating] the values that men and women should seek to live by; law...not only an agency of social control, but |as] an organizing-principle for the reconfiguration of society — with respect for human dignity at its core/"
Cohen, a former dean of law and professor emeritus at McGill, represents everything that an academic; activist anHjurist can and should be. said Cotler. '
Judge Maxwell Cohen
"His scholarship is as compelling, original, and enduring today as it ever was," he said. ;
Cotler said he wanted to present a "snapshot" of Cohen's career, but it was a picture full of texture and colour, and sharp with detail.
Winnipeg-born and Harvard-educated Cohen specialized in the study.of international law, legal history and education; public law and constitutional affairs.
Cotler said in the latter area. Cohen was often asked by provincial and federal governments to provide original and stimulating insight. Cohen also chaired several Royal Commissions. —
As a judge, he presided over the ad -hoc International Court of Justice. He also published over 500 articles for Ic£al journals and magiizines. including Canadian Forum'^and Saturday
. Night.
More recently. Cohen also provided a fresh view into the legal questions surrounding the role of the United Nations during the Gulf War.
On behalf of the Jewi.sh community, too. Cohen has been an equally eloquent voice. Cotler said.
Cohen chaired the ministry of justice's Special Committee for Hate Propaganda, and for two decades , presided over the forerunner to the: Canada-Israel Committee.
During his tenure. Cotler said CJC. B'nai Brith and the Canadian Zionist Federation worked together as an ."institutional unity'' because of Co-. hen. He earned their trust and held the whole thing together. It was that ' leadership that opened the doors between the Jewish community and the Canadian government. Cotler said. , V When Cotler became president of CJC in 1981. his first appointment was to make Cohen chair of the select committee on the constitution, enabling the organization to give "collective expression" of the Canadian . Jewish community's perspective to the Joint House Committee on the Constitution.
Cotler spoke of Cohen's "legendary contribution" to the sitting com-mittee. evident in the Canadian : Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "Some parts," Cotler said, "are a direct result of his craftsmanship and~ initiative." i_
In his new work at GJ€. Cohen will no doubt continue the work of a long life. Cotler said, "inquiring, crafting and car\'ing public advocacy On behalf of the Jewish community and charting the course of human rights."
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