Ontario Jewish Archives

What a complete, and useful archives this is – full of records, and you can research the following topics at the archives -

marriage records

family histories

newspapers and periodicals

cemetery records

synagogue and Jewish fraternal society records

immigration case files created by the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society (JIAS) and the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC)

ledgers from Jewish shipping agents

military records

Who's Who of Toronto Jewry

Go to their wesite at http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioJewishArchives

Kensington Market Through the Lens of the Ontario Jewish Archives

Dara Solomon, Director of the Ontario Jewish Archives, will present the stories found in the collections of the Ontario Jewish Archives about the families, merchants, and community members who made this neighbourhood home during the 1920s-1940s.

She will also discuss how the OJA has shaped these narratives through their 40-year old walking tour of the neighbourhood and their soon-to-be-launched mobile interactive mapping feature on the new OJA website.

The meeting will take place on October 30th at the Lillian H. Smith Branch, Toronto Public Library, 239 College Street, Toronto.

To visit the Kensington Market site, go to http://www.kmhs.ca/

To visit the Ontario Jewish Archives, go to http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/

The Ontario Jewish Archives is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year.

Ontario Jewish Heritage Month

On February 23, 2012, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 17, making the month of May Jewish Heritage Month in the province. The Bill, presented yesterday at Queen’s Park by Eglinton-Lawrence MPP Mike Colle, was co-sponsored by Thornhill MPP Peter Shurman and Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo.

The President & CEO of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Ted Sokolsky, and UJA Federation’s Board Chair, Elizabeth Wolfe, issued the following joint statement:

"On behalf of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, we are proud and grateful to the Members of the Ontario Legislature for passing Bill 17, making May Jewish Heritage Month a reality in Ontario. Building - and contributing - to community and to society has always been a top priority for Jews since their arrival in Canada, and this honour recognizes those contributions as we continue to add to the diverse multicultural mosaic that has made Ontario a place envied by many around the world. This announcement will call for an extra celebration at this year’s UJA Walk with Israel, which for 45 years has taken place in May."

It was supported by many leading Jewish organizations in Toronto, along with the National Congress of Italian Canadians–Toronto District, the London Jewish Federation, Ontario Jewish Archives, and the Toronto and Hamilton chapters of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada.