The Museum of Jewish Montreal (MJM) is excited to announce the launch of a new historic building tour, Inside the Yiddish School, opening to the public this February.

This brand new tour takes us back in time to Montreal’s Plateau neighbourhood in the 1940s and 50s, to the heart of a vibrant Yiddish community. Visitors will discover the historic hallways and classrooms of the building that once housed the Peretz Shule, Montreal’s first secular Jewish day school.

This building, unassuming at first glance, tells the often unheard stories of the immigrant families that established themselves in what is now the Plateau after the Holocaust – the difficult realities they faced, and the courage of the community that supported them as they started new lives. Through multimedia usage of the students’ own journal entries, photos, school materials, and oral histories, we share the stories of the students, teachers, and families who grew up in the neighbourhood and called the Peretz Shule “home” – many of whom went on to become influential figures in Montreal to this day.

“Through the tour, we come to understand that the Peretz Shule was more than just a school, and Yiddish was more than just a language,” says Aviv Milgram, Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives at the Museum of Jewish Montreal. “Both were at the heart of political and social questions within the Jewish community in postwar Montreal, and would shape the future of Jewish identity in the city and beyond.”

This tour is delivered in partnership with the Maison de l’amitié, a community centre located in the former Peretz Shule building. The Maison de l’amitié is dedicated to promoting social integration of immigrants and reducing cultural divisions within the community – a mission that parallels the role the Peretz Shule once played.  Developing this tour has also been a collaborative effort, with the help of the Jewish Public Library Archives and the Canadian Jewish Archives for the use of their archival materials, and numerous Peretz Shule Alumni who shared their stories through photos and oral histories. This tour has been made possible through Federation CJA’s Shaping our Future and Ville de Montréal’s Patrimoines Montréalais : Une mise en Valeur dans les quartiers program.

This guided tour is mainly indoors, perfect for the winter months, and will run throughout the year. The tour is appropriate for children ages 9 and up, and we encourage families to join us and explore what school was like for their grandparents or great-grandparents.

Tickets can now be booked for tours in February or March via the museum’s online booking service, using the following link: https://www.eztix.co/ezbook/en/1429742

The Museum of Jewish Montreal (MJM) is an innovative place to connect with Montreal’s Jewish life and identity, share the community’s diverse heritage, and create new cultural experiences. Through multidisciplinary programming, the Museum provides an accessible gateway for all tolearn about and interact with Montreal’s Jewish culture, art, food and heritage while also enabling the public to share their stories and experiences. Visit us in person, on Facebook or at our website museemontrealjuif.ca to learn more about the walking tours and events we have to offer.