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Cabri

collection1968-2002

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Where

Cabri
Cabri · 1968-2002

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Held by
Museum of Jewish Montreal via Museum of Jewish Montreal — map of Jewish Montreal
Creator
Marian Pinsky
Dates
1968-2002 (indexed as 1968–2002)
Level
collection (source: Story)
Extent
5 places
Scope & content
A prominent youth leader, James Dahan (1933-2008) helped galvanize Montreal’s emerging Sephardic community through scouting and other leadership programs, beginning in the 1970s. Popularly known by his Scout pseudonym Cabri (“leaping reindeer” or “mountain goat”), Dahan had a special rapport with Moroccan Jewish youth whom he engaged in leadership trips and Scouts adventures that reinforced their connection to the Sephardic and larger Jewish community. Starting in the 1930s, young Jews in Morocco had gravitated to scoutisme (scouting). The appeal of nature and adventure, along with music, youthful idealism and an ideology of self-improvement, made this activity popular. In his native Morocco, Cabri had held a leadership position in the Département éducatif de la jeunesse juive, leading a number of local camps, cross-Europe trips, and the famous Éclaireurs (Scouts) israélites du Maroc choir, later replicated with Les Éclaireurs israélites de Montréal. Cabri arrived in Montreal in 1968 during the waves of immigration that followed Morocco’s independence. Despite the lack of social infrastructure, he sought to replicate the youthful enthusiasm of his home country in Montreal’s emerging Sephardic community. At a meeting of the Association sépharade francophone (ASF) in 1972, Cabri was approached by Marcel Acoca, leader of the YM-YWHA’s Scouts, to develop scoutisme in Montreal as a means for youth education. Reconnecting many former Moroccan Scouts, including Robert Lévy (director of the ASF), Armand Elbaz, and the Garzon brothers, Cabri launched the “224ème Sépharade” for Sephardic youth. Using as his inspiration the Scout motto of “Always ready,” Cabri spearheaded many programs and helped initiate the Département francophone of the YM-YWHA (the predecessor of the Centre communautaire juif). Dahan founded the Projet d’action sociale en Israël (PASI) program in the early 1970s to train future community leaders. The program featured volunteer work in Israel and culminated in a group bar mitzvah for disadvantaged Israeli children at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. The rigourous yet popular program, which helped build solidarity with Israel while reinforcing Sephardic culture and Jewish values, was nicknamed PASI – Pas assez de sommeil en Israël (“not enough sleep in Israel”). Subsequently, many former participants made aliyah (immigrated to Israel). Cabri’s leadership was critical to the development of Montreal’s Sephardic community. He held positions in the Alliance israélite universelle, the Jewish school system, the Communauté sépharade du Québec, and the Combined Jewish Appeal. Cabri was known as a visionary leader, whose enthusiasm, attention to detail and charisma enabled him to realize many projects. His sudden death in 2008 left behind a significant void. Compiled by Marian Pinsky Sources: "Disparition de James Dahan (Cabri) Z"l : Eulogie du Dr David Bensoussan, president de la Communaute sepharade du Quebec." Darnna.Com. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.darnna.com/phorum/read.php?12,134872>. "Disparition de James Dahan : faites part de vos temoignages." Le Blog LVS. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://lvsinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/disparition-de-james-dahan-faites-part.html>. "Disparition : James Dahan Z.L s’eteint En Israël." Communaute sepharade unifiee du Quebec. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://csuq.dexservers.com/news.asp?newsID=49B23C62-5203-4E7A-9651-42B7EAE50FCD>. Elbaz, Armand. “La 224ème Sepharade”. In 50 ans ensemble : le livre sepharade 1959-2009. Ed. David Bensoussan. Montreal : Communaute Sepharade Unifiee du Quebec. 2010: 142-3. Levy, Elias. "The Canadian Jewish News - Les Éclaireurs israelites Du Canada." The Canadian Jewish News - Home. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18467&Itemid=86>. Levy, Elias. "The Canadian Jewish News - Irwin Cotler rend homage aux Sepharades." The Canadian Jewish New - Home. 02 Oct. 2008. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18467&Itemid=86>. *Images courtesy of the Dahan family.
Location

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Subjects
Communal; Education; Performing Arts; Sephardic
Language
English
Harvested
2026-10-17T06:33:24Z · source datestamp n/a · mjm
Original metadata as harvested (mjm)