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Beit Tikvah of Ottawa
Beit Tikvah of Ottawa
בית תקוה של אוטווה
Religion
Affiliation	Modern Orthodox Judaism
Rite	Nusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Synagogue
Leadership	Rabbi Zischa Shaps (interim) (since July 1, 2024)
Year consecrated	1985
Status	Active
Religious features	Star of David
Location
Location	15 Chartwell Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K2G 4K3
	Location in Nepean
Geographic coordinates	45°19′55″N 75°46′08″W / 45.331844°N 75.768968°W
Architecture
Groundbreaking	September 9, 1984
Completed	September 11, 1985
Direction of façade	South
Website
	www.cbto.ca

Beit Tikvah, officially Congregation Beit Tikvah Ottawa, abbreviated as CBTO, is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located in the Nepean district of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, serving the Craig Henry area.

History

The Jewish population of Ottawa grew from 20 families in 1889 to approximately 5,500 in 1961.^[1]

Beth Shalom

Beth Shalom congregation represents the amalgamation in 1956 of two orthodox congregations, Adath Jeshurun and Agudath Achim. B'nai Jacob congregation amalgamated with Beth Shalom in 1971. The First officials were Rabbi Simon L. Eckstein, Cantor Emeritus, Joseph Rabin, Cantor Hyman Gertler, Ritual Director Jacob Y. Cement, Secretary Louis Slack and President, Bernard M. Alexandor. The congregation commenced with 850 families, with about 150 being singles or widows. A synagogue, designed by Hazelgrove and Lithwick, was inaugurated on Rosh Hashana, 1956.^[2]

Beit Tikvah

Beit Tikvah was founded in 1982 as Beth Shalom West, a satellite congregation of Beth Shalom Ottawa, located in the Craig Henry area of Ottawa. After a groundbreaking ceremony held on September 9, 1984, construction commenced on land donated by Jack and Irving Aaron.^[2] The synagogue officially opened for Shabbat services on September 11, 1985.

Clergy

Rabbi Michael Orelowitz became the congregation's first rabbi in 1982 ^[3] and was succeeded by Rabbi Gershon Sonnenschein in 1984. Rabbi Gershon Sonnenschein became the first full-time rabbi in 1989, followed by Rabbi Howard Finkelstein, on August 8, 1991,^[4] until his 2019 retirement and appointment as Rabbi Emeritus. Rabbi Finkelstein was succeeded by Rabbi Aryeh Kravetz in 2021.

Rabbi Howard Finkelstein is married to Rivka Finkelstein, and they moved to Ottawa in 1991. He was the Rabbi of CBTO (formerly Beth Shalom West) for 28 years, and was previously the Rabbi at Kingston's Beth Israel Synagogue for 12 years. While in Ottawa, Rabbi Finkelstein was a teacher at Yitzhak Rabin High School (1995-2015) as well as the Dean of Judaic studies at the Ottawa Jewish Community School (2015–2019). He was then replaced with Rabbi Aryeh Kravitz, who left on June 30, 2024. The current rabbi is Rabbi Zischa Shaps who is the current interim rabbi.

Jewish Memorial Gardens

As of 1 July 2008, each of the Founding Members: Congregation Machzikei Hadas; Congregation Beth Shalom; Agudath Israel (Ottawa); the Jewish Reform Congregation Temple Israel (Ottawa); Young Israel of Ottawa; Congregation Beit Tikvah of Ottawa transferred to Jewish Memorial Gardens the cemetery lands that they had.^[5]

References

^ "Jewish Community". Ottawa Jewish Archives.
^ ^a ^b Bilsky, Anna; Knowles, Valerie (2009). A Common Thread: A History of the Jews of Ottawa. Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House.
^ "The Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, vol. 46 iss. 23". 1982 – via Internet Archive.
^ "Beth Shalom West Congregation Fonds". Ottawa Jewish Archives. Archives Association of Ontario. 2000. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
^ "About us". Jewish Memorial Gardens. 11 July 2012.