Temple B’nai Tikvah: Building Reform Jewish Life in Calgary, Alberta

Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary is a Reform Jewish congregation that welcomes individuals and families into a warm, inclusive, and vibrant community. Committed to lifelong learning, meaningful worship, and the celebration of Jewish traditions, the congregation provides opportunities for members to deepen their connections to Judaism and to one another. Through its dedication to diverse expressions of Jewish identity, respectful dialogue, and strong community relationships, Temple B’nai Tikvah continues to foster an environment where learning, belonging, and shared values thrive.

I would like to thank the esteemed Danny Oppenheim, Executive Director,for his support and guidance.

Religious Events

Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary, Alberta, offers a vibrant Reform Jewish community where members come together to worship, study Torah, and participate in meaningful Jewish learning. The congregation provides opportunities for spiritual growth through worship services, Torah study, and a religious school that helps foster Jewish values, traditions, and lifelong connections for individuals and families.

Torah

In March 1980, Ron Bing received a phone call from a member of the Jewish community informing him that a friend wished to make a donation toward the purchase of a Torah for Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary, Alberta. At the time, Ron’s wife, Judy Bing, served as the Temple’s secretary. When the Torah arrived at the Calgary airport, Ron collected it from the customs office, where it had been shipped in a wooden crate.

The accompanying photograph shows him holding the newly acquired Torah before it was adorned with ceremonial crowns or a breastplate. The Torah was formally dedicated during a special service held in May 1980 in the basement of the Fagan family home, marking an important milestone in the congregation’s early history.

Life Cycle Events

Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary, Alberta, offers a vibrant Reform Jewish experience where members come together to celebrate life-cycle events. The congregation marks important milestones such as baby namings, b’nai mitzvah, weddings, and memorial services, providing meaningful Jewish rituals and a supportive community to commemorate each stage of life.

Educational Events

Temple B’nai Tikvah offers a comprehensive educational program that nurtures Jewish learning from early childhood through adolescence. The Shabbatots preschool program introduces three- and four-year-olds to Shabbat, Hebrew vocabulary, Jewish stories, and holiday celebrations in a joyful, engaging environment. The Temple’s Shabbat School, held on Saturday mornings from September to May, provides children from preschool through Grade 7 with a strong foundation in Jewish life, using the Reform movement’s CHAI curriculum, which emphasizes Torah, worship, and deeds of loving kindness.

Students participate in holiday celebrations, integrated Hebrew instruction, age-appropriate worship services, music, and interactive learning that fosters both Jewish knowledge and community. The Temple’s two year B’nai Mitzvah program builds on this foundation by preparing students spiritually, intellectually, and ritually for becoming bar or bat mitzvah.

Through Torah study, Hebrew liturgy, discussions of the weekly Torah portion with the rabbi, and exploration of Jewish texts and values, participants develop a meaningful connection to Judaism, their congregation, and the broader Jewish community, equipping them for a lifetime of Jewish learning and engagement.

Culture

Temple B’nai Tikvah fosters a vibrant culture of community engagement, lifelong learning, and social responsibility. Its youth groups actively support the wider community through annual food drives, while programs for young adults and families with young children provide opportunities to build meaningful relationships, strengthen Jewish identity, deepen Jewish learning, and enjoy shared social experiences.

Guided by the values of Reform Judaism, the congregation encourages members to care for one another, cultivate a strong and welcoming community, participate in lifelong learning, embrace Israel’s heritage, and practice tzedakah (charitable giving) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), making these principles central to congregational life.

Historical Backgrounds

The first Jews arrived in Canada in the 1760s following the British conquest of New France. Among these earliest pioneers were merchants, officers, and commissaries attached to the British army, including Aaron Hart and Samuel Jacobs. By 1768, the Jewish community had established Canada’s first synagogue, Shaarei Israel, in Montreal, laying the foundation for organized Jewish life in the country.

Jewish settlement in Alberta began more than a century later. The province’s first permanent Jewish settlers were Lithuanian immigrant Jacob Lyon Diamond and his wife, Rachel, who arrived in Calgary in 1889. Four years later, in 1893, Abraham and Rebecca Cristall became the first Jewish residents to settle permanently in Edmonton, helping establish another important center of Jewish life in Alberta.

The arrival of Jacob and Rachel Diamond in Calgary came just five years after the Canadian Pacific Railway reached the city, creating new opportunities for settlement and commerce. As Calgary’s Jewish population gradually increased, the community took steps to establish permanent institutions. In 1905, land was acquired for a Jewish cemetery, marking an important milestone in the development of an enduring Jewish presence in the city.

Between 1905 and 1979, Jewish life in Calgary transitioned from a tight-knit community of Eastern European peddlers and merchants into a bustling, urban hub. Driven by early pioneers like the Diamond family, the community established enduring religious, philanthropic, and educational institutions before coalescing into the southwest quadrant of the city.

Which brings us to 1979. 

In 1979, Alberta experienced an economic boom fueled by the oil crisis, re-elected Premier Peter Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives on March 14, and saw Albertan Joe Clark become Canada’s youngest Prime Minister in May. The year was marked by massive northern wildfires in July and a devastating pipeline explosion in Edmonton’s Mill Woods in November.

In 1979, Alberta’s Jewish community was experiencing an era of massive expansion fueled by a booming oil economy. The population grew by 50% between the 1970s and 1980s as newcomers arrived from across Canada and globally. As numbers swelled, communal life shifted from small towns to the major urban centers of Calgary and Edmonton.

The roots of Temple B’nai Tikvah were established in 1979, when a small group of 33 individuals representing 13 families came together to form Calgary’s Reform Jewish congregation. The congregation held its first Shabbat service on April 6, 1979, in the living room of Ron Bing’s family home. The service featured music led by Norm Yanofsky on guitar, while Henry Zimmer read the weekly Torah portion.

The following year, in 1980, the congregation officially adopted the name Temple B’nai Tikvah (“Children of Hope”), a name suggested by Steven Switzer that reflected the congregation’s vision for the future.

On Saturday, February 21, 2004, members of Temple B’nai Tikvah celebrated a significant milestone as the congregation carried their Torahs in a special procession to their new home in Britannia. There, the congregation shared a building with Living Spirit United Church for the next four years. The first service in the new location was held on February 27, 2004, marking the beginning of an important new chapter in the history of Temple B’nai Tikvah.

Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary has grown from a small gathering of 13 families in 1979 into a vibrant Reform Jewish congregation rooted in worship, education, community, and social responsibility. From its first Shabbat service in a family living room to establishing a permanent home in Britannia and continuing to expand its programs, the congregation has remained committed to creating meaningful Jewish experiences for all generations. Through Torah study, life-cycle celebrations, youth and family education, cultural activities, and acts of tzedakah and tikkun olam, Temple B’nai Tikvah continues to strengthen Jewish identity and foster a welcoming community built on the values of hope, learning, and connection.

Contact Information:

Temple B’nai Tikvah, 900 47^th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2S 3C8

Phone: 403-252-1654

Email: office@bnaitikvah.ca

Website: https://templebnaitikvah.org/