Children Help Open Ottawa’s First New Shul in 30 Years

About 90 children were on hand Sunday morning to help commemorate Ottawa’s first new synagogue in decades, just in time for Rosh Hashanah.

The Ottawa Torah Centre is the first new synagogue in Ottawa in 30 years, said Rabbi Menachem Blum, the synagogue’s rabbi. Blum said about 200 families are affiliated with the centre, located in Barrhaven, which in addition to regular worship services runs a youth Hebrew school and adult education classes.

Sunday morning, children from the centre’s Hebrew school gathered to help get the building ready. The first order of business: affix a traditional mezuzah on the door. The mezuzah, which is customarily attached to the outside of a home near the front door, is a piece of parchment paper inscribed with parts of the Torah, the most sacred of Jewish holy books.

“The mezuzah is one of the first things that we do when we move into a new home,” Blum said. “It’s the symbolism of God’s presence in the home.”

The synagogue officially opens on Monday, just before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which begins Wednesday evening.

“The whole idea of this new synagogue is we’re building for the next generation and to have the children put on the mezuzah was quite special,” Blum said.