The Atlantic Jewish Council is dedicated to enhancing the quality of Jewish life in Atlantic Canada and promoting the continuity of Jewish communities in the region.
NOVA SCOTIA
Canadian Jewish News
Small Town Jews Series
Articles of Interest
Halifax
A city of approximately 350,00 with a Jewish population around 1,500, Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada’s largest city. It is a major cultural centre of Eastern Canada.
Built on and around Halifax Harbour, Halifax was founded as a British port in 1749 and retains much of that heritage today. Government, tourism and fisheries are all major employers in the Halifax region. Halifax is also home to many universities including Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s, King’s College, Mount Saint Vincent and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Halifax sports teams include the Halifax Mooseheads hockey team and the Halifax Rainmen basketball team.
A modern port city steeped in history, Halifax has a captivating international flair. Visitors are impressed by the array of museums, galleries, historic sites and colourful gardens including the Public Gardens, a rare example of a formal Victorian garden in the heart of the city, and parks such as Point Pleasant Park, a 185 acre park on the Halifax peninsular which juts into the Atlantic Ocean and has been a place of recreation since 1749.
Citadel Hill is the major geographic feature of the Halifax peninsula; it is the site of a British fortress and provides a spectacular view of the Harbour. The waterfront and Spring Garden Road are the busiest parts of town with shops, restaurants, museums and offices. Across the harbour, Dartmouth beckons with beautiful lakeside trails and historic houses.
Halifax is also the home of the Atlantic Jewish Council (AJC). Established in 1975, the AJC is the umbrella organization serving the needs of the Jewish communities in Atlantic Canada. It is dedicated to enhancing the quality of Jewish life in Atlantic Canada and promoting the continuity of Jewish communities in the region.
Halifax’s Jewish population of around 1500 is served by three synagogues: the Orthodox Beth Israel the Conservative Shaar Shalom and Chabad of the Maritimes
Camp Kadimah, a summer camp for children aged seven to seventeen has been operating for over 60 years, attracts children from across the country and is considered one of Jewish Canada’s foremost summer camps. Shalom Magazine, published three to four times a year brings the whole region together with news and views from Atlantic Canada.
Cape Breton
Cape Breton's small but dedicated and vibrant Jewish community has a long history in the cities of Sydney, Glace Bay, New Waterford and Whitney Pier. Learn more at www.jewishcapebreton.ca