Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network

The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network www.cjhn.ca says that more than 25,000 database records of the Canadian Jewish community dating back to the 18th century are now available online.

I just used the search feature, and found a family in Montreal that my father knew in the late 1940s.

The new website features the vast repositories of the Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives (CJC) and the Jewish Public Library Archives (JPL).

There is more than 2,000 digitized photographs and documents, as well as more than 50,000 genealogical records,and 5,000 associated images. There are also sound recordings and moving images.

The site says that the "Genealogical resources include 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 (1908-1931), and Hebrew Sick Benefit Association of Montreal's membership book listings (1897-1905)".

There is also information about Jewish servicemen casualties in the Canadian armed forces during World Wars I and II.

The project was funded by the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation (SSBFF).

VICTORIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY YOUTH PROGRAM

Here is an interesting post from the Victoria Genealogical Society (VGS) at
http://www.victoriags.org/

"In December 2010 the Victoria Genealogical Society endorsed the development of a genealogical / family history program for school aged children. Two primary goals for the Youth Program have been accepted as recommended by the project’s Design Committee.

They are:

To introduce young people to the world of genealogy and family history research in a fun and engaging way;

and,

To introduce young people to the tools and techniques they can use to initiate their own research.

To meet these goals the Design Committee developed a series of recommendations which were adopted by the Victoria Genealogical Society Executive Committee. Key amongst these recommendations was “that the programs developed be age appropriate and welcoming to all family types and origins in the world - allowing young people to explore their family in any form they'd like”.

One program which is slated for this summer is Detective Adventure which starts on July 13th. It is a hands-on genealogy program for kids in grades 4 and 5. Summer registration now open. Call 250-360-2808. You can also download the 2011 poster (PDF format) by clicking on the detective image on the website.

Limited space so register early to avoid disappointment:

Detective Adventure 1: July 13, 20, 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Detective Adventure 2: August 3, 10, 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Resource Centre of the Victoria Genealogical Society
947 Alston Street, Victoria
Fee: $ 35, detective tools included
To Register: Email vgsprojectdirector@gmail.com