One man's immigration to the Canadian Prairies in the early 1930s reveals the character of Canada today as sharply as it did long ago. In 1930, a young Jewish man, Yehuda Eisenstein, arrived in Canada from Poland to escape persecution and in the hopes of starting a new life for himself and his young family. Like countless other young European men who came to Canada from "non-preferred" countries, Yehuda was only granted entry because he claimed to be single, starting his Canadian life with a lie. He trusted that his wife and children would be able to follow after he had gained legal entry and found work. For years, Yehuda was given two choices: remain in Canada alone, or return home to Poland to be with his family. Who Gets In is author Norman Ravvin's pursuit of his grandfather's first years in Canada. It is a deeply personal family memoir born from literary and archival recovery. It is also a shocking critique of Canadian immigration policies that directly challenges Canada's reputation as a tolerant, multicultural country, a criticism that extends to our present moment, as war once again continues to displace millions from their homes.
Norman Ravvin is the award-winning author of The Girl Who Stole Everything , Hidden Canada: An Intimate Travelogue, and A House of Words: Jewish Writing, Identity, and Memory . Born in Calgary, he now lives in Montreal, Quebec.
PART ONE Another Ship, Another Time Leaving "Pure Russian, Jew, German" Oh, Ottawa Go West, Slowly West, Knowing Nothing at All Coming Forward, from Radzan Dysart, Saskatchewan, Capital of the Forgotten West The Bennett Years PART TWO The Immigration Files: The Heart of the Matter At Hirsch on the Southeastern Borderlands How to Become a Character in a Canadian Novel The Immigration Path, Dark and Twisted Enter the Great Lady The Train I Ride Going to the Archives You Come from Far Away: The Danzig Story Last Thoughts Upon Leaving Acknowledgements Notes Sources Cited and Consulted Illustration Credits Index
"(A) masterful archival-based account."-Alberta Views "[Ravvin] uncovers the roots of systemic and institutionalized racism in Canada and spotlights the wreckage of Canada's nation-building ambitions. At the same time, he shows the power of human will to chip away at this prejudice, against all odds." -Montreal Review of Books "Well researched and quite engaging" -Winnipeg Free Press "Moving and riveting" -Miramichi Reader "A sobering historical investigation." -Foreword Reviews "An engaging memoir." -Jewish Independent "Ravvin shifts between historical analysis, anthropological field study, and personal reflections. The book contains reproductions of over two dozen letters, photographs, and maps...Ravvin deserves credit for shifting attention to Jews outside of the bigger cities." -Tobias Brinkman, Canadian Jewish Studies "The author spreads a wide net over Canadian history, especially immigration history, to give context to his grandfather's story...[this is a] fascinating tale of one man's efforts to remain in Canada and to bring his family here."-Charlene Elgee, The Canadian Immigration Historical Society Bulletin "Who Gets In celebrates a grandfather's determination to reunite with his family and a grandson's desire to pay him tribute. Readers will lose themselves in this story of detail and anecdote made compelling by Ravvin's narrative flair." -Ruth Panofsky, editor of The New Spice Box: Contemporary Jewish Writing "...A masterwork of contrasts. Who Gets In is a thrilling tale of archival research and analysis, a page-turner about bureaucratic processes, and a personal family history that examines national and universal themes, including colonialism, Jewish erasure, and the shifting concept of what it means to be Canadian. This atypical story challenges what we thought we knew about Jewish immigration to Canada at a crucial moment in time." -Harry Sanders, Calgary Historian "In recounting his grandfather's quest to bring over his wife and children from 1930s Poland, Norman Ravvin uncovers an untold aspect of Canadian immigration history. Rich in archival reconstruction, this engaging, highly readable book is a welcome addition to Canadian Jewish history, narrating the rarely acknowledged story of Jewish Saskatchewan in the early twentieth century." -Aaron Kreuter, author of Shifting Baseline Syndrome, 2022 Governor General's Literary Awards Finalist "A carefully researched, elegantly told tale that pulls us emotionally into the struggles of the protagonist." -Richard Menkis, Associate Professor of Modern Jewish History, University of British Columbia "A writer of tremendous reach." -Canadian Literature Quarterly
