JANUARY 2025
der zamler
JPL’S NEWSLETTER FOR ALL THINGS
ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
winter in the archives
Two women on skis pose on a snowy hill, St. Sauveur, Quebec, Canada, circa 1940s. Courtesy of the JPL Archives, Allan Raymond Fonds, ID: 1034_3_PR024870.
It’s chilly in the archives, but that suits the materials just fine. January brings with it a full house of internships from McGill University’s Information Studies program. Interns are tackling a wide range of projects, including the appraisal of the oral history collection, assessing funding opportunities and donor needs, and processing the newly-acquired Ida Bly fonds. We look forward to reporting on their work in later issues!
January is also a busy time for the Outreach Coordinators who are preparing for a full month of university course and researcher presentations. It’s always exciting to share the Archives with new communities.
upcoming events
Event poster featuring an illustration of Claude Lemieux et Sonia Sarah Lipsyc by Ludmila Fishman, February 3, 2010. Courtesy of the JPL Archives, Communauté sépharade unifiée du Québec Fonds, ID: 1481-4-[106]-1.
aleph a quinze ans: une soirée-célébration du don officiel de ses archives à la bpj
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
6:30 - 8:00pm EST
Gelber Conference Centre
5151 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine
Event in French | In-Person
In honor of the CSUQ's donation of the archives and documents of ALEPH Centre d'études juives contemporaines, join us for an evening of conversation between Sonia Sarah Lipsyc, Anne Elaine Cliche, and their invited speakers.
Registration required.
FOR THE RECORD:
A BLOG ABOUT THE WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHERE, AND HOW (OF ARCHIVING)
Nellie Lowy seated at a desk holding a large torah finial. Caption on back of photograph reads, “Canadian Jewish Congress: Nellie Lowy working on Archive”. July 15, 1959. Courtesy of the JPL Archives, Photograph Collection, ID: 1255_PR011702.
WHY DO WE SAY ‘AN ARCHIVES’?
Follow along with our Educational Outreach Coordinator as they look for the answer to this grammatical conundrum.
current on-site exhibition
Close-up of materials in current exhibition featuring rare books from our Special Collections.
Adopted languages: The Orphans of Offenbach
November - January, 2025
Jewish Public Library, across from circulation desk
In conjunction with our By the Book conservation event this month, we've put together an exhibition that highlights some of our rare books that cover a breadth of languages, time periods, and printing locations. They are also in various states of conservation, and the details of their provenance is not totally known to us aside from arriving through the Offenbach Archival Depot.
recollections with the jpl podcast
Cover art for recollections with the JPL.
Der zamler is a Yiddish term meaning “the collector” and is related to the verb zamlen, which means “to gather.” In using this name, we join a long history of people dedicated to gathering and preserving Jewish culture around the world. A heartfelt thank-you goes to Sam Bick for the initial idea and to Anna Fishman Gonshor for providing the cultural context.
All non-archival photography, unless otherwise credited, by staff of the JPL Archives.
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Jewish Public Library
5151 Chemin de la Cote-Sainte-Catherine
Montreal, QC, H3W 1M6
Canada