Aaron David Meldola de Sola (; 22 November 1853 – 29 April 1918) was the first native-born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

rabbi. He succeeded his father

Abraham de Sola Abraham de Sola (; September 18, 1825 – June 5, 1882) was a Canadian rabbi, author, Orientalist, and academic. Originating from a large renowned family of rabbis and scholars, De Sola was recognized as one of the foremost leaders of Orthodo ...

as leader of the Shearith Israel synagogue in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

upon the latter's death in 1882.

Biography

Meldola de Sola was born in Montreal in 1853, the eldest son of Esther () and Rabbi

. His rabbinical studies were pursued chiefly under the direction of his father, whose assistant he became in 1876. He was elected as his father's successor in 1882. On a number of occasions he was invited to deliver sermons at the

Congregation Shearith Israel The Congregation Shearith Israel (Hebrew: קהילת שארית ישראל ''Kehilat She'arit Yisra'el'' "Congregation Remnant of Israel") – often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue – is the oldest Jewish congregation in the Unit ...

in New York and

Bevis Marks Synagogue Bevis Marks Synagogue, officially Qahal Kadosh Sha'ar ha-Shamayim ( he, קָהָל קָדוֹשׁ שַׁעַר הַשָׁמַיִם, "Holy Congregation Gate of Heaven"), is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom in continuous use. It is loc ...

in London. He was appointed the first vice-president of the Orthodox Convention in New York in 1898, and he was one of the committee of three that drew up its "Declaration of Principles." At the conventions held in 1900 and 1903 he was elected first vice-president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of the United States and Canada, and chairman of the Committee on Presentations of Judaism. De Sola published a large number of pamphlets on Jewish subjects, as well as articles in newspapers and magazines. He wrote voluminously in the Jewish press in defense of

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

, and was a vocal critic of the

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

movement. In 1902 he issued a protest against the

Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. I ...

for discussing the transfer of

the Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

to the first day of the week. De Sola was also outspoken against

Christian mission A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such ...

ary activities, and a strong supporter of the

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

movement.

Personal life

On 3 August 1887 de Sola married Katherine (Katie) Samuel, daughter of the Rev. Isaac Samuel, long-time '' ḥazzan'' of the

Bayswater Synagogue Bayswater Synagogue was an Ashkenazi-Orthodox synagogue located in Chichester Place, Paddington, London, near the Harrow Road. Built in 1863, as a branch synagogue jointly of the Great Synagogue and the New Synagogue, it was one of the original f ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She would go on to serve as President of the Montreal branch of the

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Founded in 1893, NCJW is self-described as the oldest Jewish women’s grassroots organization in the United States, now comprised by over 180,000 members. As of ...

, and Vice-President and Treasurer of the Montreal branch of the

National Council of Women of Canada The National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC, french: Conseil national des femmes du Canada, (''CNFC'')) is a Canadian advocacy organization based in Ottawa, Ontario, aimed at improving conditions for women, families, and communities. A federati ...

. Together they had two children, Abraham (Bram) Charles and Elizabeth Louisa.

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Sola, Meldola 1853 births 1918 deaths 19th-century Sephardi Jews Anglophone Quebec people Canadian Orthodox rabbis Canadian Zionists Clergy from Montreal Sephardi rabbis Spanish and Portuguese Jews 19th-century Canadian Jews