Congregation Dorshei Emet ( he, בית הכנסת דרשי אמת or "Seekers of Truth Synagogue") is a Reconstructionist synagogue in

Hampstead, Quebec Hampstead is an on-island suburb of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is an independent municipality, surrounded by the boroughs of Montreal. History The Town of Hampstead was founded in 1914. It was designed to be an exclusive garden city. There ...

. It was founded in 1960 by Lavy Becker, who served as volunteer

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

. Ron Aigen was hired as the congregation's first paid rabbi in 1976. Rabbi Boris Dolin joined the shul in 2016. Dorshei Emet constructed its first synagogue building in 1967. The congregation soon outgrew this structure, and built a larger one on the same site in 2003. Dorshei Emet is the only Reconstructionist synagogue in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, and the oldest in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

Early history

The Reconstructionist movement's first congregation in Canada was founded in 1960 as the Reconstructionist Synagogue of Montreal by Rabbi

Lavy Becker Lavy is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Thomas Lavy (1941–1995), American farmer * Victor Lavy, Israeli economist As nickname * Lavy Pinto (1929–2020), Indian sprinter See also * Lavie (disambiguation) * Lavies ...

, in time for the

High Holy Days The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

.Congregation Dorshei Emet website
Retrieved January 26, 2011.Skolnik, Fred; Berenbaum, Michael (eds.) "Becker, Lavy M.", ''

Encyclopaedia Judaica The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' is a 22-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, Judaism, and Israel. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, lan ...

'', Volume 3, 2007, p. 246.Arnold, Janice. , ''

Canadian Jewish News The Canadian Jewish News is a non-profit, national, English-language digital-first media organization that serves Canada‘s Jewish community. A national edition of the newspaper was published for 60 years in Toronto. A weekly Montreal edition in ...

'', August 12, 2004.Founding Rabbi Lavy Becker
, Dorshei Emet website. Retrieved January 26, 2011. Born in 1905 in Montreal, Becker attended high school in Montreal, and studied

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

at Yeshiva College (today

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

) in New York. He graduated from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

with a B.A. in 1926, and in 1930 was ordained at the

Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studi ...

, where he was strongly influenced by Rabbi

Mordecai Kaplan Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (born Mottel Kaplan; June 11, 1881 – November 8, 1983), was a Lithuanian-born American rabbi, writer, Jewish educator, professor, theologian, philosopher, activist, and religious leader who founded the Reconstruction ...

, the creator of Reconstructionist Judaism. Becker was the driving force behind a number of synagogues; he had previously helped found the Orthodox Young Israel of Montreal (in 1921), and been the founding rabbi of the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Congregation Beth-El in

Mount Royal, Quebec Mount Royal (french: Mont-Royal, officially Town of Mount Royal, french: Ville de Mont-Royal, abbreviated TMR, french: VMR) is an affluent on-island suburban town located on the northwest side of the eponymous Mount Royal, northwest of Downtown M ...

(in 1951). He also helped organize Toronto's first Reconstructionist synagogue, Congregation Darchei Noam, in 1962, Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee. ''The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook'',

Greenwood Press Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG), also known as ABC-Clio/Greenwood (stylized ABC-CLIO/Greenwood), is an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which is today part of ABC-Clio. Established in 1967 as G ...

, 1996
p. 375.
. and

Plantation, Florida Plantation is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 91,750. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The city's name comes from the previous part-owner of the land, the E ...

's Ramat Shalom Reconstructionist congregation in 1975. Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee. ''The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook'',

, 1996
p. 106.
. The Reconstructionist Synagogue of Montreal originally resembled a ''

chavurah A ''chavurah'' or ''chaburah'' (חבורה Hebrew: "fellowship", plural ''chavurot'') is a small group of like-minded Jews who assemble for the purposes of facilitating Shabbat and holiday prayer services, sharing communal experiences such as li ...

'', and worshiped in a number of different locations.RECONSTRUCTIONIST SYNAGOGUE “DORSHEI EMET.” - 1965-1996
, – R – Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives - Collection Guide, CJCC National Archives website. Retrieved January 18, 2011.Synagogue History
, Dorshei Emet website. Retrieved January 26, 2011. The synagogue's

Torah scrolls A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tora ...

came from Egypt, Morocco and Trinidad; Becker was instrumental in acquiring them.

First building

In 1964, the congregation acquired land on Cleve Road in Hampstead, and began construction of its first building there. The "habitant-style" building was completed in 1967, and officially opened by Kaplan during a Reconstructionist convention in Montreal in the spring that year.The New Home of Congregation Dorshei Emet The Reconstructionist Synagogue of Montreal
, Picture of the Month,

Jewish Reconstructionist Federation The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF), founded in 1955, was the synagogue arm of Reconstructionist Judaism, serving more than 100 congregations and havurot spread across North America. In June 2012, the Reconstructionist movement underwent ...

website, December 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2011. The building was a one-story structure comprising a sanctuary, some offices, and a small kitchen, and had no basement. It featured stained glass windows by

David Ascalon David Ascalon ( he, דוד אשקלון; born March 8, 1945) is an Israeli contemporary sculptor and stained glass artist, and co-founder of Ascalon Studios. Biography Ascalon was born in Tel Aviv, in the British Mandate of Palestine (now Isra ...

The congregation adopted the name Congregation Dorshei Emet in the late 1970s, though it was still also known as "the Reconstructionist Synagogue of Montreal". Ron Aigen was hired as the congregation's first paid rabbi in 1976. That year the congregation, which had under 180 member families, added an extension to its building. Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee. ''The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook'',

, 1996
p. 381.
. Becker led the congregation as rabbi until 1976 or 1977. His role as rabbi at Dorshei Emet was unpaid, and while serving there he had also served in a number of other roles, including on the executive of the

Canadian Jewish Congress The Canadian Jewish Congress (, , ) was, for more than ninety years, the main advocacy group for the Jewish community in Canada. Regarded by many as the "Parliament of Canadian Jewry," the Congress was at the forefront of the struggle for human r ...

and the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act a ...

, as president of the

, and as chairman of the Board of Overseers of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Dorshei Emet began accepting non-Jewish partners of members as a '' gerei toshav'' in 1985. Its 1994 constitution, however, clarified that while a non-Jewish spouse of a member was considered a ''ger toshav'', and "may be welcomed into the synagogue", he or she was not "entitled to membership in the congregation".Brown, Michael Gary; Elazar, Daniel Judah; Robinson, Ira. ''Not Written in Stone: Jews, Constitutions and Constitutionalism in Canada'',

University of Ottawa Press The University of Ottawa Press (french: Les Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa) is a bilingual university press located in Ottawa, Ontario. It publishes approximately 25-30 books annually in both English and French. The UOP is the only fully bil ...

, 2003
p. 95.
In 1993 the congregation resolved that "gay and lesbian Jews, their Jewish partners and families" would be welcome "as full members of our congregation". With the hiring of Rabbi Boris Dolin, the congregation underwent a community discussion about whether the rabbi can officiate at interfaith marriages, and it was decided to make this change. Currently, Dorshei Emet is one of only two synagogues in the city of Montreal which allow interfaith marriages.

Current building

Reconstructionist-synagogue-montreal-exterior05

By 1994, membership exceeded 410 households. The congregation's growth made it impossible for all members to worship together; the original synagogue building had been sized for no more than 150 families. On the High Holy Days, when around 600 people attended (versus 150 on a typical Shabbat), services were split between the sanctuary and a school auditorium/gymnasium."Reconstructionists building new synagogue"
, ''

'', February 21, 2002.Arnold, Janice
"Reconstructionist Synagogue has a new home"
''

'', July 18, 2003. In 1992, the congregation voted against expanding the building, but after the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum members felt more confident in Quebec's political situation and economy. In 1999, Aigen led the congregation in a campaign to construct a new building. The property next to the existing building was purchased to accommodate a larger structure, and the existing sanctuary was torn down. While the new synagogue was under construction, the congregation worshiped and held activities at the

YM-YWHA A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...

. The new building was open in time for the 2003 High Holy Days.

Architecture

The architect was Dorshei Emet member Roseanne Moss of the firm Fournier Gersovitz Moss et associés architectes. The new building's exterior was in the form of an unornamented rectangular solid. It was approximately twice the size of the old one, and had a social hall, library, larger kitchen, and more office space.

Interior

The stained glass windows from the old building were installed in the new sanctuary, which one entered through a copper door.Weddings
, Dorshei Emet website. Retrieved January 26, 2011. Additional stained glass windows were created by Montreal's Studio du Verre in 2005.Curriculum vitae of selected projects completed by Studio du Verre for religious and public buildings 2005
Studio du Verre website. Retrieved January 26, 2011. The stained glass windows are heavily oriented towards abstract forms. Together with the

Torah ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron h ...

, they form the figure of a geometrical seven-branched candelabrum or

menorah Menorah may refer to: * Jewish candelabra: ** Temple menorah, a seven-lamp candelabrum used in the ancient Tabernacle in the desert, the Temple in Jerusalem, and synagogues ** Hanukkah menorah or ''hanukkiyah'', a nine-lamp candelabrum used on the ...

. The other sanctuary walls are pale beige and extremely simple in comparison. During the day, the interior is illuminated by natural light entering through the translucent walls overhead. At night, the entire building glows from interior artificial lighting. Sound damping and acoustics for the sanctuary was done by MJM Conseillers en Acoustique/MJM Acoustical Consultants. In accordance with Reconstructionist Judaism's view of Judaism as an evolving civilization, Dorshei Emet supports Jewish culture and artistic achievement,Understanding Reconstructionist Judaism
, Dorshei Emet website. Retrieved January 26, 2011. and the sanctuary is used not only for worship, but also for Jewish cultural and musical events.

Recent events

In May 2009, Dorshei Emet commissioned female

scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing. The profession of the scribe, previously widespread across cultures, lost most of its promi ...

Jen Taylor Friedman Jen Taylor Friedman is a ''soferet'' (Jewish ritual scribe). On September 9, 2007, she became the first woman known to have completed a Torah scroll. Taylor Friedman's ''sefer Torah'' was commissioned bUnited Hebrew Congregation a Reform temple in ...

to write a new Torah scroll, in honor of the congregation's 50th anniversary. Dorshei Emet is the first synagogue in Canada and the third in the world to receive a Torah handwritten by a woman; Friedman–then the only woman to have completed a Torah scroll–had previously written two others."Female scribe to pen Reconstructionist shul’s new Torah"
''

'', May 21, 2009. The Torah was completed on May 16, 2010."Woman scribes history-making Torah"
''

CTV Montreal CFCF-DT (channel 12) is a television station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside Noovo flagship CFJP-DT (channel 35). Both stations share studios at the ...

'' website, May 16, 2010. Synagogue-reconstructionist-mtl

Since its founding, men and women have had identical roles at Dorshei Emet. According to Aigen, the synagogue "is an egalitarian, participatory community of Jews where women have always been equal players and full participants in Jewish ritual life, including reading from the Torah". , ''

'', May 6, 2010, p. 28. , Dorshei Emet had close to 500 member households.Block, Irwin

'' The Gazette (Montreal), Montreal Gazette'', November 2, 2010. ,

Charities Committee, 2009, p. 6. It is one of only three Reconstructionist congregations in Canada (the others were in Toronto and Ottawa).JRF - Directory of Congregations and Havurot

website. Retrieved January 26, 2011. Starting in 2015, the congregation began a visioning process to begin a search for a new full-time rabbi to replace Rabbi Aigen after his retirement in 2016. In early 2016, Rabbi Boris Dolin, a Reconstructionist rabbi from Oregon was chosen from among 27 candidates to be the next full-time rabbi. Before joining the Dorshei Emet community, Rabbi Dolin was the rabbi of Beit Polska, the Union of Progressive Congregations in Poland, and Beit Warszawa, a progressive congregation in Warsaw. Only a few weeks before his planned retirement Rabbi Aigen died of a massive stroke, which came as a shock to the community just as they were preparing to celebrate his 40 years of serving the community. The rabbi of Congregation Dorshei Emet is Boris Dolin.

Emet Gallery

Based at Dorshei Emet Synagogue, the Emet Gallery present exhibitions of photography and multimedia art presented "through the Jewish lens".About the Emet Gallery
Emet Gallery website. Retrieved January 26, 2011. Exhibitions have included: * ''Kol Ishah/ In Her Voice / Elle prend la parole'' (March–December 2009): Video and photographic works by three artists: Lucy Levene (UK), Devora Neumark (Montreal) and Melissa Shiff (Toronto).
, Emet Gallery website. Retrieved January 26, 2011. * ''One History, Many Stories: A Family Album of Israel at 60'' (September 2008–January 2009): The faces of contemporary Israeli society by photographer Zion Ozeri. * ''The Living Land: Photographs by Yaal Herman'' (May–October 2008): Individuals juxtaposed against the Israeli landscape. * '' Makom: Seeking Sacred Space'' (December 2007–March 2008): A popular exhibit on sacred spaces, featuring David Kaufman's series on the former and current synagogues of

Le Plateau-Mont-Royal Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Plateau-Mont-Royal takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mont-Royal and overlooking downtown Montreal, acros ...

and David Cowles' images of Jewish sites in North Africa.DeWolf, Christopher
Montreal’s vanished synagogues
, ''Spacing Montréal'', December 14, 2007. * ''Shout in the Ears of Jerusalem'' (September–December 2007): Benny Ferdman's photographs of discarded elements in a nondescript field on the outskirts Los Angeles. * ''Numi, Numi: Collecting Cradle Songs, Connecting Cultures / Recueillir des berceuses, connecter des cultures'' (April–May 2007): A video-collage by Israeli video-artist Shuli Nachshon. Since September 2008 the Emet Gallery has also been running "The Hemshekh Project", which gathers oral histories and images from community members in order to create oral traditions for future generations.
, Emet Gallery website. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
, Emet Gallery website. Retrieved January 26, 2011.

Notes

External links

Congregation Dorshei Emet website

Congregation Dorshei Emet (old website)

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