List of Canadian Jews
This list of Canadian Jews includes notable Canadian Jews or Canadians of Jewish descent, arranged by field of activity.
Academic figures
Biology and medicine
- Eric Berne, psychiatrist
- John Bienenstock, immunologist
- Daniel Borsuk , plastic surgeon
- Éric Cohen, molecular virologist
- Max Cynader , ophthalmologist and neuroscientist
- Dorothy Dworkin, nurse and founder of Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
- William Feindel , neurosurgeon
- Samuel Freedman , clinical immunologist
- Phil Gold , medical researcher
- Larry Goldenberg , medical researcher
- Carl Goresky , physician and scientist
- Michael Hayden , geneticist
- Sara Hestrin-Lerner, physiologist
- Abram Hoffer, physician and psychiatrist
- Charles Hollenberg , physician and medical researcher
- Harold Kaplan, psychiatrist
- George Karpati , neurologist
- Gideon Koren, pediatrician
- Gabor Maté , physician
- Harry Medovy , paediatrician
- Henry Morgentaler , doctor and abortion activist
- Richard Goldbloom , paediatrician
- Mel Rosenberg, microbiologist
- Sydney Segal , pediatrician and neonatologist
- Louis Siminovitch , molecular biologist
- Nahum Sonenberg , microbiologist and biochemist
- Ralph Steinman, medical researcher; Nobel Prize in Medicine
- Karl Stern, neurologist and psychiatrist
- Mark Wainberg , HIV/AIDS researcher
- Zena Werb, cell biologist
Computing and mathematics
- Dror Bar-Natan, topologist
- Yoshua Bengio, computer scientist
- David Borwein, mathematician
- Jonathan Borwein, mathematician
- Peter Borwein, mathematician
- Nathan Divinsky, mathematician and chess master
- Ian Goldberg, cryptographer
- Calvin Gotlieb , computer scientist
- Michael Gurstein, computer scientist
- Israel Halperin , algebraist
- Hans Heilbronn, mathematician
- William Kahan, computer scientist and mathematician; Turing Award
- Irving Kaplansky, mathematician
- Yael Karshon, symplectic geometer
- Cecilia Krieger, mathematician
- Nathan Mendelsohn , combinatorialist and group theorist
- Pierre Milman, algebraic and differential geometer
- Louis Nirenberg, analyst; Abel Prize
- Anatol Rapoport, applied mathematician
- Robert Steinberg, algebraist
- Jacob Tsimerman, number theorist
- George Zames, control theorist
Engineering
- Norbert Berkowitz , engineering researcher
- Gregory Chamitoff, NASA astronaut and engineer
- Valery Fabrikant, mechanical engineer and convicted murderer
- Charles Hershfield, structural engineer
- Josef Kates, engineer
- Cyril Leonoff, geotechnical engineer
History
- Irving Abella , historian
- Norman Cantor, historian
- Natalie Zemon Davis , historian
- David Feuerwerker, historian
- Jan Grabowski, historian and writer
- Jack Granatstein , political and military historian
- Ronald Hamowy, historian and political theorist
- Gabriel Kolko, historian
- Michael Marrus , historian
- David Noble, historian of technology
- Derek Penslar, historian
- Harold Troper, historian
- Daniel Woolf, historian
Humanities
- Gregory Baum, priest and theologian
- Leon Edel, literary critic; Pulitzer Prize
- Archie Green, folklorist
- Marvin Herzog, professor of Yiddish language
- Norma Joseph, professor of Jewish Studies
- Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, scholar of Jewish studies
- Allan Nadler, professor of Jewish studies
- Adele Reinhartz, professor of Biblical literature
- David Roskies, literary scholar
- Abraham de Sola, professor of Semitic languages and literature
- Ruth Wisse, professor of Yiddish literature
Philosophy
- Howard Adelman , philosopher
- Gerald Cohen, political philosopher
- S. Morris Engel, philosopher
- Emil Fackenheim, philosopher and theologian
- Raymond Klibansky , historian of philosophy
- Lou Marinoff, philosopher
- Roger Nash, philosopher
- Michael Neumann, philosopher
- Jay Newman, philosopher
- Leonard Peikoff, philosopher
- Hillel Steiner, political philosopher
Physics and chemistry
- Isaac Abella, physicist
- Sidney Altman, molecular biologist; Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Alfred Bader , chemist
- Myer Bloom, physicist
- Jacques Distler, physicist
- Ursula Franklin metallurgist and physicist
- Helen Freedhoff, theoretical physicist
- Stanton Friedman, nuclear physicist and ufologist
- Jack Halpern, inorganic chemist
- Shlomo Hestrin, biochemist
- Leopold Infeld, physicist
- Werner Israel , physicist
- Martin Kamen, chemist
- Leon Katz , physicist
- Victoria Kaspi , astrophysicist
- Lawrence Krauss, theoretical physicist
- David Levy, astronomer
- Rudolph Marcus, chemist; Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Maya Paczuski, physicist
- John Polanyi , chemist; Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Juda Hirsch Quastel , biochemist
- Sara Seager, astronomer
- Moshe Shapiro, chemist and physicist
- David Shugar, physicist
- Louis Slotin, physicist and chemist
- Joe Schwarcz, science writer and chemist
- Theodore Sourkes , biochemist
- Rudolf Vrba, biochemist
Social sciences
- Bernard Avishai, professor of business
- Ellen Bialystok , psychologist
- Paul Bloom, psychologist
- Reuven Brenner, economist
- Michel Chossudovsky, economist
- Stanley Coren, psychologist
- Kurt Freund, sexologist
- Rochel Gelman, psychologist
- Reva Gerstein , psychologist
- Erving Goffman, sociologist
- Myrna Gopnik,, linguist
- Ida Halpern , ethnomusicologist
- Samuel Hollander , economist
- Gad Horowitz, political scientist
- Helmut Kallmann , musicologist
- Ivan Kalmar, anthropologist
- James Laxer, political economist
- Daniel Levitin, cognitive psychologist
- Ronald Melzack , psychologist
- Henry Mintzberg , business theorist
- Sylvia Ostry , economist
- Leo Panitch, political scientist
- Norman Penner, political scientist and historian
- Steven Pinker, cognitive psychologist and linguist
- Susan Pinker, psychologist and writer
- Frances Fox Piven, political scientist
- Gad Saad, evolutionary psychologist
- Myron Scholes, financial economist; Nobel Prize in Economics
- Vera Shlakman, economist
- Lionel Tiger, anthropologist
- Jacob Viner, economist
- Kenneth Zucker, psychologist and sexologist
- Shlomo Weber, economist
University administration
- Isaac Hellmuth, founder of the University of Western Ontario
- Myer Horowitz , president of the University of Alberta
- Max Wyman, president of the University of Alberta
- Sheldon Levy, president and vice-chancellor of Ryerson University
- Frederick Lowy , president and vice-chancellor of Concordia University
- Arnold Naimark , president of the University of Manitoba
- Mordechai Rozanski, president of the University of Guelph
- Bernard Shapiro , principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University
- Harold Shapiro, president of Princeton University
- Daniel Woolf, principal and vice-chancellor of Queen's University
Activists
- Manuel Batshaw, social worker
- Marjorie Blankstein, community activist
- Judy Feld Carr , human rights activist
- Sabina Citron, activist and author
- Martha Cohen , community activist
- Betty Dubiner, disabilities activist
- Bernie Farber, Jewish community leader and social activist
- Abraham Feinberg, human rights activist.
- Shulamith Firestone, radical feminist
- Ruth Frankel , activist
- Howard Galganov, political activist
- Saul Hayes , activist
- Goldie Hershon, activist and Jewish community leader
- Kalmen Kaplansky , human rights activist
- Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch
- Judy Rebick, political activist
- Dorothy Reitman , activist
- Léa Roback, social activist and feminist
- Irv Rubin, Kahanist activist
Artists
Architects and designers
- Hans Blumenfeld , architect and city planner
- Benjamin Brown, architect
- Jack Diamond , architect
- Frank Gehry , architect
- Phyllis Lambert , architect and philanthropist
- Cornelia Oberlander , landscape architect
- Peter Oberlander , architect
- Moshe Safdie , architect
- Arnold Scaasi, fashion designer
Fine arts
- Omer Arbel, sculptor and designer
- Aba Bayefsky, artist
- Arnold Belkin, painter
- Barry Blitt, illustrator
- Sam Borenstein, painter
- Ghitta Caiserman-Roth, artist
- Lynne Cohen, photography
- Yehouda Chaki, artist
- Sorel Etrog, sculptor
- Albert Gilbert , photographer
- Gerald Gladstone, sculptor
- Eric Goldberg, painter
- Jack Goldstein, multimedia artist
- Pnina Granirer, painter
- Philip Guston, abstract expressionist
- Gilah Yelin Hirsch, artist
- Eli Ilan, sculptor
- Gershon Iskowitz, artist
- Sarah Jackson, artist
- Mayer Kirshenblatt, painter
- Sylvia Lefkovitz, painter and sculptor
- Stanley Lewis, sculptor
- Harry Mayerovitch, artist and architect
- Louis Muhlstock, painter
- Henry Orenstein, painter
- Alfred Pinsky, painter
- David Rabinowitch, sculptor
- Royden Rabinowitch , sculptor
- William Raphael, painter
- Miriam Schapiro, artist
- Regina Seiden, painter
- Yechiel Shainblum,, painter and sculptor
- Joe Shuster, co-creator of Superman
- Erik Slutsky, painter
- Max Stern, art dealer
- Avrom Yanovsky, cartoonist
- Helen Zenith, painter
Business
Finance
- Mitch Garber, investor and business executive
- Sol Kanee , banker and Jewish community leader
- Alvin Libin , investor and co-owner of Calgary Sports and Entertainment
- Lazarus Phillips , director of the Royal Bank of Canada and senator
- Louis Rasminsky , Governor of Bank of Canada
- Jeff Rubin, chief economist of CIBC World Markets
- Gerry Schwartz , CEO of Onex Corporation
- Alex Shnaider, co-founder of the Midland Group
- Lawrence Stroll, investor
- Mark Wiseman CEO of the CPP Investment Board
Media
- Izzy Asper , chairman of Canwest Global Communications
- Leonard Asper, president and CEO of Canwest Global Communications
- Avie Bennett , chairman of McClelland & Stewart
- Jacques Bensimon , director of the National Film Board of Canada
- Mark Breslin , co-founder of Yuk Yuk's
- Edgar Bronfman Jr., CEO and chairman of Warner Music Group
- Paul Godfrey , president and CEO of Postmedia Network
- Michael Goldbloom , president of Star Media Group
- Ian Greenberg, co-founder and CEO of Astral Media
- Michael Hirsh, co-founder of Nelvana
- Mel Hurtig , publisher
- Jonathan Kay, editor-in-chief of The Walrus
- Ezra Levant, political commentator and founder of Rebel News
- David Margolese, founder of Sirius XM Radio
- Louis B. Mayer, co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
- Andy Nulman , co-founder of Just for Laughs
- M. J. Nurenberger, founder of the Canadian Jewish News
- Bernard Ostry , chair and CEO of TVOntario
- Robert Rabinovitch, president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- A. M. Rosenthal, executive editor of The New York Times; Pulitzer Prize
- Brian Segal, president and CEO of Rogers Publishing
- Jay Switzer , president and CEO of CHUM Limited
- Marv Terhoch, CBWT-DT
- Jack L. Warner, president of Warner Bros. Studios
- Moses Znaimer, co-founder and head of Citytv
- Mortimer Zuckerman, co-founder of Boston Properties and media proprietor
Natural resources
- Robert Friedland, founder of Ivanhoe Mines
- Leon Joseph Koerner, philanthropist and industrialist
- Peter Munk , founder of Barrick Gold
- Joseph Rotman , businessman and philanthropist
- Seymour Schulich , mining businessman and philanthropist
- Irving Schwartz , entrepreneur and philanthropist
- Levy Solomons, merchant and fur trader
Philanthropists
- Bluma Appel , philanthropist
- Jenny Belzberg , philanthropist
- Alfred David Benjamin, businessman and philanthropist
- Lillian Bilsky Freiman , philanthropist and civil leader
- Ruth Goldbloom , co-founder of Pier 21
Real estate
- Marcel Adams, real estate investor
- Sylvan Adams, real estate investor
- David Azrieli , real estate magnate
- Samuel Belzberg , businessman
- The Ghermezian family, shopping mall developers
- Mitchell Goldhar, founder of SmartCentres and owner of Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.
- Michal Hornstein , businessman and philanthropist
- The Reichmann family, real estate magnates
- *Edward Reichmann, real estate magnate
- *Paul Reichmann, real estate magnate
- Jack Singer, real estate developer
- Allan Zeman , developer
Retail
- Aldo Bensadoun, founder of the Aldo Group
- The Bronfman family, businesspeople and philanthropists
- *Charles Bronfman , co-chairman of Seagram's
- *Edgar Bronfman Sr., head of Seagram's and president of the World Jewish Congress
- *Samuel Bronfman , founder of Seagram's
- Dov Charney, founder of American Apparel
- Lyon Cohen, businessman and philanthropist
- George Cohon , founder of McDonald's Canada
- Nathan Cummings, co-founder of Consolidated Foods
- Leslie Dan , founder of Novopharm
- Sir Mortimer Davis, tobacco industry executive
- Archibald Jacob Freiman, founder of Freimans
- Hershey Friedman, owner of Agri Star
- Daniel Friedmann, CEO of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates
- Daryl Katz, founder of Katz Group of Companies and owner of the Edmonton Oilers
- Murray Koffler , founder of Shoppers Drug Mart
- Ed Mirvish , founder of Honest Ed's
- Jack Rabinovitch , philanthropist
- Heather Reisman , founder and CEO of Indigo Books and Music
- Dani Reiss , president and CEO of Canada Goose
- Irv Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins
- Bruce Rockowitz, CEO and vice-chairman of Global Brands Group
- Harry Rosen , founder of Harry Rosen Inc.
- Larry Rosen, chairman and CEO of Harry Rosen Inc.
- Calin Rovinescu , president and CEO of Air Canada
- Isai Scheinberg, co-founder of PokerStars
- Mark Scheinberg, co-founder of PokerStars
- Isadore Sharp , founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
- Barry Sherman , chairman and CEO of Apotex
- Jeffrey Skoll , president of eBay
- Sam Steinberg, president of Steinberg's
- Larry Tanenbaum , chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Law
Jurists
- Rosalie Abella, Supreme Court Justice
- Harry Batshaw, Quebec Superior Court Justice
- Charles Dubin , Chief Justice of Ontario
- Morris Fish , Supreme Court Justice
- Samuel Freedman , Chief Justice of Manitoba
- Constance Glube , Chief Justice of Nova Scotia
- Alan Gold , Chief Justice of Quebec
- Sydney Harris, judge
- Bora Laskin , 14th Chief Justice of Canada
- Herbert Marx, Quebec Superior Court Justice and Minister of Justice
- Michael Moldaver, Supreme Court Justice
- Nathaniel Nemetz , Chief Justice of British Columbia
- Marshall Rothstein , Supreme Court Justice
- Tillie Taylor, Saskatchewan's first female magistrate
- Richard Wagner, 18th Chief Justice of Canada
Lawyers
- Monroe Abbey , lawyer
- Maurice Alexander, barrister
- Louis Bloomfield, lawyer and businessman
- Alan Borovoy , lawyer and human rights activist
- Harold Buchwald , lawyer
- Reuben Cohen , lawyer and businessman
- Martin Friedland , lawyer
- Rocco Galati, constitutional lawyer
- Edward Greenspan, lawyer
- Adolphus Hart, lawyer and activist
- David Matas , human rights lawyer
- Ed Morgan, international lawyer
- Harry Rankin, lawyer
- William Schabas , professor of international law
- Morris Shumiatcher , lawyer and human rights activist
- Harvey Strosberg, lawyer
- Harry Walsh , criminal lawyer
- Benjamin Zimmerman, justice of the peace
Military
- Morris Cohen , Canadian Expeditionary Force officers and adventurer
- Eleazar David David, cavalry officer
- Ben Dunkelman, World War II and Israeli War of Independence soldier
- Moe Hurwitz , World War II soldier
- Maxwell Kogon , World War II bomber pilot
- Yank Levy, soldier and military instructor
- Gill Rosenberg, member of the Women's Protection Units
- Sydney Shulemson , World War II fighter pilot
- Peter Stevens , German born WWII RAF officer, and RCAF post-war, best known for multiple POW escapes
Performing arts
Actors and performers
See also: :Category:Jewish Canadian actors|Jewish Canadian actors and :Category:Jewish Canadian comedians|Jewish Canadian comedians- Harvey Atkin, actor and voice actor
- Liane Balaban, actress
- Jay Baruchel, actor, comedian, and screenwriter
- Frances Bay, character actress
- Lani Billard, television actress
- Lionel Blair, actor and choreographer
- Ben Blue, actor and comedian
- Lloyd Bochner, actor
- Bobby Breen, actor and singer
- Howard Busgang, comedian
- Neve Campbell, film and television actress
- Maury Chaykin, actor
- Boris Cherniak, hypnotist
- Emmanuelle Chriqui, actress
- Lauren Collins, television actress
- Pauline Donalda , operatic soprano
- Barbara Dunkelman, actress and internet personality
- Ophira Eisenberg, comedian
- Jake Epstein, television actor
- Stacey Farber, television actress
- Maureen Forrester , operatic contralto
- Celia Franca , founder of the National Ballet of Canada
- Victor Garber, actor
- Jessalyn Gilsig, television actress
- Joanna Gleason, actress
- Jake Goldsbie, television actor
- Anais Granofsky, actress
- Lorne Greene, actor
- Nathan Fielder, actor and comedian
- Corey Haim, actor
- Monty Hall, game show host
- Melissa Hayden, ballerina
- Lou Jacobi, actor
- Jonathan Keltz, actor
- Shane Kippel, television actor
- Mia Kirshner, actress
- Jack Kruschen, character actor
- Paul Kligman, actor
- Rachelle Lefevre, actress
- Sylvia Lennick, actress
- Caissie Levy, stage actress and singer
- Eugene Levy , actor and director
- Jaclyn Linetsky, television actress
- Mary Livingstone, radio comedian and actress
- Howie Mandel, actor and comedian
- Rick Moranis, actor and comedian
- Harley Morenstein, actor and Internet personality
- Gloria Reuben, television actress
- Spencer Rice, writer, director and performer
- Seth Rogen, film and television actor
- Sasha Roiz, actor
- Saul Rubinek, actor, director, producer and playwright
- Jonathan Sagall, actor
- Mort Sahl, stand-up comedian
- William Shatner , actor, director, and writer
- Norma Shearer, actress and Hollywood star
- Frank Shuster , comedian
- Anna Silk, actress
- David Steinberg , comedian and director
- Stuart Stone, actor
- Tara Strong, actress
- Kyle Switzer, television actor
- Theresa Tova, actress and playwright
- Al Waxman , actor
- Johnny Wayne, comedian
- Joseph Wiseman, theatre and film actor
- Finn Wolfhard, actor
Directors and producers
- Laszlo Barna, television producer
- Murray Cohl , film director
- David Cronenberg , filmmaker and screenwriter
- Garth Drabinsky, film and theatrical producer
- Bob Ezrin, music producer
- Ken Finkleman, television producer
- Jay Firestone, film and television producer
- Sidney Furie, film director
- Herman Geiger-Torel , opera director
- Jake Gold, musician manager
- Harold Greenberg , film producer
- Al Guest, animation producer and director
- Arthur Hiller , director
- John Hirsch , theatre director
- Kenny Hotz, producer and entertainer
- Simcha Jacobovici, film director
- Estelle Klein, artistic director
- Franz Kraemer , radio producer
- Shawn Levy, film director and producer
- Avi Lewis, documentary filmmaker and television host
- Benjamin Lumley, opera director
- Francis Mankiewicz, director
- Lorne Michaels , television producer
- David Mirvish , theatre producer
- Sydney Newman , producer
- Jeremy Podeswa, film and television director
- Ivan Reitman , film producer and director
- Jason Reitman, film director
- J.R. Rotem, record producer
- Albert Ruddy, film director
- Harry Saltzman, film producer
- Dora Wasserman, playwright and theater director
Composers
- Murray Adaskin , composer
- Karel Ančerl, conductor
- István Anhalt , composer
- Louis Applebaum , film score composer
- Milton Barnes, composer and conductor
- Boris Berlin , musical instructor and composer
- David Botwinik, composer
- Alexander Brott , conductor and composer
- Boris Brott , conductor
- Percy Faith, bandleader
- Harry Freedman , composer
- Lewis Furey, composer
- Srul Glick , composer
- Helmut Kallmann, composer
- Uri Mayer, conductor and violinist
- Oskar Morawetz , composer
- Albert Pratz, conductor and violinist
- Paul Shaffer , bandleader
- Howard Shore , composer
- Ben Steinberg, composer and conductor
- Heinz Unger, conductor
- Maurice Zbriger, composer and violinist
Musicians
Classical
- Frances Adaskin , pianist
- Harry Adaskin , violinist
- Ellen Ballon, pianist
- Denis Brott , cellist
- Rivka Golani, viola player
- Moshe Hammer, violinist
- Ofra Harnoy , cellist
- Jacques Israelievitch , violinist
- Minuetta Kessler, concert pianist
- Anton Kuerti , pianist
- Zara Nelsova, cellist
- Isidor Philipp, pianist and composer
- Ezra Schabas , musician
- Harold Sumberg, violinist
- Ethel Stark , violinist and conductor
- John Weinzweig , composer
- George Zukerman , bassoonist and impresario
Jazz
- Paul Bley , pianist
- Jim Gelcer, jazz musician
- James Gelfand, jazz pianist
- Moe Koffman , jazz musician
- Sophie Milman, jazz musician
- Nikki Yanofsky, jazz-pop singer
Popular
- A-Trak, DJ
- Oscar Brand, folk singer
- Drake, rapper and actor
- Corey Hart, singer
- Paul Hoffert , founding member of Lighthouse
- Geddy Lee , lead singer of Rush
- Efrim Menuck, musician
- Ben Mink, songwriter and musician
- Steven Page, founding member of Barenaked Ladies
- Peaches, electronic musician
- Robbie Robertson , lead guitarist of The Band
- Eddie Schwartz , songwriter and music producer
- Sharon, Lois & Bram, children's music group
- Amy Sky, singer-songwriter
- Socalled, rapper and producer
- Chaim Tannenbaum, folk singer
- Vanity, singer and songwriter
- David Usher, frontman for Moist
- Bob Wiseman, composer and founding member of Blue Rodeo
- Zal Yanovsky, rock musician, the Lovin' Spoonful guitarist
- Alissa White-Gluz, death metal vocalist
Politics
Diplomats
- Klaus Goldschlag , ambassador
- Allan Gotlieb , ambassador
- Saul Rae, diplomat
- Norman Spector, diplomat and journalist
Mayors
- Michael Applebaum, mayor of Montreal
- Sidney Buckwold , mayor of Saskatoon
- Martin Dobkin, first mayor of Mississauga
- Lumley Franklin, mayor of Victoria
- Philip Givens, mayor of Toronto and Liberal MP
- Lorry Greenberg, mayor of Ottawa
- Sam Katz, mayor of Winnipeg
- Leonard Arthur Kitz, mayor of Halifax
- Mel Lastman, mayor of Toronto
- Saul Laskin, mayor of Thunder Bay
- Stephen Mandel, mayor of Edmonton and leader of the Alberta Party
- Danny Nathanson, mayor of New Waterford, Nova Scotia
- David Oppenheimer, mayor of Vancouver
- Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toronto
- Harvey Rosen, mayor of Kingston
- Morley Rosenberg, mayor of Kitchener
Politicians
- Jack Austin , senator and cabinet minister
- Dave Barrett , 26th Premier of British Columbia
- George Benjamin, Conservative MP
- Peter Bercovitch, Liberal MP and Quebec Liberal MNA
- Lawrence Bergman, Quebec Liberal MNA and cabinet minister
- Harry Blank, Quebec Liberal MPP
- Annie Buller, co-founder of the Communist Party of Canada
- Elinor Caplan, Liberal MP and cabinet minister
- Jim Carr, Liberal MP and Minister of Natural Resources
- Leon Crestohl, Liberal MP
- Saul Cherniack , Manitoba NDP MP and cabinet minister
- Tony Clement, Minister of Industry and Minister of Health
- Irwin Cotler , Liberal MP and Minister of Justice
- David Croll, senator and Liberal MP
- Julie Dabrusin, Liberal MP
- Barney Danson , Liberal MP and Minister of National Defence
- Samuel Factor, first Jewish MP elected in Ontario
- Sheila Finestone, Liberal MP and senator
- Myra Freeman , 29th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia
- Linda Frum, senator
- Irving Gerstein , senator and businessman
- Marc Gold, senator and law professor
- Carl Goldenberg , senator
- Victor Goldbloom , Quebec Liberal MNA and doctor
- Yoine Goldstein, senator
- Karina Gould, Liberal MP and Minister of Democratic Institutions
- Herb Gray , Liberal MP and Deputy Prime Minister
- Larry Grossman, leader of the Ontario PC Party
- Ezekiel Hart, first Jew elected to a Canadian Parliament
- Solomon Hart Green, first Jew to sit in a provincial legislature
- Stanley Hartt , Chief of Staff
- Sharren Haskel, Likud MK
- Chaviva Hošek , academic and politician
- Anthony Housefather, Liberal MP and mayor of Côte Saint-Luc
- Samuel William Jacobs, Liberal MP and Jewish community leader
- Monte Kwinter, Ontario Liberal MPP and cabinet minister
- Michael Levitt, Liberal MP
- David Lewis , NDP leader and MP
- Stephen Lewis , Ontario NDP leader, MP and ambassador
- Jack Marshall , PC MP and senator
- Tom Marshall, 11th Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Arthur Mitchell, leader of the Yukon Liberal Party
- Nicolas Muzin, political strategist
- Henry Nathan Jr., first Jew elected to the House of Commons
- Joe Oliver, Conservative MP and Minister of Finance
- Bob Rae, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and 21st Premier of Ontario
- Simon Reisman , civil servant
- Fred Rose, Labour–Progressive MP and Soviet spy
- Jacques Saada, Liberal MP and cabinet minister
- Hugh Segal , senator
- Morton Shulman , Ontario PC and NDP MPP
- Peter Shurman, Ontario PC MPP
- Mira Spivak, senator
- Sidney Spivak, leader of the Manitoba PC Party
- Maitland Steinkopf , first Jewish cabinet minister in Manitoba
- Hunter Tootoo, Liberal MP
- Gerry Weiner, PC MP
- Dov Yosef, Israeli minister
Religious leaders
- Reuven Bulka , rabbi and writer
- Jacob Raphael Cohen, rabbi
- Solomon Frank, synagogue rabbinical leader in Winnipeg and Montreal
- Simon Glazer, rabbi
- Yitzchak Hendel, Lubavitch rabbi
- Pinhas Hirschprung, Chief Rabbi of Montreal
- Solomon Jacobs, rabbi
- Israel Isaac Kahanovitch, Chief Rabbi of Winnipeg
- Meshulim Feish Lowy, Tosher Rebbe
- Gunther Plaut , rabbi and author
- Avraham Aharon Price, Chief Rabbi of Toronto
- Nahum Rabinovitch, rabbi and posek
- Eli Rubenstein, rabbi and Holocaust educator
- Erwin Schild , rabbi
- Jacob Immanuel Schochet, rabbi and scholar
- Shmuel Abba Twersky, Makarover Rebbe
- Joseph Weinreb, Chief Rabbi of Toronto
Writers
Authors
- David Albahari, novelist
- Sue Ann Alderson, children's novelist
- Lisa Appignanesi , writer and novelist
- Isidore Gordon Ascher, novelist and poet
- Saul Bellow, writer; Nobel Prize in Literature, Pulitzer Prize
- David Berman,, graphic designer, author
- David Bezmozgis, author
- Martha Blum, writer
- Matt Cohen, novelist and children's writer
- Cory Doctorow, science fiction author and blogger
- Sheila Fischman , translator
- Phoebe Gilman, children's author
- Adam Gopnik, writer and essayist
- Phyllis Gotlieb, science fiction novelist
- Charles Yale Harrison, novelist
- Sheila Heti, novelist
- George Jonas , writer and journalist
- Guy Gavriel Kay , fantasy writer
- Naïm Kattan , novelist and essayist
- Naomi Klein, author and filmmaker
- Eric Koch, author, broadcaster and academic
- Gordon Korman, children's and young adult fiction writer
- Henry Kreisel , writer and novelist
- Allan Levine, historian and novelist
- Norman Levine, writer and poet
- Shar Levine , children's author
- Jack Ludwig, novelist and sportswriter
- Seymour Mayne, author and poet
- Judith Merril, science fiction writer
- Anne Michaels, poet and novelist
- Sarah Mlynowski, writer
- Alison Pick, novelist
- David Rakoff, author
- Edeet Ravel, novelist
- Mordecai Richler , author and essayist
- Nancy Richler, novelist
- Joel Rosenberg, science fiction author
- Chava Rosenfarb, author and poet
- Gail Simmons, food writer
- Mariko Tamaki, graphic novelist
- Morley Torgov , novelist
- Aren X. Tulchinsky, author and screenwriter
- Eleanor Wachtel , writer and broadcaster
- William Weintraub, author
- Michael Wex, novelist
- Adele Wiseman, author
- Hirsch Wolofsky, Yiddish author
- Shulamis Yelin, writer and teacher
Journalists and broadcasters
- Barbara Amiel, journalist
- Sonia Benezra, television and radio interviewer
- David Brooks, political commentator
- Andrew Cohen, journalist
- Nathan Cohen, theatre critic, broadcaster
- Michael Coren, columnist and talk show host
- Red Fisher , sports journalist
- Josh Freed, columnist
- Barbara Frum , journalist
- David Frum, political commentator
- Ian Halperin, investigative journalist
- Ken Hechtman, journalist
- Ariel Helwani, mixed martial arts journalist
- Simma Holt , journalist and politician
- Barbara Kay, columnist
- Jonah Keri, sports writer
- Karin Kloosterman, journalist
- Charles Krauthammer, columnist
- Michele Landsberg , journalist and feminist activist
- Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor at Slate
- Jonathan Mann, journalist
- Peter Newman , journalist
- Hal Niedzviecki, writer
- Steve Paikin , journalist and author
- Abraham Rhinewine, journalist
- Carol Rosenberg, journalist
- Morley Safer, broadcast journalist and reporter
- Percy Saltzman , weather forecaster
- Joe Schlesinger , journalist
- Lionel Shapiro, journalist and novelist
- Dan Shulman, sportscaster
- Evan Solomon, journalist
- Larry Zolf, journalist
Poets
- Elizabeth Brewster , poet
- Leonard Cohen , poet and singer-songwriter
- Adeena Karasick, poet
- A. M. Klein, poet and novelist
- Rachel Korn, poet and author
- Irving Layton , poet
- Eli Mandel, poet
- Ida Maze, Yiddish poet
- Melech Ravitch,, Yiddish poet
- Joe Rosenblatt, poet
- Gregory Scofield, poet
- Esther Segal, Yiddish poet
- J. I. Segal, Yiddish poet
- Joseph Sherman , poet
- Sholem Shtern, Yiddish poet
- Mark Strand, poet and essayist
- Miriam Waddington, poet
- Tom Wayman, poet
- Yudika, Yiddish poet
Screenwriters and playwrights
- Ted Allan, screenwriter and playwright
- Ben Barzman, screenwriter
- Len Blum, screenwriter
- Joel H. Cohen, television writer
- Robert Cohen, comedy writer
- Stan Daniels, screenwriter, director, and producer
- Evan Goldberg, screenwriter
- Elan Mastai, screenwriter
- Hannah Moscovitch, playwright
- Sharon Pollock , playwright
- Oren Safdie, playwright
- Rick Salutin, playwright
- Adam Seelig, playwright
- David Shore, television writer
- Beverley Simons, playwright
- Sandor Stern, screenwriter
- Mel Tolkin, television comedy writer
Sports
Athletics
- Sasha Gollish, competitive runner
- Abby Hoffman , track and field athlete
- Bobbie Rosenfeld, runner and long jumper
Baseball
- Goody Rosen, baseball player, outfielder, All-Star
- Adam Stern, baseball player, outfielder
Basketball
- Doodie Bloomfield, basketball player
- Julius Goldman, basketball player
- Bennie Lands, basketball player
- Irving Meretsky, basketball player
- Mendy Morein, basketball player
- Cy Strulovitch, basketball player
- Sol Tolchinsky, basketball
- Murray Waxman, basketball
Canadian football
- Sam Berger , president of the CFL
- Noah Cantor, CFL player
- Mark Cohon, CFL Commissioner
- Sydney Halter , CFL Commissioner
- Lew Hayman, Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes coach
Chess
- Jacob Ascher, chess master
- Mark Bluvshtein, chess grandmaster
- Nathan Divinsky, chess master
- Selim Franklin, chess master
- Sofia Polgar, chess grandmaster
- Daniel Yanofsky , Canada's first chess grandmaster
Combat sports
- Mark Berger, judoka, Olympic silver & bronze
- Maxie Berger, boxer
- Eddie Creatchman, wrestler and manager
- Al Foreman, boxer
- Sarah Kaufman, mixed martial artist
- Sammy Luftspring, boxer, Canadian champion welterweight, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
- Fred Oberlander, wrestler; world champion ; Maccabiah champion
- Lanny Poffo, wrestler
- Irving Ungerman, boxing promoter and manager
- David Zilberman, freestyle wrestler
Figure skating
- Ellen Burka , figure skater
- Petra Burka, figure skater
- Dylan Moscovitch, pairs skater
- Louis Rubenstein, world figure skating champion
Hockey
- Murray Bannerman, ice hockey, goaltender
- Ross Brooks, ice hockey, goaltender
- Hy Buller, ice hockey, All-Star defenceman
- Michael Cammalleri, ice hockey, left wing
- Jason Demers, ice hockey defenseman
- Steve Dubinsky, ice hockey, centre
- Oren Eizenman, ice hockey centre
- Kaleigh Fratkin, ice hockey defenseman
- Cecil Hart, Montreal Canadiens coach and namesake of the Hart Memorial Trophy
- Adam Henrich, ice hockey, left wing/centre
- Michael Henrich, ice hockey, right wing, first Jewish player drafted in first round to the NHL
- Eric Himelfarb, ice hockey centre
- Corey Hirsch, ice hockey, goaltender
- Josh Ho-Sang, ice hockey forward
- Zach Hyman, ice hockey left wing/centre
- Joe Ironstone, ice hockey goaltender
- Max Labovitch, ice hockey, right wing
- Brendan Leipsic, ice hockey left wing
- Alex Levinsky, ice hockey, defenceman
- Jacob Micflikier, ice hockey forward
- David Nemirovsky, ice hockey, right wing
- Bob Nystrom, ice hockey, right wing
- Eric Nystrom, ice hockey, left wing
- Cory Pecker, ice hockey, right wing
- Bob Plager, ice hockey defense
- Samuel Rothschild, ice hockey left wing
- Eliezer Sherbatov, ice hockey, left wing
- Max Silverman, ice hockey manager
- Trevor Smith, ice hockey, centre
- Ronnie Stern, ice hockey, right wing
- Josh Tordjman, ice hockey goaltender
- Mike Veisor, ice hockey, goaltender
- Stephen Weiss, ice hockey, forward
- Ethan Werek, ice hockey, forward
- Bernie Wolfe, ice hockey, goaltender
- Larry Zeidel, ice hockey defenceman
Racing
- Tanya Dubnicoff, track cyclist
- Leah Goldstein, road racing cyclist
- Yonnie Starr, racehorse trainer
- Lance Stroll, Formula One driver
Racket sports
- Sharon Fichman, tennis player
- Sherman Greenfeld, racquetball player
- Jesse Levine, tennis player
- Denis Shapovalov, tennis player
- Andrew Sznajder, tennis player
Soccer
- Adam Braz, soccer, defender
- Tomer Chencinski, soccer player
- Gottfried Fuchs, soccer
- Daniel Haber, soccer player
- Samuel Hazan, soccer player
- Frederick Stambrook, president of the Canadian Soccer Association
Other
- Josh Binstock, beach volleyball player
- Sam Schachter, beach volleyball player
- Ben Weider , bodybuilder and entrepreneur
- Joe Weider, bodybuilder and entrepreneur