Limmud Toronto 2021

In a small Jewish cemetery in London, Ontario, the 1934 tombstone of Eva Hoffman reads that she died "due to the Morro Castle." Significantly, Eva was the only Canadian passenger to perish in this September 8 1934 maritime disaster in New Jersey, one of the worst in American history. This presentation will show how this accomplished young woman, born and raised in London's closely-knit Jewish community, came to be on this ill-fated ship and will reveal how Jewish perceptions and rituals played an important role in how the tragedy and Eva were memorialized.