Bathurst Street (Toronto) - Jewish Community

Jewish Community

Bathurst Street has been the heart of the Jewish community of Toronto for many decades. From the early part of the twentieth century, many Jews lived around Bathurst Street south of Bloor Street east to Spadina Avenue (and particularly Kensington Market) and west to past Christie Pits. After World War II, as the community became more middle class, it moved north along Bathurst Street, with wealthier members of the community moving to Forest Hill. The poorer members moved to the area around Bathurst and St. Clair Avenue or Bathurst and Eglinton Avenue.

The community continued to move north along Bathurst and today, much of the Jewish community resides along the street from north of St. Clair Avenue and, in higher concentrations just south of Lawrence Avenue to beyond the city limits at Steeles Avenue, and extending further until about Elgin Mills Road in Richmond Hill. Many synagogues are located on Bathurst, as well as many other Jewish community institutions:

The northern stretch of Bathurst, north of Sheppard Avenue West, has become one of the centres of the Russian community in Toronto. Many Russian Jewish immigrants started to settle in the apartment buildings there (many are located around the Bathurst/Sheppard intersection, as well as a long stretch of Bathurst between Finch Avenue West and Steeles Avenue West), starting from early 1970s in order to get easier access to services provided by the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, significant numbers of Russian immigrants to Canada settled there. Many are affiliated with the Jewish Russian Community centre. The electoral district of York Centre, which includes Bathurst from Wilson Ave. West to Steeles Ave. West, has the largest number of Russo-Canadian voters in Canada. Numerous Russian delicatessens, restaurants, and book and clothing stores have earned the neighbourhood the unofficial moniker Little Moscow.