Hirsch is a hamlet in the RM of Coalfields in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

and is located about 18 miles east of the city of

Estevan Estevan is the eleventh-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is approximately north of the Canada–United States border. The Souris River runs by the city. This city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5. History The ...

along Highway 18. The post office originally opened on 1 December 1893 with the town misspelled as "Hirsh". It closed on 31 March 1970.

History

Hirsch was founded in May 1892 by

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

settlers as part of the activities of the Baron Maurice de Hirsch Foundation and the

Jewish Colonization Association The Jewish Colonisation Association (JCA or ICA; ) was an organisation created on September 11, 1891, by Baron Maurice de Hirsch. Its aim was to facilitate the mass emigration of Jews from Russia and other Eastern European countries, by settling ...

(JCA). It was the first settlement of the JCA and was named after the founder of the foundation, one of the most important Jewish philanthropists of the 19th century. In Hebrew religion and custom, the dead of the community are afforded great respect and a proper cemetery must be built before other needs are attended to. Therefore, even before the first

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

was built, the early settlers were setting aside land for a cemetery. A colonist, Mr. Blank, paced off an acre of his

quarter section A quarter is one-fourth, , 25%, or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlemen ...

for a cemetery. Almost ninety years after the first settlers arrived, descendants, neighbours, and friends of the Hirsch Colonists attended the consecration and designation of the Hirsch Cemetery as a Saskatchewan historic site. The Hirsch Jewish Cemetery can be found along Highway 18, just west of Hirsch. The original synagogue still exists but has been converted into a home. During the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

crisis of the 1930s, most Jewish families left Hirsch and moved to nearby

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. The place is best known for the autobiography of Mrs. Zellickson (also: Zelickson), first name unknown, who immigrated in 1891 and wrote extensively about life on the prairies in 1925, especially about the role of women in it. In 1925 she responded to a discussion in the magazine Nor'-West Farmer on the topic of what a woman's work was worth.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Hamlets in Saskatchewan Division No. 1, Saskatchewan

History

See also

References

External links