Spanish And Portuguese Synagogue Of Montreal
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The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, also known as Shearith Israel, is a
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 ...
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
, located on St. Kevin Street in
Snowdon Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...
, which is the oldest Jewish congregation in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. The
Congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...
traces its history back to 1760 and was formally established in 1768. It is affiliated with the
Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for ...
.


Architecture

By 1777 the Jewish community in Montreal felt itself able to erect and support a synagogue. Lazarus David had died in 1776 but on August 14, 1777 his widow, Phoebe, sold for 1200 French livres part of David's property to three of the congregation's leading members, Samuel Judah, Simon Levy and Andrew Hays, recently married to her daughter Abigail (Branny). The building, completed the following year, stood behind a low stone wall, had a high red roof, and was located at the junction of Little St. James and Notre Dame Streets, a site now partially occupied by the Palais de justice. The congregation's second building, also the second synagogue built in Quebec, was constructed on Chenneville Street in 1838. The Judeo-Egyptian style temple-like building had a front of cut stone, adorned with a portico with two columns. This was the only formal place for Jewish worship 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 ...
until 1846. Charles T. Ballard, architect, designed a new and larger synagogue for the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation on Stanley Street in the
Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...
style of architecture in 1887–1890. The congregation has been housed in its fourth premises in Snowdon, part of
Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (, ) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough was created following the 2002 municipal reorganization of Montreal. It comprises two main neighbourhoods, Côte-des-Neiges a ...
borough, since 1947. In the sanctuary,
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
is read to the congregation from the bimah and the Torah scrolls are stored in the
aron kodesh A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron ha ...
on the east wall. The congregation faces towards the east, and
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, in praying. The ornamentation features symbols such as
Stars of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...
,
signs of the zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...
and natural forms.


Rabbinic leadership

Notable rabbis of the synagogue include
Jacob Raphael Cohen Jacob Raphael Cohen (1738 – September 9, 1811) was a rabbi in England, Canada, and the United States. Biography Jacob Raphael Cohen served as rabbi of Congregation Mikveh Israel Congregation Mikveh Israel ( he, קהל קדוש מקוה יש ...
(rabbi 1784–1811),
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 ...
(1847–1882) and his son
Meldola de Sola Aaron David Meldola de Sola (; 22 November 1853 – 29 April 1918) was the first native-born Canadian rabbi. He succeeded his father Abraham de Sola as leader of the Shearith Israel synagogue in Montreal upon the latter's death in 1882. Biography ...
(?–1919), and Rabbi Dr.
Solomon Frank Solomon Frank (January 5, 1900October 21, 1982) was an American–Canadian Orthodox rabbi, speaker, and civic and community leader. He served as rabbinic leader of Shaarey Zedek Synagogue of Winnipeg, Canada, from 1926 to 1947, and spiritual ...
(1947–1982). Immediate past rabbis are Shachar Orenstein and Howard Joseph, who served the community from 1970 until his death.


See also

*
Spanish and Portuguese Jews Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the i ...
*
Oldest synagogues in the world Historic synagogues include synagogues that date back to ancient times and synagogues that represent the earliest Jewish presence in cities around the world. Some synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site. Others wer ...
*
Oldest synagogues in Canada Synagogues may be considered "oldest" based on different criteria, and can be oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, or oldest in the sense of oldest congregation. Some old synagogue buildings have been in continuous use as synagogues, wh ...


References


External links

*
Abraham de Sola-Evelyn Miller Fonds
McGill University Library & Archives. {{Commons category, Shearith Israël Synagogue, Montreal (1890–1947), Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal 18th-century synagogues Orthodox Judaism in Quebec Orthodox synagogues in Canada Portuguese-Canadian culture Portuguese-Jewish diaspora Religious organizations established in 1768
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 ...
Spanish-Canadian culture Synagogues in Montreal Sephardi Jewish culture in Canada Sephardi synagogues Spanish-Jewish diaspora 1768 establishments in the British Empire