Adath Israel was established in 1930, initially situated in a rented space above a delicatessen on Van Horne Avenue in Outremont.

[1] Construction of the congregation's permanent home at 899 McEchran Avenue began in 1939, and the synagogue was dedicated in 1940.

[6][7] Adath Israel's original building at McEachran and Ducharme was designed by architects Milton Eliasoph and Henry E.

[8] Its Bauhaus-influenced modernist style represents a shift from traditional synagogue architecture in Montreal.

The synagogue's Hampstead building is noted for its 30 stained glass panels by Yehouda Chaki depicting Biblical themes.