Stories Celebrating
100 Years

Stories

Jewish Immigrant Aid Services was established 100 years ago to assist Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Europe. Today, JIAS Toronto welcomes, supports, and integrates diverse immigrants and refugees to build a vibrant Jewish community and a strong, inclusive Canada that values all newcomers.

 

 

As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Jewish Immigrant Aid Services in Canada, JIAS Toronto is partnering with the Ontario Jewish Archives to collect and archive immigration stories from across the community. Please help us create a living and searchable virtual collection that will help capture and preserve our community’s diverse and fascinating immigration history and collective memory.

Judy and Agi Adler, Hungary

Maurice Benzacar, Morocco

Photo credit:
Maurice Benzacar (far left) with Russian immigrants at airport, 1978. Ontario Jewish Archives, fonds 9, series 12, file 62, item 3.

Chetti Knoll (z”l), Romania

Lilian & Mair Zamir, UK/Iraq

Elena Aleinikov, USSR

Farha family, Syria

Michele Bismuth, Tunisia

Miriam Daniels, India

Hubert family, Poland/Yugoslavia/Israel

Please click here to respond to a series of questions about your own immigration or about your family’s immigration historyThe gallery below and questions in these forms are intended to inspire you to share meaningful information. The more you share, the more others will learn. If you prefer to write up and submit a story in your own format, we welcome your submission and invite you to send it to jodib@jiastoronto.org.