Congregation Emanu-El - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Posted by: 
The A-Team
N 48° 25.645 W 123° 21.691
10U E 473255 N 5363870
This synagogue - built in 1863 and the oldest surviving synagogue in Canada - stands at 1461 Blanshard Street in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Waymark Code: WMQ264
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/04/2015
Views: 2
The first Jewish immigrants arrived in Victoria from San Francisco during the Fraser River Gold Rush period in 1858. Soon after, plans to build a synagogue began to come together in cooperation with the city's Freemason lodge. The planned construction would cost over $9000, which was paid for by donations from local Victorians.
On the afternoon of June 2, 1863, a momentous ceremony was held to lay not one, but two cornerstones at the site: one by the Jewish congregation, and one by the Freemasons. First, a procession several hundred feet long made its way through the streets of Victoria, including members of the congregation, over 70 members of the Freemason lodges of Victoria and Vancouver, and members of several other fraternities and societies. Before the laying of the cornerstones, Mr. S. Hoffman, Vice President of Congregation Emanu-El, gave the following words:
If peace and harmony be your guiding star, let it be the motto inscribed in the heart of every member of this organization, and God will shower His blessing upon you. King David with all his glory, with all his greatness and might, was forbidden, by prophecy, to build a temple, because of his numerous wars and struggles with other nations, and the prophecy was left to be fulfilled by his son Solomon. As this stone which we are about to lay will be the foundation upon which this structure will rest, so let peace and harmony be the foundation stone of your hearts, without which your structure will crumble into dust, your cherished hopes disappointed, your plans frustrated.
Mr. J. P. Davies then stated, as recorded by the Daily Colonist newspaper, "that it was now 2675 years since the Temple of Solomon was built and the present was the first instance since then of the ancient order of Masons or any other fraternity taking part in laying the foundation stone of a Jewish edifice." The Jewish cornerstone was then laid by Mr. Malowanski to the sounds of the Germania Sing Verein choir singing a magnificent sacred melody.
After the completion of the Hebrew portion of the ceremony, the Principal Architect of the Masonic Lodge, Brother Richard Lewis, addressed the Right Worshipful Master of the lodge with the following:
Right Worshipful Master; with the blessing of Almighty God we desire to erect a building here to the honor and glory of His Holy name. Plans have been prepared which I submit for your approval and on behalf of the Congregation Emanu El request that you will be pleased to lay the corner stone.
The Right Worshipful Master then replied:
Brother Principal Architect – On behalf of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Freemasons in Victoria, I beg to express the honor we feel in being invited to take part in any ceremony having a holy useful, or benevolent design and more particularly in aiding in the erection of a Temple to be dedicated to the glory of God and His Holy name. I shall have much pleasure in laying the corner stone of this Temple with all the ancient honors of the order.
The second cornerstone was then laid to complete the ceremony.
The synagogue originally consisted of just the northernmost portion of the building. By the 1940s, the congregation had decreased to only 10-15 families, and the 80-year-old building was badly deteriorated. To prevent it from being condemned, the original brick exterior was covered with stucco, the windows were blocked in, and a false ceiling was installed to allow for adequate heating. In 1978, a group of volunteers decided to restore the synagogue to its original condition. This $370,000 restoration was completed in 1982. The congregation has grown significantly since its low in the mid-20th century, and an addition was added to the south side of the building in 2003 that doubled its size.
The Congregation Emanu-El synagogue is a City of Victoria Heritage Building and a National Historic Site of Canada. The 1978-1982 restoration earned the 1982 Regional Award of Honour from the Heritage Canada Foundation for the preservation of the building.