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JIAS Canada
- Accession Number
- 2006-8-19
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2006-8-19
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 3.9 m of textual records
- Date
- 1988-2001
- Scope and Content
- This accession contains the records created by JIAS Canada, the national office of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Service, from 1988 to 2001. This includes executive correspondence, committee material, conference material, reference material, financial and budgetary records, executive and officer meeting schedules, minutes and reports, community relief files and administrative files.
- Custodial History
- The records were stored in the offices of JIAS Canada until donated to the archives on 2006-08-29.
- Administrative History
- Established in 1920 by the newly-formed Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), The Jewish Immigrants Aid Society of Canada (which also operated under the moniker of the Emergency Jewish Immigrant Aid Committee), JIAS (now the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services), was charged with organizing emergency relief for European Jews in distress following the pogroms in the former Russian Empire and the First World War. It later became the central agency of the Jewish community to facilitate the lawful entry of Jewish immigrants into Canada and provided them with welfare services, transportation, and assistance with accommodation and employment after their arrival.
- In addition, JIAS offered consultation services for sponsors of potential immigrants, ran a competitive foreign remittance service, and campaigned to counter the activities of unscrupulous steamboat agents, lawyers and influence peddlers, or “shtadlanim”, who often victimized immigrants and sponsors alike. JIAS was also actively engaged in negotiating for the increased admission of Jewish immigrants to Canada, in conjunction with similar efforts by the CJC.
- JIAS was organized into a National Office in Montreal and a series of regional offices located in various other Canadian cities. The JIAS National Office moved from Montreal to Toronto in 1989, with the appointment of Susan Davis to National Director, and is now located at 4580 Dufferin St., Suite 306, Toronto, Ontario.
- Use Conditions
- Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.
- Source
- Archival Accessions