Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, Oct 28 2022

Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, Nov 07 2022 (1)

Congregation Shaar Hashomayim () is an Ashkenazi 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 **Ge ...

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 l ...

, 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 Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

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 Gat ...

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

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 A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...

of the synagogue in fact prescribed that the prayers be read according to the practices and traditions of the

Great Synagogue of London The Great Synagogue of London was, for centuries, the centre of Ashkenazi synagogue and Jewish life in London. Built north of Aldgate in the 17th century, it was destroyed during World War II, in the Blitz. History The earliest Ashkenazi synagog ...

; 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 sp ...

in 1887. A '' hazzan'', accompanied by an all-male choir, lead services every Shabbat 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 A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally ...

. 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 and women are required to cover their shoulders.

Choir

Shaar Hashomayim's choir performed on

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

's Grammy and Juno Award winning album '' You Want It Darker''. 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 A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

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 of ...

" 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'' (1 ...

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

, Peter Gabriel, and

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Uni ...

. The Choir also appeared on Cohen's posthumous album '' Thanks for the Dance'', 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, trial lawyer and member of Quebec's Legislative Assembly *

, singer-songwriter * Lyon Cohen, 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 Ca ...

, Member of Parliament and Senator * Maxwell M. Kalman, architect *

Victoria Kaspi Victoria Michelle Kaspi (born June 30, 1967) is a Canadian astrophysicist and a professor at McGill University. Her research primarily concerns neutron stars and pulsars.

, astrophysicist * Leo Kolber, Senator * Marvin Kwitko, ophthalmologist * Sam Steinberg, 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