Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Machzikei Hadas Congregation commenced as a small group who “worshipped in a home on St. Patrick Street owned by Mr and Mrs Goldberg. They met every Shabos, winter and summer, paying 25 cents per week dues. Then one High Holoday, they daringly rented a hall at the corner of Dalhousie and St. Patrick Street for one month covering Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipur, and charging $1.00". In 1908, the 264 Murray Street former premises of Adath Jeshurun Congregation and subsequent soda water factory of Michael Fine, reverted to its religious roots when probably no more than 15 to 20 families in all bought the building for their first permanent Machzikei Hadas synagogue. A $1,800.00 mortgage, taken out on May 12, 1908, uses the formal name of the congregation. Henry Levine, tailor, Nathan Wolfe, tailor, Benjamin Natham(son),peddler, Max Friedman, shoemaker, Max Lachowitz, peddler and Abraham Apple(baum), carpenter. Leibel and Mendle Steinberg and Kseil and Abraham Applebaum worked on 264 Murray to transform it into a synagogue again. In 1923, the congregation purchased two homes owned by Oscar Petigrosky at the corner of King Edward and Murray Streets. The synagogue at 259 Murray Street opened in 1929. Rev. Baker served as cantor from 1910 until his death in 1945. Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka arrived in 1967 and continues in that post into the 21st century. Machzikei Hadas relocated in 1973 to a newly designed synagogue on Virginia Drive in Alta Vista. In its new locations it extends services to 500 families, including many youths, seniors, educational and public awareness programs. Machzikei Hadas congregation is the first synagogue in the history of the Commonwealth to be granted a coat of arms in 1994.