The ACJS / Aéjc is a national member-run organization that brings together academics, students, professionals and others interested in the study of the Jewish experience in Canada across multiple disciplines history, literature, sociology, religion, gender studies, architecture, music, translation, and others.

Our regular activities include:

  • An annual Springtime conference that brings together scholars, archivists, and associated societies and organizations of Canadian Jewish studies together to share their ideas and help shape the future of the discipline;
  • Community-based activities that promote Canadian Jewish Studies in the form of lectures, walking tours, literary readings and other events;
  • Publication of Canadian Jewish Studies, the only journal devoted to the study of Canadian Jewry. Canadian Jewish Studies is an open-access scholarly journal that includes full-length peer-reviewed articles from a variety of scholarly disciplines, book reviews, special sections devoted to translations of important primary sources, and short essays by representatives of archival collections from coast-to-coast-to-coast called “Archives Matter.”;
  • Publication of a bi-annual Bulletin highlighting news and events pertaining to Canadian Jewish studies.

The ACJS is affiliated with numerous local Jewish historical societies and organizations throughout Canada. Via these partnerships, the ACJS maintains a vibrant relationship with Canada’s Jewish communities and encourages the identification and preservation of properties, sites, and districts related to Canadian Jewish heritage.

Each year, the ACJS / Aéjc dispenses a number of awards that recognize the achievements of those who have made the most meaningful contributions to our discipline. Awarded since 2001, the Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award recognizes a significant contribution made by an individual, institution or group to Canadian Jewish Studies. In 2009, the ACJS created the Marcia Koven Award for Best Student Paper and has awarded a promising young scholar with this distinction every year since. In 2018, the ACJS established a new award to honour the memory of our esteemed colleague, Professor Gerald Tulchinsky, to be offered annually to a young or emerging scholar who has demonstrated both exceptional scholarship in the field as well as significant contribution to the ACJS or the broader field of Canadian Jewish Studies.

The ACJS gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies at Concordia University, the Israel & Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York, the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program at the University of Ottawa, and the Jewish Studies Program of the University of Toronto.

Our history

The Association for Canadian Jewish Studies/ l’Association d’études juives canadiennes was founded in 1976 as the Canadian Jewish Historical Society / Société d’histoire juive canadienne.  The original aim of the society was to promote and disseminate historical research concerning the engagement of Jews to Canadian society. It did so via the publication of the Canadian Jewish Historical Society Journal (1977-1988), the organization of occasional papers and lectures, and an annual conference held in conjunction with the Canadian Historical Association at the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS) Congress.

The 1990s proved a momentous time for the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies. In 1993 the Canadian Jewish Historical Society began publication of a new annual scholarly journal, Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives Canadiennes to promote a new multidisciplinary approach to Canadian Jewish Studies. In 1996, the society changed its name to the Association for Canadian Jewish Studies / l’Association d’études juives canadiennes (ACJS / Aéjc) to highlight our broader research scope. In addition to history, the new association encouraged new research on the Canadian Jewish experience through the disciplines of political science, sociology, economics, geography, demography, education, religion, linguistics, literature, architecture, performing and fine arts, among others.

The ACJS invites anyone with an interest in the Canadian Jewish experience to join our association and participate in our programming.

À propos de l’association

L’Association d’études juives canadiennes (Aéjc) a été fondée en 1976 sous le nom de Société d’histoire juive canadienne.

L’objectif initial de la Société était de promouvoir la recherche historique relative à l’engagement des Juifs envers la société canadienne et d’en diffuser les résultats, ce qui fut effectué par le biais de la publication du Journal-Société de l’histoire juive canadienne (1977-1988), d’un congrès annuel tenu conjointement avec la Société historique du Canada au Congrès des sciences sociales et humaines (les “savantes”), ainsi par la publication de documents hors-série et par des conférences. En 1993, la Société a lancé la publication d’une nouvelle revue scientifique annuelle, Études juives canadiennes. En 1996, pour souligner l’élargissement de son champ de recherche, la Société a remplacé son nom par Association d’études juives canadiennes (Aéjc).

En plus de l’histoire, la nouvelle association a encouragé la recherche sur l’expérience juive canadienne dans les domaines tels que la science politique, la sociologie, l’économie, la géographie, la démographie, l’éducation, la religion, la linguistique, la littérature et l’architecture, les arts du spectacle et les beaux-arts. L’Aéjc a continué de publier le journal et en sert comme outil de rayonnement pour sa nouvelle approche multidisciplinaire des études juives canadiennes. L’Aéjc est une organisation nationale dont le siège social se trouve à Montréal. Depuis les années 1970, l’organisation s’est associée avec plusieurs sociétés d’histoire juive locales et des organisations à travers le Canada.

L’Aéjc est reconnaissante de l’appui soutenu de l’Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies de l’Université Concordia et est heureuse d’avoir comme associés le Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies de l’Université York, le Jewish Studies Program de l’Université de Toronto et le Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program de l’Université d’Ottawa.