Jewish Archives in Canada

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Also see the Canadian Jewish Heritage Network, a searchable database of resources and digital materials from these archives and other libraries.

The Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives, Montreal

Formerly known as the Canadian Jewish Congress CC National Archives (CJCCCNA), the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives is a project of the Jewish Federations of Canada. It was initially founded in 1934.

The Canadian Jewish Archives’ major holdings include materials on all aspects of Canadian Jewish life, totaling more than 1450 linear meters of material. Major collections include Canadian Jewish Congress records (about 25% of the total holdings); files of various philanthropic, social service, and cultural organizations; records of community leaders; photographs; sound recordings and film (about 4000 hours); and art and artifacts.

Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, Irma and Marvin Penn Archives, Winnipeg

The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada encompasses the Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada, the Marion and Ed Vickar Jewish Museum of Western Canada, the Genealogical Institute, the Jewish Historical Society Archives, and the Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre. It has a research library and records relating to Canadian Jewish history, local history, and the Holocaust; the archival collection, started in 1967, holds about 8,000 photographs, 500 taped interviews with transcripts, about 300 linear feet of archival documents, family trees and histories with newspaper clippings and other miscellaneous materials, local Jewish periodicals from the 1910s to the present, gravestone photographs, and more.

Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia, Vancouver

The Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia holds over 320 linear meters of records, 300,000 photographs, and 760 oral history interviews. Archival descriptions online include detailed finding aids.

The Jewish Public Library Archives, Montreal

Founded in 1914, the Jewish Public Library in Montreal holds significant archival resources relating to the history of Montreal’s Jewish community. Today, their archival collections exceed 500 linear meters of materials, including 30k000 photographs, 200 rare posters, artifacts, and more. Some of the holdings are digitized, and their catalog (including digitized photographs) can be accessed online through the Canadian Jewish Heritage Network. Access to the archive is by appointment.

Ontario Jewish Archives, Toronto

Established in 1973, the Ontario Jewish Archives is a department of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. Major organizational archives include the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS), UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, and the Zionist Organization of Canada (ZOC); they also hold important personal and community archives from across Ontario.