Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel, Commemorative plaque, 2023.
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Resource ID
10406
Access
Open
Address
2401 Steeles Avenue West, Toronto, ON M3J 2P1
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2023
Description
Enter text here Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel was among the first Jewish funeral homes in Toronto. Founded in 1922 by Henry Benjamin, who came to Canada from Eastern Europe, the business provided traditional Jewish funeral rituals, which require that the deceased receive a purifying cleansing. A Jewish person must watch over the body until the burial happens as soon as possible after death. Benjamin was a member of Toronto’s Chevra Kadisha (burial society), volunteers who are responsible for the sacred trust of caring for the dead and assisting with burials. He owned a grocery near College and Montrose Streets and used his delivery wagon to take bodies to the cemetery. By 1927, he provided traditional Jewish funeral services full-time. In 1928, the business moved east to Spadina Avenue near Kensington Market, which was the centre of Toronto’s Jewish community. Henry Benjamin died in 1939 and the business passed to his son Joe. Over time, the heart of the Jewish community moved north on Bathurst Street. In 1977, Joe’s son Michael opened a purpose-built Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel in this building. Benjamin’s descendants, including his great-grandchildren Marc, Jordan, and Barbi, continued to provide funeral services for Toronto’s Jewish community.
Historical Themes
Business History, Faith and Religion, Immigration and Multiculturalism
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Time Period
1900-1953, 1954-1998, 1999-today
Caption
Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel, Commemorative plaque, 2023.