Congregation Knesseth Israel, also known as the Junction Shul, is an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...

congregation in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Its

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

building is the oldest surviving in Toronto that is still in use,"Members preserve Junction synagogue’s legacy"
''Toronto Star'', July 16, 2011 and was designated an Ontario Heritage site in 1984 under the ''

Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Canadian Province of Ontario, as being of cultural heritage ...

''. Located at 56 Maria Street, in Toronto's

Junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (2012 film), an American film * ''Junction'' (2024 film), an American film * ''Jjunction'', a 2002 Indian film * ''Junction'' (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (E ...

neighbourhood, the congregation was established in 1909Congregation Knesseth Israel website
. Accessed July 16, 2011. by Jewish immigrants, largely from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

.Knesseth Israel, Early History
Ontario Jewish Archives website. Accessed July 16, 2011. Services were originally held at a home at 303 Maria Street. In 1911, the tract of land on which the synagogue was built was purchased for $520 with construction beginning shortly thereafter. The Knesseth Israel Jewish Synagogue, Maria Street at Shipman Street, (1911) was designed by James Augustus Ellis (architect) of the firm Ellis and Connery. It was built with the bartered labour and donated funds of the founding members and their families. The building was dedicated on September 8, 1912, and services began in 1913. At its peak, in the 1920s, the temple served more than 200 Jewish residents in the neighbourhood, with the presence of the synagogue contributing to a dramatic rise in Jewish migrants to the neighbourhood. The building has a modest red brick facade with minimal ornamentation or detail. A double-side staircase leads to two heavy wooden doors. Circular windows on three sides of the building are divided into eighteen segments to symbolize the Hebrew word ''chai'' (life). Its interior is decorative and elegant in a traditional Eastern European style. The

women's gallery The Women's Gallery was a collectively established and run art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, showing only the work of women, that ran for four years between 1980 and 1984. History In 1977, artist Joanna Paul developed a project called ...

on the top floor is a three-sided upper-level balcony. The lower level of the sanctuary has three sides of seating facing the centre. The ark housing the Torah scrolls is situated against the eastern wall. Many of the congregants were artisans, peddlers, shopkeepers or scrap and metal collectors while a large number of residents who were carpenters or cabinet makers found work at the nearby Heintzman & Co. piano factory on Keele Street. A number of these cabinet makers carved much of the synagogue's interior wooden architectural details. The synagogue's only rabbi was Mordechai Langner who served the congregation from 1924 until 1939. Subsequently, services were conducted by a

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

or congregants. Toronto's Jewish population migrated north after World War Two, resulting in the synagogue remaining largely closed except for holidays and special events since the 1950s. Nevertheless, it has a congregation of 80 full-time and 300 associate members most of whom grew up in the area or are descended from the founding members. Philanthropist and arts patron Joey Tanenbaum is the grandson of one of the synagogue's founders and attended services as a boy. He remains a member and funded the synagogue's restoration in the 1990s. The synagogue was used as a filming location for the 2017 movie ''It''.

References

External links

Congregation Knesseth Israel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knesseth Israel (Toronto) 1909 establishments in Ontario Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Toronto Byzantine Revival synagogues Jewish organizations established in 1909 Orthodox synagogues in Canada Polish-Canadian culture Polish-Jewish culture in Canada Russian-Canadian culture Russian-Jewish culture in Canada Synagogues completed in 1913 Synagogues in Toronto 20th-century synagogues in Canada