OJA Receives Capital Grant from the Government of Canada

The Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre (OJA) is pleased to announce that we are the recipient of $195,100 from the Canadian Government through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund for the renovation of our vault and public space. The announcement was made yesterday by Member of Parliament Mark Adler (York Centre) on behalf of the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

 “We are pleased to provide funding for the Ontario Jewish Archives, an important cultural space in our community that hosts a significant collection of artifacts documenting the contributions of the Jewish community in Canada,” Adler said in a statement.

This grant will support the installation of a modern, dedicated HVAC for the OJA vault as well as new lighting, monitoring system and compact and moveable shelving that will provide the archives with more storage space and better environmental conditions. The project will also update the public areas, creating a more comfortable and efficient space for researchers and staff. This grant is matched by funds generously provided to the OJA by the Blankenstein family.

 “The OJA is the largest professionally maintained repository of Jewish archival material in Canada. We have over 5000 cubic feet of textual material and 60,000 photographs. We also hold films, oral histories, artifacts and newspapers,” says Dara Solomon, Director of the OJA. “We have an obligation to ensure that these treasures are managed according to best practices and under optimal conditions. As a result of this grant, the OJA will be better positioned to continue our important work of preserving, collecting and sharing the stories of our community into the future.”