The Tailor Project allowed 1,000 Jewish families to come to Canada to start a new life here. I have had the privilege to speak with many of the children of these survivors. We have begun to turn the names on the lists into stories. Stories that include horrific, unimaginable struggles, but also unimaginable strength. Stories of families that were broken and rebuilt. Stories of families who contributed to the Canadian landscape by working as tailors, finding other employment, or starting businesses. Stories of parents who empowered their children to be resilient, educated, and valued members of their communities.
Muriel Behar, the daughter of Zalman Jakter a tailor that came to Canada through The Tailor Project reflected on the impact of the research, “as the daughter of immigrant parents who survived unbelievable hardships and came to Canada from Germany as part of The Tailor Project, I constantly reflect on possibilities. I ponder the possibility of survival, the possibility of perseverance in the face of terror, and the possibilities of profound gratitude to those who were and are dedicated to TIKUN OLAM, The Repair of Our World. It is of utmost importance and necessity to research, comprehend and embrace the past in order to understand, ensure and protect the future. It is essential to study, learn from and always remember the noble upstanders like the Enkin Family who implemented The Tailor Project, in order to understand that we cannot ever afford to be bystanders again. The dedication of the Enkin Family is exemplary; they are the very essence of what it means to be an upstander.”
We are still on our journey to uncover the stories of the tailors that came through The Tailor Project. If you know someone or have a father or mother that came as a tailor to Canada in 1948, please reach out to us at tailorproject.ca.
Max Enkin in a DP camp