Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, Oct 28 2022

Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, Nov 07 2022 (1)

Congregation Shaar Hashomayim () is an

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

synagogue in Westmount,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the 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 one of the thirtee ...

. Incorporated in 1846, it is the oldest traditional Ashkenazi synagogue in Canada and the largest traditional synagogue in Canada.

History

Former building of Shaar Hashomayim on McGill College Avenue Congregation Shaar Hashomayim was founded by a group of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

Polish Jews The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lo ...

, who had previously attended the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. The Congregation originally rented space on Saint James Street (now rue Saint-Jacques). The first synagogue was built on Saint Constant Street (now rue de Bullion) in the Mile End in 1859. A new synagogue was built on

McGill College Avenue McGill College Avenue (officially in french: avenue McGill College) is a street in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Named for McGill University, the street was widened in the 1980s and transformed into a scenic avenue with McGill's Roddick Gates ...

between 1885 and 1886 at a cost of $40,000. In 1920, the Congregation purchased land on Kensington Avenue in Westmount. The cornerstone was laid by president

Lyon Cohen Lyon Cohen (born Yehuda Leib Cohen; May 11, 1868 – August 17, 1937) was a Polish-born Canadian businessman and a philanthropist. He was the grandfather of singer/poet Leonard Cohen. Biography Cohen was born in Congress Poland, part of the Russ ...

in 1921, and the synagogue was dedicated on September 17, 1922. Herman Abramowitz served as rabbi from 1902 to 1947, and

Wilfred Shuchat Wilfred G. Shuchat (9 June 1920 – 27 December 2018) was a Canadian scholar and rabbi. Biography Shuchat was born in Montreal, Canada, and studied at McGill University, receiving his BA in 1941. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary ...

as rabbi from 1948 to 1993. In 2013, Shaar Hashomayim became one of the first Orthodox synagogues in North America to hire a

Maharat Yeshivat Maharat is a Jewish educational institution in The Bronx, New York, which was the first Open Orthodox yeshiva in North America to ordain women. The word ''Maharat'' () is a Hebrew acronym for phrase ''manhiga hilkhatit rukhanit Toranit'' ...

Traditions

Shaar Hashomayim is one of the few remaining synagogues in the world to maintain, on a weekly basis, the traditions of the Choral Synagogues of Europe. The early by-laws of the synagogue in fact prescribed that the prayers be read according to the practices and traditions of the Great Synagogue of London; the Congregation established an all-male

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

in 1887. A ''

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this pr ...

'', accompanied by an all-male choir, lead services every

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

and on

Jewish holidays Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...

. The members of the clergy of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim are robed for every Shabbat, Festival and

High Holy Day 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 ...

service, with the Cantor and Ritual Director wearing traditional cantorial hats. Clergy and officers wear morning suits, with the President, ''parnass'' and other congregational officers seated on the bimah wearing top hats. On Festivals,

tailcoat A tailcoat is a knee-length coat characterised by a rear section of the skirt, known as the ''tails'', with the front of the skirt cut away. The tailcoat shares its historical origins in clothes cut for convenient horse riding in the Early Mode ...

s replace the morning coats. Male congregants typically wear

business attire Informal wear or undress, also called business wear, corporate/office wear, tenue de ville or dress clothes, is a Western dress code for clothing defined by a business suit for men, and cocktail dress or pant suit for women. On the scale of fo ...

and women are required to cover their shoulders.

Choir

Shaar Hashomayim's choir performed on Leonard Cohen's Grammy and Juno Award winning album ''

You Want It Darker ''You Want It Darker'' is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on October 21, 2016, by Columbia Records, 17 days before Cohen's death. The album was created at the end of his life and focuses on death ...

''. Together with Cantor Gideon Zelermyer, the Choir provided the backing vocals for "You Want It Darker" as well as "It Seemed the Better Way". They performed the album's title track and Cohen's "

Tower of Song ''Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen'' is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1995 on A&M Records. It takes its name from a song by Cohen which originally appeared on Cohen's album '' I'm Your Man.'' However the song "Tower o ...

" at the 2017 '' Tower of Song: A Memorial Tribute to Leonard Cohen'' concert, in collaboration with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

, Céline Dion,

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

, and Chris Martin. The Choir also appeared on Cohen's posthumous album ''

Thanks for the Dance ''Thanks for the Dance'' is the fifteenth and final studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released posthumously through Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings on November 22, 2019. It is the first release following Cohen's dea ...

'', performing backing vocals for "Puppets".

Notable members

Charles Bronfman Charles Bronfman, (born June 27, 1931) is a Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist and is a member of the Canadian Jewish Bronfman family. With an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion (as of 2021), Bronfman was ranked by ''Forbes'' ...

, businessman *

Joe Cohen Joe Cohen (born June 6, 1984) is an American former player of American and Canadian football who was a defensive tackle. Cohen played college football for the University of Florida, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He w ...

, trial lawyer and member of Quebec's Legislative Assembly * Leonard Cohen, singer-songwriter *

, businessman *

Sheila Finestone Sheila Abbey Finestone, (January 28, 1927 – June 8, 2009) was a Canadian Member of Parliament and Senator. Early life Born in Montreal, Quebec, the daughter of Minnie Cummings Abbey and Monroe Abbey. Her father was a president of the Cana ...

, Member of Parliament and Senator *

Maxwell M. Kalman Maxwell Myron Kalman (May 30, 1906 – November 27, 2009) was a Canadian architect, real estate developer, and philanthropist. He designed over 1,100 commercial, residential, and institutional projects in Quebec before and after World WarII. He w ...

, architect * Victoria Kaspi, astrophysicist *

Leo Kolber Ernest Leo Kolber, (January 18, 1929 – January 9, 2020) was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and Senator, serving from 1983 to 2004. Early life and career Kolber was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Luba (Kahan) and Moses Kolber, ...

, Senator *

Marvin Kwitko Marvin Leo Kwitko, FACS, FICS, FRCS, KStJ (March 3, 1931 – August 20, 2002) was a Canadian ophthalmologist who pioneered in cataract surgery and laser eye surgery."Canadian recalls bringing cataract surgery home", ''Medical Post'', October 7, 1 ...

, ophthalmologist *

Sam Steinberg Samuel Steinberg, (December 25, 1905 – May 24, 1978) was a Hungarian-born Canadian businessman, investor and philanthropist. He was an immigrant to Canada who transformed the grocery store founded by his mother, Steinberg's Supermarket, into ...

, businessman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaar Hashomayim Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Quebec Ashkenazi synagogues Buildings and structures in Westmount, Quebec English-Canadian culture English-Jewish diaspora German-Canadian culture in Quebec German-Jewish diaspora Moorish Revival synagogues Orthodox synagogues in Canada Polish-Canadian culture Polish-Jewish culture in Canada Synagogues completed in 1922 Synagogues in Montreal Unaffiliated synagogues