Saul Hayes

Saul Hayes (born 1906 in Montreal, Canada) was a public servant in the Canadian Jewish community. Hayes was educated at McGill University, where he earned degrees in social work and law, he was appointed lecturer in social work in 1932 and entered Jewish communal life in 1940 as executive director of the United Jewish Relief Agencies of Canada from 1938 to 1942. In 1942, he became executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress(CJC), subsequently upgraded in 1959 to executive vice-president, a position that he would hold until his retirement in the late 1970s. He had spearheaded the community's effort to have immigration restrictions relaxed during and after World War Two and served on a myriad of committees, especially those devoted to human rights.

Throughout these years, Saul was a representative to the United Jewry Delegations, Second Conference of UNRRA, 1944; the San Francisco Conference on International Security, 1945; and the Paris Conference on Peace Treaties, 1946. Saul Hayes was one impressive Jewish community worker, deserving of remembrance and accolades.

Saul Hayes was the leading voice of the Canadian Jewish community at home and abroad. No other individual in this century played as important a role in articulating the needs of the community and in shaping its identity. His speeches and articles as executive director of the CJC addressed the Jewish agenda from the perspective of the mainstream.Although he had his critics, both religious and ideological, he earned the respect accorded him by the vast majority of Canadian Jews. He remained active with CJC until his death in 1980.

References

* "Delayed Impact: The Holocaust and the Canadian Jewish Community", By Franklin Bialystok. Published 2000, McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP Holocaust, Jewish (1939 -1945) Influence 327 pages ISBN:0773520651
* We should honour our own giants, Avrum Rosensweig, "The Canadian Jewish News", Thursday, 10 April 2008.