Kiever Synagogue - Decline and Revival

Decline and Revival

Solomon Langner became the congregation's rabbi in around 1929 and held that position until his death in 1973. He did not, however, receive a salary, and instead "supported himself and his family from donations and compensation that he received for specific services he performed, such as bris milot, marriages, and funerals".

By the time of Langner's death, the Kiever was in desperate need of repairs. However, due to the Jewish community's migration away from Kensington Market and north up Bathurst Street in the 1950s and 1960s, the congregation was declining and experiencing financial difficulties. Unable to afford repairs, it considered selling the building. In 1973, the Archives Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress Central Region decided to help preserve the Kiever stating that “the community should have the building not only for its inherent historical value, but also because it would provide a physical environment where youth could identify their roots, to see their parents’ milieu and what motivated previous generations.” A restoration committee was established which secured grants and held fundraising events. By 1982, enough money was raised to restore the building and renovate the social hall.

In 1979, the Kiever Synagogue became the first building of Jewish significance to be designated a historical site by the province of Ontario. The designation states that the Kiever is historically unique because of its distinctive architectural features and because “it was the first synagogue built by Ukrainian Jews who had escaped from Czarist Russia.”

Sheldon Steinberg served as rabbi from the time of Langner's death until the mid-1990s. More recently, Gedalia Zweig served as part-time rabbi for almost ten years.

As of 2011, the congregation's president was David Pinkus, a role he has filled since 1979. His father, Isadore, was one of the synagogue's founders. The Kiever Synagogue, Anshei Minsk (also in Kensington Market), and Shaarei Tzedek are the only historic Orthodox congregations remaining of at least 40 that existed in downtown Toronto in the early 1930s.