For the past year, I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Calgary-born, Montreal-based writer Norman Ravvin to create the walking tour “Stories of Jewish Mewata” for Historic Calgary Week.

Norm's family has deep roots in Mewata, going back to the 1920s when his grandparents lived and ran Mewata Confectionary in the neighbourhood now known as Downtown West.

With precious little to go on, we went looking for traces of the area’s Jewish families who once called this place home.

If you missed the walk and you’re curious to know more, look for Norm’s forthcoming article in the September 2023 edition of the Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta’s Discovery newsletter. You might also check out his wonderful essay on old Mewata in his Hidden Canada: An Intimate Travelogue published in 2001 by Red Deer Press.

Norm and me setting the stage in BowForth Park (Photo: Nimira Dewji)

Below you’ll find links to a few interesting sites and a map of key spots in our talk, superimposed on an air photo of the area taken in 1961 — as Norm describes it “a very intact moment” in Mewata’s ever-changing history.

Thanks to Historic Calgary Week and to the Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta for helping us make “Stories of Jewish Mewata” happen.