Calgary Jewish Federation

Canadian Jewish Heritage Month is still going strong — and it’s the perfect time to spotlight a local gem: the Montefiore Institute, aka the Little Synagogue on the Prairie at Heritage Park, now open for the summer season!

Built in 1916, the Little Synagogue offers a fascinating glimpse into Canadian Jewish and Western Canadian history. It began as part of a Jewish farming colony near the Alberta–Saskatchewan border, one of more than 30 Jewish farming colonies established across the Prairies between 1884–1912.

Like many prairie buildings, it served many purposes over the years: synagogue, school, meeting hall, makeshift hospital, grain storage, and eventually a family home in Hanna, Alberta.

Purchased by the Little Synagogue on the Prairie Project Society, it was restored and relocated to Heritage Park in 2009, where it now stands.

Visit the Little Synagogue on the Prairie daily from 10am–5pm until August 31 with admission to Heritage Park!

Photo Credits: Provincial Archives of Alberta, Shel Bercovich, and Heritage Park.