HISTORY OF CONGREGATION BINA
A marked increase in Jewish immigration from India to Canada began in the early 1960’s. Most families settled in Toronto; some settled in Hamilton, Montreal and a few in other parts of Canada. Many of these families, who had settled in Toronto, did not attend High Holiday services at the local synagogues because of high fees. In 1970, a couple of families managed to arrange affordable High Holiday services for the Bene Israel community. For some families it was the first High Holiday services they attended since leaving India.
As more Bene Israel immigrants from India settled in Toronto, they felt the need to get together socially, to be supportive of each other and provide opportunities for their children to get to know each other. In 1978, several families made a concerted effort to organize a social event. Letters were sent out and a potluck social was held in a local public school in Scarborough in November 1978. It was a great success!
The organizing group was encouraged by the response and the participants expressed a need to get together as a community and have some fun. After a few successful functions, such as a Purim social in 1979 and a picnic in July 1979, some families expressed the desire to organize High Holiday services according to Bene Israel tradition.
Some individuals had doubts about taking on this initiative and some others were opposed to the idea altogether. Those in favour of the idea met and in September 1979, High Holiday services were held at Jewish Women’s Council House on Bathurst Street.
In February 1980, it was decided to establish an umbrella organization of Jews from India residing in North America. The process to incorporate the organization began in 1980 with the writing of the Constitution for Congregation BINA and an application was made on behalf of the group. On March 31, 1981, the corporation was registered as Congregation BINA in our Letters Patent.
THE NAME BINA
At that time, we were unable to register the name “B’nai Israel of North America”, as the name “B’nai Israel” was already used by another operating congregation. The group then opted for and was granted the name "Beth Israel of North America" (BINA) which means “understanding” in Hebrew.
CHARITABLE STATUS
In 1982 the Board made an application for Charitable Status to the Government. This was granted in 1983 retroactive to June 1982. Work on writing a By-Law consistent with our Constitution and relevant to the needs of the community began.
COMMUNITY CENTRE
Early in 1993, a special committee looked into the feasibility of establishing a Community Centre for Congregation BINA. They found the project was not feasible as the community was too small to support the ongoing cost of maintenance, and the work too onerous to be done by a few people but, in a spirit of optimism, some fundraising initiatives were organized, such as:
a successful Gala Dinner and Dance at the Hava Nagila Night-Club; the event included a fruitful art auction and a silent auction
a concert of Indian Classical Dance at the Markham Theatre
a trip to Casino Niagara.
to buy land and build a building
to buy an existing building
to pay for a long term lease of an existing building
to pay for the rental of an existing building
to pay for sharing of a facility with another organization.
ANNUAL AND BIENNIAL GENERAL BODY MEETINGS
Our first AGM was held on June 19, 1982 at the Jewish Community Centre in Toronto. The meeting was followed by an Eliyahu Hannabi service and dinner. Since then, it has become a tradition of the congregation to conclude the AGM with an Eliyahu Hannabi as a prayer of thanksgiving.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership was made affordable for all. This included admission to High Holiday Services.
HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES
Since September 1979, Congregation BINA has held High Holiday Services at Jewish Women’s Council House on Bathurst Street. Services have always been led by members of the Congregation.
SEFRAI TORAH
In those early years, the Beth David B’nai Israel Beth Am Congregation (BDBIBA) lent us two Sefrai Torah for our use during services. Our first Sefrai Torah was donated in 1981 and the second in 1989. In 1997, Congregation BINA purchased a third Sefer Torah in Toronto. It was welcomed with much rejoicing at Rosh Hashanah. Each year, BDBIBA has generously stored our three Sefrai Torah during the year.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Every year socials are held at Hanukkah and Purim. A community picnic is organized each summer. In recent years a community Seder has been held on the second day of Passover.
In 1993, some of the youth in our congregation formed a cricket team. They played with the Action Cricket Club of Toronto and did very well. In 1994, the youth members of the Cricket Club organized a Purim function where funds were raised and donations received from well-wishers. Although some of the members were new to the game, they ended up winning the gold! They received mention in the Canadian Jewish News.
EDUCATION
To address a need expressed by the community, Hebrew classes were started in September 1999 for children between the ages of 5 and 12 years. The students have performed at Purim and Hanukkah socials and High Holiday services.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES
The objective of this fund was to encourage post-secondary education among Canadian students of Indian Jewish origin. To invest in the future of our youth, donations can be specifically donated to this fund.
“CONTACT”
Our newsletter, ‘Contact’, was published for the first time in the spring of 1981, as a way to keep in touch with our wide spread community members. Early issues were all hand written! The circulation of Contact, which started with 50 to 60 families, has risen to 120 families. Each issue contains general interest articles, religious essays, upcoming events, Indian Jewish recipes, and community news, such as births, deaths, weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, etc.
LIAISON
In 1980, a member of the board was invited to and did present a paper on “The Sociological Structure of The Bombay Jewish Community” at the First International Conference on The Jewish Family Heritage held in Jerusalem, Israel.
On February 19, 1994, some members of our community put on a very good performance at the Sephardic Music Festival at the York University Auditorium.
In 1998, Congregation BINA participated in the “Israel at 50” celebrations at the CNE that were organized under the auspices of UJA Federation and the Consulate General of Israel. Congregation BINA participated in food/cooking demonstrations and the Sephardic Fashion Shows that showcased the costumes and henna & wedding ceremonies of the Indian, Moroccan and Yemenite Jewish communities.
In 2006 and then in 2008, Congregation BINA participated in the Jewish Mosaic Festival held at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre in Toronto. This festival highlighted the customs and traditions of various Jewish communities from around the world who have now settled in Toronto.
Over the years, there has been an increased exposure of our community through print/television media and presentations to various groups.
Our liaison with the wider Jewish Community resulted in us receiving requests for training young people in Bene Israel melodies both from within and outside our small community for Bar/Bat Mitzvah and weddings.
CONCLUSION
Congregation BINA has achieved a lot over the years by the diligence, dedication and enthusiasm of its various Board members and the active support of the community. Hours of hard work, lovingly given, have formed the cornerstone upon which the foundation of this organization was laid.