Sept. 2026
Jeff Manishen

Five intrepid members of the Beth Jacob congregation joined Rabbi Beni Wajnberg and his family to spend Shabbat with the wonderful congregants of Beth El Synagogue, the newest USCJ-affiliated synagogue in Canada, in St. John’s, Newfoundland from July 10–12.

Rabbi Beni initiated the outreach program to connect our members with the Jewish community in the Maritimes and Bette, the dynamic president of Beth El readily accepted.

Beth El has a rich history, having been established initially as an Orthodox congregation in 1909 and becoming egalitarian Conservative in 1992. They are the only synagogue in Newfoundland and own the only Jewish cemetery in the province.

Our weekend visit commenced with a trip to The Rooms, Newfoundland’s largest public cultural space, where Beth El congregant Justin, whose family goes back generations in the province, gave us background about the section of the museum outlining the history of the Jewish people going back to the 1700s.

Later in the afternoon, we met with Bette and several members of the congregation to hear about their history, including the efforts of then-president Dr. Michael Paul, of blessed memory, to assist the Jewish passengers stranded in Gander and St. John’s on Sept. 11, 2001. One of the rabbis gave a d’var Torah on Sept. 14 and sent the congregation boxes of Shmura matzah for the next decade to show his appreciation.

The Shabbat services that evening were lovely and were followed by a bountiful Shabbat dinner where new friendships were quickly made.