For Freedom and Country: The Southern Alberta Jewish War Veterans of World War I and World War II Database , presented by Saundra Lipton and Roberta Kerr of the Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta.

This fully searchable database provides access to biographical and service information for almost 500 Jewish veterans of the First and Second World Wars who were either born in southern Alberta or lived in the area for a significant amount of time. Access points for searching include: veterans’ names, birth place, place of enlistment, occupation at time of enlistment, battles fought, decorations awarded and service number. In addition to providing a profusion of biographical information on specific veterans, the database is also useful for identifying a number of broader trends, for example, how many Jewish veterans from Southern Alberta served in the RCAF or how many Jewish veterans enlisted in Lethbridge. This database, created to honour the Jewish veterans of World War I and II, is an important tool not only for family genealogists but also for future academic studies on the Canadian Jewish contribution to the war effort. This session will provide an overview of the evolution of this database and highlight the wealth of information on the history of the Jewish contribution to World War I and II that could be gleaned from this resource.

Please note, the Military Museums are providing free admission for people attending this program.