Toronto's Newest Parochet (In a YossiG Shul!)

It All Started Here ....

A prominent shul member found me on LinkedIn and reached out with a request:

Shul Interior Design by Yossi G.

Wow, the legendary YossiG! I've worked with a few of the top Chassidish shul designers from the US and I think his work is just out of this world! 

Thinking About The Design

Khal Toras Chesed (aka Alta Yesodei) wanted a very unique design, that is less artsy and more systematic, focused... for a shul that is quasi-heimish, but it has a feeling to it. Not Young Israel, not a Kollel, not Bobov or Vizhnitz. The Mara D'atra is HaRav Baruch Lichtenstein shlit"a.

I reflected upon the fact that the shul B"H which was founded about 100 years ago has stood the test of time and remained steadfast to Jewish values.

I did research on that critical point in Jewish history, when hundreds of thousands of Eastern European immigrants to Canada and the USA abandoned their faith due to the extreme pressure of working on Shabbos.

B"H - the mispallelim of Khal Toras Chessed withstood the test and are now schepping nachess from their frum great-grandchildren.

I spent quite a while thinking of psukim which would portray this kesher between past and present generations.

Here are a few that came up:

השיבנו ה אליך ונשובה... חדש ימינו כקדם
עוד ינובון בשיבה דשנים ורעננים יהיו
וראה בנים לבניך שלום על ישראל

But when I told an artist friend about the unique shul that withstood the tremendous nisayon of working on Shabbos, she sent me the following:

כי אשמרה שבת א-ל ישמרני אות היא לעולמי עד בינו וביני
 
I immediately felt - yes- this is the one. THIS sums it all up.

When Khal Toras Chessed's founding members guarded the Shabbat- Hashem guarded them, and now, look, they are breathing fresh life into the shul! It really gave me goosebumps.

However, in the end the donor, R' Bentzion Heitner, choose a possuk from Modim in Shmoneh Esrei that fits in beautifully with the shul's history: 

לדור ודור נודה לך ונספר תהלתך

This is where we daven for our children in Shmoney Esrei - an idea so pertinent for a shul which has been around for 4 or 5 generations!  

Here's some LinkedIn feedback from one of the shul members, R' Dovid Lando:

Wowowow, so the donor aroused a sleeping machlokes rishonim and there was lots of Ritcha De'Orayta in the shul! Success!

The Various Renders ....

It took a bit of time to create THE design, but once we did, we knew it was the winner!

On The Embroidery Machine

Coordinating Holiday Set

Note the Birkos HaTorah in Nussach Sfard stylishly embroidered on the bottom right of the bima cover. No more photocopies floating all over the bimah!