NEWMARKET, Ont. — Members of Or Hadash Synagogue held their High Holiday services at a golf course last year. This year, they’ll be held at home.
Or Hadash, a Reform synagogue in Newmarket, Ont., has moved into a larger building, located in the heart of downtown Newmarket. The temple’s last location, on Leslie Street, held about 100 to 115 people, which, during events and High Holidays, was too small for the growing congregation.
“This will give us more room to grow,” said Larry Raifman, the synagogue’s president, adding that the new building, located at 451 Botsford St. will hold around 140 to 150 people.
“It’s a really good location for us. It’s in downtown Newmarket, near a public library. Parking’s really good in the area,” he said, explaining that the synagogue will use two of the building’s three floors.
In the past, the synagogue, which currently has around 40 to 50 member families, held Shabbat services at Southlake Village, a long-term care facility, and High Holiday services at Glenway Country Club.
“To be able to hold simchahs as well as High Holiday services in one location, I think it gives more of a feeling of community,” Raifman said.
Funds were raised for the new home through initiatives such as a charity golf tournament.
Apart from holiday services, the new home, which was celebrated with a dedication service on Sept. 5, will also accommodate the congregation’s Hebrew school and will cater to the synagogue’s growing, diverse membership.
Or Hadash, which has been around since the early 1990s, serves the northern part of York Region, as well as some congregants from Richmond Hill and Thornhill. Members come from Aurora, Newmarket, Innisfil and Keswick.
“We have everything from families with young children, newlyweds, interfaith couples, single parents with kids, a whole range,” said Raifman. “I think [the new location] gives members a reaffirmation that we’re alive and looking to grow and serve them in the future.”
Rabbi Jonathan Crane, who works part-time at Or Hadash and leads High Holiday services, sees the move as an important opportunity for the synagogue.
“To have sufficient space [for] services and programming and education, it really means to have a footprint, not only in Newmarket, but also in Ontario and Canada,” he said. “Now [members] will be able to worship in the place they call home.”
For Bonnie Mark, who has been a member of Or Hadash with her family for around eight years, location is an important factor in choosing a synagogue. But community is more important.
“It’s very much a community-based synagogue. It’s a little different from a synagogue in the city. We don’t have people coming for morning services throughout the week, it’s more about the Hebrew school, the youth, High Holidays, that kind of thing,” she said.
“We’re very relaxed, very welcoming… Originally, I would have said [that I stayed a member] because of the location, but the location could only last so long. If you don’t feel comfortable, you go in your car and go to the city.”
