I wouldn’t call myself particularly patriotic. I think that outward patriotism is a finite object. In other words, you can only have so much pride for your country. Being that I’ve lived my life in both Canada and the United States, my patriotism has been split into two. I love American television. I hate Canadian television. I love rooting for Canada’s hockey team. I root for American soccer. You get the idea.
Today is Canada Day. I honestly haven’t ever really cared about it. The same goes for the 4th of July. But this year, I’m trying to make a bit of an effort. And I was hoping that you could too. Here is a reading list, both Jewish and non-Jewish related, that should put you in the Canuck spirit.
– In today’s New York Times, famous Canadians living in the United States talk about the things they miss most about their country to the North. What do they miss the most? Health care, hockey, and the spelling of colour, just to name a few.
– Right now, on the MJL homepage, there is a fantastic article about arguably the greatest Canadian Jewish writer of all time, Mordecai Richler. He was your stereotypical Jewish writer. Why? Because every Jew hated him.
– Speaking of Montreal Jews, Leonard Cohen went to my high school! Also a couple of years ago, my roommate was at this small klezmer concert (50 people or so in the crowd), and he was standing next to Cohen. The man stays true to his roots.
– This stuff a bit advanced? Don’t know the first thing about Canadian Jews? Here is our article on Canadian Jewry.
– Alanis Morissette. Just because I can.
– Avril Lavigne. See above.
– When I was a little kid, I found out that my uncle was the accountant for Sharon from Sharon, Lois and Bram. This was one of the most exciting things I had ever heard. Plus they are Jews.
-Finally, I gotta give a shout out to the nerdiest Canadian Jew out there, Rick Moranis.
Happy Canada Day!
