Moncton's Tiferes Israel Synagogue celebrates 100 years with reunion, plans for second century

More than 135 descendants of Moncton, N.B.'s founding Jewish families returned over the August long weekend for a sold-out centennial reunion at Tiferes Israel Synagogue, sharing memories, meals and hopes for the future of one of Canada’s oldest Jewish communities. The reunion, dubbed “Kum A Heim“, filled the historic Orthodox synagogue on Steadman St., which served as a central hub for the events—including two plaque dedications, a tree planting, a walk through the community’s cemetery, Shabbat services, and greetings received from King Charles and other government officials. “We wanted everybody to feel like they were coming home,” organizer Sandra Rose told The CJN. “They’re really here in the synagogue and it is their home, whether they came from, you know, New York or whether they came from down the street.” The weekend also demonstrated a bittersweet reality: many younger attendees have long since moved away, the current synagogue congregation is aging, and the building itself needs crucial repairs. Yet the organizers say they are determined to keep going and begin a second century, albeit with a very different Jewish community than the one that built it back in the 1920s. On today’s episode of The CJN’s North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner hears from organizer Sandra Rose, who now lives in Fredericton; her cousin Anne Jochelman, who ran the shul’s kitchen for the entire weekend; and Audrey Lampert, who spoke about her city’s Jewish history during the Friday night welcome dinner in the shul banquet hall. Related links Learn more about the Moncton synagogue’s Kum A Heim Centennial weekend, see photos, on the event website. Read about when Moncton’s city council tried to ban the annual Hanukkah menorah-lighting ceremony in 2023, in The CJN. Listen to The CJN’s Y ehupetzville podcast from 2021 about what Jewish life was like in Moncton. Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer and video editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter https://thecjn.ca/donate/ https://thecjn.ca/north Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) https://thecjn.ca/north