Episode Details

Few Canadians know the name Morris Saxe. He was a Jewish dairy farmer who lived in Georgetown, Ontario, having moved to Canada in 1902. He was a hard worker and one of the founders of Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto, but his greatest accomplishment came in the 1920s. He convinced the Canadian government, still quite anti-Semitic at the time, to open its doors to 79 Jewish teens from one particular orphanage in Poland. But there was one catch: all the orphans had to train to become farmers.   Saxe's story is so inspiring that one author just recently published a young-adult book inspired by the man, who now is sometimes called "Canada's Schindler." That book, Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure, by Anne Dublin, tells the story of a 13-year-old Polish Jew who's promised a new life on a Canadian farm.   On today's episode, Ellin is joined by Dublin and David Fleishman, Saxe's grandson, to discuss Saxe's story and legacy.

What we talked about:

• Buy Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure at secondstorypress.ca
• Watch A Man of Conscience on YouTube
• Learn more about Morris Saxe at the Ontario Jewish Archives

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.