Congregation Knesseth Israel (Toronto)
Encyclopedia
Congregation Knesseth Israel, also known as the Junction Shul, is an Orthodox Jewish
congregation in Toronto
. Its synagogue
building is the oldest surviving in Toronto that is still in use, and was designated an Ontario Heritage site in 1984 under the Ontario Heritage Act
.
Located at 56 Maria Street, in Toronto's Junction Triangle
neighbourhood, the congregation was established in 1909 by Jewish immigrants, largely from Russia
and Poland
. Services were originally held at a home at 303 Maria Street. In 1911, the tract of land on which the synagogue was built was purchased for $520 with construction beginning shortly thereafter.
The Knesseth Israel Jewish Synagogue, Maria Street at Shipman Street, (1911) was designed by James Augustus Ellis (architect) of the firm Ellis and Connery. It was built with the bartered labour and donated funds of the founding members and their families. The building was dedicated on September 8, 1912 and services began in 1913. At its peak, in the 1920s, the temple served more than 200 Jewish residents in the neighbourhood, with the presence of the synagogue contributing to a dramatic rise in Jewish migrants to the neighbourhood.
The building has a modest red brick facade with minimal ornamentation or detail. A double-side staircase leads to two heavy wooden doors. Circular windows on three sides of the building are divided into eighteen segments to symbolize the Hebrew word chai (life). Its interior is decorative and elegant in a traditional Eastern European style. The women's gallery on the top floor is a three-sided upper-level balcony. The lower level of the sanctuary has three sides of seating facing the centre. The ark housing the Torah scrolls is situated against the eastern wall.
Many of the congregants were artisans, peddlars, shopkeepers or scrap and metal collectors while a large number of residents who were carpenters or cabinet makers found work at the nearby Heintzman & Co.
piano factory on Keele Street. A number of these cabinet makers carved much of the synagogue's interior wooden architectural details.
The synagogue's only rabbi was Mordechai Langer who served the congregation from 1924 until 1939. Subsequently, services were conducted by a cantor
or congregants.
Toronto's Jewish population migrated north after World War Two, resulting in the synagogue remaining largely closed except for holidays and special events since the 1950s. Nevertheless, it has a congregation of 80 full time and 300 associate members most of whom grew up in the area or are descended from the founding members.
Philanthropist and arts patron Joey Tanenbaum is the grandson of one of the synagogue's founders and attended services as a boy. He remains a member and funded the synagogue's restoration in the 1990s.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
congregation in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Its synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
building is the oldest surviving in Toronto that is still in use, and was designated an Ontario Heritage site in 1984 under the Ontario Heritage Act
Ontario Heritage Act
The Ontario Heritage Act, first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage value or interest....
.
Located at 56 Maria Street, in Toronto's Junction Triangle
Junction Triangle
Junction Triangle is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Canada. It is located in the city's west end, just west of Lansdowne Avenue. The area is a triangle surrounded on all three sides by railway lines. The CNR/CPR mainline to the west, the CNR railway lines to the east, and the CPR east-west railway...
neighbourhood, the congregation was established in 1909 by Jewish immigrants, largely from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Services were originally held at a home at 303 Maria Street. In 1911, the tract of land on which the synagogue was built was purchased for $520 with construction beginning shortly thereafter.
The Knesseth Israel Jewish Synagogue, Maria Street at Shipman Street, (1911) was designed by James Augustus Ellis (architect) of the firm Ellis and Connery. It was built with the bartered labour and donated funds of the founding members and their families. The building was dedicated on September 8, 1912 and services began in 1913. At its peak, in the 1920s, the temple served more than 200 Jewish residents in the neighbourhood, with the presence of the synagogue contributing to a dramatic rise in Jewish migrants to the neighbourhood.
The building has a modest red brick facade with minimal ornamentation or detail. A double-side staircase leads to two heavy wooden doors. Circular windows on three sides of the building are divided into eighteen segments to symbolize the Hebrew word chai (life). Its interior is decorative and elegant in a traditional Eastern European style. The women's gallery on the top floor is a three-sided upper-level balcony. The lower level of the sanctuary has three sides of seating facing the centre. The ark housing the Torah scrolls is situated against the eastern wall.
Many of the congregants were artisans, peddlars, shopkeepers or scrap and metal collectors while a large number of residents who were carpenters or cabinet makers found work at the nearby Heintzman & Co.
Heintzman & Co.
Heintzman & Co. Ltd was a celebrated Canadian piano manufacturer, based in the Toronto area, whose instruments retain a reputation for quality of workmanship and fineness of tone.- History :...
piano factory on Keele Street. A number of these cabinet makers carved much of the synagogue's interior wooden architectural details.
The synagogue's only rabbi was Mordechai Langer who served the congregation from 1924 until 1939. Subsequently, services were conducted by a cantor
Cantor
Cantor is surname of:* Andrés Cantor , Spanish-language soccer announcer* Anthony Cantor , British diplomat* Arthur Cantor , American theatrical producer* Aviva Cantor , American journalist, lecturer and author...
or congregants.
Toronto's Jewish population migrated north after World War Two, resulting in the synagogue remaining largely closed except for holidays and special events since the 1950s. Nevertheless, it has a congregation of 80 full time and 300 associate members most of whom grew up in the area or are descended from the founding members.
Philanthropist and arts patron Joey Tanenbaum is the grandson of one of the synagogue's founders and attended services as a boy. He remains a member and funded the synagogue's restoration in the 1990s.