And so, it’s come to this. After 44 years as a going concern, the Shaar Shalom Synagogue will close its doors as a functioning house of worship for the last time on June 30 and its members will disperse, likely to join other Toronto congregations.
“It’s only bad news, because we’re closing the synagogue,” said synagogue president Seymour Hersh. “There is no good news.”
In a “special meeting” in the shul’s sanctuary June 8, members voted to sell off the building and donate its Jewish contents – such as Torahs and holy books – to other houses of worship. “The board and committees worked very hard to build relationships with other GTA synagogues, so that our members were free to make their own way to the synagogue of their choice,” Hersh said.
The decision to close capped a difficult three months, when word of the shul’s dire financial straits prompted members to seek alternatives to shutting down the synagogue, located at 2 Simonston Blvd. in Thornhill, just north of Don Mills Road and Steeles Avenue.
The shul’s executive and board reported their recommendations to around 300 members in a meeting that was sometimes emotional, said Hersh. It was clear “the building is not financially sustainable” and the shul’s debts, along with its ongoing maintenance and operating costs, made it necessary to close the facility.
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The building is up for sale, and proceeds will go to pay down debt. Any surplus will go to support other synagogues. Prior to listing it for sale, the congregation received unsolicited offers from a Catholic church, a Catholic school and Chabad, he added.
As for the membership, “the board and executive felt what was best was to give the members what the members wanted – a choice.”
Other Conservative and non-Conservative congregations are ready to welcome Shaar Shalom members into their fold, Hersh said.
Three months ago, when members created ad hoc committees to look for solutions, ideas were floated about “collaborative opportunities” with other Conservative congregations. At the time, Hersh outlined the circumstances that got the synagogue into its precarious position. Over the years, membership declined from a peak of 555 member units to 380 paying members. The average age of members reached 64, as many younger families moved out of the area, and in some cases, parents joined the exodus to other parts of town.
The situation came to a head when Rabbi Steven Schwarzman’s announcement in January that he would be leaving was followed in mid-February by a similar announcement by Cantor Ben Silverberg.
“That was a seismic event for the synagogue,” Hersh said at the time. “If you don’t have clergy, especially clergy that have taken you through birth, death and bar mitzvahs… that creates an emptiness for our members.”
With the absence of clergy, $545,000 still owing on a mortgage, declining membership and bleak prospects, the writing was on the wall.
Sam Chaim, a shul member since 1981 and a past president, said events played out in such a way that, “I think there is an opportunity for us to make an impact on other synagogues in the city.”
“We are looking at our legacy to help perpetuate and facilitate more Jewish involvement in synagogues,” he said. “That strengthens other shuls and Jewish communities.”
Nevertheless, Chaim continued, “It certainly is a sad day, but it’s up to us as members not to walk away from our Judaism and involvement in Conservative Judaism and to go to other shuls and strengthen them through our involvement.”
Gerry Richler, a synagogue member for more than 30 years, said, “An important part of the Jewish fabric of Toronto and notably northeast Toronto, will soon be a memory. It is a sad commentary on Jewish life in the 21st century that with 517 people represented in person or by proxy that a case could not be made to see the synagogue continue. It’s probably a lesson that should be studied by the leaders of our community so that we can avoid similar synagogue failures in the future.
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“It’s a sad day for everybody that has been involved in the synagogue, as it’s been a big part of everybody’s lives regardless of whether they supported having the shul continue or whether they voted for closure,” said Richler, a former board member.
“Last night, a few of our younger members spoke to the fact that they had their bat mitzvahs in the shul and subsequently named their own children at the shul and in one case even celebrated their son’s bar mitzvah there.”
“We’ve had a proud 44 year history and hopefully each of us will take part of that history with us wherever we go,” he said.
Shaar Shalom will hold its last services on June 30, but that will be preceded by a special Shabbat service on June 25.