Signs at two Toronto synagogues torched overnight in hate-motivated crime spree
The executive director of one shul predicted the attack—and explains how he knew.
Winnipeg’s synagogues move, merge and renovate in response to changing demographics in the Jewish community
With the merger last summer of the three struggling north Winnipeg Orthodox minyans, the relocation of Etz Chayim, the city’s largest Conservative congregation to the south end, and the return of the Shaarey Zedek congregation to its 72-year-old building following a major expansion, Winnipeg’s Jewish community has seen its largest transformation in over 20 years. The […]
Synagogues are ditching the paper plates and installing solar panels as they make environmentally conscious choices
Canadian synagogues are instituting ethical menu choices, and retrofitting their old buildings to save the planet.
Winnipeg congregation Etz Chayim, led by Rabbi Kliel Rose, is moving from the city’s north end to be closer to its members
After decades of discussion, Congregation Etz Chayim—the largest synagogue in Winnipeg’s north end—is finally moving. “Eighty percent of our members live in the south part of the city,” said Avrom Charach, president of Etz Chayim. “The number of members who live close to the synagogue is dropping every year.” The Conservative synagogue, which has about 375 member […]
A synagogue in Toronto rethinking the role of membership fees is part of a larger trend
When the Beth Tzedec Congregation decided to eliminate membership dues for everyone under 40, the Toronto synagogue knew it was taking a bold step. But it was not as bold as some might have believed, because the Conservative synagogue was inspired by a number of shuls that had already undertaken similar initiatives. One of them […]
Toronto’s Beth Tzedec Congregation is offering free membership to those under 40
One of the largest Conservative synagogues in the world, which currently has over 4,000 members, recently announced it is offering free membership to Torontonians under 40 years of age. Beth Tzedec Congregation’s initiative, which is called the Generations Membership, comes with a renewed commitment to outreach and engagement for members in that age group. Rabbi […]
Home-based shuls in Côte St. Luc are getting an ultimatum: Register as legal, or start worshipping elsewhere soon
The city of Côte St. Luc, which has a majority Jewish population, is preparing what amounts to an ultimatum to places of worship that illegally operate out of residential properties: either regularize your status or find a new location. The proliferation of “non-conforming” home-based shuls has gone on for too long, said Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, […]
