Rabbi Careers

Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Jewish Community

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. In 2024 Winnipeg had a metropolitan population of almost 1,000,000.

Known as the "Gateway to the West", Winnipeg is a railway and transportation hub with a diversified economy. It has a very active arts scene, with a number of theatre companies, a symphony and other orchestras, an opera, a ballet, and a large arena which hosts major international artists. The city is multicultural and hosts numerous annual festivals, including the Festival du Voyageur, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, and Folklorama. Winnipeg is home to several professional sports franchises, in Canadian football, ice hockey, soccer, baseball, and basketball.

The Jewish community in Winnipeg has its roots in the late 19th and early 20th century with immigration from Eastern Europe. Many families can trace themselves back to those times. Since then, Jews have come here from other parts of Canada, the United States, Israel and South America. The current Jewish population is in the range of 12,000-14,000 individuals.

Originally, the Jewish community and most of the Jewish institutions were in the north end of the city. Over time most of the Jewish community and its organizations moved to the south end of the city. The majority of the city’s current Jewish population is in the south end in two adjacent areas, Tuxedo and River Heights. The Adas Yeshurun Herzlia synagogue (AYH) is located in the River Heights neighbourhood.

Winnipeg maintains a large number of Jewish organizations and institutions covering religion, education, culture, media and fundraising.

Beginning with synagogues, there are currently eight active synagogues, two of which, the
Chavurat Tefillah and the Ashkenazi, are very small. There is a Modern Orthodox synagogue
AYH, two Conservative synagogues (Shaarey Zedek and Etz Chayim), a Reform temple (Temple
Shalom), a Chabad and a traditional synagogue (Chevra Mishnayes). There is an active Chevra Kadisha with a functioning chapel for funerals. There are four active cemeteries. There are two mikvas, one at Chabad and one for the general community in the Asper Jewish Community campus. There is also an eruv. The Rabbi of AYH sits on the rabbinical council of the city.

Many Jewish organizations and functions are located at the Asper Jewish Community campus. Among them are the Rady Jewish Community Centre (JCC), the Gray Academy of Jewish Education, Jewish Child & Family Service, the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada and the Kaufman Silverberg Library. The Rady JCC offers health and fitness facilities and a wide range of cultural and social activities. The Gray Academy of Jewish Education is a community school that provides full day Jewish education from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12. Jewish Child & Family Service provides services to strengthen the family and personal lives of its clients. The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the history and culture of the Jewish people of the Canadian West.

Jewish education is also available through Chabad and through Brock Corydon School Hebrew Bilingual public school program. There are also Jewish pre-school programs. Cultural groups include the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre and the Chai Folk Dance Ensemble. There are two sleepaway camps, Camp Massad and B’nai Brith Camp, plus day camps through Chabad and through the Rady JCC.

A biweekly Jewish paper is published and there is a weekly Jewish radio show. A wide range of national Jewish organizations are active in Winnipeg.

For seniors, the Saul & Claribel Simkin Centre is a modern kosher personal care home. The
Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre is a non-profit kosher senior centre offering day programs.

Schmoozer’s Café at the Asper Jewish Community campus is the city’s only kosher restaurant and Gunn’s Bakery and City Bread are kosher bakeries. A wide range of kosher products are available at a number of large grocery stores in the south end of the city.

Description of Adas Yeshurun Herzlia

The Adas Yeshurun Herzlia synagogue (AYH) is Winnipeg’s only Modern Orthodox congregation. It is located in the heart of the River Heights neighbourhood, which is one of the most heavily Jewish areas of the city. The congregation is Ashkenazi with many Sephardic members. Many of the synagogue members have a strong connection to Israel.

AYH has been in its present building since 1955. The building has been well maintained and upgraded. It was built as a Jewish school with attached synagogue, but the school has not functioned in quite a few years. Currently, aside from the synagogue, various community groups rent rooms for weekly programming. The synagogue has two kosher kitchens, one meat and one dairy; it is rented by other groups as well. The synagogue itself has a capacity of about 200. The social hall next to the sanctuary is opened up for the High Holy Days increasing seating capacity. During the last High Holy Days there were about 235 attendees.

Current membership is about 100 individual and family units. On a typical Shabbat we have about 50-70 adults plus some children. There is a daily minyan morning and evening. There are members of the congregation who will lead services, read Torah and do haftaroth. The current rabbi reads a significant amount of torah and functions as chazan rishon
on the High Holy Days.

Most members of the synagogue are traditional Jews and some are shomer shabbat. The synagogue provides programming for children on Shabbat morning and one evening a week. There are regular adult classes, currently three a week, some in person, some via Zoom. There is usually a sponsored kiddush after Shabbat services. A succah is erected on Succot, lulavs and etrogs are ordered for members, chametz is sold through the office at Pesach.

Programs such as dinners, speakers, BarBQ’s are held during the year. Once a year there is a major fundraiser with a featured speaker.

The synagogue is run by a Board of Directors. There is one full time office staff person, a part time youth director, as well as hired cleaners and a kitchen worker for Shabbat.

Interpersonal skills

• Demonstrate personal empathy towards a diverse congregation.
• Be a role model for positive midot.
• Comfort those facing hardship with sensitivity to their individual situations and needs.
• Willing and able to liaise with all Jewish organizations in the city.

Ethical Standards 

• Halachic and spiritual leader who sees the importance of integrating Jewish identity and practice with our role in the modern world.
• Inspiring teacher and role model who can reach people with different educational and religious backgrounds.
• Provide Pesak Halacha with sensitivity to the diverse backgrounds of the congregation.

Inclusiveness 

• Ability to motivate people to get involved in synagogue and community activities while respecting diversity.
• Ability to engage the youth within the community and help foster their connection to Torah as a relevant force in their life.
• Support the local day school and other Jewish institutions as vital to the growth of the community.

Housing
Expense allowance
Provincial health care provided

ayhRabbiSearch@gmail.com