Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto

Erev Chanukah
2026-12-04

Chanukah
2026-12-05 - 2026-12-12

Board Meeting
2026-12-14 19:30 - 21:00, 2027-01-11 19:30 - 21:00, 2027-02-08 19:30 - 21:00, 2027-03-08 19:30 - 21:00, 2027-04-12 19:30 - 21:00, 2027-05-17 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Toronto)

Christmas
2026-12-25

Boxing Day
2026-12-26

New Year's Day
2027-01-01

The Key to Unlocking Your Ancestry
2027-01-20 19:30 - 20:30 | Virtual
Speaker: Dr. Sarah J. Price Rosen
On Zoom only

FAQ for this program:

Who may register for this program? Public
Is it being recorded? Yes
Who may view the recording? Members only

Family Day
2027-02-15

Monthly Program
2027-02-17 19:30 - 20:30 | Virtual
Speaker: Carole Binnett
On Zoom only

FAQ for this program:

Who may register for this program? Public
Is it being recorded? Yes
Who may view the recording? Members only

Erev Purim
2027-03-22

Purim
2027-03-23

Good Friday
2027-03-26

Easter
2027-03-28

46th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy
2027-04-04 - 2027-04-06 | Virtual
Your Family’s Story Is Still Waiting to Be Found
Maybe it started with a DNA test that turned up a country 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.
You’re not alone. An estimated 16 million people around the world identify as Jewish by religion, culture, or ethnicity. When you include people with Jewish ancestry who may not actively identify that way, including many who’ve only recently discovered it through DNA testing, that number grows to 20–25 million. That’s a lot of unfinished stories.
You don’t have to find it alone
For more than 40 years, the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) has connected people doing exactly this kind of research. We do this through local Jewish genealogical societies, shared resources, and an annual international conference that brings the community together to learn, share, and dig deeper.
Whether you’re just starting to ask questions or you’ve been tracing your family tree for years, this community exists to help you go further than you could on your own.
Save the date: our upcoming global virtual conference
We’re excited to announce the 46th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, taking place virtually April 4–6, 2027.
Because this year’s conference is fully virtual, it’s also fully global. That means no flights, no hotel rooms, no time zone you’re excluded from. Live sessions will run from 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET, and every registered attendee will also get 90 days of on-demand access to recorded sessions, so you can learn on your own schedule.
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

That last part matters to us. We’ve built in real opportunities to connect with fellow family history seekers, researchers, expert speakers, and exhibitors through live video chats and breakout rooms and more. Genealogy has always been a community activity as much as an individual one, and we wanted the virtual format to reflect that, not just replicate a lecture hall on a screen.
As IAJGS President Susan Weinberg put it:
Our 2027 virtual conference is designed to meet Jewish genealogists, family historians, educators, and community leaders wherever they are — geographically, professionally, and in their research journeys. With expanded hours, varied session formats, and both live and pre-recorded programming, we are creating a dynamic global experience that invites new ideas, deeper conversations, and broader participation from across the Jewish community.
New to this? Start here.
You don’t need to already be “a genealogist” to belong at this conference. Are you just beginning? Maybe you’re curious about a name, a photo, or a fragment of your family history. There will be sessions built for exactly that starting point, alongside more advanced tracks for people further along in their research.
What’s next
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.
As it becomes available, information will be posted on the IAJGS conference website.

Sephardic Jewry of Toronto
2027-04-18 10:30 - 11:30 | Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5N 1V8, Canada
Speaker: Chaim Grafstein
In person at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Avenue, North York and on Zoom.

FAQ for this program:

Who may register for this program? Public
Is it being recorded? Yes
Who may view the recording? Members only

Erev Passover
2027-04-21

Passover
2027-04-22 - 2027-04-29

Yom HaShoah v'haGvurah
2027-05-05

Yom HaZikaron
2027-05-11

Yom HaAtzmaut
2027-05-12

Victoria Day
2027-05-24

Erev Shavuot
2027-06-10

Shavuot
2027-06-11 - 2027-06-12

Annual General Meeting
2027-06-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5N 1V8, Canada
The annual general meeting (AGM) of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto will be held on Sunday, 13 June 2027 at 10:00 a.m. ET
The meeting will take place at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Avenue, North York, Ontario and will also be conducted via Zoom.
We encourage your attendance and participation!
The AGM will be immediately followed at 11:00 a.m. by our annual Brick Walls and Breakthroughs program.

Brick Walls and Breakthroughs
2027-06-13 11:00 - 12:30 | Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5N 1V8, Canada
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto will once again be hosting our extremely popular annual Brick Walls and Breakthroughs meeting on Sunday, 13 June 2027, immediately following the society’s annual general meeting. This program features stories by our members who share their challenges, techniques, and solutions that led to research breakthroughs.
In person at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Avenue, North York and on Zoom.

FAQ for this program:

Who may register for this program? Public
Is it being recorded? Yes
Who may view the recording? Members only
