Israeli Canadians

Israeli Canadians

ישראלים קנדים‎
Israeli Canadians and Jewish Canadians celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut in Toronto.
Total population
(15,010 (by ancestry, 2011 Census)[1] 30,000 (estimate))
Languages
Canadian English · Canadian French · Hebrew · Arabic · Russian · Yiddish
Religion
Mostly Jewish (Muslim and Christian minorities)

Israeli Canadians (Hebrew: יִשְׂרְאֵלִים קָנָדִים‎) are Canadian citizens of Israeli descent or Israel-born people who reside in Canada. According to the 2011 Census there were 15,010 Canadians who claimed full or partial Israeli ancestry, although it is estimated that as many as 30,000 Israelis live in Canada,^[2] making it home to one of the largest Israeli diaspora groups in the world.

According to the definition of visible minority used by Statistics Canada, those born in Israel are classified as visible minorities only if they are non-Jewish.^[3]

History

Many Israeli Jews emigrated to Canada throughout the period of the declaration of the state of Israel and until today. Today, the descendants of these people are known as Israeli Canadians.

Israelis began migrating to the Canada shortly after the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. Thus, during the 1950s and early 1960s, began the first wave of Israeli immigration to Canada when many Israelis emigrated to that country. A second wave of immigration began in the 1970s and has continued ever since. The number of Israeli immigrants in Canada is not known with certainty, as estimates vary between 20,000 and 30,000 Israeli settled in Canada during that decade. Therefore, the actual number of Israeli immigrants in Canada is an issue that has been hotly debated since 1980. Thus, many Israeli Canadians had previously established in other countries.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Israeli immigration to Canada was increasing in large numbers for a couple of reasons. These include the ongoing Arab–Israeli conflict, Israel's connection to North American culture, as well as new economic and educational opportunities in Canada.

Demographics

Israeli Canadians by province or territory

Province or territory	Israelis
Ontario	9,250
Quebec	3,100
British Columbia	1,190
Alberta	1,070
Manitoba	340
Nova Scotia	35
New Brunswick	25
Saskatchewan	0
Newfoundland and Labrador	0
Yukon	0
Prince Edward Island	0
Northwest Territories	0
Nunavut	0
Canada	15,010

Israeli Canadians by city

City	Province or territory	Israelis
Toronto	Ontario	7,625
Montreal	Quebec	2,975
Vancouver	British Columbia	985
Edmonton	Alberta	560
Calgary	Alberta	350
Winnipeg	Manitoba	325

Prominent Canadians of Israeli descent

Moshe Safdie

Sofia Polgar

Corey Haim

Sam Katz

Niv Fichman

Simcha Jacobovici

See also

• History of the Jews in Canada
• Canada–Israel relations
• Yerida

References

1. Statistics Canada. "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Retrieved 18 March 2014.
2. A History of the Canadian Jewish Community
3. Kelly, Karen (1995). Collecting Census Data on Canada's Visible Minority Population: A Historical Perspective. Ottawa, Ontario: Statistics Canada. p. 21. ISBN 0-660-15569-9. [West Asians include] Persons who were born in Israel and whose religion was not Jewish [emphasis in original]