Donating your personal or family records

The OJA continues to collect stories and material from southern African Jews. Below are examples of what we collect:

Family photographs and videos: family portraits, images/videos of weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, your first few years/winters in Canada, your first home in Ontario, celebrating Jewish holidays in Ontario, recreation/hobbies, cottage life, Jewish summer camps, cooking in your kitchen, images relating to important hobbies, etc.

Personal documents: memoirs, speeches delivered at family events (e.g. weddings, anniversaries, etc.), eulogies, journals/diaries, correspondence with family and friends, invitations to family events (such as, weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc.) unique recipe books/cookbooks, etc.

Immigration records: correspondence relating to your immigration, shipping container lists, travel tickets, photographs of your journey, etc.

Jewish communal involvement: newsletters, meeting minutes, speeches, event invitations/programs, photos or other documents from Jewish organizations/clubs that you are involved with, etc.

Records related to career: photographs showing you at work/events/award ceremonies, correspondence, event invitations/programs, speeches, writings, etc.

Business records: business plans, photographs, promotion/publicity materials, flyers, advertisements, correspondence, inventory lists, audited annual financial statements, etc.

Additional information

• We collect records from all time periods (nothing is too old or too recent)
• Our focus is on your life in Ontario (although a selection of material documenting your life pre-Ontario is relevant)
• The amount of material you provide is up to you (it could range from one single item to 50 boxes or more)
• The records you provide don’t need to directly relate to the fact that you are from South Africa, but there does need to be material relating
  to your life in Ontario.