Love the Stranger: 100 Years of JIAS

“Love the stranger among you, because you were once strangers in Egypt” (Lev. 19:34).

Love the Stranger is an archival exhibition that shares the story of Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS). This year JIAS is celebrating their one hundredth anniversary of welcoming immigrants to Canada. This exhibit collects stories from people involved with JIAS, either as staff or as immigrants. Often, immigrants who were aided by JIAS went on to work with and support the organization to help future immigrants.

These stories are the small personal notes which make up an institutional history. My hope is that this exhibit helps to personalize immigration stories and pass them along to new generations, inspiring people to get involved with JIAS and other organizations within their own communities.

Exhibition curated by Avi Margolis, curatorial intern, Ontario Jewish Archives.