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WW II home front stories from Jewish-Canadian women sought

Although we know a lot about the role women in general played during the Second World War, a researcher at Western University says individual stories, particularly of Jewish-Canadian women, are far less known.

Researcher says there's 'literally nothing' existing in Canadian war histories

Adetayo Bero · CBC News ·
A training class at the Central Aircraft Factory in London, Ont. circa 1943. Second row, far left, is Ida Holtzkener, now 92, one of Lander's interviewees. (Jennifer Lander)

A researcher at Western University is looking for stories of Jewish-Canadian women who were on the home front during the Second World War.

According to Jennifer Shaw Lander, a PhD student in the Department of Women's Studies and Feminist Research, much of the historical literature on women in the Second World War is about their overall role in the big picture. She says the personal experiences of individual women have never been highlighted.

"We do know quite a bit about women in general, on the home front during World War Two," she told Craig Norris on The Morning Edition. "But we've never broken it down by race or religion or ethnicity." 

She wants to see how their work was shaped not only by their gender, but by their religion as well.

Jennifer Shaw Lander, a PhD student at Western University in London, Ont. is researching the roles of Jewish women in WW II here in Canada. (Jennifer Shaw Lander)

Lander was doing research for an essay when she realized there wasn't a lot of material specifically on Jewish-Canadian women.

This prompted her to begin seeking out the women themselves, so she could tell their stories.

Time running out

People often dedicate several years to this kind of research but for her, time is of the essence. Many of her interviewees are in their 80s and 90s and according to Lander, that first person history won't be here much longer.

The youngest woman she's spoken to is 88-years-old.

But the age of her subjects wasn't the only challenge Lander faced.

"Most of them have never been asked about this before," she said. "So it's a very odd experience for them to be thinking that this is part of history."

She is still on the look-out for interviewees and hopes to continue the project over the next two years.

If you have stories of Canadian Jewish women on the home front during the Second World War, researcher Jennifer Shaw Lander can be reached at jmshaw@uwo.ca 

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