Denomination: JEWISH |
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Denomination: JEWISH |
Interior Photo: Beth Schloime Synagogue |
n the heart of the city's traditional Jewish district, a couple blocks from these repositories
of Jewish heritage -Schwartz's, Moishe's and Warshaw- sits an unassuming structure, all but
forgotten.Congregation Beth Schloime (Temple Solomon) has been housed in a painted brick building located at 3919 Clark Street for almost three quarters of a century. It is the oldest intact synagogue in Montreal still open for public worship. In recent years, new life has begun stirring in this shul, as the rest of Montreal begins to take notice of this historic building. |
ews have lived in Quebec since at least 1760. Their first synagogue was built in 1777, on
Little Saint James Street (the east end of St. Jacques Street, where the Palais de Justice
stands today). The second (1838) was a handsome classical building located on Chenneville
Street on a site now occupied by the Palais des Congrès. It was still in use
as a synagogue a hundred years later, but was later converted into a church and then a
warehouse. No one seems to have noted its demolition in the 1960s.
irst modern synagogue
During the nineteenth century, the Jews moved northward, along St. Laurent Boulevard. By the 1920s, a dozen synagogues were located in the area between Sherbrooke Street and Mount Royal Avenue. At that time, Jews comprised the majority of the residents in the St. Louis district east of "the Main" (as Montrealers affectionately call St. Laurent Boulevard).
Most synagogues of those days were quite modest, often occupying houses rather than a structure built specifically to that end. In 1921, an architect named Fenster was hired by the Beth Schloime congregation to convert a duplex into a house of worship.
enster's blueprints indicate that his renovation of the house included moving the entrance
to the centre of the façade and modifying the windows on the ground floor. The round-arched
windows, the semi-circular canopy over the entrance and the brick string courses are
influenced by the Romanesque style. It is the interior of Beth Schloime that is most
impressive. As in all Orthodox Jewish houses of worship of its time, women were relegated to
a minor position in Beth Schloime. Orthodox men and women still pray separately today, but
generally, they are segregated only by a short wall. The Shaar Hashomayim synagogue
on Côte Saint Antoine was the first in the city - perhaps in Canada - to make use of this modern arrangement.
Photo: Yves Beaulieu |
n the traditional design, women would strain to follow the service through a small opening
in the ceiling. In Beth Schloime, liturgical requirements inspired the architect to an
impressive design. A large horseshoe-shaped opening in the mezzanine and a skylight bring
spaciousness to the ground floor of the sanctuary. The pews of the upstairs gallery form a semi-circular pattern, which echoes the arches of the windows and the canopy over the doorway. The attractive result was a design, which permitted men to pray without being distracted by the sight of women while the latter could consider themselves full members of the congregation. |
ther elements of the interior add to the heritage importance of the synagogue. Many of the
furnishings came from the original Shaar Hashomayim synagogue, built on McGill College
Avenue in 1886. When that congregation moved to its present location on Côte Saint
Antoine, the Beth Schloime congregation purchased the shulkhan aurikh (the ark of
the covenant where the sacred Torahs are stored), the pews and probably the brass lamps and
the bima, (the central platform) for transfer to the new synagogue on Clark.
ld neighbourhood
Beth Schloime never grew into a very large or very prosperous congregation; in fact, it
never had a permanent rabbi. Rabbi Joshua Hershorn, who later went on to become chief rabbi of Montreal, conducted
services at Beth Schloime. It was his first congregation.
Since that time, the synagogue has declined. By the late 1930s, the Jewish community had
begun to move north of Mount Royal avenue. In the 1950s, new Jewish communities developed
farther away in Snowdon, Côte St. Luc, Hamspstead and Ville Saint Laurent.
ost of the synagogues built in Montreal during the early 20th century have been vacated.
Some were demolished, others were converted in other uses - factories, a Buddhist Temple,
churches, housing. The Quat'Sous theatre (Pine Avenue at Clark Street) occupies a building
which was once a synagogue. Beth Schloime is the only Jewish house of worship remaining
south of Mount Royal Avenue. Its congregants have dwindled in number.
ntil the 1950s, Jewish businessmen who worked in the area supported the synagogue. Nowadays,
a small, but loyal congregation, attends regular services. The shul also hosts
bar mitzvahs and weddings.
and weddings.
Can the synagogue survive long? A few years ago, as part of a joint Université de
Montréal-Heritage Montreal preservation, Beth Schloime was used as a case study.
Investigation revealed that any restoration or renovation of the building would be complex.
A number of deficiencies must be corrected: air and water infiltration, crumbling exterior
bricks, deteriorating plumbing and heating system.
A more serious problem is the lack of an emergency exit. To add one in the rear of the
synagogue would harm the symmetry of the interior. Alternatively, the mezzanine could be
closed off or a sprinkler system added.
iracle happened here?
In 1997, thanks to the generous support of the Quebec Religious Heritage Foundation, members of the Jewish community, and the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications, renovation work was started. The most urgent work, repair of the side wall was carried out, with bricks repaired and the wall strengthened. Additional work is planned for the future.
What of the long-term future of the synagogue? The graduate student preservation team working in the joint Université de Montréal-Heritage Montreal preservation course proposed a combination museum and functioning synagogue.
lthough Montreal was for many years the focal point of the Canadian Jewish community, nowhere is information about its history on display. Beth Schloime would be a fitting location for such a museum. It boasts links to a chief rabbi of Montreal, and status as the oldest synagogue still offering public service. Its interior is one of the last with the traditional upstairs ladies mezzanine. The fact that it includes furnishings transferred from the first synagogue in Montreal to abandon the traditional arrangement adds to its interest. The ground floor could be maintained for services and the upper floor used for exhibitions. The first few rows of semi-circular pews upstairs would be kept to illustrate the original appearance and the other would be replaced by display cases.
iven the support of the Quebec Religious Heritage Foundation and the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications, it is likely that the building housing Beth Shloime Synagogue can continue to function into the 21st century. It will be up to its leaders, congregation, and the entire Jewish community, to ensure that it does.
Joshua Wolfe (jwolfe@iclei.org) was active in the Montreal preservation movement for many years. He was the founder of the Jewish Built Heritage Committee of Montreal, and was on the Board of Directors of the Quebec Religious Heritage Foundation.
This article is an update of one that first appeared in the magazine Continuité (No. 45, Autumn 1989).
 Text: Joshua Wolfe |
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