January 2026
der zamler
JPL’S ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS NEWSLETTER
Chanukah candles being made by our young patrons at our last event of 2025.
Happy New Year 2026
Our last special youth event of 2025 was a success! Some of our most dedicated attendees to the Collage Club were present to make candles for their menorahs while they watched the most requested movie of the series: Home Alone.
After two weeks of the JPL Archives being closed, we’re rested and energized to get back to processing, migrating, programming and hosting visiting researchers. So far in January, we’ve already had the pleasure of hosting a group of artists from the MJM Fellowship program, and the reference room has been busy with researchers. We look forward to the year ahead!
Upcoming Events
JPL Collage Club in the Archives
January Sundays 2pm to 4pm
Jewish Public Library Archives (basement level)
Free | Open to Youth aged 11-25
Please note that the Collage Club is ending soon! Two sessions are left: January 18th and our final session on January 25. We will be throwing a special party on January 25th to commemorate all of the talent we've seen this year (a few of our favourites are featured here). Come through for a movie, snacks, and to make one last collage.
Current exhibition
last chance to experience the exhibition!
The Life and Activism of Léa Roback
November 1, 2025 - February 1 2026
Jewish Public Library, across from circulation desk
Léa Roback (1903-2000) was born in Montréal to a Jewish family of Polish origin. Raised in Beauport, Québec, she attended university in Grenoble and Berlin in the late 1920s. In Germany, Nazism was on the rise and Roback became keenly politicized; she joined demonstrations with students and trade unionists, and became part of the communist movement that spearheaded the anti-fascist struggle.
Back in Montreal as of 1932, Roback was committed to workers’ rights and women’s rights, where her gift of languages played a pivotal role in trade union success. Later in her life, her support grew to many other causes, including the intersections of where these causes overlap. She was a consistent voice against police violence, and was staunchly anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid. She was an abortion and peace activist who fought for the rights of visible minorities, including the land rights of Indigenous communities.
The Life and Activism of Léa Roback, exhibition on now across from circulation at the Jewish Public Library.
Léa Roback Tote Bags: limited edition
We’ve made our first batch of Archives merch! Donations of $20 or more are eligible for our limited edition Léa Roback tote bag, available in blue and maroon. Be sure to visit circulation while supplies last!
Youth Workbook
The Norman Berman Children's Library has put on another exhibition of their own for Jewish Book Month for the 2025 Fall/Winter Season! Our second instalment of the workbook (French | English) offers similar activities, however, you may notice the answer page absent--youth are encouraged to turn in their workbook for a chance to win a Léa Roback tote bag in honour of the Archives' newest in-house exhibition, The Life and Activism of Léa Roback.
FOR THE RECORD:
A monthly blog by the JPL Archives
Screenshot of Archives Roadshow presenters, November 22, 2022. From left to right, top to bottom: Janice Rosen (Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives), Ellen Belshaw (JPL), Ezell Carter (JPL), Teigan Goldsmith (Ottawa Jewish Archives), Donna Bernardo-Ceriz (Ontario Jewish Archives), and Hannah Srour-Zackon (Congregation Shaar Hashomayim).
A Prelude to Archives: Records and Knowledge Management
Ellen Belshaw talks tips and tricks for records management that are applicable to any field.
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
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