Religious Life

Sol Waiser carrying a Torah from his home to the Synagogue, in 1945. This was a thank-offering because his sons returned uninjured from the Second World War.

Photo Courtesy of Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, accession 2007-9-8.

In the crowd were his grandchildren Michael and Cynthia. The women and children of the congregation gathered at his house to form an honour guard for the Torah, and the men eagerly awaited its arrival in the Synagogue.

The Sons of Jacob Synagogue was founded in 1924 and moved into the present building in 1925. The building was donated by the owner of Sklar Furniture which had previously occupied it. The ground floor was renovated into a sanctuary. A school room, community hall and small apartment for a Rabbi occupied the second floor. It is presently the oldest synagogue north of Toronto. Its founding members included Sol Waiser.