Israeli Canadians ( he, יִשְׂרְאֵלִים קָנָדִים, french: les Canadiens Israéliens) are
Canadian citizens
Canadian nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of Canada. With few exceptions, almost all individuals born in the country are automatically citizens at birth. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in C ...
of
Israeli
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli ...
descent or
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
-born people who reside in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. According to the
2011 Census there were 15,010 Canadians who claimed full or partial Israeli ancestry, although it is estimated that as many as 30,000 Israelis live in Canada,
[A History of the Canadian Jewish Community](_blank)
/ref> making it home to one of the largest Israeli diaspora groups in the world.
According to the 2016 Population Group Reference Guide published by Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, those who trace their ancestry to present-day Israel or the greater Levant are classified as West Asian
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes An ...
origin and visible minorities
A visible minority () is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada, in connect ...
, provided they do not specify another European write-in response.[Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2016](_blank)
/ref>
History
Many Israeli Jews emigrated to Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
throughout the period of the declaration of the state of Israel and until today. Today, the descendants of these people are known as Israeli Canadians.
Israelis began migrating to Canada shortly after the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. Thus, during the 1950s and early 1960s, began the first wave of Israeli immigration to Canada when many Israelis emigrated to that country. A second wave of immigration began in the 1970s and has continued ever since. The number of Israeli immigrants in Canada is not known with certainty, as estimates vary between 20,000 and 30,000 Israeli settled in Canada during that decade. Therefore, the actual number of Israeli immigrants in Canada is an issue that has been hotly debated since 1980. Thus, many Israeli Canadians had previously established in other countries.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Israeli immigration to Canada was increasing in large numbers for a couple of reasons. These include the ongoing Arab–Israeli conflict
The Arab–Israeli conflict is an ongoing intercommunal phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between Arab countries and Israel, which escalated during the 20th century, but had mostly faded out by the ...
, Israel's connection to North American culture, as well as new economic and educational opportunities in Canada.
Demographics
Israeli Canadians by province or territory
Israeli Canadians by city
Prominent Canadians of Israeli descent
See also
*Middle Eastern Canadians
Middle Eastern Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the Middle East, which includes Western Asia and North Africa.
History
Initial settlement
Individuals from the Middle East first arrived in Canada ...
*West Asian Canadians
West Asian Canadians, officially known as West Central Asian and Middle Eastern Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to West Asia and Central Asia. The term West Asian Canadian is a subgroup of Asian Canadia ...
*History of the Jews in Canada
Canadian citizens who follow Judaism as their religion and/or are ethnically Jewish are a part of the greater Jewish diaspora and form the third largest Jewish community in the world, exceeded only by those in Israel and in the United State ...
*Canada–Israel relations
Canada–Israel relations refer to the bilateral diplomatic, commercial, and cultural ties between Canada and the Israel, State of Israel. Canada International recognition of Israel, recognised Israel on 11 May 1949, three day before the first anni ...
*Yerida
Yerida ( he, ירידה ''yerida'', "descent") is emigration by Jews from the State of Israel (or in religious texts, Land of Israel). Yerida is the opposite of aliyah (, lit. "ascent"), which is immigration by Jews to Israel. Zionists are genera ...
References
{{Asian Canadians
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
Israeli diaspora
Canada–Israel relations
Ethnic groups in Canada
Jews and Judaism in Canada
Jewish Canadian history
Middle Eastern Canadians