Photo credit: Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives
About the Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award
The ACJS established this award in 2001 to recognize the significant contribution by an individual, institution or group to Canadian Jewish Studies. In tribute to the scholarship of Louis Rosenberg, as of 2008 the award was named the “Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award.” Louis Rosenberg was a pioneer in the social scientific study of Canada’s Jews. Born in Poland in 1893, he moved with his family to England and studied at Leeds University (B.A., 1914). In 1915 he moved to Canada and, served as the director of settlement of the Jewish Colonization Association between 1919 and 1940. While in Saskatchewan he became active in the CCF and published, under the pseudonym Watt Hugh McCollum, a study of the concentration of wealth in Canada entitled Who Owns Canada? (1935, 1947). In 1939, he published his magnum opus on Canadian Jewry, Canada’s Jews (reprinted, 1993). Using the census data in a comprehensive and profound fashion, Rosenberg had few peers in the area of the study of Canadian demography. In 1945, Rosenberg was appointed to serve as “National Research Director” (and only employee) of the Bureau of Social and Economic Research at Canadian Jewish Congress, and he moved to Montreal. He produced a steady stream of social studies of Canada’s Jews, continuing to use the Canadian census material, but also conducting his own surveys. He wrote the several works of Jewish history, occasionally transcribing long primary sources in the process. His archives are located in both Ottawa (LAC) and Montreal (CJCCC). He died in 1987.
2025 Rosenberg Award Winner: Robert Brym
The Association for Canadian Jewish Studies is proud to announce that Professor Emeritus Robert Brym, recently retired from his role as SD Clark Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, is the recipient of the 2025 Louis Rosenberg Award for outstanding contributions to Canadian Jewish Studies.
From his early work challenging conventional theories of intellectual life in revolutionary Russia to his sustained contributions to the sociological understanding of Jewish identity, Professor Brym has consistently pushed the boundaries of scholarly inquiry. In the 1980s and 1990s, he wrote several journal articles on intermarriage and antisemitism before publishing The Jews in Canada (1993), a foundational text in the discipline co-edited with Bill Shaffir and 2023 Rosenberg Award recipient Morton Weinfeld.
His research reached new heights with the first nationwide survey of Jews in Canada in 2018. That landmark project, and the subsequent publication The Ever-Dying People? Canada’s Jews in Comparative Perspective (2023) with 2024 Rosenberg Award recipient Randy Schnoor, have become essential resources for scholars and community leaders alike. These works offer unprecedented insight into Canadian Jewish life while situating it within both national and international contexts.
Professor Brym’s research is distinguished by its methodological rigor, comparative scope, and deep engagement with contemporary Jewish life. His work continues to shape public discourse and inform communal policy, particularly on issues of identity, intermarriage, antisemitism, and attitudes toward Israel. With new survey projects already underway, his contributions remain as vital as ever.
2024 Rosenberg Award Winner: Randal Schnoor
The Association for Canadian Jewish Studies (ACJS) is pleased to announce that Dr. Randal Schnoor of York University is the 2024 recipient of the Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Schnoor has made outstanding contributions to Canadian Jewish studies in his publications, teaching and service.
Dr Schnoor’s early work was on the study of Jewish groups who were not always considered in the “mainstream” of Canadian Jewish studies. As an offshoot of his M.A. work at McMaster, he published on the ultra-Orthodox Jews of Outremont. In his PhD, and in subsequent publications, he used a solid ethnographic approach to study aspects of the lives of gay Jewish men. Since then, he has examined the issue that is often at the centre of communal discussions and budgets, but rarely analyzed carefully-Jewish education. In conjunction with foremost scholars of Jewish education, such as Jack Wertheimer and Alex Pomson, Dr Schnoor carried out both important wide-ranging surveys of Jewish education, and has published ethnographic micro-studies of Jewish schools and families. Among his monographs are Pomson and Schnoor, Back to School: Jewish Day School in the Lives of Adult Jews (2008) and Pomson and Schnoor Jewish Family: Identity and Self-Formation at Home (2018). He has published significant articles on education as well as on Canadian Jewish Demography. He recently co-edited, with Robert Brym, The Ever-Dying People? Canada’s Jews in Comparative Perspective which calls for more comparative work between Jews and other ethnoreligious minorities in Canada. In addition to co-authoring the introduction to the volume, Dr Schnoor contributed a very valuable chapter on Jewish education.
Dr Schnoor’s service is varied, but one commitment stands out. For nine years, between 2005 and 2014, he served as President of the Association for Canadian Jewish studies. During that time he fostered the growth of the journal Canadian Jewish Studies as well as the newsletter and the listserve. The annual conference continued to draw in new members, especially graduate students. This service activity, on its own, was a major argument for conferring on Dr. Schnoor the Rosenberg award.
Our most sincere thanks go to Dr. Schnoor for his exceptional work in our field, and our congratulations on being presented the Louis Rosenberg Award.
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L’Association d’études juives canadiennes (AÉJC) a le plaisir d’annoncer que Randal Schnoor, de l’Université York, est le lauréat 2024 du Prix Louis Rosenberg pour services éminents en études juives canadiennes. M. Schnoor a apporté une contribution exceptionnelle aux études juives canadiennes par ses publications, son enseignement et ses services.
Les premiers travaux de M. Schnoor ont porté sur l’étude de groupes juifs qui n’étaient pas toujours considérés comme faisant partie du “courant principal” des études juives canadiennes. Dans le prolongement de son travail de maîtrise à McMaster, il a publié une étude sur les Juifs ultra-orthodoxes d’Outremont. Dans son doctorat et dans ses publications ultérieures, il a utilisé une approche ethnographique solide pour étudier certains aspects de la vie des hommes juifs homosexuels. Depuis, il s’est penché sur une question qui est souvent au centre des discussions et des budgets communautaires, mais qui est rarement analysée en profondeur : l’éducation juive. En collaboration avec d’éminents spécialistes de l’éducation juive, tels que Jack Wertheimer et Alex Pomson, M. Schnoor a réalisé d’importantes enquêtes de grande envergure sur l’éducation juive et a publié des micro-études ethnographiques sur les écoles et les familles juives. Parmi ses monographies, citons Pomson et Schnoor, Back to School : Jewish Day School in the Lives of Adult Jews (2008) et Pomson et Schnoor, Jewish Family : Identity and Self-Formation at Home (2018). Il a publié d’importants articles sur l’éducation ainsi que sur la démographie juive canadienne. Il a récemment coédité, avec Robert Brym, The Ever-Dying People ? Canada’s Jews in Comparative Perspective, qui appelle à davantage de travaux comparatifs entre les Juifs et les autres minorités ethnoreligieuses au Canada. En plus d’être co-auteur de l’introduction de l’ouvrage, M. Schnoor a contribué à un chapitre très pertinent sur l’éducation juive.
Les services rendus par M. Schnoor sont variés, mais un engagement se démarque. Pendant neuf ans, entre 2005 et 2014, il a été président de l’Association des études juives canadiennes. Pendant cette période, il a stimulé la progression de la revue Canadian Jewish Studies ainsi que de la lettre d’information et de la liste de diffusion. La conférence annuelle a continué à attirer de nouveaux membres, en particulier des étudiants diplômés. Cette activité de service, à elle seule, a été un argument majeur pour conférer à M. Schnoor le prix Rosenberg.
Nos remerciements les plus sincères vont au Dr Schnoor pour son travail exceptionnel dans notre domaine, et nos félicitations pour l’attribution du prix Louis Rosenberg.
Past Award Recipients
Learn more about the Award Recipients
2025 – Robert Brym
2024 – Randal Schnoor
2023 – Morton Weinfeld
2022 – Michael Brown
2021 – Frank Bialystok
2019 – Norma Baumel Joseph
2018 – Richard Menkis
2017 – Ruth Panofsky
2016 – Janice Rosen
2015 – Pierre Anctil
2014 – Adam Fuerstenberg
2013 – Ira Robinson
2012 – Harold Troper
2011 – Marcia Koven
2010 – Eiran Harris
2009 – Seymour Mayne
2008 – Seymour Levitan
2007 – Cyril E. Leonoff
2006 – Irving Abella
2005 – Gerald Tulchinsky
2004 – Abraham Arnold
2003 – Ruth Goldbloom
2002 – Rabbi Gunther Plaut
2001 – Miriam Waddington
About the Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper
In 2011 our annual “best student paper” award was named the “Marcia Koven Award.” Marcia Koven was born in 1926 and throughout her life has been devoted to the preservation and transmission of the history of the Canadian Jewish community. She is the founder of the Saint John Jewish Historical Society and the creator of the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum. Koven received the Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award in 2011. This award is sponsored by friends and relatives of Marcia Koven and the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum (http://jewishmuseumsj.com/). There is a cash prize associated with this award.
Marcia Koven Award 2024:
Winner of the 2024 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper:
Noa Billick, Toronto Metropolitan University : “What Kind of Book are You?: The People of the Book, Communication, and Survival”
Marcia Koven Award 2023:
Winner of the 2023 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper:
Sigrid Thomsen, University of Vienna: “I’m Growing Where I’m Going to Grow and That’s in Multiple Directions”: Fluidities of Genre and Identity in Shiva Baby and Periphery
Honourable Mention:
Aaliah Lewis, York University: Understanding the Complex Identity of Black Jews in Canada and the US
Rebecca Mintz, York University: Eating Disorders and Orthodox Jewish Life: Navigating the Conflict between Jewish Identity and Mental Health
Marcia Koven Award 2022:
Winner of the 2022 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper:
Tyler Wentzell (University of Toronto): ‘The Vanguard of the Vanguard of the Vanguard’: Revolutionary Jewish Youth in Interwar Toronto, Montreal, and New York
Honourable Mention:
Sean Remz (Concordia University): “The Hungarian Martyrs Synagogue and its Sisterhood: a locus of Holocaust commemoration avant la letter”
Emily Belmonte (York University): Gender & the Canadian Jewish Fur Trader Experience: Expansion & Colonialism in British North America – 1759 to 1812
Marcia Koven Award 2021:
Marcia Koven Award 2019:
The Association for Canadian Jewish Studies (ACJS) is pleased to announce Heather Munro as the recipient of the 2019 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper presented at the 2019 ACJS conference. Rotem Fellus also received honourable mention. This award is sponsored by friends and relatives of Marcia Koven.
L’Association d’études juives canadiennes (AÉJC) est heureuse d’annoncer que Heather Munro a reçu le Prix Marcia Koven 2019 pour la meilleure communication par un(e) étudiant(e) présentée à la conférence annuelle de l’AÉJC. Rotem Fellus a également reçu une mention honorable. Ce prix est commandité par les amis et la famille de Marcia Koven.
Marcia Koven Award 2018:
The Association for Canadian Jewish Studies (ACJS) is pleased to announce Magdalene Klassen as the recipient of the 2018 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper presented at the 2018 ACJS conference, held at the McCord Museum and Concordia University in Montreal on May 12-14, 2018. Vardit Lightstone and Christopher Chanco also received honourable mention. This award is sponsored by friends and relatives of Marcia Koven.
L’Association d’études juives canadiennes (AÉJC) est heureuse d’annoncer que Magdalene Klassen a reçu le Prix Marcia Koven 2018 pour la meilleure communication par un(e) étudiant(e) présentée à la conférence annuelle de l’AÉJC, tenue au Musée McCord et à l’Université Concordia à Montréal du 12 au 14 mai 2018. Vardit Lightstone et Christopher Chanco ont également reçu une mention honorable. Ce prix est commandité par les amis et la famille de Marcia Koven.
Marcia Koven Award 2017:
The Association for Canadian Jewish Studies is pleased to announce Gesa Trojan as the recipient of the 2017 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper presented at the 2017 ACJS Conference held at Ryerson University in Toronto on 28-30 May 2017. Simon-Pierre Lacasse also received Honourable Mention. This award is sponsored by friends and relatives of Marcia Koven.
Winner of the 2017 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper:
Gesa Trojan (Technische Universität Berlin): “’Add Matzo meal and stir well’: Food as a Practice and a Representation of Urban Jewishness in Interwar Toronto.”
Honourable Mention:
Simon-Pierre Lacasse (Université d’Ottawa): “À la croisée de la Révolution tranquille et du judaïsme orthodoxe: l’implantation de la communauté hassidique des Tasher au coeur du Québec francophone et catholique (1962-1967).”
Marcia Koven Award 2016:
The Association for Canadian Jewish Studies is pleased to announce Lindsey Jackson as the recipient of the 2016 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper presented at the 2016 ACJS Conference held at the University of Calgary on 30-31 May 2016. Daniel Simeone also received Honourable Mention. This award is sponsored by friends and relatives of Marcia Koven.
Winner of the 2016 Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper:
Lindsay Jackson (Concordia) “Bloodless Bris: Intactivism and brit shalom in the Montreal Jewish Community”
Honourable Mention:
Daniel Simeone (McGill) “In Prison for Debt: Jewish Debtors in the Montreal District Prison between 1865 and 1900”
Yosef Robinson (Concordia) “‘Rewritten Bibles’ in Modern Canadian Literature”
Past Award Recipients
2015
Co-winners:
Antoine Burgard (UQÀM)/Université Lumière Lyon 2), Entre exigences administratives et attentes de la communauté, le Congrès Juif Canadien et l’immigration d’orphelins de la Shoah depuis l’Europe de l’immédiat après-guerre
Rebecca Margolis, PhD (University of Ottawa) and Meghan Cavanagh (University of Ottawa), Canadian Yiddish in the Internet Age
Honourable Mention:
Yosef Robinson (Concordia University),Montreal’s Keneder Odler in the 1920s and 1930s
2014
SJ Kerr-Lapsley, McGill University
“Roots, Routes and Bridges: An Introduction to the Involvement of Holocaust Survivors in Holocaust Education in Vancouver”
Honourable Mention:
Allie Cuperfain, Ryerson University
“The Identities of Toronto: An Analysis of UJA’s Annual Campaign 2012”
2013
Amy Coté, University of Victoria
“Analyzing Stories: (Re-)Reading Anne Michaels’ Fugitive Pieces after the I-Witness Field School”
Honourable Mention:
Maxa Sawyer, York University
“The Voices of Birthright Israel: Going Beyond the Jewish Homeland Narrative to Create a Realistic Relationship between the Jewish Canadian Diaspora and Israel”
2012
Kata Bohus, PhD student, Central European University, Budapest
“Standing together or staying apart? Contradictions of integration among 1956-er Hungarian Jewish refugees in Toronto”
Honourable Mention:
Faith Jones, University of British Columbia
“Grade’s Quarrel in Montreal”
2011
Adara Goldberg, PhD student, Clark University
“Left in the West: Orphaned Holocaust survivors in Western Canada”
and
Gary Smolyansky, MA student, York University
“Class, identity and ethnicity in Russian-speaking Jewish communities in post-WWII Canada”
2010
Faith Jones, MA student, University of British Columbia
“‘Di ershte un greste Yidishe bukh stor’: Miller’s Books advertising, 1910-1920”
2009
Tanhum Yoreh, York University
“Religious Geographies: A case study of Haredi consumption patterns in Canada and Israel”