In the Shadow of the Mountain

Tur Malka is the name given to Mount Royal by Montreal's Yiddish poets in the early 20th century. By drawing the name "Tur Malka” (Mountain of the Queen) from the Talmud, these poets claimed one of Montreal's major landmarks and its symbolism as their own. Walking along the tree-lined streets and quiet alleys of the Plateau, visitors will discover poems by several of Montreal’s Jewish poets, from Leonard Cohen to Ida Maze, and explore how Jews in Montreal interpreted the cultural and geographic conditions they faced here. Through the stories of writers, activists, and other idealists, this tour explores the contrasts between Jewish visions for their new home and the realities of life in this city.