Home
About Us
News
Award
Heritage Preservation
Journal
Student Journal
Students
Bulletin
Conference
Affiliated Societies
Discussion Group
Membership
Board Members
Links
Contact

THE ACJS LOUIS ROSENBERG DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Prix d'excellence Louis Rosenberg en études canadiennes juives 2011

MARCIA KOVEN wins ACJS 2011 Rosenberg Award

On behalf of the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies (ACJS) I am very pleased to announce that MARCIA KOVEN of Saint John, New Brunswick is the 2011 recipient of the Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award.

Marcia Koven founded the St. John Jewish Historical Museum, a distinguished institution of great importance to the perpetuation of the study of Canadian Jewish history.

Born in 1926, Marcia Koven throughout her life has been devoted to the Canadian Jewish community, most notably its preservation and teaching its history through the museum. Opened in 1986, the St. John Jewish Historical Museum is the only Jewish museum in Atlantic Canada.

It is through the tireless work of volunteers such as Ms. Koven that community histories are located and preserved for future study. The Saint John Jewish Historical Museum has received awards from the American Association for State and Local History, (1987), The Church and Synagogue Library Association, (1996), and the Province of New Brunswick, (2000).

Over the years, Marcia Koven served as president of the synagogue sisterhood, president of the Saint John chapter and member of the National Executive of Hadassah-WIZO, a New Brunswick representative on the regional Atlantic Jewish Council, head of the women’s Hevra Kadisha in Saint John, curator of the museum and in a variety of capacities with other organizations, such as the local Shomar Seniors Club and the Holocaust Committee of the Atlantic Jewish Council.

Ms Koven's efforts on behalf of the community have been recognized in a number of awards: most particularly, the Caring Canadian Award from the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick (1999), and also several awards from Hadassah-WIZO and Canadian Young Judaea.

The ACJS proudly recognizes the exceptional role Marcia Koven has played in preserving and disseminating Canadian Jewish history.

To further recognise and honour Marcia's unique contributions, the Association, will grant the Marcia Koven Award to the best student paper presented at the annual conference of the ACJS. The award includes a cash prize.

Dr. Randal F. Schnoor

President

Assocation for Canadian Jewish Studies

About The Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award

Annually or from time to time, as may be appropriate, the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies presents an award honouring an individual, group or institution, who has made significant contribution(s) to Canadian Jewish Studies in one or more fields.

In tribute to the scholarship of Louis Rosenberg, as of 2008 the award will be known as the “Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award.”

Louis Rosenberg was a pioneer in the social scientific study of Canada’s Jews. Born in Poland in 1893, he moved with his family to England and studied at Leeds University (B.A., 1914). In 1915 he moved to Canada and, served as the director of settlement of the Jewish Colonization Association between 1919 and 1940.

While in Saskatchewan he became active in the CCF and published, under the pseudonym Watt Hugh McCollum, a study of the concentration of wealth in Canada entitled Who Owns Canada? (1935, 1947).

In 1939, he published his magnum opus on Canadian Jewry, Canada’s Jews (reprinted, 1993). Using the census data in a comprehensive and profound fashion, Rosenberg had few peers in the area of the study of Canadian demography.

In 1945, Rosenberg was appointed to serve as “National Research Director” (and only employee) of the Bureau of Social and Economic Research at Canadian Jewish Congress, and he moved to Montreal. He produced a steady stream of social studies of Canada’s Jews, continuing to use the Canadian census material, but also conducting his own surveys.

He wrote the several works of Jewish history, occasionally transcribing long primary sources in the process. His archives are located in both Ottawa (LAC) and Montreal (CJCCC). He died in 1987.

Previous Winners

2001 - Miriam Waddington (Vancouver)
2002 - Rabbi Gunther Plaut (Toronto)
2003 - Ruth Goldbloom (Halifax)
2004 - Abraham Arnold (Winnipeg)
2005 - Professor Gerald Tulchinsky (Kingston) -
award received in Toronto
2006 - Professor Irving Abella (Toronto)
2007 - Cyril E. Leonoff (Vancouver) - award received in Saskatoon
2008 - Seymour Levitan (Vancouver)
2009 - Professor Seymour Mayne (Ottawa)
2010 - Eiran Harris (Montreal)
2011 - Marcia Koven (St John, New Brunswick)