Oral Histories

Our oral history collection contains over 250 interviews conducted with members of the Jewish communities of southern Alberta, starting in the 1970s. They include audio and video cassettes, computer discs and mp3 files. Most of the interviews were conducted by JHSSA through our oral history program and Voices of Experience project. Other interviewers include Glenbow Museum, Provincial Archives of Alberta, Jewish Historical Society of BC, and individual families. The collection also includes interview outlines, summaries and transcripts.

Voices of Experience Projects 1 and 2

Over the course of 2018 and 2019, JHSSA undertook a project to conduct and transcribe over 50 oral histories. A follow-up project was conducted in 2021 and 2022 generating a further 39 interviews. Individuals were selected based on age and involvement in the Jewish community and/or the broader Calgary community with the goal of reflecting a cross section of our population. The list below includes summaries and keywords for the interviews from both projects.

Voices of Experience Interview List with Summaries and Topics

These projects were funded by the Government of Alberta
through the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation and
through a Heritage Preservation Partnership Program Research Grant.

Acknowledgements

Our oral history collection has been the appreciative beneficiary of a number of generous Jewish Community Foundation of Calgary grants over the years, most in memory of our longtime oral history volunteer Bertha Gold z”l. These grants focused on transcription and digitization of older interviews.

A debt of gratitude is also owed to the Alberta Government for their grants funding The Voices of Experience projects part 1 and 2. The projects were coordinated by Judy Shapiro, with assistance from Agi Romer Segal, Saundra Lipton and Laura Shuler.

Volunteer Interviewers
Marni Besser, David Busheikin, Nadine Drexler, Reva Faber, Maxine Fischbein, Halley Girvitz, Bertha Gold z”l, Sheila Gurevitch, Riki Heilik, Sylvie Hepner, Irena Karshenbaum, Karen Roth, Rena Shimoni, Svetlana Shklarov, Laura Shuler, and Carol Stoffman

Volunteer Transcribers
David Busheikin, Judy Chetner, Ken Drabinsky, Maxine Fischbein, Bertha Gold z”l, Roberta Kerr, , Mel Ksienski, Marla Rabinovitch, Mary Taub, Ruth Ullman, Sharon Sattin, Rena Shimoni, and Svetlana Shklarov