Archival Donations
The JPL Archives and Special Collections is honoured to steward materials donated by community members and institutions since 1914.
Temporary Collecting Hiatus in Effect until April 1, 2026
We ask for your patience as we focus on a backlog of decades of prolific collecting that came before us. It was a hard decision. Thanks to the passionate work of Archivist Emeritus Eiran Harris and past JPL Archives staff, the amount of archival collecting at the JPL truely has been prolific for such a small organization.
The temporary freeze is informed by the volume of materials awaiting attention, an opportune window of staff availability, and significant storage constraints. The hiatus will help us catch up on our commitments to process, preserve and make accessible those materials that we have collected. Making them "discoverable" to the public is such a meaningful part of our work and fosters new academic and genealogical research.
We extend a sincere thank-you for your patience and understanding.
What We Collect
Our mandate is to collect archival material which is significant to the history of Montreal Jewry.
Local institutions and organizations, as well as families and individuals, can donate original and unique records such as :
- 1. Family papers (correspondences, journals or diaries, vital records, biographical and genealogical information)
- 2. Photographs, albums, and already digitized audiovisual material
- 3. Business, organizational, or institutional records (minutes, by-laws, etc.)
- 4. Posters, playbills, programmes, and ephemera from the community
Donating personal and corporate records to the Archives ensures their preservation and access to researchers and future generations. Our collection is kept secure in a climate-controlled environment. Your records will be described on our website for public access around the world.
Note that we do not collect:
- 1. Photocopied materials
- 2. Published materials (due to copyright legislation)
- 3. Artworks
- 4. Plaques
- 5. Vinyl records
Steps You Can Take
If you can wait for April 2026, you are welcomed to fill out the JPL Archives intake
form and we will be in touch once the hiatus is done.
Fill out the form
If a donation is urgent, you may wish to contact another collecting organization.
You can browse Jewish archival and heritage organizations here :
Discover collecting organizations