The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC

What The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC does

The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC (JMABC) is a registered Canadian charitable non-profit (CRA #10808 5259 RR0001) headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded as the Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia on January 25, 1971 and re-established in its current form on March 25, 2007, it operates as a virtual museum and closed archives serving the Jewish community of British Columbia and the general public. Its core asset is the BC Jewish Community Archives, which holds over 325 linear metres of textual records, more than 325,000 photographs, and more than 1,000 oral history interviews documenting Jewish life in BC from 1858 to the present, sourced from over 70 organizations, families, and individuals. The institution's technology footprint is centered on a digital archive system at archives.jewishmuseum.ca that provides online global access to photographs, oral histories, and textual records.

JMABC generates revenue primarily through an annual fundraising campaign delivered via CanadaHelps, supplemented by an annual membership program, ticketed docent-led walking tours ($30 per person for non-members in Vancouver and Victoria), and direct-to-consumer publication sales including limited edition hardcovers ($72) and softcover books ($36). Distribution occurs across five channels: a global self-serve online archive, regional virtual exhibits on jewishmuseum.ca/exhibits, ticketed walking tours in Vancouver (Jewish Strathcona, Mountain View Cemetery) and Victoria (Jewish Victoria, Victoria Jewish Cemetery), direct-to-institution sales to BC K-12 educators including travelling exhibits and professional development, and e-commerce publication sales. Customer segments are diversified across general public/community members, K-12 educators and students, academic researchers and genealogists (served in partnership with the Jewish Genealogical Society of BC and JewishGen), and private groups booking customized programming.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: growth in members, donors, and volunteers is generated through word-of-mouth within BC's Jewish community, partnerships with synagogues and cultural organizations, and recurring public programming such as walking tours, lectures, and workshops. Operational funding is anchored by a small set of core financial partners — the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, Roadburg Foundation, the Government of Canada (including Young Canada Works), and the Province of British Columbia — alongside individual donors and family foundations. The institution is governed by a Board of Directors and operates with a lean five-person staff supplemented by volunteers and contracted tour guides.

Name

The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC

Legal name

Jewish Museum and Archives of BC

Website

https://jewishmuseum.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC is a Vancouver-based non-profit that preserves and presents British Columbia's Jewish heritage from 1858 to the present, operating a digital archive of 325+ linear metres of records, 325,000+ photographs, and 1,000+ oral histories, alongside walking tours, publications, and BC-aligned educational programming for the general public, educators, and researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum and Archives

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), History Museums (THAJADAB)

Keywords

• Jewish heritage archives
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Historical walking tours
• Oral history collection
• Community museum programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Campaign / Donations: The organization runs an annual fundraising campaign soliciting donations from supporters to fund archival preservation, digitization, oral history projects, exhibitions, and community outreach. Donations are accepted online via CanadaHelps, including securities donations.
2. Membership: Annual membership program offering exclusive access to special events and publications, including the periodic newsletter The Chronicle. Members also receive invitations to private curated events.
3. Walking Tours: Docent-led historical walking tours in Vancouver and Victoria are ticketed at $30 per person for non-members, with limited spaces requiring advance registration via Eventbrite.
4. Publications Sales: Sale of published books and annual journals. 'Looking Back, Moving Forward' hardcover sells for $72 (limited edition) or $36 (softcover). 'Don't Break the Chain' sells for $36. The Scribe annual journal and The Chronicle newsletter are available to members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC is a provincial nonprofit body that collects, preserves, and disseminates Jewish cultural heritage of British Columbia from 1858 to the present. It delivers this mission through a digital-first archive of 325+ linear metres of records, 325,000+ photographs, and 1,000+ oral histories, complemented by online exhibits, ticketed historical walking tours, publications, podcasts, and curriculum-aligned educational programs.

Product overview

The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC operates as a virtual museum and closed archives, functioning as a platform of interconnected programs rather than a single product. Its core offerings include the BC Jewish Community Archives (a digital collection spanning 1858-present with 325+ linear metres of textual records, 325,000+ photographs, and 1,000+ oral histories), online virtual exhibits (such as 'Crackin' Out', 'Fred Schiffer: Lives in Photos', 'New Ways of Living', 'Oakridge'), historical walking tours, publications (The Scribe journal, The Chronicle newsletter, family history books), oral history library, podcasts, educational programs, and travelling exhibits. The organization serves as a provincial body documenting the Jewish experience throughout BC through both digital access and public programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BC Jewish Community Archives

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core, secondary and founding.

• Amber WoodsnotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Amber Woods partners with the JMABC to lead Jewish heritage walking tours in Victoria, BC, including the Jewish Victoria Tour and Victoria Jewish Cemetery Tour. Amber Woods is an independent tour guide operator.
• Bill Reid GallerynotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2022Partnered with the Bill Reid Gallery to present 'Keeping the Song Alive', a decades-long initiative to preserve Northwest Coast Indigenous culture. The JMABC co-produced the exhibit at the Bill Reid Gallery from November 5, 2022 to March 19, 2023.
• Jewish Genealogical Society of BC (JGSBC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The JMABC partners with the Jewish Genealogical Society of BC to provide guided access to comprehensive genealogical resources. The partnership connects researchers with experienced genealogists to navigate records and research tools available across Canada and internationally.
• JewishGensecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The JMABC and JGSBC work directly with JewishGen for some genealogical research projects. JewishGen is a major online Jewish genealogy resource.
• National Council of Jewish WomenfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 1971The National Council of Jewish Women assisted in the founding of the Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia (JHSBC) on January 25, 1971, under the direction of historian Cyril Leonoff. This was one of three founding organizational partners that laid the groundwork for what would become the JMABC.
• Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific RegionfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 1971Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region was one of the three founding organizational partners (alongside the National Council of Jewish Women) that helped establish the Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia in 1971, the precursor to the JMABC.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal BC Museum: British Columbia's provincial museum and archives, covering natural and human history. Shares the JMABC's mandate of preserving BC history and operates a comparable archival function, though at vastly larger scale.
• Jewish Museum (New York): Major U.S. Jewish museum with extensive collections, exhibitions, and educational programming. A larger-scale analogue of the JMABC's mission of preserving and presenting Jewish heritage, offering a benchmark for programming and revenue diversification.

Direct peers

• Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre: Vancouver-based nonprofit focused on Holocaust education, remembrance, and survivor testimony. Closely comparable in size, mission, and geographic base, with overlapping educational programming and survivor-oral-history collections.
• Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art: Vancouver gallery with which JMABC co-produced the 'Keeping the Song Alive' exhibit. Comparable small-scale, exhibit-driven nonprofit with similar programming, audience, and partnership-driven model.
• Beth Tzedec Congregation Museum (Toronto): Congregation-affiliated Jewish museum and archives in Toronto with comparable collections, exhibitions, and educational programming. A close functional analogue in another Canadian Jewish community.
• Western Canadian Jewish Archives (University of Calgary): University-based Jewish archival collection focused on western Canada. Directly comparable archival mission and oral history programming, operating at a similar institutional scale to JMABC.
• Jewish Historical Society of Canada: National society dedicated to preserving Canadian Jewish history. Most directly comparable peer in mission, with similar archival and publication activities but operating at a national rather than provincial scope.

Regional players

• Museum of Anthropology at UBC: Vancouver-based university museum with extensive cultural collections and travelling exhibits. Operates in the same regional museum ecosystem as JMABC with comparable public programs and digitization efforts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JewishBC
• Instagraminstagram.com/jewishmuseumbc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jewish-museum-and-archives-of-bc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC