Synagogue Architecture in Canada : A Summary History

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
Synagogue Architecture in Canada : A Summary History
Abstract
Montreal's first Jewish congregation was founded soon after 1760, called Shearith Israel (Remnant of Israel), but there were not enough members to warrant building a synagogue at that time. In 1777, Montreal’s Jews built their first synagogue on St. James Street, called Shearith Isreal, which followed the Sephardic rite. The name Shearith Israel was a direct nod to New York’s Sephardic congregation, also bearing the same name, which dated from the seventeenth century and owned a synagogue from 1730. The author points out that Samuel Judah, a congregational leader and merchant in Montreal, is recorded owning enslaved Africans, suggesting that he may have used enslaved labour as part of his contribution to the construction of Montreal’s Shearith Isreal. There are no known images of Montreal’s first Shearith Israel Synagogue, which was used until 1824 when it was torn down due to its deteriorating condition. A replacement synagogue was erected in 1838 on Chenneville Street. In 1846, Montreal’s Ashkenazim founded a new congregation, Shaar Hashomayim (Gates of Heaven), and built their first synagogue in 1859 on St. Constant Street.
Publication
Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada /Journal de la Société pour l’étude de l’architecture au Canada
Volume
Vol. 46
Issue
no. 2
Pages
93-108
Date
2021
Language
en
URL
Citation
Stiefel, Barry L. “Synagogue Architecture in Canada : A Summary History.” Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada /Journal de la Société pour l’étude de l’architecture au Canada Vol. 46, no. 2 (2021): 93–108. https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/jssac/2021-v46-n2-jssac06954/1088491ar.pdf.
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