Congregation Knesseth Israel

Congregation Knesseth Israel, also known as the Junction Shul, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its synagogue building is the oldest surviving in Toronto that is still in use, and was designated an Ontario Heritage site in 1984 under the Ontario Heritage Act. Located at 56 Maria Street, in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood, the congregation was established in 1909 by Jewish immigrants, largely from Russia and Poland. Services were originally held at a home at 303 Maria Street. In 1911, the tract of land on which the synagogue was built was purchased for $520 with construction beginning shortly thereafter. The Knesseth Israel Jewish Synagogue, Maria Street at Shipman Street, (1911) was designed by James Augustus Ellis (architect) of the firm Ellis and Connery. It was built with the bartered labour and donated funds of the founding members and their families. The building was dedicated on September 8, 1912, and services began in 1913. At its peak, in the 1920s, the temple served more than 200 Jewish residents in the neighbourhood, with the presence of the synagogue contributing to a dramatic rise in Jewish migrants to the neighbourhood. The building has a modest red brick facade with minimal ornamentation or detail. A double-side staircase leads to two heavy wooden doors. Circular windows on three sides of the building are divided into eighteen segm

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