In 1768, Quebec’s first Jews created the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue congregation of around 20 people (Scott, 2018: The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, n.d.). The Synagogue typically followed Sephardic practices as many attending Jews were descendants of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, however due to the current diversity of congregants there are Mizrahi and Ashkenazi influences on top of the Sephardic influences on the services (The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, n.d.). Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue is now a Jewish cultural hub that promotes various sects of Judaism as according to “Rosh Hashanah, we have five different services. We have the main Spanish and Portuguese tradition, we have an Iraqi service, a Moroccan service, a Lebanese service, and an authentic Ashkenazi service” (Scott, 2018).
- Scott, M. (2018). Canada’s oldest Jewish congregation, a civil rights champion, marks 250 years. Montreal Gazette. https://montrealgazette.com/news/article191510.html.
- The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal. (n.d.). Our history. The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal. https://thespanish.org/250th-history.html