Since
its establishment in 1912, the Kiever shul has had an
important religious role in the Toronto Jewish community.
Both the services that the Synagogue offered as well as
the contributions of the congregation have strengthened
the community’s Jewish identity.
In
its infancy, the Kiever had no formal religious leader.
As a result, members of the congregation led religious
prayer services. Although none of them had any formal
cantorial or rabbinical training, these members had the
basic experience necessary to conduct the Ashkenazic
Orthodox services. One of the members, Herschel Litvak,
who owned a furniture store on College Street, became
the cantor for the shul. Rabbi
Solomon Langner was the first ‘official’ rabbi to lead the
Kiever. Nevertheless, although Rabbi
Langner
served the congregation from about 1929 until his death
in 1973, he was never truly hired. He did not receive
a salary, but rather supported himself and his family
from donations and compensation that he received for specific
services he performed, such as bris milot,
marriages, and funerals. Between 1973 and the mid-1990s,
Rabbi
Sheldon Steinberg
took over the role of religious leader of the Kiever.
Over
the years, the Kiever provided many religious services.
Rabbi
Langner
and Rabbi
Steinberg
had officiated numerous bnei-mitzvah
and weddings at the Synagogue. In the 1930s and 1940s,
Fischel Cooper led a youth minyan
in the social hall in the basement of the shul. In 1924,
the congregation also established a burial society, or
chevra kaddisha,
that was responsible for the religious rituals involved
in preparing the body for burial. The congregation also
purchased a burial section in the Dawes Road cemetery,
so that Jews would be buried according to Jewish laws
and traditions.
In
addition to the importance of the rabbis of the Kiever,
the cantors played an integral role in contributing to
the services through song. Herschel Litvak was the first
cantor for the Kiever, but only served for a few years.
Since then, other cantors have included J. Rosenberg (1950s),
Yitzak Weiss (1960s), and Harry Federman (1970s).
Furthermore,
the members of the Kiever made great contributions to
the Jewish community. Most members were involved in some
way in promoting Judaism, whether it was by giving their
children a religious education or by personally helping
with Jewish causes. The Kiever and its individual members have certainly made
a tremendous contribution to the Toronto Jewish community.
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The rules of conduct during services
(c. 1925)
Brendan Gogarty on the bimah
during a re-creation of his Bar-Mitzvah
ceremony (July 15, 1989)
Establishing the Kiever burial society, dated 5684 (December
10, 1923)
View from the bimah
(April, 1974)
Men praying during services
(April 12, 1974)
VIDEO CLIP:
“Yom Kippur” by William Kurelek (1975)
CLICK HERE for video
Clip
VIDEO CLIP:
Services
at the Kiever during the holiday of Sukkot,
c. 1984. From the film Spadina.
VIDEO CLIP:
Services
at the Kiever during the holiday of Sukkot,
c. 1984. From the film Spadina.
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