Early History
The Kiever Synagogue, or Kiever Shul (formally The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev) dates to 1912 when a group of Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine who had settled in "The Ward"—the impoverished immigrant district of Toronto, Canada in which most Jews then lived—decided to found a synagogue. It was founded as a landsmanshaft by Jewish immigrants originally from the Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire (now Ukraine). Some of the families had been members of Shaarei Tzedek, then on Centre Street, but had left in a dispute over burial rites and formed a new congregation, Chevra Rodfei Sholem.
The men, tradesmen for the most part, had little money so they conducted services in the homes of members, and later rented a house on Centre Street to hold services. Not being able to afford a rabbi, services in the shtiebel were led by members, including Cantor Herschel Litvak. The congregation was officially incorporated in 1914 as “The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev”.
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