For the week of September 23, 2024.
On September 23, 1861, Louis Rubenstein was born in Montréal, Canada East (now Québec). He went on to become an extremely well-known early participant, promoter, and administrator of amateur sports in Canada. He is remembered across Canada as a figure skating pioneer, and for his lasting impact on Montréal’s community.
Louis Rubenstein was the son of Polish Jewish immigrants who moved to Canada East in 1850. Rubenstein started figure skating as a child, becoming a member of the Victoria Figure Skating Club in Montréal. When it opened in 1862, the club boasted the world’s largest indoor rink. As a teenager, he won his first championship in 1878, at a Montréal-wide skating competition.
Throughout the 1880s, he established himself across North America as the best figure skater of his era. He won the titles of Canada (1883–1889), the United States (1888–1889, 1891), and North America (1885–1889). He became especially known for his style of tracing and retracing figures on the ice.
In 1890, Rubenstein represented Canada at the first-ever World Figure Skating Championship. The event took place in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the infamous Pogroms, organized antisemitic violence across Russia. Owing to his Jewish background, he carried a letter from the Governor General of Canada to ensure his safety. To enter the country, his passport had to be changed to “Louis Rubenstein, Jew,” and he was required to leave immediately after his competition. During his time in Russia, Rubenstein lived and competed under the threat of antisemitic violence and hate. Despite the pressure and mistreatment by the antisemitic judges, who forced Rubenstein to repeat his performance three times, he overcame their prejudice and won the championship. This triumph made him the first figure skating world champion and Canada’s first world champion in a winter sport.
After he retired from figure skating in 1892, Rubenstein continued to live a remarkable life, playing a significant and involved role in his community. He became president and board member of several national sports organizations, including skating, cycling, curling, bowling and the Athletic Commission of Montreal. He was also president of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association of Montréal for 12 years, Montréal alderman on the City Council for 17 years, governor of the Montréal General Hospital, and Justice of the Peace for the district of Montréal.
After his death in 1931, a fountain was created in Montréal in 1938 to commemorate his impact. Rubenstein has also been inducted into the Canadian Sports (1955), International Jewish Sports (1981), World Figure Skating (1984), and Canadian Figure Skating (1900) Halls of Fame.
