Shaarei Tzedec Congregation (also known as the Markham Street Shul) is an

Orthodox Jewish 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 ...

synagogue located at 397 Markham Street in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

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. The Shaarei Tzedec congregation was founded in 1902About
Shaarei Tzedec website. Accessed July 17, 2011. and is the westernmost of the three Orthodox synagogues left in

Downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Stre ...

. In 1912, a number of families left Shaarei Tzedec, then on Centre Street, in a dispute over burial rites, and formed a new congregation, ''Chevra Rodfei Sholem'', commonly known as the Kiever Shul."History"
, Kiever Synagogue website. Accessed July 18, 2011. Shaarei Tzedec has been located in a converted Victorian semi-detached house on Markham Street, near Bathurst Street and

College Street College Street may refer to: *College Street (Kolkata) *College Street (Toronto) * College Street (Sydney) *College Street (York) College Green is an open space in the city centre of York, England. History The green lies within the historic pr ...

, since 1937. The Markham Street Shul is one of the few remaining synagogues and the last remaining ''

shtiebel A shtiebel ( ''shtibl'', pl. ''shtiblekh'' or shtiebels, meaning "little house" or "little room" cognate with German Stübel) is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached ...

'' of what were once dozens of small congregations in the area around

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

Spadina Avenue Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods. Spadina Avenue runs south ...

and Bathurst Street - which was a vibrant Jewish area prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

."Jews of the old shul; Only three of the many small Orthodox congregations in downtown Jewish neighbourhoods remain - These synagogues are kept alive and often financially assisted by families with historical affiliations", ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', September 23, 2006.

References

External links

Congregation Shaarei Tzedec
{{coord, 43.65947, N, 79.4099, W, display=title Synagogues completed in 1937 Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Toronto Ashkenazi synagogues Orthodox synagogues in Canada Jewish organizations established in 1902 Synagogues in Toronto 20th-century synagogues in Canada