50th anniversary
Proud of the past and looking forward to the future
Published September 9 , 2009
By Martin C. Barry • TLN
Photo: Martin C. Barry
Elected officials from the City of Laval, as well as the federal and provincial governments,
joined organizers of Young Israel of Chomedey’s 50th anniversary gala for this shot
commemorating the important milestone event. The guest list included Laval Mayor
Gilles Vaillancourt, Chomedey city councillor Basile Angelopoulos, Abord-à-Plouffe
city councillor Ginette Legault-Bernier, Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP Raymonde Folco,
Chomedey Liberal MNA Guy Ouellette, as well as former City of Côte St. Luc Mayor
Robert Libman (a native of Chomedey) and D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA Lawrence
Bergman.
The story of Young Israel of Chomedey starts in the 1950s. According to the Chomedey congregation’s president, Jerry Baranoff, the Jewish people of Montreal had a dream of leaving behind their homes on Duluth, St. Urbain and St. Dominique streets downtown, with the long front staircases that were a challenge to climb during the winter.
“We left for homes on Plamondon, on de la Peltrie, on Barclay, on Mackenzie,” he added, referring to the second stop many Jews in Montreal made in Côte des Neiges during their gradual migration to the suburbs. “We headed to the Holy Land, the promised land of Île Jésus. What a name for a promised land. What a place to start a new community.”
A gala evening
Hundreds of members of the Elizabeth Boulevard synagogue gathered on Aug. 30 for a gala celebration to mark Young Israel of Chomedey’s 50th birthday. The guest list included virtually every elected official from the area, including Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt, Chomedey city councillor Basile Angelopoulos, Abord-à-Plouffe city councillor Ginette Legault-Bernier, Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP Raymonde Folco, Chomedey Liberal MNA Guy Ouellette, as well as former City of Côte St. Luc Mayor Robert Libman (a native of Chomedey) and D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA Lawrence Bergman.
Baranoff recounted how the founding members of the congregation moved into their beautiful new homes in Chomedey, valued on average at $12,500 each, making a $500 down payment. “Every month, the first of the month, $80 mortgage payment,” he said. “The first of the month came upon us so quickly. What were we getting ourselves into? No streets, no sidewalks, schmutz all over the place. The kids would play outside, they came in and you didn’t recognize which were your own children. They were all covered in mud. But something was missing. In order to have a Jewish community, in order to make us survive, in order to make it thrive, one important thing remained — a synagogue.”
Was built in stages
Before the current site on Elizabeth Boulevard was chosen, an initial synagogue was opened some distance away, which became known as Young Israel of Saint-Martin. “They were going to call it the Young Israel of Île Jésus,” said Baranoff, getting some laughs. “Some of the boys had a dream. They knew that Young Israel of Saint-Martin was not going to be sufficient for our growing community. So we bought land here on Elizabeth and construction began, and it went on and on for several years, different stages, and somehow or other we ended up with the building that you see today.”
Rabbi Dr. Solomon J. Spiro, who was Young Israel of Chomedey’s spiritual leader from 1957 to 1993, sent a message from Israel which was read out. “Greetings from the Holy Land,” he said. “We are sorry we can not be with you tonight personally, but we are with you in spirit and your spirit is with us, too. For you have a special stake in the Holy Land.” Rabbi Spiro said each Saturday just before the Torah is returned to the Ark, he recites a special prayer for several congregations, including Young Israel of Chomedey.”