Temple Sons Of Israel Synagogue

Ken Heaton

Cape Breton is presently served by the AJC Chaplain, Rabbi David Ellis. No Atlantic Canadian Jewish community has shown such a diverse history in so short a time as that of greater Cape Breton; and the rise and fall thereof has been equally rapid. From a community of 162 in 1901, to its peak of 939 in 1941, Cape Breton now finds approximately 87 Jewish homes. Cape Breton would appear to be a single entity in history and community, and yet, the Jewish community of the island possesses a history of four different communities: Glace Bay, Sydney, Whitney Pier, and New Waterford. The history of the Sydney Jewish community is in fact the history of the community of Whitney Pier. The Jews who arrived in the late 1890s and early 1900s were mostly Russian Jews who came to Canada to escape pogroms and with a growing steel industry, Sydney was attractive to immigrant peddlers and retailers. The orthodox synagogue was built in 1913 on Mount Pleasant Avenue in Whitney Pier. A fire destroyed the building in 1960, but it was rebuilt in 1962 on the original foundation. A Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) was established several years later, at which time all social and cultural activities shifted from the synagogue to the Y. Sydney The Jewish population of Sydney grew from twenty-two in 1901 to 425 in 1931 (includes Whitney Pier). In 1919 the Temple Sons of Israel congregation in Sydney proper was established by eighteen younger and more conservative members of the Whitney Pier community. Today the remaining Jewish Community of Cape Breton is a more senior community, centered around the Temple Sons Of Israel Synagogue on Whitney Avenue in Sydney. Much of the younger generation has moved to Halifax or Upper Canada. However, Cape Breton remains among the strongest Zionist areas in all of Canada. Their commitment to Israel per capita is among the best in our country and their legacy of Jewish life survives in the hearts of Cape Bretoners throughout Canada.

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