LibGuides: Jewish Studies: Archival Research

Guidance on Archival Research

What is an archive?

Archives are organizations that collect materials, organize them, and make them available to researchers. Archival sources can be manuscripts, documents, electronic materials, objects, sound and audiovisual materials, or other materials.

Why do archival research?

Archival materials give you direct access to the time or event you are studying.
Not all resources are available online – or in the stacks. Some can only be found in special collections.
Using archival materials can help you better understand your topic and gain a sense of "reality" about your project by offering a window into the past.

Archival Research and Resources at York University Libraries.

Archival research can be challenging though very rewarding!). At York University Libraries, you can work with our archivists to get help with this type of research. Visit the Archives Research Guide to find out how.

York University Libraries' Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections has several archival resources and collections related to Jewish Studies which includes:

Archival Sources in and around Toronto

An Inventory of Jewish Studies-related Archival Resources and Special Collections located in Toronto, Canada
A finding aid by Amir Lavie. This guide is designed to support users in locating unique Jewish Studies-related materials housed at various Toronto-based university, government and community-run libraries and archival repositories.

Ontario Jewish Archives
The OJA acquires, preserves and makes accessible the records that chronicle our province’s Jewish history. The collection documents organizations, individuals, synagogues, schools, summer camps, leisure, athletes, and businesses.
The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network
Union catalogue of databases and digital materials from multiple archives. Search the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives, Jewish Public Library Archives, Montreal Holocaust Museum, Ottawa Jewish Archives, Saint John Jewish Historical Museum, Shaar Hashomayim Museum & Archives, and the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue all at once.
Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada Archives
The JHCWC documents, preserves and shares information on the culture and historical formation of Jewish communities in Western Canada. Searchable catalogue; not all materials available online.
Center for Jewish History Archives
The Center for Jewish History provides a collaborative home for five partner organizations and their archives: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
JDC Archives
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), is the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization. The JDC Archives includes text documents, a large photograph collection, audio recordings, and video recordings.
The Central Archive for the HIstory of the Jewish People
The CAHJP holds the archives of hundreds of Jewish communities, as well as of local, national and international Jewish organizations and the private collections of many outstanding Jewish personalities. The Archives now hold the most extensive collection of documents, pinkassim (registers) and other records of Jewish history from the Middle Ages to the present day.
YIVO Archives and Library Collections
The YIVO Archives and Library represent the single largest and most comprehensive collection of materials on East European Jewish civilization in the world.
Blavatnik Archive
The Blavatnik Archive is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving and disseminating materials that contribute to the study of 20th-century world history, with a special focus on Jewish culture, World Wars I and II, and Soviet history. To date the Archive’s holdings consist of more than 120,000 items such as video testimonies, postcards, photographs, posters, diaries, letters and more.

Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections at York University
The Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections collects manuscripts, rare book and primary source materials to support research and learning by the university’s faculty, students, and a community of international scholars, with an emphasis on the areas of Canadian history, fine arts, philosophy, environmental history, and sexual diversity.
City of Toronto Archives
Collections include government records, which include Council minutes, departmental files and reports, and non-government records, which includes photographs, letters and architectural plans.
Archives of Ontario
The Archives of Ontario's collections document the decisions, functions and activities of the Government of Ontario. Individuals, businesses, and organizations also donate records of enduring provincial significance that illustrate the history and development of Ontario.
Library and Archives Canada
LAC acquires, processes, preserves and provides access to Canadians' documentary heritage and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions.