Congregation Emanu-el Temple National Historic Site of Canada

The Congregation Emanu-el Temple was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1979 because it is:

• the oldest surviving synagogue in Canada;
• a rare early surviving example of the 19th century Romanesque Revival style synagogue architecture in Canada.

The building was constructed just five years after the arrival of the first Jewish settlers in British Columbia in 1858. Although small in size, Victoria’s Jewish community played active and dynamic roles in the economic, cultural and political life of the young city and the colony. When completed in 1863, the synagogue was an impressive addition to the city’s skyline and an assertion of the commitment of this small but significant cultural community to the future of British Columbia.

The synagogue’s design, provided by prominent west coast architect John Wright, utilized Romanesque Revival forms often chosen in the 19th century by the Jewish people as an appropriate expression of their culture and spirituality. Once common throughout Europe and North America, few Romanesque Revival style synagogues now survive. As the oldest synagogue building in the country, Congregation Emanu-el Temple is of outstanding value as a rare and well-preserved link to that design tradition, and for its associations with the history and traditions of Canada’s early Jewish communities.