TRANSCRIPT

Interview of B. Scheaffer and J. Atkins by R. Ormerod Sept 26, 2003

B. Scheaffer: The synagogue in Kirkland Lake was something that was very close to my heart and I am sure Joe's also. And when, the community could no longer afford to keep a Rabbi to keep the services going and keep the community together, the synagogue sort of fell into disrepair. So much so, that on the most sacred holiday in the Jewish year, which is 10 days in October called Yom Kippur, they could not afford anyone to come and lead the services. And the scholarship, the Jewish scholarship of the community by that time, had filtered down and deteriorated. There were very few who could carry on a service or conduct a service.

So for the holiest day of the Jewish year, which is the evening before Yom Kippur they had a record and their phonograph to play a very famous song called Nidra and that really showed to me that this was of limited time.

We had suggested that perhaps that they demolish and we would be very happy to buy the furnishings and take it, put it in a loving home, a loving synagogue. And the offer was turned down and then about six months later my mother phoned and they had a terrible problem with the synagogue. Part of the roof was collapsing because of the snow, so at that point we decided we would make them another offer which they did not refuse. And what happened was that Fred went up there with a couple of Jewish carpenters to demolish the furnishings of the synagogue. There is a very lovely . . .

F. Scheaffer: We did not demolish them.

B. Scheaffer: Well, the piece of furniture which holds the holy ark. What we call the Torah. There were several Torahs there and we took that to Toronto and the benches, the pews all the furnishing from the Synagogue came to Toronto and was installed in our synagogue.