A New Life on the Land

Who would have guessed that there is such a rich history of Jewish farmers in Canada? In the early twentieth century, Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe came to Canada as homesteaders and built a Jewish life in Western Canada. Filmmaker Dov Okouneff (Montreal Jewish Memories, TJFF 2005) also travels to the Laurentians in Quebec where descendants of farmers return to the former Jewish communities of Ste. Sophie/New Glasgow to attend High Holiday services. Filled with archival materials and personal stories of hardship and joy, this fascinating documentary explores an important aspect of Canadian Jewish history and identity.