Start Date
10-3-2017 2:00 PM
End Date
10-3-2017 3:30 PM
Abstract Text
Background: The following presentation explores the roles and experiences of Canadian Jewish women on the Canadian homefront during World War Two. Despite knowing much about the lives of women in this time period in general, we do not know much about the experiences of particular groups, and how they differed from the majority of women.
Methods: Using first-hand accounts gathered from Canadian Jewish women, as well as archival materials, this presentation explores the different ways Jewish women and girls participated in the war effort and experienced the war years.
Results: While acknowledging that some of their experiences mirrored those of Christian women, Jewish women and girls were affected by religious, familial and cultural influences that shaped their war experiences.
Discussion & Conclusion: The oral histories collected and explored in this presentation provide us with a broader and much more nuanced picture of how women on the homefront experienced the war years.
Interdisciplinary Reflection: This presentation combines insights from several fields, among them history, Jewish history and studies, and women’s studies to provide an in-depth analysis of the roles and lives of Canadian Jewish women on the homefront during WWII.
Included in
Canadian History Commons, History of Gender Commons, History of Religion Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, Oral History Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons
P28. Canadian Jewish Women and Girls on the Homefront, 1939-1945
Background: The following presentation explores the roles and experiences of Canadian Jewish women on the Canadian homefront during World War Two. Despite knowing much about the lives of women in this time period in general, we do not know much about the experiences of particular groups, and how they differed from the majority of women.
Methods: Using first-hand accounts gathered from Canadian Jewish women, as well as archival materials, this presentation explores the different ways Jewish women and girls participated in the war effort and experienced the war years.
Results: While acknowledging that some of their experiences mirrored those of Christian women, Jewish women and girls were affected by religious, familial and cultural influences that shaped their war experiences.
Discussion & Conclusion: The oral histories collected and explored in this presentation provide us with a broader and much more nuanced picture of how women on the homefront experienced the war years.
Interdisciplinary Reflection: This presentation combines insights from several fields, among them history, Jewish history and studies, and women’s studies to provide an in-depth analysis of the roles and lives of Canadian Jewish women on the homefront during WWII.