Preserving the vanished Jewish history of Rouyn-Noranda, a small Quebec town

Rosalie Mednick Nepom and her brother Sol Mednick were born in the mining town of Rouyn-Noranda, Que., and grew up there–the children of a local grocer. Meanwhile, Dr. Issac Katz is the son of the community’s first permanent rabbi. Now, these former Rouyn-Noranda residents have collected memories and stories of growing up in the once-vibrant pioneering Jewish community, and published them in a new book so their grandchildren will know where they came from. Rouyn-Noranda sprung up in the bush in the 1920s after prospectors discovered gold and copper deposits. It was so far north, it took 10 hours by bus on gravel roads to get there from Montreal. But at its peak, Rouyn-Noranda’s 45 Jewish families enjoyed a vibrant community life. That ended in the 1970s, as young people left to go to university and never returned. Their parents soon followed. The once-busy synagogue closed in 1972. Today, as the authors explain on The CJN Daily, the facade is a historic site, but the buiding is now apartments—and Jewish life there is hard to find. What we talked about Learn more about Rouyn-Noranda and Northern Quebec’s vanished Jewish community in The CJN Buy the book, The Jewish Community of Rouyn-Noranda How a Jewish dad brought a taste of Tinseltown to Val D’Or, Quebec, in The CJN Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane (@jesterschest on Twitter).Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.