The Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre (OJA) seeks an enthusiastic and motivated archivist for a full time permanent position beginning July 2025. The OJA is a community archives servicing an active community of donors, researchers, and supporters. The successful applicant will be responsible for a broad range of archival work, including collection management and development, reference services, programming, and outreach.
About the Ontario Jewish Archives
Founded in 1973, the Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre (OJA) is the largest repository of Jewish life in Canada. The OJA is uniquely positioned to collect, preserve and share the records of the Jewish communities of Ontario, providing evidence of differing lived experiences and ensuring that the Jewish experience is included in the broader municipal, provincial and national narratives.
The OJA’s collections span all segments of Ontario’s Jewish community, including families, businesses, cultural organizations, and synagogues. These records date from the community’s earliest days in the province in the 1850s to the present. The OJA supports a wide range of researchers through its vital work. Through exhibitions, programs, research assistance, and walking tours, the OJA tells the stories of Ontario’s Jewish community.
The OJA is a department of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.
Responsibilities
Archival Responsibilities
- Meets with record donors, appraises, acquires and accessions records
into the OJA’s permanent holdings - Physically processes, arranges, and describes records in accordance with archival principles and standards (RAD) and OJA procedures
- Performs basic preservation actions as required
- Digitizes a variety of media as required and ingests collections into OJA’s digital repository
- Maintains physical control of OJA’s collections both onsite and offsite
Reference
- Provides reference services to the general public and internal staff
- Applies applicable privacy procedures according to legislation and OJA policies
- Responds to reproduction requests for use and publication
Other responsibilities (Archival, Administrative and Outreach)
- Supports the OJA team with various administrative tasks as needed
- Assists with outreach and programming, including curatorial research and design, social media, speaking engagements, and walking tour administration.
