Celebrating 80 years ...

The Jewish Western Bulletin used to take more New Year’s holidays than does the Jewish Independent, so there is no “this week” in 1994 to remember (in this space, anyway). However, in the last issue published that year, there was an article announcing the establishment by the Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia (JHSBC) of an endowment to fund an archive. The objective of the Nemetz Jewish Community Archives was “to collect, catalogue, preserve and make available for study the historic records of the Jewish community, its organizations and families.” And it has done just that.

According to the upcoming 2010 issue of The Scribe, the JHSBC’s annual journal (whose editor this year is also the publisher of the Jewish Independent): “The society’s holdings comprise records from 70 organizations, families and individuals, and cover the years 1860-2010, with predominant dates of 1920-2005. As of publication, the archives holds 500 linear metres of textual files, 300,000 photographs and 700 oral history interviews.” According to archivist Jennifer Yuhasz’s report in that journal, “In 2010, the Nemetz Jewish Community Archives served 400 research requests from around the world.”

As the letter on the opposite page, from founding JHSBC members Irene Dodek and Cyril Leonoff, notes, the JHSBC office and the archives are being relocated, but will continue to serve the community. The JHSBC also has developed a virtual museum, which includes hundreds of photographs that were donated by Sam and Mona Kaplan, owners of the Jewish Western Bulletin from 1960-1999.