The Lost History of Shabbat Lake
By Jeff Green
A document recently surfaced at the headquarters of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) in Toronto that points to the existence of a synagogue near what is now the Jehovah’s Witness building just south of Sharbot Lake. The document is a bill of sale, dated April 1, 1848, transferring a parcel of land for the "purposes of the construction of a religious building" to a committee headed by a Vintel Ashkenza and a Phievel Badorovsky, both immigrant refugees from persecution in what is now Poland.
Believed to be Victor Ashkana
In the Canadian Jewish Congress archives there was also a description of the building, thought to be the first synagogue in eastern Ontario, which was constructed between 1850 and 1852. It was "a five sided structure in what might be called a rustic gothic style." There is also an account of the dedication ceremony, which took place on September 27 in 1852.
When contacted, a Hebrew scholar, Baruch Brossard of Hezekiah Yeshiva in Montreal, said the "date of September 27, 1852 is interesting, because it coincides with the ‘Days of Awe, that take place in between the two major Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The ‘Days of Awe’ are the period of limbo between the time the Lord writes peoples names in the book of life or the book of death on Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, when that book is sealed. It was an auspicious time for the dedication of this unique synagogue."
It turned out not to be very auspicious, however, since the synagogue burnt down fourteen years later, sometime in March of 1867. Baruch Brossard also said, "It is interesting that the village nearby is now known as Sharbot Lake, since our records indicate the synagogue was near a village called ‘Shabbat Lake’, Shabbat being the Hebrew word for Sabbath.
As to what happened to the Jewish population in the region, Brossard speculates that they may have moved on once the synagogue burned down.
"Still, they may have stayed on and been assimilated," he added. "There are many stories of Jewish people deciding to convert and change their names. This is an unfortunate reality in the diaspora of the Jewish people. It has happened throughout the world, and why not in Shabbat Lake. Shabbat could have been changed to Sharbot, Vintel Ashkenaz could have changed his name to Victor Asselstine and Phifel Badorovsky could have become Phillip Badour. And there you have it, the end of a Jewish community. The sands of history probably covered over the rest of the story, and now people probably think Sharbot Lake is derived from a French or native name," said Brossard, shaking his head and fighting back tears.
Little is known of what life must have been like for the so-called ‘Olden Jews’ of the 19th century, although they probably lived lives similar to their lives in eastern Europe, eking out a meagre existence off the land. There is no record of attendance by Jewish children in the local schools of the time, so they must have set up a Jewish cheder, or school, somewhere near the synagogue. But any traces of this building have been lost, as have all records of the size of the congregation in the ill-fated synagogue.
While there are also no records under the names Brisonovsky or Ashkenaz in the records of Oso or Olden townships, there are two well-known entrepeneurs connected with the Frontenac News whose names are suspiciously similar.
By Jeff Green
A document recently surfaced at the headquarters of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) in Toronto that points to the existence of a synagogue near what is now the Jehovah’s Witness building just south of Sharbot Lake. The document is a bill of sale, dated April 1, 1848, transferring a parcel of land for the "purposes of the construction of a religious building" to a committee headed by a Vintel Ashkenza and a Phievel Badorovsky, both immigrant refugees from persecution in what is now Poland.
Believed to be Victor Ashkana
In the Canadian Jewish Congress archives there was also a description of the building, thought to be the first synagogue in eastern Ontario, which was constructed between 1850 and 1852. It was "a five sided structure in what might be called a rustic gothic style." There is also an account of the dedication ceremony, which took place on September 27 in 1852.
When contacted, a Hebrew scholar, Baruch Brossard of Hezekiah Yeshiva in Montreal, said the "date of September 27, 1852 is interesting, because it coincides with the ‘Days of Awe, that take place in between the two major Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The ‘Days of Awe’ are the period of limbo between the time the Lord writes peoples names in the book of life or the book of death on Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, when that book is sealed. It was an auspicious time for the dedication of this unique synagogue."
It turned out not to be very auspicious, however, since the synagogue burnt down fourteen years later, sometime in March of 1867. Baruch Brossard also said, "It is interesting that the village nearby is now known as Sharbot Lake, since our records indicate the synagogue was near a village called ‘Shabbat Lake’, Shabbat being the Hebrew word for Sabbath.
As to what happened to the Jewish population in the region, Brossard speculates that they may have moved on once the synagogue burned down.
"Still, they may have stayed on and been assimilated," he added. "There are many stories of Jewish people deciding to convert and change their names. This is an unfortunate reality in the diaspora of the Jewish people. It has happened throughout the world, and why not in Shabbat Lake. Shabbat could have been changed to Sharbot, Vintel Ashkenaz could have changed his name to Victor Asselstine and Phifel Badorovsky could have become Phillip Badour. And there you have it, the end of a Jewish community. The sands of history probably covered over the rest of the story, and now people probably think Sharbot Lake is derived from a French or native name," said Brossard, shaking his head and fighting back tears.
Little is known of what life must have been like for the so-called ‘Olden Jews’ of the 19th century, although they probably lived lives similar to their lives in eastern Europe, eking out a meagre existence off the land. There is no record of attendance by Jewish children in the local schools of the time, so they must have set up a Jewish cheder, or school, somewhere near the synagogue. But any traces of this building have been lost, as have all records of the size of the congregation in the ill-fated synagogue.
While there are also no records under the names Brisonovsky or Ashkenaz in the records of Oso or Olden townships, there are two well-known entrepeneurs connected with the Frontenac News whose names are suspiciously similar.
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