From the late 19th century, the Jewish population in Montreal grew rapidly as thousands fled pogroms and other forms of anti-Semitism in Russia and eastern Europe. By World War I, it numbered more than 30,000.

Governments of the day did not provide social benefits, leaving it up to communities, mostly based on religion, to take care of their own.

The Jewish community developed its own services, often through mutual aid societies, to take care of the sick, elderly and poor.

In 1916, to co-ordinate this patchwork of nascent institutions and centralize their resources, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies was founded. On Jan. 2, 1917, the new umbrella organization launched its first fundraising campaign under the slogan “Unity is Strength.”

That was the beginning of today’s Federation CJA (formerly Allied Jewish Community Services) and Combined Jewish Appeal, which now raises tens of millions of dollars annually for the dozen agencies under its aegis, as well as many other local services and programs.

A year-long celebration of this milestone will get underway Nov. 21 with the closing of the 2016 CJA campaign.

Aug. 18 begins the 100-day countdown to that kickoff.

To be held at the Palais des congrès, this gala November evening will feature former Tonight Show host Jay Leno and other celebrities.

The goal of the centennial year activities is to instil pride in Jewish Montrealers about their history and to raise awareness among Quebecers in general of what the Jewish community has contributed to the city and province, said centennial committee co-chairs Gail Adelson-Marcovitz and Jack Hasen, both longstanding federation lay leaders.

“Hundreds and hundreds of volunteers, as well as our professional staff, have worked to make this a success,” said Adelson-Marcovitz.

Hasen added: “At the end of the year, we hope the community will be standing a little taller.”

The message will be that the federation remains “the centre of Jewish communal life in Montreal,” despite the many changes over the century. Organizers hope to attract new, younger people who are not already in the federation fold.

This is not really about the past, but an expression of a determination to have a community here for another 100 years, at least.

The first project to be completed is the Virtual Community Museum, which will provide an overview of the federation’s history, within the context of the more than two-century Jewish presence in Quebec. The story will be told through portraits of 100 individuals.

In the new year, the federation partners with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in its patronage of the exhibition Chagall: Colour and Music from Jan. 21-June 4. The influence of music and theatre on Marc Chagall’s art will be explored. Four hundred works will be on display, including paintings, as well as maquettes, costumes and puppets he created for the stage, including the Moscow Jewish Theatre.

A community Haggadah will be released before Passover, which organizers hope will grace everyone’s seder table.

The Haggadah will illustrate the diversity of the Montreal Jewish community today through illustrations and stories.

It will include Ashkenazi and Sephardi variations in ritual, and be in English, French and Hebrew (with transliteration). Adelson-Marcovitz and Hasen hope the Haggadah will be a lasting souvenir of this special year.

The highlight of the celebrations will likely be the Montreal Mega Mission (MMM) to Israel in May. More than 1,000 people have already registered, far surpassing the first MMM that drew close to 600 participants in 2014.

“We have hundreds on the waiting list,” said Hasen. “We would like to take as many as we can, and are working on the logistics.”

Taking place May 10 to 19 and geared to first-time visitors and veterans alike, the trip’s itinerary can be tailored to individual interests.

The co-chairs are gratified that a significant number of people under 40 are going this time.

“We didn’t really have to market it,” she said. “People heard about the first one, and it sold itself.”

Those who can’t get away may want to join the Mission to Montreal, a series of agency visits throughout June offering insight into how CJA funds are spent.

Everyone is invited to a big birthday party on Aug. 27, 2017, that promises family fun.

YAD, the federation’s young adult division, will host a 100-hour “happening” over five days in September next year with speakers and networking opportunities.

The federation is offering grants to Jewish community organizations that want to organize their own centennial events.

Ongoing throughout the year will be the recognition of volunteers and an effort to increase engagement in the community. Also, “100 Days, 100 Deeds” will see community members volunteering throughout in social action projects benefiting Montreal as a whole.

The centennial festivities will start winding down with the federation’s 2017 annual general meeting in September, which is expected to be attended by a host of dignitaries.

The conclusion in November 2017 will be an event “befitting the Montreal Jewish community’s storied history and century of impact.”

That first campaign in 1917, which lasted only four days, raised $127,000, half as much again as the various Jewish organizations had collected on their own the year before.

The centennial also has a fundraising component intended to ensure the community’s long-term future.

Working with the Jewish Community Foundation (JCF), the federation is hoping to add $120 million to the endowments set up by community members that the JCF administers, Hasen said.

For full details on the centennial, visit www.federationcja.org/100