Beginning as a grassroots idea in 1969, the Ottawa Jewish Archives opened in the late 1970’s with the support of the Ottawa Jewish Historical Society and the Ottawa Jewish Community Council — now the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. In the fall of 1999, the Archives became an agency of Federation and moved into a purpose built facility within the Soloway Jewish Community Centre. Operating under our mandate, the Ottawa Jewish Archives accepts donations of documents, photographs, recorded media, and ephemera that help tell the story of Jewish community life in Ottawa. Since 1969, the Archives has been collecting records that tell the story of Jewish community life in Ottawa from the 1890s to the current day, including materials produced by, and about individuals, families, businesses, congregations, community organizations, and associations established and maintained by Ottawa’s Jewish community.
The Ottawa Jewish Archives accepts by donation the records of Jewish individuals or families who live (or have lived) in Ottawa and Jewish businesses, organizations or associations that have operated in the city. Donating your original records ensures that they will be preserved and made accessible to future generations of researchers.
Ottawa Jewish Archives
Ottawa Jewish Bulletin Archives (https://archive.org/details/ottawajewisharchives) The Ottawa Jewish Archives holds a complete physical collection of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin; Ottawa’s only Jewish newspaper which was in production 1937-2020. The Ottawa Jewish Bulletin Archives contains keyword-searchable, scanned copies of every OJB newspaper from 1937 – 2013. L'Dor V'Dor: The Blog of the Ottawa Jewish Archives (https://ottawajewisharchives.home.blog/) L’Dor V’Dor, meaning from generation to generation is the blog of the Ottawa Jewish Archives and helps to tell stories of community life in Jewish Ottawa. L’Dor V’Dor articles are written by staff and volunteers at the Ottawa Jewish Archives and utilize archival materials to tell those stories. 613Archives Podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/362726) 613 archives is where we dig into the shelves and drawers of the Ottawa Jewish archives for stories that bring our past into the present. Its archivist, tells the history of Ottawa's Jewish community through the use of its archival documents and community stories. The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network (https://www.cjhn.ca/en) The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network brings together databases and digital materials from 7 different Canadian Jewish heritage institutions, including the Ottawa Jewish Archives. The Shoah Foundation's Visual History Archive (https://vha.usc.edu/home) USC Shoah Foundation's Visual History Archive allows users to search through and view more than 54,000 video testimonies of survivors and witnesses of genocide. The Ottawa Jewish Archives is 1 of 136 viewing sites worldwide where you can access the entire collection. The Ottawa Jewish Archives is a proud contributor of the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive.
The Ottawa Jewish Archives is open to researchers through appointment only. Research appointments are free to book and include relevant materials to your research topic. We are open for appointments Monday – Thursday, 8:30am – 4pm.