The first meeting to organize a Jewish Historical Society in Halifax took place on 2 September 1964 at the request of Noa Heinish, national vice president of the Canadian Jewish Congress. The purpose of the society was to research and record material relating to the history of the Jewish community in Halifax and other areas of the Maritimes. The formation of the society was prompted by the re-activation of the historical society of the Canadian Jewish Congress and its request to Jewish communities across Canada to participate in its program. The early activities of the Halifax society included conducting surveys and oral histories of Jewish citizens, and engaging in research at local archives. The society was formally organized on 18 April 1972 and incorporated under the Nova Scotia Societies Act on 9 May 1973. The main function of the society remained to "discover and collect any material which may help to establish or illustrate" the history of the Jews in Atlantic Canada. However, its mandate was broadened to provide for the preservation of archival material, artifacts, monuments, and historic buildings, and to disseminate information and promote public awareness of Jewish heritage through publications, meetings, addresses, lectures, and papers. The society disbanded in 1976 and was re-established when the Canadian Jewish Historical Society met in Halifax in June 1981.