Major collections and resources
The following is an overview of the major record groups and
resources in our holdings. For more details, please see our Inventory of
Collections, or link to the Canadian Jewish Heritage Network Advanced Search
interface to search for a subject that interests you.
CANADIAN JEWISH CONGRESS RECORDS -
These records comprise approximately 25% of the total archives
holdings. They include a wealth of information on minority and
human-rights issues, immigration and demographics, and the
political and social impact of Jews in Canada.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS - Includes
philanthropic, social service, Zionist, religious, and cultural
organizations. Major collections, each measuring over
30 metres, include the Jewish Colonization Association (JCA/ICA), the
Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS), the United Jewish Relief Agencies (UJRA), and the
United Restitution Organization (URO). Other
large collections are those of the National Council of Jewish Women, the Labour Zionist Alliance, and the Vaad
Ha'ir of Montreal.
INDIVIDUALS - Includes Jewish community
leaders, politicians, Holocaust survivors, artists and writers, and
family papers. Some examples: S.W.
Jacobs, Rabbi Abraham de Sola, Clarence and Meldola de Sola, Saul
Hayes, and Sheila Finestone. Over 10,000 personalia
clipping files pertaining to Jewish individuals throughout Canada
are indexed on the Archives database. These files often contain
obituaries or other family history information.
PHOTOGRAPHS - The Archives houses tens of
thousands of photographs and over 100,000 negatives, originating
from organizational and personal collections. Subjects include
immigration, family life, city life, small communities across
Canada, Jewish organizations, business, and religion. A
computerized index assists in their consultation.
SOUND RECORDINGS AND FILM - Includes
over 4000 hours of computer-inventoried cassette, videotape
and reel-to-reel recordings of community meetings, interviews,
survivor testimonies, family, community, and other oral histories.
The collection also includes a small number of films and disk
recordings.
ART AND ARTIFACTS - Includes ceremonial and
secular Jewish objects, prints, posters, and paintings. Some of
these items are on loan to museums, while a few can be seen on
display at the archives.
REFERENCE LIBRARY - The Canadian Jewish
Archives maintains a non-circulating library of reference books,
periodicals and research papers of Canadian Jewish interest. The
collection includes sizable holdings of major Canadian Jewish
newspapers of the past, such as the Canadian Jewish Times,
and the Keneder Adler (both also available on microfilm).
An extensive bibliography of Jewish Canadiana, compiled by David
Rome, can be consulted on microfiche.