Website continues to share stories of Jewish Edmontonians

(Edmonton) – Jewish Edmonton Stories Online (JESO) launched in 2021 as a way to tell the stories of long-time Jewish Edmontonians and their connections to specific places in the city. The project features a website with an interactive map connecting storytellers with locations, video interviews, and written transcripts. The website featured 17 interviews with 20 participants.

Collaborators Paula Kirman and Adam Bentley have released another set of interviews featuring 11 Jewish seniors who have lived in Edmonton (or used to live in Edmonton) for a significant period of time.

The storytellers discuss places in Edmonton connected to the Jewish community, like the Talmud Torah school and various synagogues. They also talk about businesses with which they or their families were involved, such as the Alberta Bakery, which is discussed in depth in several interviews. Each storyteller has a unique perspective and engaging anecdotes about their lives as Jewish Edmontonians.

Kirman and Bentley are Edmonton-based Jewish heritage practitioners who got the idea for the website during the COVID-19 Pandemic, as a way of connecting the community during a time of isolation. As well, they wished to preserve the stories of an aging demographic for the benefit of both the Jewish and general Edmonton communities.

“Since the site launched in 2021 two interviewees have sadly passed away,” says Paula Kirman, project interviewer and videographer. “Now more than ever, it’s important to proactively document their memories.”

The latest batch of interviews on JESO was supported with a grant from the Edmonton Heritage Council. Jewish Edmonton Stories Online can be accessed at: https://jewishedmontonstories.com

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