Calgary Jewish Federation

Join Special Educator Andrea Scharfstein for the Tu B'Av edition of the PJ Library Simcha Series in a welcoming, neurodiversity-affirming environment! It's our last session until the Fall!

Choose from three sessions on Sunday, July 19, and find the one that works best for your family! The thoughtfully designed space encourages exploration, creativity, and hands-on learning inspired by Tu B'Av (the Jewish Love Holiday).

Register for this event or email [email protected] for more information. We can’t wait to celebrate and learn together!

Register Here: https://jewishcalgary.crowdchange.co/51572

Shabbat Shalom, and Happy Parade Day!

The Calgary Stampede Parade has been a beloved tradition since the very first Stampede in 1912. That inaugural parade drew an incredible crowd of roughly 80,000 people—far more than Calgary’s population of just 60,000 at the time!

Among those in attendance were many members of Calgary’s growing Jewish community, who have continued to play an active role in this cherished annual tradition ever since!

Around the time of the first Stampede, one of Canada’s densest concentrations of Jewish businesses could be found on Eighth Avenue East, which happened to be right on the parade route of the day!

Scroll through to explore snapshots in time, and members of our community on parade day!

Photo 1: The first Calgary Stampede Parade in 1912. Courtesy of Glenbow Museum

Photo 2: Joyce & Jacqueline Robbins holding the previous photo, in 2012. They recognized their father in the crowd of the photo, a then 13-year-old George Edward Robbins (Gedalyahu Rabinovici). Courtesy of JHSSA.

Photo 3 & 4: Calgary Stampede Parade, 1912. Seen near the lead bull’s horn is Calgary’s first Jewish resident, Jacob Diamond, his daughters Hattie and Rose (in the white hats), and Charles Malkin. Visible are Jewish owned businesses Joffe Brothers Clothiers, Jacob Diamond's Liquor Store, Charlie Malkin's Grocery, Bloomfield's Candy and Lew Polsy Jewellery. Photos courtesy of Calgary Stampede Collections & Archives.

Photo 5: David Dworkin on Shorty, ready for the parade in 1932. Courtesy of JHSSA.

Photo 6: Mair Madorsky and his parade float for his business, American Hide & Fur. Photo courtesy of great-granddaughter Brenna Perera

Photo 7: First prize Stampede Parade ribbon from 1947, awarded to Rose Rabinovitz (Jaffe). Courtesy of JHSSA

Photo 8: Calgary Jewish Community float from 2005. Courtesy of Elliott Steinberg

Photo 9: Micah Steinberg at the Stampede Parade in 2006. Courtesy of Diana Kalef

Photo 10: Jay, Barbara, & Jonathan Joffe in the Stampede Parade in 2005. Courtesy of JHSSA.

Photo 11: Joshua & Jacob Inhaber at the Stampede Parade in 2025. Courtesy of Yanna Klimenko Inhaber