The
First Narayever Congregation began as a landsmenshaft—an
association of Jews from the town of Naraiev in Galicia,
which was part of Austria-Hungary, later Poland, and today
is in the Ukraine. As more and more Jews left Galicia
for Canada, a group was formed that settled in downtown
Toronto. The Narayever Congregation was founded in 1914
and received a provincial charter in 1918. They became
the First Narayever Congregation because they were the
first to establish a congregation in North America. Another
group from Galicia went to New York, but had not yet founded
a congregation.
The
First Narayever met for many years in a house at the corner
of Huron and Dundas streets. Some copies of seat deeds
for this location still exist, which were used to ensure
members’ rights to sit in particular seats for the
services. In 1940, the congregation moved to its present
location at 187-189 Brunswick Avenue. The Brunswick building
was originally used as a Forester’s Lodge and later
as a church.
The
first Rabbi of the Narayever Congregation was Shlomo Langner,
who was also a Rabbi for the Kiever Congregation and Shaarei
Tzedec Congregation. Rabbi Langner did not lead services,
but acted as spiritual leader, teacher and an authority
on Jewish law. In addition to providing an Orthodox religious
community, the congregation also worked to provide support
of other kinds for its members. There is evidence to suggest
that the congregation temporarily employed a neighbourhood
doctor to look after the medical needs of its members,
as there was not any medical insurance available at the
time. Members of the congregation kept in touch with their
relatives in Naraiev, and when necessary, the congregation
would provide financial assistance to their kin overseas.
As
the Jewish community, including many of the original Narayever
members, moved north of the downtown core, the congregation
underwent a transition in terms of its composition and
services. The Narayever Congregation ceased to be primarily
immigrants from Galicia; eventually the congregation was
made up of neighbourhood residents whose synagogues had
moved north, and, as well, of new Toronto residents who
had recently settled in the downtown area.
During
the early 1980s, the newcomers introduced an alternative
egalitarian service downstairs, which drew in many new
members. The non-members who attended the Orthodox services
upstairs were not numerous enough to sustain a minyan
on their own, as well, the older Board members had resigned
and eventually those seeking a more Orthodox service left
for other nearby congregations. Thereafter, the gender
egalitarian service was moved upstairs. This transition
marked the beginning of a new era for the congregation.
The
Synagogue underwent renovations in the early 1980s, and
again more recently, in an effort to accommodate its new
members and to provide for its future as a neighborhood
synagogue. The renovations included converting the cellar
into a social hall, and also adding a kitchen and modern
washrooms. Previously, the Synagogue had been unable to
accommodate any social events due to the lack of useable
space. In recent years, the First Narayever has become the most
well-attended and active synagogue in the downtown area.
1. Stuart Schoenfeld’s
“History of the First Narayever” http://www.narayever.com/history.htm
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Letters of Incorporation for the First Narayever synagogue
(1918)
Notice of meeting and invoice from the First Narayever
Congregation and Sick Benefit Society (c. 1941)
Seat deed for Arthur Pasternack (January, 1928)
Early financial journal from the First Narayever synagogue
(1914-1917)
Minute book (1914-1922)
Meeting announcement for the First Narayever (c. 1930s)
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