Our Collections

The OJA’s records span all segments of Ontario’s Jewish community. We have records from businesses, families, labour unions, organizations, and synagogues. These records date from the community’s earliest days to its present. What’s more, they come from all over Ontario and in every format you can think of. If you were to lay out all of our boxes, they would stretch from the foot of Yonge Street to Dundas Square!

Below you can find highlights from our newest acquisitions as well as collections that have recently been processed and added to our website search.

Do you have records to donate to the OJA? Click here to learn how.

Acquisition of the Month

September 2024

We are pleased to highlight a recent acquisition documenting the lives of Ellen and Theodore Ackermann (pictured left) of London, Ontario. This accession, received in September 2024, includes 7 cm of textual records and graphic materials. Of note is the couple's correspondence with Sir Roland "Roy" Welensky, who served as prime minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1956 to 1963. This intriguing correspondence, which dates from 1956 to 1991, offers insight into the political and personal dynamics of the era.