Beth Hamidrash, Sephardic Congregation. Morning minyan 7:00 AM…read more Shabbat 9:00 AM. Children's program. Followed by Kiddush. Sunday morning minyan 8:30 AM. Morning classes Tuesday, Wednesday. Join us for coffee. Friday morning after tefila, lox and bagels. Lively conversation and coffee. Lunch and learn, noon on Thursday. Only Sephardic synagogue west of Toronto. Website, www.bethhamidrash.com. Telephone 604-872-4222. Rabbi Shlomo Gabay. Shlomo Laniado, President.

From the owner: Located in Vancouver BC, Beth Hamidrash is Canada’s only Sephardic synagogue west of Toronto and is…read morefamed for its warmth and inclusiveness. Our diverse roots create a unique centre for exciting educational, cultural, and religious experiences for people of all ages.

This is a small, dynamic progressive activist synagogue committed to engaging with real-world…read moreissues from a universalistic perspective.

A nice and beautiful congregation here in Canada. The short time we were in Canada, we stopped here…read moreto pray with our fellow brotheren and sisters of God. I was amazed at the warmth and welcoming attitudes when me and my girlfriend visited here. I will visit this lovely congregation again.

Great experience and a very beautiful environment! The friday service I attended was very cozy and…read moremade me feel very connected, despite me not being a part of the congregation!

Congregation Emanu-El is the oldest surviving Jewish Temple on North America's West Coast. It's…read morealso a national historic site, and guests are welcome on Shabbat. They are reported to be an inclusive, warm, haimishe, and progressive Conservative synagogue, with current membership at around 190 Families. Gayle and I came across this architecturally interesting shul during one of our long walks in and around Victoria. In the 1850s, during the time of gold prospectors, fur traders, and steamships, the Jewish community of Victoria began. The first Jews came in 1858, mostly from San Francisco. Gold prospectors had to stop in Victoria, to obtain mining licenses, and then go on to the mainland where gold was discovered. The first Jews came with these prospectors, and supplied the mining camps with food, clothing, household goods, and tools. In the 1850s, there were about 200 Jews in Victoria. The congregation "Emanu-El of Victoria, Vancouver Island" came into being in 1862, and members purchased the present site of the synagogue just after that. The cornerstone-laying ceremony took place on June 2, 1863.

Temple Beth Or has become my second home. TBO is a warm, inclusive, intellectually stimulating,…read morefriendly, and helpful Jewish community with a wonderful Rabbi!

We first experienced the warmth and welcoming community of Temple Beth Or about 5 years ago. We had…read morerecently moved to the area and were greeted as if we immediately belonged. Rabbi Marshall did our son's baby naming and since then we have gotten more and more involved. The level of religious observation runs from super secular to atheist/culturally Jewish to people who keep Shabbat in a strict sense. All are welcomed. With the addition of Rabbi Kort, the synagogue community is headed to even greater heights. We have made some of our closest friends at TBO and look forward to the future we can create there. We hope to meet you soon!