I loved the book. The research is meticulous and well-documented; the book brilliantly written. It was a difficult book to read however due to the subject matter and the lengths that the Canadian government went to in order to keep Jews people out of the country at a time when they most needed to get in. This 40th anniversary edition contains a great foreword by Richard Menkis and a great afterword by David Koffman explaining why the book is still relevant. This book was on my to-be-read list for too long a time. Thank you to Netgalley and New Jewish Press for the digital review copy.

This book was so, so interesting when everything with the Nazis and Hitler was kicking off Canada’s prime Minister and it’s Director of immigration was so racist they would pass bills and the devil was certainly in the details because once you read the new laws, it was obvious one way or another he stood to keep Jewish people out. The Prime Minister even made a public announcement saying Jewish people were fanatical about getting into Canada as if it had nothing to do with a life or death situation. It was only due to the Canadian people gentile and Jew alike that protested and forced the government to give the succession they did. Even then they try to find reasons to not let them in and even stated publicly that those from enemy countries meaning the German and Austrian Jewish population were absolutely not to be let in even though those were the ones most in danger. I mean the whole time I read this book all I kept thinking was are you serious? In one part of the book they talked about how Jewish refugees may claim to want to farm but once they get to the farm they’ll soon leave and go to the city to be amongst the own people every Jewish walk of life even if by the law they would’ve been allowed to get in the government down ways of keeping them out. They claim to only want professional people and people who could take care of their self but there was a Jewish family with $120,000 in the bank account in the late 30s early 40s and yet because they said they wanted to open a tannery Canada‘s government said they had enough tanneries. I could go on and on with this review just know it is interesting well researched in mind blowing if you even have a passing interest in social politics and government politics then you should definitely read this book it is one I definitely recommend. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The 40th Anniversary edition of “None Is Too Many” continues to be a powerful account of Canada’s response to Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution during the critical period between 1933 and 1948. This book lays bare the uncomfortable truth that Canada was far from the accepting and welcoming society it is often portrayed to be.

Abella and Troper’s retelling of this dark chapter in Canadian history is both harrowing and unforgettable. Their meticulous research reveals the extent of Canada’s callousness toward Jewish refugees and their influence extends beyond the pages. The foreword by Richard Menkis in this anniversary edition underscores the enduring impact of “None Is Too Many.” He provides valuable context on how the book resonated when it was first published, emphasizing its significance in shaping historical narratives.The afterword by David Koffman further enriches the reader’s experience. By connecting the past to the present, Koffman highlights why the book’s message remains critical today and his insights prompt us to reflect on contemporary issues related to refugees, discrimination, and human rights.

“None Is Too Many” serves as a potent reminder that compassion and acceptance must be actively cultivated.

I just reviewed None Is Too Many by By Irving Abella and Harold Troper Foreword by Richard Menkis Afterword by David S. Koffman. #NoneIsTooMany #NetGalley

A classic study of Canadian immigration policy in the pre and post World War II, None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe, 1933-1948 traces the Canadian government's purposefully callous inaction or overly strict interpretations of policy to prevent Jewish immigration during a time of great need. While, as the afterword of this volume freely admits, it does not get everything right, specifically in regards to the Quebecoise, this book has served as a nadir point for the Canadian nation and has helped to shape responses to other refugee crises.

Irving Abella and Harold Trope looked not only at the inaction or deliberate obfuscation of the Canadian government, but also the letters or other communications from those seeking a way out or Europe. These letters are drawn from government archives or Jewish aid organizations that were active this whole period, but frequently ran up against governmental barriers. The authors move, mostly, chronologically, showing the long scale of denial of entrance or ignorance before policy shifted slightly in the postwar era. In doing so it touches on more widely known events or movements such as the Nazi German switch from expulsion to 'deportations' of the Holocaust, the negotiations for the lives of the Hungarian Jews or the public revelation of the concentration camps. Canada was not alone in seeking to limit immigration in this period, as the United States too had put in place immigration limits in the 1920s.

An excellent work of archival research that still resonates in issues of today. Recommended for anyone interested in World War II history, immigration issues or the role of the bystander.

Canada is sometimes thought of as a place of comfortable pleasant people who live in a quasi utopia. But during the period of 1933 to 1948 when the holocaust was going on in Europe, the government under MacKensie King refused to open the country to endangered Jews from many of the countries that began to come under the thumb of the Nazis.

King and the other members of the Immigration ministry politely listened to all the information presented to them as to the number of people being murdered by the Nazi, and said all the right things but did nothing. (He was the equivalent of Breckingridge Long who prevented the approved levels of immigration from being used.) Long and his cohort feared that the JEWS depicted by the Nazis and reviled by Henry Ford and Father Coughlin would defile their little utopia. Jews were dirty and lazy and would never become integrated into the body politic.

So year after year they agreed to accept a certain amount of Jews from Europe and then came up with so many codicils to the approvals that no one qualified. During this period, Canada accepted a total of 160,000+ immigrants of which 8000 were displaced Jews. The 8000 were out of a total of 240,000+ Jews who survived the camps. If you look at the demographics for Jews in 1933 and today, the number of Jews in Canada is approximately the same.