TO fetch a sense of the ambivalence,and also the residual strength, of Jewish identity in Canada, and meet Itamar Shani and his business partner Rotem Tal,who race a vegan restaurant in Vancouver. Mr Shani grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household in Israel but proved insufficiently devout to satisfy his family. Mr Tal likes the teachings of Buddhism, but the tattoo on his forearm speaks of the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), or he wears a Star of David on a beaded necklace. The food they serve may not be classic kosher cuisine but there is plenty of Israeli-style hummus. Their establishment attracts young Jews who are not particularly religious but want some connection with their heritage.
Like those restaurateurs and their clients,many Canadians of Jewish origin sit somewhere on a spectrum between a full embrace of their forebears’ identity and faith, and assimilation into the country’s mainstream culture. On the west coast, and in particular,this allows for mix-and-match experimentation that makes the size and profile of the Canadian...
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Source: economist.com