museum
Royal Ontario Museum
Canada's largest museum of world cultures and natural history, topped by Daniel Libeskind's dramatic crystalline extension.
6 km · about 10 min drive
Ontario, Canada · North America
Junction Area works well as a base: 6km from Royal Ontario Museum.
Junction Area is a town located in Ontario, Canada. With a population of 14,366, it is an important destination in North America.
On a road trip, Junction Area sits in Canada, where you drive on the right. It's in the America/Toronto time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Junction Area to your route.
Congregation Knesseth Israel, also known as the Junction Shul, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its synagogue building is the oldest surviving in Toronto that is still in use, and was designated an Ontario Heritage site in 1984 under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Located at 56 Maria Street,Read more
in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood, the congregation was established in 1909 by Jewish immigrants, largely from Russia and Poland. Services were originally held at a home at 303 Maria Street. In 1911, the tract of land on which the synagogue was built was purchased for $520 with construction beginning shortly thereafter.
The Knesseth Israel Jewish Synagogue, Maria Street at Shipman Street, (1911) was designed by James Augustus Ellis (architect) of the firm Ellis and Connery. It was built with the bartered labour and donated funds of the founding members and their families. The building was dedicated on September 8, 1912, and services began in 1913. At its peak, in the 1920s, the temple served more than 200 Jewish residents in the neighbourhood, with the presence of the synagogue contributing to a dramatic rise in Jewish migrants to the neighbourhood.
The building has a modest red brick facade with minimal ornamentation or detail. A double-side staircase leads to two heavy wooden doors. Circular windows on three sides of the building are divided into eighteen segments to symbolize the Hebrew word chai (life). Its interior is decorative and elegant in a traditional Eastern European style. The women's gallery on the top floor is a three-sided upper-level balcony. The lower level of the sanctuary has three sides of seating facing the centre. The ark housing the Torah scrolls is situated against the eastern wall.
Many of the congregants were artisans, peddlers, shopkeepers or scrap and metal collectors while a large number of residents who were carpenters or cabinet makers found work at the nearby Heintzman & Co. piano factory on Keele Street. A number of these cabinet makers carved much of the synagogue's interior wooden architectural details.
The synagogue's only rabbi was Mordechai Langner who served the congregation from 1924 until 1939. Subsequently, services were conducted by a cantor or congregants.
Toronto's Jewish population migrated north after World War Two, resulting in the synagogue remaining largely closed except for holidays and special events since the 1950s. Nevertheless, it has a congregation of 80 full-time and 300 associate members most of whom grew up in the area or are descended from the founding members.
Philanthropist and arts patron Joey Tanenbaum is the grandson of one of the synagogue's founders and attended services as a boy. He remains a member and funded the synagogue's restoration in the 1990s.
The synagogue was used as a filming location for the 2017 movie It.
In 1910, the congregation founded Lambton Hills Cemetery.
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Junction Area offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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Junction Area is located in Ontario, Canada, North America. The coordinates are 43.6679 latitude, -79.4714 longitude.
Junction Area has a population of approximately 14,366 people, making it a town in Canada.
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Essential numbers in Canada
CAA roadside assistance: 1-800-222-4357. Winter tyres mandatory in Quebec December–March.
Full driving guide for Canada7 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
Canada's largest museum of world cultures and natural history, topped by Daniel Libeskind's dramatic crystalline extension.
6 km · about 10 min drive
landmark
Soaring 553-metre communications and observation tower that defines the Toronto skyline.
7 km · about 15 min drive
landmark
Toronto's spectacular aquarium at the base of the CN Tower with a stunning underwater tunnel and 20,000 aquatic animals.
7 km · about 15 min drive
landmark
Canada's premier amusement park near Toronto with over 200 attractions including 17 roller coasters.
20 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Canada's largest zoo spanning 287 hectares with over 5,000 animals organized by geographic region.
28 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
A charming heritage town at the mouth of the Niagara River with award-winning wineries, the Shaw Festival theatre, and beautiful 19th-century streetscapes.
56 km · about 65 min drive
museum
Museum celebrating Canadian motoring heritage with a collection of rare Canadian-built cars in Oshawa.
56 km · about 65 min drive
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