McGill-Queen’s University Press has done it again with their publication of Jerusalem on the Amur: Birobidzhan and the Canadian Jewish Communist Movement, 1924-1951, by Henry Felix Srebrnik.

“In 1934 the Soviet Government established the Jewish Autonomous Region, popularly known as Birobidzhan, in a sparsely populated area some five thousand miles east of Moscow. Designated as the national homeland of Soviet Jewry, Birobidzhan was part of the Kremlin’s effort to create an alternative to Palestine.“

Birobidzhan is bordered by the River Amur, and it is located in the former Soviet Far East, in the south. It was designated as an area for the colonization of Jews, and so began the project, which included receiving monetary contributions from other nations, including the United States, Canada and Palestine. The Canadian Jewish Communist Movement was a huge supporter of the Jewish Autonomous Region in Birobidzhan.

Jerusalem on the Amur is a compelling look into Jewish life in Canada, and the rise and eventual fall of Canada’s Communist Movement. Srebrnik has thoroughly researched the facts, leaving nothing unturned.

From archives, newspaper articles, books, brochures, etc., he was able to factually trace how the Canadian Jewish Communist Movement was intensely involved in the support of Birobidzhan and the Autonomous Region. The book is a fascinating account of the movement and those involved in its inception and demise. No detail is left out, including names of those involved who supported the cause.

The Autonomous Region project turned out to be fraudulent. Until the moment the fraud was fully revealed, left-wing and radical Jews condoned the project, fully campaigned in support of it, and endeavored to make it succeed. Rallies, and gatherings were commonplace, in order to enlist support.

Jerusalem on the Amur: Birobidzhan and the Canadian Jewish Communist Movement, 1924-1951, by Henry Felix Srebrnik is a book of masterful and historical content, and one that belongs in every university, college and high school library. It is intriguing as well as intense, a masterpiece, and a valuable addition to Jewish Canadian history.

It isn’t a book one can read fast, because there is so much content to absorb, and I found myself going back over pages I had read. But, don’t let that stop you from reading it, because it is an invaluable resource.

Thank you for the review copy, McGill-Queen’s University Press!
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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
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Tuesday February 3, 2009 – 9th of Sh’vat, 5769