Oldest synagogues in Canada
Encyclopedia
The designation of the Oldest synagogue in Canada requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation. Even here, there is the distinction between old synagogue buildings that have been in continuous use as synagogues, and those that have been converted to other purposes, between buildings that have been in continuous use as synagogues and those, such as the Touro, that were shuttered for many decades, and between early established congregations that have been in continuous existence and early congregations that ceased to exist.
Oldest Congregations
- The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of MontrealSpanish and Portuguese Synagogue of MontrealThe Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal also known as Shearith Israel is a Montreal synagogue, located on St. Kevin Street in Snowdon, which is the oldest Jewish congregation in Canada. The Congregation traces its history back to 1760 and was formally established in 1768...
, 1760, is the oldest congregation in Canada.
Oldest buildings
- The 1863 building of Congregation Emanu-El (Victoria, British Columbia) is the oldest surviving synagogue building.
Alberta
- The Montefiore Institute of the 1910 Montefiore colony in AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, now known as Little Synagogue on the PrairieLittle Synagogue on the PrairieThe Little Synagogue on the Prairie is a small, wooden synagogue originally built in Sibbald, Alberta, justwest of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Originally called the Montefiore Institute, it was built in 1913 or 1916 by the Montefiore colony of Jewish immigrants who had settledin Alberta in...
in CalgaryCalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
's Heritage ParkHeritage ParkHeritage Park may refer to:* Heritage Park Historical Village, Calgary, Alberta, Canada* Heritage Park, Ontario, King, Ontario, Canada* Heritage Park, Queensland, Australia* Camas Heritage Park, Camas, Washington, USA...
, is the first Jewish house of worship in a Canadian historical park.
Ontario
- Toronto Hebrew Congregation - Holy BlossomHoly Blossom TempleThe Holy Blossom Temple is a Reform synagogue located at 1950 Bathurst Street in Toronto, Canada. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Toronto. Founded in 1856, it has more than 7,000 members. W. Gunther Plaut, now retired, was a long time Senior Rabbi for this synagogue...
, formed in 1856, was the first Jewish congregation in Canada west of Montreal. Its current building dates to 1938. - Knesseth IsraelCongregation Knesseth Israel (Toronto)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...
was founded in 1909 and its shul, completed in 1913, in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood is the city's oldest synagogue building still in operation. - United Brothers Jewish Synagogue, designed by Cecil Burgess, Rideau Street near Chapel Street, Ottawa 1912; demolished c. 1960.
- The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev was founded in 1914 and its Kiever SynagogueKiever SynagogueThe 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...
was built in 1927 on the edge of Toronto's Kensington Market. - Beth Israel Anshei Minsk congregation was founded in 1912 in Toronto's Kensington MarketKensington MarketKensington 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...
. Its shul was completed in 1930. - The First Narayever CongregationFirst Narayever CongregationFirst Narayever Congregation is a traditional-egalitarian synagogue located at 187 Brunswick Avenue, near The Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada...
was founded in 1914. Its current shul on Brunswick Avenue was acquired in 1940. - The Beach Hebrew InstituteBeach Hebrew InstituteThe Beach Hebrew Institute is a :synagogue in The Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
in Toronto's east end was founded in 1919. Its shul was originally constructed in 1895 as a Baptist church and was acquired by the congregation in 1919. In 1926, alterations were made to the interior and exterior of the building, including the construction of a new facade. - Machzikey Hadas Jewish Synagogue, designed by Werner Edgar Noffke, King Edward Avenue at Murray Street, Ottawa 1926-27
Quebec
- The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of MontrealSpanish and Portuguese Synagogue of MontrealThe Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal also known as Shearith Israel is a Montreal synagogue, located on St. Kevin Street in Snowdon, which is the oldest Jewish congregation in Canada. The Congregation traces its history back to 1760 and was formally established in 1768...
, dating from 1760 and formally established in 1768, is the oldest Congregation in Canada and therefore Quebec. The Congregation is now housed in its fourth premises in the Snowdon-Cotes des Neiges area of Montreal since 1947. - Congregation Shaar Hashomayim was founded in 1846. It is the oldest and largest traditional Ashkenazi Congregation in Canada. The current synagogue building, situated in Westmount, close to downtown Montreal, was dedicated in 1922. Further information, including a detailed historical timeline can be found at : www.shaarhashomayim.org
- The Bagg Street ShulBagg Street ShulThe Bagg Street Shul or Beth Shloime is an Orthodox synagogue operating in the Montreal Plateau region of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
began operating in 1922.
Saskatchewan
- The 1906 building of Beth Israel Synagogue (Edenbridge, Saskatchewan)Beth Israel Synagogue (Edenbridge, Saskatchewan)Beth Israel Synagogue is an historic Carpenter Gothic style Orthodox synagogue located in Edenbridge in the rural municipality of Willow Creek, near Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada. The Edenbridge Hebrew Colony was founded in 1906 by Jewish immigrants who came from Lithuania via South Africa...
is probably the oldest surviving synagogue building in the province.
By movement
- ReformReform Judaism (North America)Reform Judaism is the largest denomination of American Jews today. With an estimated 1.5 million members, it also accounts for the largest number of Jews affiliated with Progressive Judaism worldwide.- Reform Jewish theology :Rabbi W...
: Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom (Westmount, Quebec)Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom (Westmount, Quebec)Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Westmount is a Reform synagogue in Westmount, Quebec. It is the oldest “Liberal” or“Reform” synagogue in Canada, incorporated on March 30, 1883 Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Westmount is a Reform synagogue in Westmount, Quebec. It is the oldest “Liberal” or“Reform”...
See also
- Oldest synagogues in the worldOldest synagogues in the worldThe designation oldest synagogue in the world requires careful definition. Many very old synagogues have been discovered in archaeological digs. Some synagogues have been destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site, so, while the site or congregation may be ancient, the building may be...
- Oldest synagogues in the United StatesOldest synagogues in the United StatesThe designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...
- Oldest synagogues in the United KingdomOldest synagogues in the United KingdomThe designation oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom requires careful definition. A number of synagogues that predate the expulsion of the Jews from England have been discovered by archaeologists or by historians in buildings that have been in use for other purposes for many centuries...
- History of the Jews in Canada