JIAS Toronto

For Jewish Heritage Month, JIAS is sharing a few of the immigration stories that helped shape our community. Today, we share the story of the Daniels family.

When Miriam and Joshua Daniels left behind their family, friends, and Jewish community in Mumbai to begin a new life in Canada, they arrived with very little. In Toronto, they found themselves a “minority within a minority.”

“At that time, Toronto was not as diverse as it is today, and the Jewish community was not as multicultural.”

They missed the close-knit Jewish Indian community they had known back home. Yet despite the challenges of starting over, they built a meaningful life in Canada and found their place within Toronto’s Jewish community.

Now married for 30 years, Miriam and Joshua raised their daughter, Ariella, in Toronto. Miriam has also dedicated more than three decades of her career to serving the community through UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

Their story reflects the courage, resilience, and determination it takes for so many newcomers to rebuild their lives while preserving their culture, traditions, and sense of belonging.

Learn more about their journey here: https://bit.ly/4nPZ5BU