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Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta
Agi Romer Segal Librarian and Archivist
The Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta (JHSSA) was incorporated in 1990 with a mandate to ensure that the history of the Jewish community of southern Alberta would be well documented for future generations. To help realize this goal, an archival component was incorporated from the beginning. The JHSSA also has a library of over 350 items, with emphasis on Jewish history and genealogy. We also have a collection of the works of local Jewish authors. To advance the educational component of our mandate, we publish a journal, Discovery, three times a year and send it to the entire Calgary Jewish community, as well as to our out-of-town members. We are completely independent and rely on membership and fundraising for our funding.
Our archival collection includes primary sources from communal organizations, such as minute books, financial records, official registers as well as personal documents from local residents, such as immigration documents and family correspondence. Our photograph collection contains over 1,500 photographs. We have an ongoing project documenting all the gravestones in all the southern Alberta Jewish cemeteries, with a photo and translation for each one. Our oral history collection of over 100 interviews has been transcribed and is now also available in print form. Our collection of all local Jewish newspapers and our reference files continue to serve as important research tools. We are also developing a file of clippings dealing with the Jewish community from the general press. We have mounted a major exhibit, Land of Promise, based on our holdings, and have published a book of the same name (1993). We are currently preparing an exhibit highlighting the past 100 years of history of the southern Alberta Jewish community for Alberta's Centennial celebrations.
Recently, we have acquired suitable space for our archives in a local synagogue and we are in the process of moving most of the collection off site. Our office remains in the conveniently located the Calgary Jewish Centre. Our archives have been manually accessioned but now that we have more appropriate space, we are planning to complete fonds level descriptions of our holdings, and by using In-Magic, make them fully compatible with the Archives Network of Alberta. Long range plans include developing a web site and digitizing photographs and documents to make them available online. Once we are equipped to handle the volume, we hope to be able to coordinate the preservation of the records of the community's major organizations.
We currently have four part-time staff. We recruit volunteers on a project-by-project basis. We answer research inquiries from near and far. Questions range from individual requests for the death date of a relative to requests for historical material for academic researchers. Many organizations turn to us for details about their own history. We have serviced students in their search for information on Jewish immigration and local history.
Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta
Jay Joffe, president
1607 - 90 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2V4V7
(403) 444 - 3171
Fax (403) 253 - 7915
jhssa@shaw.ca
Public Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday: 9 - 4
Wednesday, Thursday: 9 - 1
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