Canadian Jewish history is a field no longer in its infancy. One might say that it has reached the stage of adolescence, with all of its attendant difficulties. Although serious scholarship in the area is no longer as sparse as it once was and academic institutions are coming to recognize it as a legitimate subject of research, Canada still has considerable distance to come before a steady flow of acceptable scholarship can be expected.
Like all adolescents, Canadian Jewish history struggles with identity crises,
branching out first into one direction and then into another, subject to fads, peer pressure and anxiety about the future. It is sometimes idealistic and sometimes cynical. Nevertheless, it moves inexorably toward maturity….
Stephen A. Speisman, Editor
Canadian Jewish Historical Society Journal, 1985
The Canadian Jewish Historical Society Journal was the official publication of the Canadian Jewish Historical Society, the first national organization devoted to the study of the Canadian Jewish experience. Founded in 1977, one year after the Society, CJHSJ was the journal of record in Canadian Jewish history until it ceased publication in 1988.
Over its eleven-year run, the journal published eighty-five items, including research articles, book reviews, and Society affairs, across nineteen issues. Many of the day’s leading scholars of Canadian Jewish life, both academic and professional, appeared in its pages. These include David Rome, Saul Hayes, Ben Kayfetz, Arthur Chiel, Abraham Arnold, Paula Draper, Evelyn Miller, and Adam Fuerstenberg.
The journal’s digital archive will launch in February 2026.
Digitization of the Canadian Jewish Historical Society Journal was undertaken by the ACJS / Aéjc in 2025-2026, with generous support from Janice Rosen of the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives, Donna Bernardo-Ceriz of the Ontario Jewish Archives, and Ira Robinson, professor emeritus of Jewish studies at Concordia University. Matthew McKeown provided research assistance. The ACJS also thanks Tomasz Mrozewski, digital publishing librarian at York University Libraries, for his vital technical support.