About
Established in 1985 as a registered charitable organization, JGS Toronto provides a forum for the exchange of genealogical knowledge and information through this website and also via its newsletter, Shem Tov, its collection of books at the Toronto Reference Library, regular monthly presentations, workshops, and Special Interest Groups.
In 2025, we celebrated the Society's 40th anniversary with a gala celebration. You can view the legacy video which was shown at the gala on our YouTube channel.
What's New
Unlocking Canada’s Naturalization Records
Unlocking Canada’s Naturalization RecordsThe federal government holds millions of records of files documenting how our immigrant ancestors became naturalized in Canada from 1915 to 1951. These records are often a treasure trove of information for genealogists. Bill Gladstone explores the content of these files, why they are valuable resources, and how to deal with limited public access.
𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 7:30 PM ET
𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: In person at Congregation Shaarei Shomayim (470 Glencairn Avenue, North York) and online via ZoomAll are welcome to attend. Advance registration is required for participation via Zoom. There is no charge to attend this program. Please note that this program will not be recorded for later viewing.
Save the Date
Your Family’s Story Is Still Waiting to Be Found
Maybe it started with a DNA test that turned up an ethnicity you didn't expect. Maybe it was a photo in a shoebox. Maybe it was a grandparent, a great-aunt, a name no one in the family could quite remember. Maybe it was a single sentence passed down at a holiday table: we think we came from somewhere near Odessa.
However it starts, the pull is the same: there's a story in your family that hasn't been told yet, and you want to find it.
We're excited to announce the 46th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, taking place virtually April 4–6, 2027.
The program will include:
- Lectures and workshops on research methods, records, and tools
- Storytelling sessions, where attendees share their own family discoveries
- Panels and roundtables on topics shaping the field
- Special interest group programming for specific regions, family histories, and research areas
- New formats, including short "lightning talks" and casual "schmooze sessions" — because some of the best research tips come from conversation, not lecture
A call for session proposals will open soon, inviting speakers, researchers, historians, and community members from around the world to share new and reimagined content. Registration details, sponsorship opportunities, and the full conference program will be announced in the coming months.
Spotlight
Staring at an Old Yiddish Document or a Faded Headstone? AI Can Help!
We’ve all been there: you hit a stubborn brick wall, or you're staring at an archival document in a language you don't understand, wishing you could hire a specialist for a quick hint.
There's now a brand-new digital toolkit at your disposal. We are thrilled to introduce our FREE, open-access AI Resource Library! Over 100 prompts available focused on Jewish genealogy topics!
If you want to learn how to safely and effectively put AI to work on your family tree, this library offers:
- Custom AI Guidebooks: Written specifically for Jewish family history research.
- Ready-to-Use Prompts: Exact sentences you can copy and paste into tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to get accurate results fast.
- Language & Translation Shortcuts: Specialized strategies for translating Hebrew and Yiddish, analyzing old obituaries, and decoding headstones.
- Research Planning Tools: Brilliant ways to organize your data and map out your next archival moves.
The AI Resource Library is open to all. If you find this resource valuable, we encourage you to join JGS Toronto as a member.
Spotlight
For over forty years – since March 1985 – the members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto have been gathering to share stories and to assist one another in discovering their own family histories. Along the way, they have shared research techniques, discovered sources of information, and have documented their Jewish family histories that contribute to the worldwide collection of Jewish genealogical data.
In 2011, on the occasion of the Society’s 25th anniversary, we published Tracing our Roots, Telling our Stories. Forty-four of our members shared stories of family, migration, cousins, loss and discovery, and life in the old country and in their new home, Canada.
In 2025, we celebrated our fortieth anniversary and we were pleased to share more accounts from our members of the results of their family history research: Tracing Our Roots, Telling More Stories. Thirty-six authors have shared personal stories that will hopefully inspire each of us to trace our own roots and tell our own stories.
Copies of Tracing Our Roots, Telling More Stories are available for purchase for $40 each. The books can be picked up at a future JGS Toronto in-person event or can be shipped to you (additional charges apply).
Shem Tov
Shem Tov is our award-winning quarterly newsletter, published since our inception in 1985. Past issues are accessible to all our visitors. Current issues are available only to members of JGS Toronto and can be accessed from the Members page.
Articles in the June 2026 issue:
- Volunteer Recognition – June 2025 to May 2026
- Largest DNA Study of Moroccan Jews to Date Challenges Long-Held Assumptions
- Book Review: History of the Manchester Congregation of Spanish and Portuguese Jews 5633–5683 (1873–1923)
- Cemetery Project Update
- Brick Walls and Breakthroughs Highlights Power of Persistence, Collaboration, and Serendipity
... and more!
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Upcoming Events
Unlocking Canada’s Naturalization Records
The federal government holds millions of records of files documenting how our immigrant ancestors became naturalized in Canada from 1915 to 1951. These records are often a treasure trove of information for genealogists. Bill Gladstone explores the content of these files, why they are valuable resources, and how to deal […]
Artificial Intelligence Special Interest Group
An interactive space where JGS Toronto members bring ongoing projects to share breakthroughs, successes and brick walls. We demonstrate live how AI can be used as a tool to resolve your specific problems.