Hasidic Montreal Life. Going beyond the translocal ideology

• In Event: Crossing the Great Divide. Looking at the US from the North of the Border

Abstract

One might wonder what is the specificity of the Montreal Hasidic community and how does it defines itself in relations with the big metropolis? In other words, how can we talk about a Montreal Hasidism that transcends the hegemonic position of New York, leading to a new definition of Hasidism in North America as well as a Hasidic translocal ideology?

We will respond to this question by examining data gathered during two ethnographic field studies that we have been conducting since 2015 in the Hasidic communities of Montreal and New York City, including what we define as the Hasidic underground life. This paper will lead to a general reflection on the singularity of the Montreal Hasidic life in relation to the communities of New York City as well as the other Jewish communities in the Canadian context.

Author

• Valentina Gaddi, Université de Montréal