Shaarey Zedek Synagogue | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
Geographic coordinates | 49°52′38″N97°09′42″W / 49.877222°N 97.161667°W Coordinates: 49°52′38″N97°09′42″W / 49.877222°N 97.161667°W |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Green, Blankstein, Russell and Associates |
Completed | 1950 |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 1,500 |
Materials | Tyndall stone |
Website | |
shaareyzedek |
Shaarey Zedek Synagogue ("Gates of Righteousness") is the oldest synagogue in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. [1] Formed in 1880, the congregation's first building was constructed by Philip Brown and several others in 1890. [2] Charles Henry Wheeler (architect) designed the original Synagogue on King Street (1889–90). [3]
The synagogue has been located at 561 Wellington Crescent off Academy Road, on the western bank of the Assiniboine River, since 1950. [4]
Before the synagogues came to be established by Jews in Canada, history of emigration to Canada, very much before World War I, is replete with the hardships faced due to migration from Russia and other countries and living under very trying conditions. The first settlers came to Canada much earlier in 1880. Canada was in need of immigrants and Jews from Russia and other countries fitted the bill. Initially the community established temporary synagogues in rented houses. [5]
However, the first congregation of Jews had begun in 1880 when a tiny group of Jewish migrants formed together. [6] By 1891, the Jewish population of Winnipeg had grown to 645 persons, and 1156 persons by 1901, bringing about a demand in the city for synagogues to be built. [6] The community bought a plot (at the corner of King and Common (now Henry) streets) to build a synagogue, in 1887 from William Gomez de Fonseca, at a cost of $1,250. The synagogue was built to the plans of Architect Charles H. Wheeler and by 1889 it was completed and named as “Shaarey Zedek”, meaning “the Gates of Righteousness” It was consecrated on 20 March 1890. Its coloured windows and tabernacles were made of finest Italian and American marble. Additional land of 4 ha was purchased in 1894 to have an exclusive cemetery, named the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery, that serves the community to this day. The original Shaarey Zedek Synagogue was located on Henry Avenue and 315 King Street. Built in 1890, it was the first of many synagogue buildings erected in Winnipeg, built three years before Rosh Pina Synagogue on Henry Avenue. [5] [7] [8]
The principal members of the Bethel Synagogue established their own conservative synagogue in 1899 and called it the Shaarey Zedek. The synagogue premises had its own cemetery. A Hebrew school also functioned here for several years. [9] In 1899, it was located on 37 Martha Street, and T. Finkelstein was its president. [10] Rabbi Solomon Frank occupied the synagogue's pulpit from 1926 until 1947, following Rabbi Herbert J. Samuel. [11] [12] [13] Frank was succeeded by Rabbi Milton Aron. [11]
In 1902, the first Canadian Talmud Torah was opened in a new building next to Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. [14]
In 1913, proposals to build a new the synagogue were put off. This was done to absorb a branch congregation which had earlier established its own synagogue at Shaarey Shomayim could not sustain itself due to financial difficulties. Following this merger the main older synagogue was expanded. However, a new building came to be established only in 1950. [9]
Aron became the first rabbi of the new synagogue which opened as 561 Wellington Crescent off Academy Road, near the Assiniboine River, in 1950. [4]
The synagogue has been used for meetings during important events in its history. [15] [16] In 1982, it was subject to a Conservative General-by-Law, amended in 1991. [17] The NA has microfilmed records of Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, Winnipeg from 1889-1983, along with Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto from 1856-1969. [18]
The Shaarey Zedek Synagogue conforms to Conservative Judaism and claims to promote spiritual growth, continuing education and the enrichment of life cycle events of its community. [19]
The current building was built on Wellington Crescent throughout 1949 it opened in 1950. The building is a long, light grey stone complex, consisting of oblong architectural pieces, overlooking a lawn and the river. It more resembles a university campus or a government building than a synagogue. The synagogue is noted for its beautiful stained glass windows, designed by Leo Mol and documented by the Institute for stained glass in Canada. It has capacity to hold 1,500 members. [5] [20] [21]
The synagogue is located north of Munson Park, near the Maryland Bridge, Rehabilitation Centre for Children, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg, across the river from the Westgate Mennonite Collegiate and the Cornish Library.
Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper, was a Canadian tax lawyer and media magnate. He was the founder and owner of the defunct TV and media company CanWest Global Communications Corp and father to its former CEO and President Leonard Asper, former director and corporate secretary Gail Asper, as well as former Executive Vice President David Asper. He was also the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1970 to 1975 and is credited with the idea and vision to establish the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
The West London Synagogue of British Jews, abbreviated WLS, is a synagogue and congregation, affliated to the Reform, near Marble Arch in central London. It was established on 15 April 1840. The current synagogue building in Upper Berkeley Street, dedicated in 1870, is Grade II listed. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the United Kingdom and, is the oldest house of prayer affiliated with the Movement for Reform Judaism.
The First Roumanian-American Congregation, also known as Congregation Shaarey Shomayim, or the Roumanishe Shul, was an Orthodox Jewish congregation that, for over 100 years, occupied a historic building at 89–93 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York.
Temple Beth El, also known as Temple Beth-El, is a Reform synagogue currently located in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States. Beth El was founded in 1850 in the city of Detroit, and is the oldest Jewish congregation in Michigan.
Congregation Beth Israel is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue located at 989 West 28th Avenue in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was founded in 1925, but did not formally incorporate until 1932. Its first rabbi was Ben Zion Bokser, hired that year. He was succeeded the following year by Samuel Cass (1933–1941). Other rabbis included David Kogen (1946–1955), Bert Woythaler (1956–1963), and Wilfred Solomon, who served for decades starting in 1964.
Beth Israel Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation located at 5315 Old Canton Road in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. Organized in 1860 by Jews of German background, it has always been, and remains, the only Jewish synagogue in Jackson. Beth Israel built the first synagogue in Mississippi in 1867, and, after it burned down, its 1874 replacement was at one time the oldest religious building in Jackson.
Temple Beth Israel was a Reform synagogue located at 840 Highland Road in Sharon, Pennsylvania. Originally called House of Israel Congregation, it was founded in 1888 as an Orthodox congregation by Jews from Eastern Europe.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek is a Conservative synagogue located at 27375 Bell Road in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan.
Temple Israel of the City of New York is a Reform congregation in Manhattan. It was incorporated in 1873 by German Jews.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek is the oldest Orthodox Jewish congregation in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1893, the congregants initially met in private homes. In 1906, a dedicated synagogue was built at the corner of Brant and Mercer streets. It served the community for over 50 years. The congregation moved to its current location at 610 Giles Boulevard East in 1958.
Congregation Dorshei Emet is a Reconstructionist synagogue in Hampstead, Quebec. It was founded in 1960 by Lavy Becker, who served as volunteer rabbi. Ron Aigen was hired as the congregation's first paid rabbi in 1976, and Heather Batchelor was hired as the first cantor in 2009.
Solomon Frank was an American–Canadian Orthodox rabbi, speaker, and civic and community leader. He served as rabbinic leader of Shaarey Zedek Synagogue of Winnipeg, Canada, from 1926 to 1947, and spiritual leader of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal from 1947 until his death. Active in interfaith affairs, he was also a chaplain for Jewish and Christian organizations and hospitals. In Montreal, he broadcast a weekly radio message on Jewish thought and practice for more than 25 years.
Sybil Ann Sheridan is a writer and British Reform rabbi. She was Chair of the Assembly of Reform Rabbis UK at the Movement for Reform Judaism from 2013 to 2015 and was Rabbi at Wimbledon and District Synagogue in south west London. As of 2018 she is part-time rabbi at West London Synagogue and at Newcastle Reform Synagogue.
Jews have been living in Metro Detroit since it was first founded, and have been prominent in all parts of life in the city. The city has a rich Jewish history, but the Jewish community has also seen tensions and faced anti-Jewish backlash. Today, the Jewish community is quite established and has a number of community organizations and institutions.
Israel Isaac Kahanovitch was a Polish Canadian Orthodox Jewish rabbi who served as Chief Rabbi of Winnipeg and Western Canada for nearly 40 years. Widely respected for his Talmudic erudition and oratory skills, he strengthened Jewish educational, religious, and social institutions and worked to bridge the divide between religious and secular Jews in Canada. He was a founding member of the Canadian Jewish Congress. In 2010, he was named a Person of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada.
Reuben Slonim was a Canadian rabbi and journalist.
Shaarey Zedek Cemetery is a Conservative Jewish burial ground in the North End of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Operated by the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, it is the largest Jewish cemetery in the Canadian Prairies, with more than 8,000 graves as of 1996. In 2012, a Jewish interfaith burial ground was installed in a fenced-off section with a separate entrance to accommodate interment of Jews alongside their non-Jewish spouses. The cemetery features a war memorial honoring Winnipeg residents who fell in World War I and World War II.
Children of Israel Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located in the Transcona suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The first Jewish burial ground established in Western Canada, it operated from 1883 to 1933. The cemetery reached a total of 113 graves before it was closed due to frequent flooding. After decades of vandalism and the toppling of headstones due to the elements, Shaarey Zedek Synagogue of Winnipeg negotiated the legal transfer of the burial ground to their management in 1957. The cemetery was then enclosed by a high, chain-link fence and the headstones were laid flat to the ground and embedded in concrete to prevent further damage. The synagogue allows access to the cemetery to those who wish to visit the graves of their family members.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shaarey Zedek Synagogue (Winnipeg) . |