Anshei Minsk
Encyclopedia
Anshei Minsk is a synagogue
the Kensington Market
neighbourhood Toronto
, Canada. It was founded by poor Jewish immigrants from Russia (mostly Minsk
) in 1912. The current Byzantine Revival building was completed in 1930.
The congregation has had only three full-time rabbi
s: Meyer Levy (1916–1921), Meyer Zimmerman (1940–1954), and Shmuel Spero, who has served from 1988 to the present. It is the only Orthodox
synagogue in downtown Toronto with a full-time rabbi
, and the only one that holds daily services.
neighbourhood of Toronto
, Ontario, Canada in 1912, at a time when most of Toronto's Jewish population still lived in The Ward but were moving westward in increasing numbers to the Market and the surrounding area.
The Minsk originated as a landsmanshaft
synagogue with its immigrant congregation based on a country, district or city of origin, in this case most of the Mink's founders were poor Jews from Minsk
(in Russia), who had settled in Kensington Market at the turn of the century. At its founding, it was a shtibel or small storefront synagogue typical of poorer Jewish immigrant communities of the time.
The land on which the current synagogue was built is located at 10-12 St. Andrew Street, across the street from what is thought to be the location of the original storefront synagogue. The location was purchased in 1913 for $9,000. The two houses originally on the property were used not only as a location for the congregation to worship but also housed up to 14 tenants. By 1923, only the caretaker was domiciled there and by 1925 the houses were used exclusively as a synagogue.
The synagogue, which can seat 350 worshipers, was constructed by Jacob (Nahum) Glassman, a Russian immigrant who had started a construction business and the grandfather of journalist Michele Landsberg
. Due to the onset of the Great Depression
, the congregation was unable to pay Glassman in full for his services and so they offered him a lifetime membership in the synagogue instead.
from 1916 until 1921, after which the cantor
led services for the most part until the late 1940s when Rabbi Meyer Zimmerman joined. Following his death in 1954, the members did not hire a new rabbi but instead invited guest rabbis to visit and teach or had the cantor or congregants lead services. The situation remained until 1988 when Rabbi Shmuel Spero was hired as the shul's rabbi, a position he continues to hold today.
, Toronto's Jewish population gradually migrated away from the Kensington Market area and north up Bathurst Street
. The Minsker became principally a 'businessman's shul' where Jewish businessmen would pray in the morning before work. The synagogue continues to serve older congregants who did not join the northward migration and remained in the area, along with Jewish students at the nearby University of Toronto
, tourists, and younger Jews who have moved into the area.
The synagogue was recognized by the City of Toronto as a heritage property in 1985. The building was restored after a 2002 arson attack. The fire, which caused an estimated $200,000 worth of damage, began in the women's gallery which also functioned as a book depository. Thousands of books were damaged in the fire, many of which were over a century old. Others were severely damaged but were saved or restored due to a conservation effort funded by Heritage Canada which saw many of the books freeze dried and then painstakingly restored.
Anshei Minsk, the Kiever Synagogue
(also in Kensington Market), and Shaarei Tzedek
are the only historic Orthodox congregations remaining of at least 40 that existed in downtown Toronto in the early 1930s. Anshei Minsk is the only Orthodox
synagogue in downtown Toronto with a full-time rabbi
, and the only functioning Orthodox Jewish synagogue in downtown Toronto to hold daily services.
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
the Kensington Market
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 Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
neighbourhood Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada. It was founded by poor Jewish immigrants from Russia (mostly Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
) in 1912. The current Byzantine Revival building was completed in 1930.
The congregation has had only three full-time rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s: Meyer Levy (1916–1921), Meyer Zimmerman (1940–1954), and Shmuel Spero, who has served from 1988 to the present. It is the only Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
synagogue in downtown Toronto with a full-time rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, and the only one that holds daily services.
Founding
Anshei Minsk (formally Beth Israel Anshei Minsk, informally the Minsk) was the first congregation formed in the Kensington MarketKensington 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 Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
neighbourhood of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario, Canada in 1912, at a time when most of Toronto's Jewish population still lived in The Ward but were moving westward in increasing numbers to the Market and the surrounding area.
The Minsk originated as a landsmanshaft
Landsmanshaft
A landsmanshaft was a Jewish benefit society, or Hometown society of immigrants from the same town or region....
synagogue with its immigrant congregation based on a country, district or city of origin, in this case most of the Mink's founders were poor Jews from Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
(in Russia), who had settled in Kensington Market at the turn of the century. At its founding, it was a shtibel or small storefront synagogue typical of poorer Jewish immigrant communities of the time.
The land on which the current synagogue was built is located at 10-12 St. Andrew Street, across the street from what is thought to be the location of the original storefront synagogue. The location was purchased in 1913 for $9,000. The two houses originally on the property were used not only as a location for the congregation to worship but also housed up to 14 tenants. By 1923, only the caretaker was domiciled there and by 1925 the houses were used exclusively as a synagogue.
Synagogue building
Funds were raised for the construction of a synagogue building, St. Andrew Street near Spadina Avenue, 1930 designed by Harold Solomon Kaplan & Sprachman. By the end of 1930, the two houses were demolished and the current building was completed. The Byzantine Revival building has notable exterior features including twin towers, a large entrance stairway, and a central stained-glass window between the towers. While the lot itself is north-south and the facade is on the south side of the building, the interior layout is designed according to Jewish custom so that the main sanctuary is on the eastern wall so that prayers are directed towards Jerusalem. The eastern wall is puncuated by stained-glass windows, and decorated with painted murals of a lion and an antelope on either side of a window above the ark.The synagogue, which can seat 350 worshipers, was constructed by Jacob (Nahum) Glassman, a Russian immigrant who had started a construction business and the grandfather of journalist Michele Landsberg
Michele Landsberg
Michele Landsberg, OC is an award-winning Canadian writer, social activist and feminist who wrote a column for the Toronto Star newspaper.-Life and career:...
. Due to the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the congregation was unable to pay Glassman in full for his services and so they offered him a lifetime membership in the synagogue instead.
Rabbinic leadership
Meyer Levy served the congregation as rabbiRabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
from 1916 until 1921, after which the cantor
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
led services for the most part until the late 1940s when Rabbi Meyer Zimmerman joined. Following his death in 1954, the members did not hire a new rabbi but instead invited guest rabbis to visit and teach or had the cantor or congregants lead services. The situation remained until 1988 when Rabbi Shmuel Spero was hired as the shul's rabbi, a position he continues to hold today.
Recent history
Following World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Toronto's Jewish population gradually migrated away from the Kensington Market area and north up Bathurst Street
Bathurst Street
Bathurst Street is a main north-south thoroughfare in Toronto. It begins at the Lake Ontario shoreline and continues north to the Toronto boundary of Steeles Avenue...
. The Minsker became principally a 'businessman's shul' where Jewish businessmen would pray in the morning before work. The synagogue continues to serve older congregants who did not join the northward migration and remained in the area, along with Jewish students at the nearby University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, tourists, and younger Jews who have moved into the area.
The synagogue was recognized by the City of Toronto as a heritage property in 1985. The building was restored after a 2002 arson attack. The fire, which caused an estimated $200,000 worth of damage, began in the women's gallery which also functioned as a book depository. Thousands of books were damaged in the fire, many of which were over a century old. Others were severely damaged but were saved or restored due to a conservation effort funded by Heritage Canada which saw many of the books freeze dried and then painstakingly restored.
Anshei Minsk, the Kiever Synagogue
Kiever Synagogue
The Kiever Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Toronto, Canada. It was founded by Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine in 1912, and formally incorporated in 1914. The congregants were poor working-people, and services were led by members and held in their homes...
(also in Kensington Market), and Shaarei Tzedek
Shaarei Tzedek
Shaarei Tzedek is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 397 Markham Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
are the only historic Orthodox congregations remaining of at least 40 that existed in downtown Toronto in the early 1930s. Anshei Minsk is the only Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
synagogue in downtown Toronto with a full-time rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, and the only functioning Orthodox Jewish synagogue in downtown Toronto to hold daily services.