You may not know the name Morris Saxe, but in the 1920s, when the federal government actively prevent Jewish immigrants to Canada, he was able to bring 79 Jewish orphans from Poland into the country.

This is the story of the man called Canada's Schindler.

Morris Saxe was born near Kiev and came to Canada in 1902.

First settling in Guelph, he took several farming courses before moving to his own homestead in Georgetown in 1916.

It was there he started the Canadian Jewish Farm School.

His farm school educated new arrivals to Canada on how to work their land. Morris also supported the Back To The Land movement. This followed the idea of growing one's own food on the land for themselves and others, even if it meant just one tomato plant on a balcony.

In the 1920s, he became interested in helping Jewish children in Poland who had been orphaned during the First World War. At the time, the Canadian government believed that "one was too many" when it came to letting in Jewish immigrants.

Through perseverance and hard work, Morris was able to convince the federal government to let in 79 Jewish orphans. It is very likely that if not for his efforts to bring those Jewish orphans to Canada, many of them would have died in the Holocaust only a few years later.

Morris taught them how to farm in Canada, helping them achieve success on their own farms. He also founded the Federated Jewish Farmers of Ontario and acted as an advisor to the Canadian Federal Immigration Department on agricultural practices. He died in 1965.

I hope you enjoyed that look at Morris Saxe.

If you enjoy my Canadian history content, you can support my work with a donation at 👇