Bridging Unsettled Waters: Ethnie and Edentity in the Calgary Jewish Community‪.‬

ABSTRACT/RESUME Modern Jewish identity in Canada is more than simply a religious or ethnic identification. This research note examines the perplexities in Jewish identity and suggests an alternative way of conceptualizing what it means to be Jewish. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of fifteen participants from the Calgary Jewish community in order to explore the many ways in which they conceptualized and understood their Jewishness. The concept of ethnie, adopted from Anthony D. Smith's 1989 article, "The Origins of Nations," is used to construct a bridge amongst the various dimensions of what it means to be Jewish. It takes into account the importance of culture, feelings of solidarity and common myths, common historical memories, and a common historical homeland. The qualitative interview data reveal the findings of these characteristics of ethnie, and they are further discussed in terms of various sub-themes such as: language; "knowing other Jews"; "them versus us"; the holocaust and cultural trauma; Eretz Israel, and feelings of connectedness. Overall, this article demonstrates how these characteristics and themes integrally contribute to a whole picture of modern Jewish identity for a small- to medium-size Jewish community in Canada.