This article originally appeared on The Ottawa Jewish Archives Facebook page.
Well, in 1956 congregations Adath Jeshurun and Agudath Achim amalgamated to form the Congregation Beth Shalom. The Adath Jeshurun synagogue at 375 King Edward Avenue was then converted to function as the Chevra Kadisha – the Jewish Community Memorial Chapel.
Well, in 1956 congregations Adath Jeshurun and Agudath Achim amalgamated to form the Congregation Beth Shalom. The Adath Jeshurun synagogue at 375 King Edward Avenue was then converted to function as the Chevra Kadisha – the Jewish Community Memorial Chapel.
At this time changes to the building’s façade were made. This consisted of the removal of the central pillar at the main entrance in order to create a single central door wide enough to allow the passage of caskets in and out of the building. According to Hagit Hodaya’s book “In Search of Sacred Space: Synagogue Architecture in Ottawa” (2013) the interior was further modified to serve its new purpose by the removal of the bimah (the podium or platform in a synagogue from which the Torah and Prophets are read) and aron kodesh (the torah ark) from the main prayer hall, and the building’s basement was reorganized to accommodate the amenities needed for funeral preparation. The original aron kodesh is now located inside Beit Tikva Synagogue at 15 Chartwell Avenue in Nepean. The Jewish Community Memorial Chapel was dedicated on January 27th, 1957 and functioned on King Edward until 1997.
This building is now 111 years old (construction was completed in 1904) and it is still standing near to the corner of King Edward and Rideau Streets. Although today it is now the Ottawa French Seventh-day Adventist Church, the large Star of David window that marked the building as a synagogue still remains on the decorative parapet, a 1930's addition, installed to hide the buildings pitched roof.
Once the two original congregations of Adath Jeshurun and Adath Achim formalized their amalgamation, the newly formed congregation Beth Shalom moved into a new synagogue at 151 Chapel Street and the former Adath Achim synagogue at 417 Rideau Street was abandoned and was demolished in 1957. Incidentally, congregation Beth Shalom is now on the move. The synagogue at 151 Chapel Street was closed on March 28, 2015 and the congregation moved to the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.
This building is now 111 years old (construction was completed in 1904) and it is still standing near to the corner of King Edward and Rideau Streets. Although today it is now the Ottawa French Seventh-day Adventist Church, the large Star of David window that marked the building as a synagogue still remains on the decorative parapet, a 1930's addition, installed to hide the buildings pitched roof.
Once the two original congregations of Adath Jeshurun and Adath Achim formalized their amalgamation, the newly formed congregation Beth Shalom moved into a new synagogue at 151 Chapel Street and the former Adath Achim synagogue at 417 Rideau Street was abandoned and was demolished in 1957. Incidentally, congregation Beth Shalom is now on the move. The synagogue at 151 Chapel Street was closed on March 28, 2015 and the congregation moved to the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.
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