Shaar Shalom Synagogue Explained

Building Name:	Shaar Shalom Synagogue
Map Type:	Canada Nova Scotia
Location:	1981 Oxford Street, Halifax,
Geo:	44.6453°N -63.5996°W
Religious Affiliation:	Conservative Judaism
Status:	Synagogue
Functional Status:	Active
Leadership:	Rabbi Gary Karlin
Administration:	United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Groundbreaking:	1954^[1]
Year Completed:	1955

The Shaar Shalom Synagogue (inscribed in he|עדת שער שלום, Adas Shaar Shalom on the corner of the building), is a Conservative synagogue located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Shaar Shalom Synagogue was among the first Canadian Conservative synagogues to hire women in clergy positions and welcome same-sex partners as members.

History

It was founded in 1953 by a collective of families who were members of Halifax's Baron de Hirsch Synagogue who sought a community that would permit "family seating" (also known as mixed seating or the opportunity for men and women to sit together). They sought an egalitarian ideology that would permit women's political and ritual leadership.

The community has had professional leaders over the years, including Dr. Irving Perlin. Perlin was an obstetrician who served as a lay hazzan and mohel, and presided over weekly sabbath liturgies and ceremonial circumcisions.^[2] The synagogue is a supporter of Camp Kadimah.

Many of the art pieces still decorating the synagogue were procured during David Jacobs' tenure from 1953-1957. The building that stands at the corner of Oxford St. and Pepperell St. was dedicated on October 31, 1955.

Rabbinic Leaders

• 1953-1957: Rabbi David J. Jacobs, an enthusiast of modern Jewish art^[3]
• 1957-1961: Unknown^[4]
• 1962-1964: Rabbi Emanuel S. Goldsmith
• 1965-1968: Unknown^[5]
• 1969: Rabbi Dr. Max Wallach.^[6]
• 1970-1974: Unknown
• 1975-1976: Rabbi Leo Heim^{[7] [8] [9]}
• 1977: Unknown^[10]
• 1983-1995: Rabbi Jacob Chinitz
• 1995-1998: Rabbi Pamela Hoffman (part-time, and later full-time)
• 1999-2000: Unknown
• 2000-2001: Rabbi Dr. Michael Goldberg, author of Why Should Jews Survive?: Looking Past the Holocaust Toward a Jewish Future (Oxford University Press, 1995)
• 2001-2010: Ari Isenberg-Grzeda (part-time, rabbinical students)
• 2010-2011: Catherine Clark & Joshua Rabin (part-time, rabbinical students)
• 2011-2013: Ari Isenberg-Grzeda (part-time, rabbinical student)
• 2013-2015: Rabbi Ari Isenberg-Grzeda (full-time)
• 2015-2016: Rabbi Irit Printz (part-time)
• 2016–2019: Rabbi Dr. Raysh Weiss (full-time Senior Rabbi) & Rabbi Jonah Rank (part-time, rabbinic educator position)
• 2019-present: Rabbi Gary Karlin (full-time)

Notes and References

1. Web site: About . Shaar Shalom Congregation .
2. News: N.S. doctor who delivered 15,000 babies dies . 20 January 2019 . CBC News . 2 January 2017.
3. Web site: Shaar Shalom Congregation Dedication . theshaar.ca . 20 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221225032724/https://theshaar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Shaar-Shalom-Congregation-Dedication-Service-October-31-1955-.pdf . 2022-12-25 . en . 31 Oct 1955 . live.
4. News: Classifieds . 5 November 2018 . XVI: 31 . The National Jewish Post & Opinion . 24 March 1961.
5. News: Anderson . R. J. . Some Call It Synagogue, Some Call It Shule . 3 March 2018 . The Canadian Press . The Brandon Sun . 16 December 1967.
6. Book: Fingard . Judith . Guildford . Janet . Sutherland . David . [{{google books |plainurl=y |id=u3CFCgAAQBAJ}} Halifax: The First 250 Years ]. 1999 . Formac . Halifax, NS . 175.
7. Klein . Jeffrey C. . Shalom . Shalom . December 1975 . 1 . 2 . 25 . Channukah Edition .
8. Heim . Leo . Israel, As I See It . Shalom . May 1976 . 2 . 3 . Israel Independence Edition .
9. Heim . Leo . The Message of Chanukah for Today's Youth . December 1976 . 2 . 5 . 6 . Chanukah Edition.
10. Book: Landau-Chark . Susan J. . Community, Identity, and Religious Leadership as Expressed through the Role of the Rabbi's Wife . 2008 . Concordia University . Montreal, QC . 20 . dissertation.