Federal grant will help archives preserve materials

From left York Centre MP Mark Adler, OJA board member Jackie Shulman and OJA director Dara Solomon  DONNA BERNARDO-CERIZ PHOTO

TORONTO — The federal government has announced that it’s giving $195,000 to the Ontario Jewish Archives (OJA) Foundation, a sum the Toronto-based organization says will help it salvage and better preserve its holdings, some of which are at risk of being destroyed.

Presenting the grant on behalf of the minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Conservative MP Mark Adler (York Centre) visited the OJA Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, a department of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Sept. 11 at the Lipa Green Centre premises.

“History is very important to our government,” Adler told a small gathering of OJA staff and several reporters. “There’s a whole story to be told about the Jewish community of Ontario, and particularly about the Jewish community of Toronto, which is the largest in the country and thriving.”

Adler also stressed the importance of preserving the history of Jews in small towns across Ontario, whose dwindling numbers over the last few decades belies the existence of once-thriving communities. 

“There’s a whole history there that needs to be preserved and archived for future generations,” he said. “These archives are significant both for [academic] researchers and for people who want to come and learn more about their family or community’s history.”

Archives director Dara Solomon said the OJA applied for a federal cultural spaces grant in December 2013 to help cover of the cost of vital structural improvements, such as expanding the vault containing its holding, getting a new HVAC system to better control the space’s climate, increasing storage space and making work spaces more comfortable for researchers, who sometimes spend weeks at a time working there.

Because the renovations will cost a total of $400,000, the OJA will match the money from Ottawa with funds from federation. 

“We’re well-positioned to begin [the restructuring] very soon,” Solomon said. “With the granting process, you have to be very thorough about all the vendors you’re going to use, so we’ve already met with lighting specialists, HVAC specialists and the shelving company… all these vendors are lined up and ready to go.”

An improved HVAC system is particularly crucial, explained archivist Donna Bernardo-Ceriz, because items such as photographs – the OJA has 60,000 – and hand-written letters can be ruined if they’re not kept in a strictly climate-controlled environment.

Collections that, without the upcoming improvements, would be at particular risk include the architectural collection of Benjamin Brown, born in 1890, who was one of the first Jewish architects in the city.

“He designed landmark structures, particularly in the garment district… and really shaped the urban landscape here,” Solomon said. 

“We have these beautiful hand-drawn blueprints from him… they’re exquisite, and they’re crumbling because they’re drawn on very thin onion paper and in desperate need of… a kind of climate-controlled environment.”

Solomon expressed genuine excitement, and a sense of relief, at the prospect of rejuvenating the space.

“This is such an exciting opportunity. We’ve been in need of this for a very, very long time.”