Beth Israel Synagogue

Beth Israel is located approximately 300 km due north of Regina and 13.5 km southeast of the Hamlet of Gronlid. It was recognized as a municipal heritage site in 2003 and is now managed by the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. This is the oldest extant synagogue in the province and, with the nearby cemetery, the only remnant of the Jewish farming community of Edenbridge.

Canada was one of several destinations for the diaspora of Eastern European Jews at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Built between 1906 and 1908 by Orthodox Lithuanians who immigrated to Canada via South Africa, the synagogue was intended as the architectural centre of Edenbridge. The first settlers were anxious to expand the size of the community and actively recruited Jews from London and New York. While Edenbridge was recognized as the most successful Jewish farming community of this era, conflicting political and religious aspirations, the hardships of homesteading, and the lack of support from external funding agencies like the Jewish Colonization Association all contributed to the eventual decline of the settlement. One of the immigrants from London wrote in his memoirs:

“Though there were rules and regulations at the synagogue, as long as they were respected, it could be used instead of building a new hall. One of the regulations was that non-Jewish boys and girls couldn’t dance in the synagogue. Another was that me had to wear hats at all times. Also, no undesirable literature (that meant anything other than religious texts) was to enter the building, and other such rules. Those of us from the north found it criminal that our closest neighbors couldn’t be invited to our celebrations just because they weren’t Jewish. And, as can be imagined, we had a totally different idea as to what was desirable and undesirable literature. We also had differing opinions about many of the other regulations. We didn’t want to be disrespectful to the religious Jews, so we needed our own place.” (Usiskin, 170)

Beth Israel Synagogue is a 90m2 wood frame building that stands unevenly on the prairie. The perimeter beam and floor joists are set directly on the turf and leveled occasionally by un-mortared stones. The exterior is a simple lap siding that has been painted white. By contrast, the interior is a lush, (still) fragrant red cedar with a balcony for female members of the congregation. While the interior finishes are impressive, the overall quality of the construction is poor. This is particularly noticeable in the curious configuration of the rafters. While Beth Israel owes much to typical vernacular construction of the period, the liturgical demands of the community, and apparent novelty of wood frame construction to the synagogue builders, make this a unique example of material imagination.