Kiever Synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Kiever Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox Jewish
synagogue in Toronto
, Canada. It was founded by Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine in 1912, and formally incorporated in 1914. The congregants were poor working-people, and services were led by members and held in their homes. Two houses were eventually purchased in the Kensington Market
area, and in their place construction was completed on the current twin-domed Byzantine Revival building in 1927.
Changing demographics led to a decline in membership in the 1950s and 1960s, and the synagogue building deteriorated. In 1973, the Canadian Jewish Congress
decided to help preserve it, and in 1979, the Kiever Synagogue became the first building of Jewish significance to be designated a historical site by the province of Ontario
. By 1982 sufficient funds had been raised to restore the building.
The congregation's first and longest-tenured rabbi
was Solomon Langner, who served from around 1929 until his death in 1973. , the synagogue president was David Pinkus.
by Jewish immigrants originally from the Kiev Governorate
of the Russian Empire (now Ukraine
). Some of the families had been members of Shaarei Tzedek
, then on Centre Street, but had left in a dispute over burial rites and formed a new congregation, Chevra Rodfei Sholem.
The men, tradesmen for the most part, had little money so they conducted services in the homes of members, and later rented a house on Centre Street to hold services. Not being able to afford a rabbi
, services in the shtiebel
were led by members, including Cantor
Herschel Litvak. The congregation was officially incorporated in 1914 as “The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev”.
, which was becoming a bustling Jewish neighbourhood as immigrants gradually lifted themselves out of the abject poverty of the Ward and moved west.
In 1921, a second house was purchased and by 1923, the congregation grew prosperous enough to build a new synagogue on the site of the two houses. The location, at the corner of Denison Square and Bellevue, was originally the site of Belle Vue, the house built in 1815 by the area's first British settler Captain John Denison, and demolished around 1890. The new building, with a capacity for 400 people, was designed by Benjamin Swartz, and financed by a $16,000 (today $) mortgage. Construction took place between 1924 and 1927, during which services were held in members' homes.
Designed in the Byzantine Revival style, the building's exterior featured twin domed red-brick towers crowned with Stars of David, and two opposing main staircases leading up to separate main entrances on the south side. The sanctuary, however, faced the east in accordance with the tradition that Jews face Jerusalem while praying. The pews surrounded a central bimah
from which services were led. In accordance with Orthodox tradition, men sat on the main floor, while women sat above in the gallery. The sanctuary's interior was illuminated by geometric stained-glass windows, featured brass ornamentation and was dominated by a huge hand-carved Torah ark, acquired in 1931. In 1934–35 paintings of biblical animals and signs of the zodiac
were added to the gallery, and murals of Jerusalem and Rachel's Tomb
painted on the walls of the social hall, which was in the basement. The building and sanctuary remain largely unchanged today.
, marriages, and funerals".
By the time of Langner's death, the Kiever was in desperate need of repairs. However, due to the Jewish community's migration away from Kensington Market and north up Bathurst Street
in the 1950s and 1960s, the congregation was declining and experiencing financial difficulties. Unable to afford repairs, it considered selling the building. In 1973, the Archives Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress
Central Region decided to help preserve the Kiever stating that “the community should have the building not only for its inherent historical value, but also because it would provide a physical environment where youth could identify their roots, to see their parents’ milieu and what motivated previous generations.” A restoration committee was established which secured grants and held fundraising events. By 1982, enough money was raised to restore the building and renovate the social hall.
In 1979, the Kiever Synagogue became the first building of Jewish significance to be designated a historical site by the province of Ontario
. The designation states that the Kiever is historically unique because of its distinctive architectural features and because “it was the first synagogue built by Ukrainian Jews who had escaped from Czarist Russia.”
Sheldon Steinberg served as rabbi from the time of Langner's death until the mid-1990s. More recently, Gedalia Zweig served as part-time rabbi for almost ten years.
, the congregation's president was David Pinkus, a role he has filled since 1979. His father, Isadore, was one of the synagogue's founders. The Kiever Synagogue, Anshei Minsk
(also in Kensington Market), and Shaarei Tzedek
are the only historic Orthodox congregations remaining of at least 40 that existed in downtown Toronto in the early 1930s.
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
synagogue 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...
, Canada. It was founded by Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine in 1912, and formally incorporated in 1914. The congregants were poor working-people, and services were led by members and held in their homes. Two houses were eventually purchased in the Kensington Market
Kensington Market
Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
area, and in their place construction was completed on the current twin-domed Byzantine Revival building in 1927.
Changing demographics led to a decline in membership in the 1950s and 1960s, and the synagogue building deteriorated. In 1973, the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
decided to help preserve it, and in 1979, the Kiever Synagogue became the first building of Jewish significance to be designated a historical site by the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. By 1982 sufficient funds had been raised to restore the building.
The congregation's first and longest-tenured rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
was Solomon Langner, who served from around 1929 until his death in 1973. , the synagogue president was David Pinkus.
Early history
The Kiever Synagogue, or Kiever Shul (formally The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev) dates to 1912 when a group of Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine who had settled in "The Ward"—the impoverished immigrant district of Toronto, Canada in which most Jews then lived—decided to found a synagogue. It was founded as a landsmanshaftLandsmanshaft
A landsmanshaft was a Jewish benefit society, or Hometown society of immigrants from the same town or region....
by Jewish immigrants originally from the Kiev Governorate
Kiev Governorate
Kiev Governorate , or Government of Kiev, was an administrative division of the Russian Empire.The governorate was established in 1708 along with seven other governorates and was transformed into a viceroyalty in 1781...
of the Russian Empire (now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). Some of the families had been members of Shaarei Tzedek
Shaarei Tzedek
Shaarei Tzedek is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 397 Markham Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
, then on Centre Street, but had left in a dispute over burial rites and formed a new congregation, Chevra Rodfei Sholem.
The men, tradesmen for the most part, had little money so they conducted services in the homes of members, and later rented a house on Centre Street to hold services. Not being able to afford a rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, services in the shtiebel
Shtiebel
A shtiebel is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached more casually. It is typically as small as a room in a private home or a place of business which is set aside for the express purpose of prayer, or it may be as large...
were led by members, including Cantor
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
Herschel Litvak. The congregation was officially incorporated in 1914 as “The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev”.
Synagogue building
As the congregation grew to 50 members, it raised sufficient funds, in 1917, to purchase a house, with a $6,000 mortgage, at 25 Bellevue Avenue. The new location was on the outskirts of Kensington MarketKensington Market
Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
, which was becoming a bustling Jewish neighbourhood as immigrants gradually lifted themselves out of the abject poverty of the Ward and moved west.
In 1921, a second house was purchased and by 1923, the congregation grew prosperous enough to build a new synagogue on the site of the two houses. The location, at the corner of Denison Square and Bellevue, was originally the site of Belle Vue, the house built in 1815 by the area's first British settler Captain John Denison, and demolished around 1890. The new building, with a capacity for 400 people, was designed by Benjamin Swartz, and financed by a $16,000 (today $) mortgage. Construction took place between 1924 and 1927, during which services were held in members' homes.
Designed in the Byzantine Revival style, the building's exterior featured twin domed red-brick towers crowned with Stars of David, and two opposing main staircases leading up to separate main entrances on the south side. The sanctuary, however, faced the east in accordance with the tradition that Jews face Jerusalem while praying. The pews surrounded a central bimah
Bimah
A bimah A bimah A bimah (among Ashkenazim, derived from Hebrew בּמה , almemar (from Arabic al-minbar) or tebah (among Sephardim) is the elevated area or platform in a Jewish synagogue which is intended to serve the place where the person reading aloud from the Torah stands during the Torah reading...
from which services were led. In accordance with Orthodox tradition, men sat on the main floor, while women sat above in the gallery. The sanctuary's interior was illuminated by geometric stained-glass windows, featured brass ornamentation and was dominated by a huge hand-carved Torah ark, acquired in 1931. In 1934–35 paintings of biblical animals and signs of the zodiac
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
were added to the gallery, and murals of Jerusalem and Rachel's Tomb
Rachel's Tomb
Rachel's Tomb , also known as the Dome of Rachel, , is an ancient structure believed to be the burial place of the biblical matriarch Rachel. It is located on the outskirts of Bethlehem, a Palestinian city just south of Jerusalem, in the West Bank...
painted on the walls of the social hall, which was in the basement. The building and sanctuary remain largely unchanged today.
Decline and revival
Solomon Langner became the congregation's rabbi in around 1929 and held that position until his death in 1973. He did not, however, receive a salary, and instead "supported himself and his family from donations and compensation that he received for specific services he performed, such as bris milotBrit milah
The brit milah is a Jewish religious circumcision ceremony performed on 8-day old male infants by a mohel. The brit milah is followed by a celebratory meal .-Biblical references:...
, marriages, and funerals".
By the time of Langner's death, the Kiever was in desperate need of repairs. However, due to the Jewish community's migration away from Kensington Market and north up Bathurst Street
Bathurst Street (Toronto)
Bathurst Street is a main north-south thoroughfare in Toronto. It begins at the Lake Ontario shoreline and continues north to the Toronto boundary of Steeles Avenue...
in the 1950s and 1960s, the congregation was declining and experiencing financial difficulties. Unable to afford repairs, it considered selling the building. In 1973, the Archives Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
Central Region decided to help preserve the Kiever stating that “the community should have the building not only for its inherent historical value, but also because it would provide a physical environment where youth could identify their roots, to see their parents’ milieu and what motivated previous generations.” A restoration committee was established which secured grants and held fundraising events. By 1982, enough money was raised to restore the building and renovate the social hall.
In 1979, the Kiever Synagogue became the first building of Jewish significance to be designated a historical site by the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The designation states that the Kiever is historically unique because of its distinctive architectural features and because “it was the first synagogue built by Ukrainian Jews who had escaped from Czarist Russia.”
Sheldon Steinberg served as rabbi from the time of Langner's death until the mid-1990s. More recently, Gedalia Zweig served as part-time rabbi for almost ten years.
, the congregation's president was David Pinkus, a role he has filled since 1979. His father, Isadore, was one of the synagogue's founders. The Kiever Synagogue, Anshei Minsk
Anshei Minsk
Anshei Minsk is a synagogue the Kensington Market neighbourhood Toronto, Canada. It was founded by poor Jewish immigrants from Russia in 1912...
(also in Kensington Market), and Shaarei Tzedek
Shaarei Tzedek
Shaarei Tzedek is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 397 Markham Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
are the only historic Orthodox congregations remaining of at least 40 that existed in downtown Toronto in the early 1930s.