[3] Located at 56 Maria Street, in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood, the congregation was established in 1909[2] by Jewish immigrants, largely from Russia and Poland.

Circular windows on three sides of the building are divided into eighteen segments to symbolize the Hebrew word chai (life).

[6] Many of the congregants were artisans, peddlers, shopkeepers or scrap and metal collectors while a large number of residents who were carpenters or cabinet makers found work at the nearby Heintzman & Co. piano factory on Keele Street.

[2] Toronto's Jewish population migrated north after World War Two, resulting in the synagogue remaining largely closed except for holidays and special events since the 1950s.

[4] Philanthropist and arts patron Joey Tanenbaum is the grandson of one of the synagogue's founders and attended services as a boy.