Accession Number

2018-2-3

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

[1946?]-1951

Scope and Content

Accession includes an undated document describing immigration prospects following the Second World War and the anti-immigration sentiment. The document was published by an unknown group "interested in combating race-hatred and anti-Semitism and on strengthening the unity between the groups which make up the people of Canada". In addition, there is a copy of a confidential letter dated February 14, 1951 listing immigrants identified as skilled workers and selected by overseas Canadian immigration officials under the auspices of the Settlement Branch to settle in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. These immigrants were to arrive in Halifax on the above noted date of on board the SS Staveangerfgord.

Custodial History

File discovered while processing CJC fonds 17.

Use Conditions

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing the records.

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Places

Canada

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

1979-9-5

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

2 May 1976

Scope and Content

Accession consists of one booklet for the annual meeting of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada, Central Region held at Temple Sinai with guest speaker Mr. Gaynor Jacobson, executive vice-president of HIAS.

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Name Access

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (Toronto, Ont.)

Jacobson, Gaynor

Temple Sinai Congregation of Toronto

Places

Toronto, Ont.

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

1991-10-5

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

4 cm textual records

29 photographs : b&w ; 19 x 24 cm and 11 x 9 cm

Date

[196-?]-[1989]

Scope and Content

Accession includes twenty-nine photographs, most from the 1984 and 1985 Toronto Region Annual Meetings. Many are images of awards being given to outgoing and incoming presidents, and of speakers, with some group table shots.

Textual records include Toronto JIAS information and brochures, a history of the organization, meeting programs and invitations, a list of the 1969 board of directors, and a 1974 report "JIAS Background Information" by Joseph Kage. In addition there is a publicity brochure for Montreal and minutes of a JIAS-UJRA meeting in Montreal in 1975.

Custodial History

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS)

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds

Community Relations Committee series

Research Records sub-series

Advocacy, General sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

17

Series

5-4-9

File

94

Material Format

textual record

Date

1970

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence from the Toronto City Clerk

Notes

Previously processed and cited as part of MG8 S.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

9

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Date

1925-1989

Physical Description

31.8 m of textual records

319 photographs : b&w and col. ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

The Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada was established in 1920 by the newly-formed Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC). A Toronto branch was established in a storefront office on Spadina Avenue, but the organization was rudimentary. As the enthusiasm that spurred the founding of CJC died out, JIAS soon faltered. Then in 1922 it was taken over and reactivated under the cooperative support of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto, B'nai B'rith, and the Council of Jewish Women. JIAS was legally incorporated on 30 August 1922. It also operated under the moniker of the Emergency Jewish Immigrant Aid Committee, and it changed its name to Jewish Immigrant Aid Services in 1954.

Charged with organizing emergency relief for European Jews in distress, JIAS 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.

In conjunction with similar efforts by the CJC, JIAS was also actively engaged in negotiating for the increased admission of Jewish immigrants to Canada. In 1923, the federal government instituted a permit-based immigration program and JIAS competed with travel agents and solicitors in the private sector for these limited quota permits. After combating the anti-immigration policies of the Depression era, the outbreak of war in 1939 virtually closed the already limited avenues for immigration.

JIAS Canada was organized into a national office in Montreal and regional offices in Winnipeg (Western Region), Toronto (Central Region), and Halifax (Eastern Region). The Central Region covered Ontario, and established a full-time head office in 1935 at 399 Spadina Avenue in Toronto (hence the Central Region was sometimes called simply the Toronto Office). The office later moved to 265 Spadina Avenue. JIAS Toronto’s board of directors met on a regular basis at different locations in Toronto, including 206 Beverley Street and in the Talmud Torah building at 9 Brunswick Avenue. The first JIAS Toronto board included notable Toronto residents such as Henry Dworkin, Mrs. Draiman, Mr. Kronick, Dr. Brodey and Mrs. Willinsky. The role of the board was to oversee the operations of the Central Region. It rendered decisions on issues relating to finances, procedures and policies, negotiations with the federal Immigration Branch, as well as individual cases that required their attention.

General meetings of the Central Region membership were held annually. The 1943 JIAS constitution states that regional annual meetings were to be held for “receiving and considering reports,” holding nominations and elections for the executive, and discussing JIAS’s program and policies.

In the post-war era, JIAS shifted its focus to renewed efforts on behalf of individual claimants and community support, while the focus for lobbying for a reversal of Canada's immigration policy fell increasingly under the jurisdiction of the CJC. A boom in immigration between 1947 and 1952 saw the arrival of large numbers of Jewish immigrants to all parts of Canada and the Toronto Office of JIAS renewed its efforts to meet the needs of this new influx. Major world events also sparked other waves of immigration from Hungary, Czechoslovakia, North Africa, and Russia, to which JIAS responded in turn. JIAS worked in conjunction with other immigrant aid societies such as HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, in the United States, to facilitate immigration to the United States, and later to Israel, where many of the immigrants and refugees coming to Canada had family and ultimately settled.

Custodial History

Custody of these records was transferred to the Ontario Jewish Archives by JIAS in 1983, as preparations were under way for the move to a new facility in North York. Much of the material was in four-cubic-foot boxes and in file cabinets.

The accession was divided into three sections: files which were at the JIAS office and had been retained in their original order; files which had been retrieved from a flood in the basement of 152 Beverley St. and consequently had been thrown into dry boxes without regard to order; files discovered in the furnace rooms at 150 and 152 Beverley St., intact but covered in coal dust. The bulk of the records were stored off-site, with dirty files being isolated from the rest.

The dust-covered materials were cleaned at an off-site location, placed in temporary boxes and transferred to the Archives and restored, as far as was possible, to their original order.

Clips were removed and replaced as appropriate with archivally acceptable ones. All materials were transferred to acid-free folders and boxes.

Scope and Content

Fonds contains the records of the Toronto Office (Central region) of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada. The fonds consists primarily of textual records: minutes, correspondence, financial records, reports, immigration files, naturalization case files, social service case files and the records of attempts to trace missing individuals. There are also photographs of special events, speakers and arriving immigrants.

The fonds represents an important resource for the study of Canadian Jewry, especially when taken in conjunction with the JIAS National Office records at the Canadian Jewish Congress National Archives in Montreal, and those of the Western Office at the Library and Archives of Canada. It documents the means by which a particular Canadian ethnic community has dealt with the problems of rescue, settlement and government relations. These records also offer insight into the relationship between the Toronto Office and the other branches of JIAS, and invite comparison with similar agencies in the United States, as well as those of other ethnic groups in Canada.

The material collected includes information about the countries of origin, transportation routes, settlement and employment patterns of Jewish immigrants to Canada in the twentieth century. The documents also touch upon important related issues such as advocacy, sponsorship, admission processes, health and social problems.

These records cover several waves of immigration following the Second World War: Holocaust survivors in the late 1940s, Sephardic (North African) and Hungarian Jews in the 1950s, Russian and Czechoslovakian Jews in the 1960s, and additional Russians in the 1970s.

The records also contain significant information for those researchers looking to conduct genealogical research into Jewish immigrants and their descendents.

The fonds has been arranged with one sous-fonds, which contains the records of the National JIAS office in Montreal. In total there are 17 series. The Toronto office (main fonds) series are: 1. Board of Directors and Executive Committee Minutes; 2. Annual meeting proceedings; 3. Reports; 4. Legal ; 5. Administration; 6. JIAS Committees; 7. External committees; 8. Financial ; 9. Arrivals; 10. Immigration case files; 11. Social service assistance case files; 12. Photographs; 13. Miscellaneous. The National Office sous-fonds is divided into the following series: 1. National executive meeting minutes; 2. National annual meeting proceedings; 3. National annual reports; 4. Publications; and Photographs.

Notes

Physical description note: Physical extent is based on fully processed records. Additional accessions are not included (see Related Material note below).

Associated material note: The CJC National Archive, in Montreal, has additional JIAS records from 1920-1989 including 275 m of textual records and graphic materials (3250 photos): collection number I0037; alpha-numeric designation MA 4. The National Archives of Canada, Manitoba branch, in Winnipeg, has Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada JIAS textual records from 1923-1950 on 18 microfilm reels: Former archival reference number MG28-V114 (no replacement listed). The originals of these records are maintained by the Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada.

Name Access

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.

Related Material

Other OJA records relating to JIAS may be found in the following accessions: 1979-9-5; 1988-5-2; 1991-10-5; 2006-3-11.

Creator

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto

Accession Number

1983-8-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Julius P. Katz fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

55

Series

2

File

112

Material Format

textual record

Date

1956

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

This file consists of a program from the Annual Meeting of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada, December 23, 1956.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Julius P. Katz fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

55

Series

2

File

113

Material Format

textual record

Date

1958

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

This file consists of an agenda from a dinner meeting for the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada, January 22, 1958. Also included is a report of the Nominations Committee for 1958.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Solomon Edell fonds

General community activities series

Level

File

Fonds

4

Series

11

File

12

Material Format

textual record

Date

12 Dec. 1960

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of an invitation to an annual luncheon meeting.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds

General office subject and correspondence files series

Level

File

Fonds

17

Series

2

File

1130

Material Format

textual record

Date

1996

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Accession Number

2005-2-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds

General office subject and correspondence files series

Level

File

Fonds

17

Series

2

File

829

Material Format

textual record

Date

1974

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Accession Number

2005-2-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Morris Norman collection

Level

Item

Fonds

22

Item

122

Material Format

textual record

Date

[194-]

Physical Description

1 item

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Julius P. Katz fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

55

Series

2

File

110

Material Format

textual record

Date

1957-1958

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

This file consists of a document outlining the structure and programme of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada, a report on the Annual Meeting and Workshop of United HIAS services held in New York and a report of the Case Committee. Included in the Case Committee report are examples of specific cases and a statistical report of immigrant assistance with a focus on Hungarian, North African and Polish/other immigrants.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Executive Committee series

Executive director sub-series

Executive director's correspondence sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

5-5-1

File

197

Material Format

textual record

Date

1969-1970

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Client agency correspondence series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

18

File

22

Material Format

textual record

Date

4 Jan. 1963-12 Nov. 1963

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence about Jewish Immigrant Aid Services.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

1988-5-2

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

[ca. 1948]

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a report from JIAS Housing Committee written by Jack Shindman and a letter from M. Kraisner of HIAS Hanover, Germany to Jack Shindman concerning an immigrant family.

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Gordon Mendly fonds

Events and organizations series

Level

File

Fonds

18

Series

3

File

24

Material Format

graphic material

Date

6 May 1970

Physical Description

4 images : b&w ; 6 x 6 cm

Scope and Content

This file consists images taken at a general meeting of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society, held at the Zionist building at 788 Marlee Ave. The images depict three speakers at the podium, and a photograph of the crowd seated in front of the executive table.

Repro Restriction

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Source

Archival Descriptions

• 
• 
• 

Accession Number

2010-3-5

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1.28 m of textual records

Date

1935, 1960-1998, predominant 1980-1998

Scope and Content

The records consist of materials documenting the programs and social services administered by JIAS Toronto, predominantly from the 1960s through the 1990s. The records include reports and essays, case files, statistics reports, staff manuals and other resources, budget documents, minutes of meetings, resources JIAS produced for immigrants and resources from JIAS's education programs. Much of the material from the 1980s and 1990s deals with integration, particularly of Soviet Jews. There are records relating to the Integration Committee, the provision of "direct relief aid" and other services to clients, and research and analytical reports.

The earlier case files from 1935 and 1948-1981 concern reimbursement for immigrants' transportation costs. Later case files contain only one sheet, a case report, which includes personal and immigration information, occupation, remarks, sponsor’s information and an employment history. Some files also have: identification cards from United HIAS Service with sailing information; summary of assistance forms kept by JIAS case workers; and other administrative paperwork.

Use Conditions

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA Director prior to accessing some of the records.

Name Access

JIAS Toronto

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Julius P. Katz fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

55

Series

2

File

111

Material Format

textual record

Date

1948-1958

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

This file consists of a meeting minutes of the Executive and the Board of Directors of Jewish Immigrant Aid Services.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Executive Committee series

Executive director sub-series

Executive director's correspondence sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

5-5-1

File

302

Material Format

textual record

Date

4 Aug. 1981

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of reports.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Ostrowtzer Hilfs Committee fonds

Letters from organizations series

Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada sub-series

Level

Sub-series

Fonds

148

Series

2-10

Material Format

textual record

Date

1946

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Admin History/Bio

The Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada (JIAS) was established in 1922 to assist Jewish refugees coming to Canada. As the exclusive Jewish social service agency dedicated to settlement services, it has aided immigrants and refugees from various regions, including postwar Europe, North Africa, the former Soviet Union, South Africa, Syria, the former Yugoslavia, Argentina, and Israel. In a milestone move in 2015, JIAS Toronto became a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), empowering the organization to sponsor refugees and facilitate their arrival in Canada. Throughout its history, JIAS has been instrumental in providing essential support and fostering the successful settlement of Jewish immigrants in the country.

Scope and Content

Sub-series consists of correspondence from the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada regarding assistance for Regina Nisenbaum, who resides in Bielsko, Poland, in locating her relatives.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Rabbi Nachman Shemen fonds

Canadian Federation to Aid Polish Jews in Israel series

Level

File

Fonds

103

Series

1

File

132

Material Format

textual record

Date

1946-1950

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence with the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2018-11-13

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

7 cm of textual records

Date

1993-1998

Scope and Content

Accession consists of meeting minutes of the Southern African Jewish Association of Canada (SAJAC). The earliest minutes are from 8 May 1993; the latest minutes are from 12 January 1998.

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Name Access

Southern African Jewish Association of Canada

Places

Ontario

Source

Archival Accessions

Level

Item

Item

1541

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1927

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

Halifax (N.S.)

Accession Number

1978-4-9

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

680

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[193-]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of applicants and staff at the Jewish Immigrant Aid Service office in Montreal.

Name Access

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada

Subjects

Offices

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

Montréal (Québec)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

Miscellaneous series

Level

File

Fonds

9

Series

13

File

10

Material Format

textual record

Date

[196-]

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of a 361 page bound report complete with tables, notes and select bibliography, authored by Joseph Kage.

Source

Archival Descriptions

URL

http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Explore/Jewish-Immigrant-Aid-Services

Source

OJA Website

Part Of

Jewish Vocational Services of Toronto fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

75

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

moving images

Date

1947-2006

Physical Description

5.1 m of textual records and graphic material

1 DVD

Admin History/Bio

The Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) was established on 16 June 1947. After the Second World War thousands of survivors arrived in Canada in search of homes, education for their children and jobs. The returning servicemen, in turn, were also in need of employment. For the first two years of its existence, JVS catered exclusively to these two groups. By 1949, it had expanded its mandate to become a community-wide agency.

Max Enkin, the founder of the post-war "tailor scheme" became its first president and chairman of the board. Under this scheme, he and other members of his delegation were able to bring over 2,200 displaced persons to Canada as skilled tailors. Other members of the JVS board included Lipa Green, Sydney Harris, Dr. Albert Rose and Louis Lockshin. The executive director was Norman Stack. He served for a few years and was replaced by Milton Freidman in 1949. Freidman was a social worker who relocated to Toronto from Buffalo and spent close to 40 years in this position, retiring in 1985.

JVS's early mandate was to serve as a placement service for applicants and employers and to provide individual counselling services to its clients. Its office was situated above the original Tip Top Tailors building at 455 Spadina Avenue. It later moved its office to 152 Beverley Street and then in the 1960s to Tycos Drive. By the 1960s, JVS began to expand its services to all segments of society including newcomers, people with disabilities and from all sectors of life. The staff included social workers, psychologists, job counsellors and clerical staff.

During the 1980s, Bernie Berger became the new executive director. He served in that capacity until 1991. He was replaced by Ed Segalowitz. During this period, JVS set up a seniors' program called ATLAZ on the grounds of the Baycrest Home for the Aged. It was funded by the Bick family and was intended to create programs to keep seniors engaged. Today, this program is called the Al Green Resource Centre and provides employment, placement, training and volunteer opportunities to adults of all ages and with developmental disabilities. JVS also launched a youth program called Youthinc and a women's program.

Karen Goldenberg became executive director in 1998 and was replaced by Frank Markel in 2011 after her retirement. JVS has expanded its clientele, helping people from all backgrounds with diverse needs to identify their strengths and goals, develop skills, and achieve success in school, work and life. By 2009, it offered an expansive range of over 40 employment-related support programs and services throughout the Greater Toronto Area to thousands of unemployed and underemployed individuals and served 23,000 people. They operated out of 12 locations and have approximately 200 professionals on staff.

Kim Coulter became president and CEO in 2013.

Custodial History

The case files were located in the vault with no accession number. They were likely transferred to the OJA during the 1970s or 1980s. They were assigned accession number 2002-10/34.

The remaining records were in the possession of Amanda Batchelor of JVS, who had acquired the material from various past board and committee members for the creation of the 60th anniversary book.

Scope and Content

Fonds consists of records documenting the activities, programs, finances, operation and history of the Jewish Vocational Services. Included are meeting minutes, photographs, correspondence, surveys, reports, financial statements, certificates, bulletins, newsletters, newsclippings, press releases, anniversary books, and one DVD. The fonds is arranged into the following series: 1) Formation and history; 2) Board of Directors; 3) Executive board; 4) Annual general meetings; 5) Special and general meetings; 6) Committees; 7) Career, employment and training services; 8) Disability services; 9) Immigrant and newcomer services; 10) Women in New Roles (WINR); 11) Youth services; 12) Volunteer program; 13) Studies and reports; 14) Finance; 15) Personnel; 16) Planning and operations; 17) Publications and publicity; 18) Fundraising; 19) United Way; 20) Events; 21) Conferences and workshops.

Name Access

Jewish Vocational Services of Toronto

Subjects

Charities

Immigrants--Canada

Access Restriction

Partially closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing some of the records.

Creator

Jewish Vocational Services of Toronto (1947-)

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Accession Number

2002-10/34

2008-9/6

2010-11/7

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

628

Material Format

graphic material

Date

6 Feb. 1948

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative) ; 21 x 26 cm and 10 x 12 cm

Admin History/Bio

The General Sturgis was originally a military ship (called a Liberty ship) that was being used to transport people from post-Second World War Europe to Canada. The ship accommodated the men on board in stacked cots in the hold, while the women and children slept separately in cabins. The boat had sailed from Braemanhaven, Germany, landing in Halifax on 6 February 1948. On board were Jewish immigrants from displaced persons (DP) camps, most of whom were brought over as tailors with the aid of the Canadian Jewish Congress and Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS). Many of the individuals pictured eventually settled in Montreal.

Scope and Content

Item is a copy photograph and corresponding negative of the boat General Sturgis landing at Pier 21 in Halifax. Pictured far left in the front is David Mangarten and [his sister Eva], fourth from the right is Eli Goldberg (b. 1897, Rafalovka, Poland-d. 1983, Montreal). Pictured seventh from the right is Mr. Hister.

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Ships

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

Halifax (N.S.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

JIAS committees series

Level

File

Fonds

9

Series

6

File

17

Material Format

textual record

Date

1976

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Admin History/Bio

This committee succeeded the United Jewish Welfare Fund Task Force on Soviet Jews.

Scope and Content

File consists of reports, statistics, correspondence and minutes of the Co-ordinating Committee.

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

JIAS committees series

Level

File

Fonds

9

Series

6

File

18

Material Format

textual record

Date

1977

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Source

Archival Descriptions

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

Accession Number

2006-3-12

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

1943-1954

Scope and Content

Accession consists of material related to the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society (JIAS) of Canada. Records include campaign promotional material, national convention programmes and invitations, national activity reports and Central Region meeting invitations.

Descriptive Notes

Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada.

JIAS.

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Julius P. Katz fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

55

Series

2

File

114

Material Format

textual record

Date

1939-1943

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

This file consists of communication from the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada. Included are reports and updates, meeting minutes, notice of meetings and a letter with New Year greeting from JIAS president (September 1941).

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Julius P. Katz fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

55

Series

2

File

115

Material Format

textual record

Date

1946-1954

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

This file consists of communication from the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada. Included are: a programme from 1948 National Convention, JIAS newsletter (January 1948), a statistical report on central region (1953), a copy of the publication JIAS Record from Montreal (1949), 2 letters in Yiddish from JIAS of Canada regarding Polish Jews.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Julius P. Katz fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

55

Series

2

File

116

Material Format

textual record

Date

1944-1954

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

This file consists of receipt books for donations to the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Executive Committee series

Executive director sub-series

Executive director's correspondence sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

5-5-1

File

4

Material Format

textual record

Date

1944-1953

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Executive Committee series

Executive director sub-series

Executive director's correspondence sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

5-5-1

File

268

Material Format

textual record

Date

23 April 1972-20 Dec. 1972

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Social Planning Committee series

Correspondence with funded agencies sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

9-13

File

22

Material Format

textual record

Date

Feb. 1969-Aug. 1969

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence with the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society about their funding and expenses.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

Administration series

Subject files sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

9

Series

5-3

File

60

Material Format

textual record

Date

1927

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

541

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1926

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative); 13 x 18 cm and 4 x 5 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a copy photograph of steerage immigrants on a ship from Ukraine on deck for lifesaving drill. Ship is the Atonnia: London-Liverpool-Halifax. Man addressing passengers. Bald-looking man to right of legs is Myer Izen of Toronto. To left of legs is Max Pickarsky.

Name Access

Izen, Myer

Pickarsky, Max

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Ships

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

Ukraine

Accession Number

Acquired Jan. 12, 1976.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

4760

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1904

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w

Notes

For details, please see accession record.

Name Access

Alexandroff, Boris

West Toronto

Junction

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

1989-3-4

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds

General office subject and correspondence files series

Level

File

Fonds

17

Series

2

File

20

Material Format

textual record

Date

1975

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Accession Number

2005-2-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

2461

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[192-]

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)

Scope and Content

Item is a photograph of a group of immigrants posing in front of a ship with the crew. The location of the ship is uncertain.

Notes

From the Seymour and Abi Shatz Collection.

Subjects

Immigrants

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Accession Number

1980-12-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

1612

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1925

Physical Description

2 photographs : b&w (1 negative)

Notes

Photo by Modern Studio.

Name Access

Ukrainian Immigrants' Society of Toronto

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Societies

Ukrainians--Canada

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

Toronto Islands (Ont.)

Accession Number

1978-12-5

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

Level

Sous-fonds

Fonds

9-1

Material Format

textual record

Date

1926-1982

Physical Description

51 cm of textual records

14 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

The Jewish Immigrant Aid Society of Canada was organized into a national office in Montreal and regional offices in Winnipeg (Western Region), Toronto (Central Region) and Halifax (Eastern Region). The national office was responsible for directing and managing all the affairs of the organization, including defining national and international policy; administration of regional offices; national budget; fundraising; external relations with other organizations, such as the United Jewish Relief Agencies (UJRA) and Jewish Family & Child Services (JF&CS); and publicity. It also organized the annual meeting, special events and conventions.

Membership in JIAS was open to individuals, organizations or companies who paid an annual fee. General meetings of the membership were held at least once every two years, where reports were presented and considered, nominations and elections held for national officers and the national executive committee, policies, programs and problems discussed, and decisions taken.

The National Executive Committee of JIAS was composed of the following members: national president; three vice-presidents (the presidents of the Western, Central and Eastern regions), with the addition in the 1950s of a vice-president at large; three regional treasurers, eventually reduced to one national treasurer; secretary; and twelve members comprising four representatives from each region. In 1929 the ‘executive secretary’ position was renamed ‘executive director.’ According to the 1943 constitution, the executive was required to hold meetings at least three times a year, in alternate cities. In 1954 this was amended to twice a year.

During the early stages of JIAS's operations, it had to face the difficulty of being overstretched financially, as it sought to respond to and to change the often oppressive living conditions of new immigrants and the situation of those held in federal detention centres. The organization’s principled approach to immigrant welfare won JIAS much of its early success, as it became the preferred contact for government officials who had formerly dealt with numerous independent agencies, many of which had profited from the exploitation of desperate immigrants. This situation also profited the government, however, as the responsibility for establishing the priority of applications reverted increasingly to JIAS as it had to limit its appeals by the quotas imposed by the federal government.

JIAS was one of the founding organizations responsible for the establishment of the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) in 1978, which has since operated as a non-profit umbrella organization to coordinate the efforts of immigrant and refugee advocacy groups. JIAS continues to operate offices across Canada in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton, London, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor and Winnipeg. 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.

Scope and Content

Sous-fonds consists of National Office records retained by the Toronto JIAS office as reference copies. Records include meeting minutes, speeches and reports from annual meetings, and the published annual reports produced from the annual meetings. The sous-fonds covers the years 1926 to 1982 and is divided into the following series: 1. National Executive meeting minutes; 2. National annual meeting proceedings; 3. National annual reports; 4. Publications; and 5. Photographs.

Name Access

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada (creator)

Subjects

Immigrants--Canada

Nonprofit organizations

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Photographic and audiovisual collection series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

27

File

42

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1974

Physical Description

12 slides : col. ; 35 mm

Scope and Content

File consists of twelve slides depicting Jewish Immigrant Aid Services staff assisting new immigrants arriving at the airport.

Name Access

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto

Subjects

Airports

Immigrants

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds

General office subject and correspondence files series

Level

File

Fonds

17

Series

2

File

141

Material Format

textual record

Date

1994

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Accession Number

2005-2-2

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Executive Committee series

Executive director sub-series

Executive director's correspondence sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

5-5-1

File

93

Material Format

textual record

Date

2 Mar. 1954-21 Oct. 1954

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Executive Committee series

Executive director sub-series

Executive director's correspondence sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

5-5-1

File

94

Material Format

textual record

Date

7 Jan. 1954-28 Dec. 1954

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto fonds

Administration series

Programs and services sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

9

Series

5-1

File

178

Material Format

textual record

Date

1957, 1961

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of Social Services case sheets, which list immigrants' names, family structure, occupation, date of arrival, services rendered, request, decision, and remarks.

Access Restriction

Records in off-site storage; advance notice required to view.

Closed. Researchers must receive permission from the OJA director prior to accessing the records.

Source

Archival Descriptions