ST. JOHN, N.B. — The Jewish community of Saint John is trying to turn a corner. Numbers have fallen in the last couple of decades, causing a vibrant community of 250 families in the 1950s to dwindle to a mere 30 families today.

The synagogue that served the community for more than 100 years was sold in 2008 and a new, smaller building was obtained to retain a Jewish spiritual presence and house the Saint John Historical Society Museum.

Now Saint Johners are looking ahead to the arrival of almost 60 newcomers, including 25 children ages one to 14, a number that will more than double the current Jewish population in the New Brunswick port city.

Dan Elman, a life-long active member of the Jewish community, part of a working committee of about 15 men and women, is eagerly anticipating Aug. 30 when the first newcomer family – of 17 who have agreed to emigrate from Israel to Saint John – will arrive.

“We looked back at the early 1900s, when my grandparents and many others like them came to Saint John to start new lives,” Elman said.

“It was a successful emigration of these people from eastern Europe who wanted to leave their present home to set up a new life. If they didn’t stay in Saint John, it was OK, but many did remain and built Saint John into a vibrant Jewish community. We hope these newcomers will have the same impact and bring Jewish vibrancy back to Saint John.”

He said his grandfather, Israel Elman, started a group called Habonim as the welcoming committee for other newcomers. The current committee has retained that name.

“I set up a website [now non-existent] inviting interest in emigrating to Saint John from Israel, and we received a couple of hundred resumes,” he recalled of the start of this newcomer program a year or so ago.

“We also had a contact in Israel, lawyer Yigal Ben Zion in Jerusalem, who visited our community and was aware of the provincial nominee program [which allows the province to select and assist skilled immigrants]. He screened people in Israel and helped them fill out forms, etc.”

Two groups visited separately for one week in fall 2009 and spring 2010, hosted by the working committee, which held receptions and special events at the synagogue, showed them areas to live, and set up interviews and meetings with Enterprise Saint John to discuss housing and business opportunities. They also made connections with multicultural associations and the newcomers resource centre.

“The role of our support committees within the Jewish community is to help the newcomers settle,” Elman said.

Linda Hamburg, Susan Isaacs-Lubin and Lorne Daltrop will assist in housing. Phillip Bloom will guide them to financial institutions. Robert Selby, Herzl Kashetsky and Kate Elman-Wilcott will develop cultural contacts and assist in finding education opportunities for the children, with Elman-Wilcott also co-ordinating youth programs and activities. Cathy Tait will assist in employment contacts, while Murray Goodman finds recreational programs.

Ruth Koven and Diane Bloom work in transportation, while Lois Bessoudo and Lorie Cohen-Hackett co-ordinate shopping advice and opportunities. Dr. Ricardo Bessoudo and Shelley Cohen-Thorley are assisting with medical contacts, of obvious importance to families with young children.

Elman added: “We have one family already living here, and they came outside this newcomer program. The husband searched the web, discovered a Woodstock, N.B., company needed truckers and would arrange work permits. They came to Saint John to our Jewish community and they’ve already integrated with us. Both children are in Hebrew school and he is working steadily.”

One lawyer from Israel, who will have to earn his certification in Canada, told Elman he’ll do anything just to be here, “even shovel snow” until he is able to practise in his profession.

“We told all these people we want them in our community. We said we want you to have our [shul] building. We want to preserve our Jewish history and move ahead and you can help us do that,” Elman said.

Most of the newcomers are originally from Russia and the Ukraine. They’ll be coming with backgrounds in security, music, engineering, welding, program management, nursing, human resources, translation, pharmacy, sales, and even restaurant development and management. Their English is good, but Elman said most have been studying online to improve their language skills.

They’re employable, he said, unlike his ancestors, who were educated but only through books, not work experience.