David Nathan Solomon was born in 1917 and died in 1981. He obtained his B.A. in 1939 and M.A. in 1942 in sociology from McGill University and later received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1952. He joined the staff of McGill University and was Assistant Professor of sociology and anthropology from 1955 to 1960, becoming Associate Professor in 1961. He also served as Chairman of the Department of Sociology from 1971 to 1975.

Abraham de Sola was born in 1825 In London to David Aaron de Sola, Cantor in the Bevis-Marks Synagogue, and Rica Meldola, daughter of prominent publisher and scholar, Raphael Meldola. Abraham de Sola moved to Montreal in 1847 upon accepting the position of Reverend of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue (Shearith Israel), Canada's oldest synagogue. Over the ensuing fifty-seven years, de Sola carved out a career and reputation as a leading scholar and leader of the Jewish community; not only in Canada but also in the United States.