About Us

What Will Users Find on this Site?

The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network continues to change and grow as more materials are added. Users can expect to find the following categories of material for their use:

A detailed searchable index: Descriptions of archival holdings, from the fonds level down to the series, file or item level in some cases. Collection descriptions with images expand and enhance comprehension and accessibility. Through our Advanced Search options, personalized searches can be created to highlight materials of particular interest. The Photographs checkbox in the search interface allows access to digitized, annotated graphic materials from multiple collections. Our Share and Select functions make it easier to evaluate and order copies of images or documents.
Digitized displays and sampled collections of scanned archival and other rare materials: A wide variety of digitized archival collections or collection series permits substantive scholarly research online. Digital access to frequently utilized public domain publications and interesting ephemeral publications, from organizations such as Canadian Jewish Congress, Federation CJA, and the YMHA.
Outreach to individuals and community organizations not yet benefitting from proper archival care of their historic materials.
Educational materials such as teaching guides targeting students of various levels and backgrounds.
Genealogical resources: Online posting of family history resources such as Jewish Immigrant Aid Services client name lists from 1922-1952, individual farm settler reports from Western Canada and Quebec (1906-1951), translated Yiddish obituaries from the Keneder Adler (1908-1932), and Hebrew Sick Benefit Association of Montreal's membership book listings (1897-1905).

What is the Canadian Jewish Heritage Network?

The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network is a web presence linking and showcasing the resources of the major organizations involved in Canadian Jewish archival preservation, beginning with two Montreal partners, Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives (CJCCCNA) and the Jewish Public Library Archives (JPL-A). This project was made possible by the generosity of the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation. The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre became a partner on the site in July 2012, with the help of funding from the Alexander Dworkin Foundation for Jewish Archives.

The field of Canadian Jewish Studies has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, with a marked increase in publications, conferences, and university-level courses in both English and French academic settings. Meanwhile, public interest in family history research has generated demands for an increased complexity and sophistication of Jewish resources, due to the proliferation of other online resources on the subject and the public's growing familiarity with and expectations of computer technology. The collections of the CJCCCNA and the JPL-A are inter-related on many levels, and constitute together an unparalleled resource for the study of Jewish social and community history. Increasing access to these collections in a coordinated manner opens hitherto under-utilized avenues for research.

Our Founding Partners

The CJCCCNA and the JPL-A are mandated to collect, preserve, and make accessible the multimedia documentary heritage of the Jewish presence in Canada, with a special emphasis on Quebec and Montreal. Both institutions are deeply committed to assisting scholars and undergraduates in their research and educating the community with regard to their documentary preservation needs. An additional strength at JPL-A is a focus on primary school education using heritage materials. An added asset of CJCCCNA's operations is an emphasis on outreach in French to the non-Jewish public.

Our Long-term Objective

Development of a shared entry point to the collections of more partner institutions, using the present platform or a combination of shared platform and integrated search functions.