The Museum of Jewish Montreal

The Museum of Jewish Montreal is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, mapping, and sharing the history and culture of Montreal's Jewish community. Founded in 2010 as a digital initiative by Zev Moses, the museum began as an online platform exhibiting Montreal's Jewish heritage through an interactive map and oral histories. It is notable for being the only Jewish museum of its kind in Canada focusing exclusively on the Montreal Jewish experience.

History and Development

Initially launched as an online project, the Museum of Jewish Montreal aimed to document the city's Jewish history, which dates back to the 1760s, through digital archives and storytelling. The founder, Zev Moses, created digital assets such as an oral history archive and an interactive map to preserve the physical traces of the community's heritage that were disappearing from the urban landscape.

In 2016, the museum expanded its presence by opening its first physical storefront in the historic Jewish heart of Montreal on Boulevard St-Laurent in the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighborhood. The space serves as a cultural hub for experimental programming in Jewish arts, culture, and community engagement.

Mission and Activities

The organization's mission centers on connecting people with Montreal's Jewish life and identity through diverse heritage and culture. The Museum of Jewish Montreal combines historical preservation with contemporary cultural expression by offering a range of programs including:

• Digital exhibits and an interactive map showcasing Jewish history in Montreal since the 1760s.
• Oral history initiatives, notably the Stories Project launched in 2012, which collects and archives personal stories from community members of diverse backgrounds.
• The Third Solitude Series, a blog started in 2011 featuring interviews, photo essays, literature, and research that explore the Jewish experience in Montreal within the broader context of French and English Canadian cultures.
• Walking tours of historic Jewish neighborhoods such as the Plateau and Mile End, highlighting Jewish contributions in different facets of life through thematic tours like Making Their Mark, Rabbis, Writers, and Radicals, and Beyond the Bagel food tours.
• Contemporary Jewish arts and cultural events, including exhibitions, music, food programming, and community gatherings aimed at fostering a vibrant local ecosystem for Jewish arts and culture.

Community Impact

The Museum of Jewish Montreal functions as a gathering place for young Jewish creatives and the wider community, inspiring connections across generations through arts, heritage, and identity. It seeks to build lifelong relationships with Jewish culture by creating accessible and innovative cultural experiences while deepening public appreciation of the city's Jewish heritage.

As an institution, it remains committed to its roots of heritage preservation while evolving into a dynamic cultural space that supports ongoing creative expression and community building within Montreal's Jewish population.

Legal and Formal Information

The Museum of Jewish Montreal operates as a registered nonprofit organization under the business registration number 812257731RR0001.

This comprehensive approach combines digital innovation, community-driven projects, and physical cultural space, making the Museum of Jewish Montreal a unique and influential institution in preserving and celebrating the Jewish history and contemporary life of Montreal.