Fleeing Trump? Come to Canada for Yiddish and better brisket - The Jewish Chronicle

Yes, it's true that well over 70 per cent of America's six million Jews did not vote for Donald Trump. But for those who cannot bear the thought of enduring at least four years under President-elect Trump's bellicose orange hair and are considering joining their 400,000 fellow Jews to the north, there are some things to bear in mind. First, as the Jewish Telegraphic Agency duly reported in the wake of Mr Trump's trauma-triggering triumph, Montreal makes the better bagel and marinates a meaner smoked brisket, the city's own - and, many think, better - version of pastrami. But there are other factors. Canadian Jews tend to be less brash than their American counterparts: more "Canadian" - self-effacing, less blow-your-own-trumpet, and more likely to apologise for no reason. And - if this matters to you - Canadian inter-marriage rates tend to be lower than in the US, although the trend is that the Canucks are catching up. At least for now, though, one still sees fewer Christmas trees and Chanukah menorahs sharing space in the living room. Just as in the US, Chabad in Canada is just about everywhere spreading the tikkun olam word. Ontario has the most Jews, about 300,000, but Quebec's French-language has made it a more logical destination for Sephardim, who number about one quarter of the province's 90,000 Jews. Vital pockets of Jewish life also exist in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Atlantic Canada. Keep in mind that American Jews who move to Quebec, like immigrants from anywhere, will have to send their kids to French-language schools. Montreal may now be the only city in Jewish north America where you can find a mainstream community school that teaches Yiddish. The free public Jewish hospital in Montreal - the Jewish General - serves kosher meals to all patients, as do public Jewish hospitals outside of Quebec. For American Jews who immigrate, health care is free and you don't need a third mortgage and many decades to pay off university fees. If you come to Montreal, you will see mostly mainstream Orthodox synagogues, although many are struggling to maintain memberships. In Toronto and the rest of Canada, popularly known as the ROC, there are more pluralistic shuls - including one for atheists - where men and women sit together. Now, about borders. No wall will be needed for our 5,525-mile unprotected border, unless it is to keep the American-Jewish (and non-Jewish) hordes out. What about surviving the freezing, buried-in-snow winters? Well, there is that, but at least you don't get Trump.