The Saint John Jewish Historical Museum marked a significant milestone on Sunday, June 28, celebrating its 40th anniversary as a guardian of Jewish heritage in Atlantic Canada. Located in an elegant late-Victorian mansion at 91 Leinster Street in Saint John, New Brunswick, the museum is the only Jewish museum in the Atlantic Provinces.

Through its permanent galleries, historic synagogue, archives, and library, it preserves and shares more than 200 years of Jewish life and contributions in the region. Over the past four decades, the museum has become an important cultural and educational institution, fostering a deeper understanding of Jewish history, traditions, and community through its exhibitions, educational programs, and public events.

I would like to thank the esteemed Julia Gorko, Katherine Biggs-Craft, Executive Director and Curator, for her support and guidance.

Over the past 40 years, the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum has become a cornerstone of Jewish heritage in Atlantic Canada. It has welcomed more than 142,000 visitors from around the world, including cruise ship passengers since 1989, and has promoted education through 33 Yom Hashoah commemorations, 20 Holocaust study groups for high school students, and 13 Jewish Film Festivals.

The museum has also led walking tours of the historic Shaarei Zedek Cemetery and Saint John’s former Jewish neighbourhoods, employed 145 students in the summer months, and built an impressive archive of 275 boxes of documents, more than 6,000 photographs, and a library of over 2,500 books. Through more than 100 exhibitions and over 80 newsletters, the museum continues to preserve and share the rich history of Jewish life in Saint John and Atlantic Canada.

Current exhibitions highlight the richness of Jewish life in Saint John. Under the Chuppah explores local Jewish wedding traditions through dresses, photographs, and family memorabilia, while From the Cradle to the Grave showcases treasured objects that illustrate Jewish life-cycle events and religious traditions. In Their Own Words: Part Two features oral histories from community members, preserving memories of family and community life. A new exhibition, Immigration to Saint John: The Evolving Jewish Community, traces the history of Jewish settlement from the arrival of Loyalist David Gabel in 1783 to the growth of today’s........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)