Mission Statement

The First Narayever Congregation —a cornerstone of Jewish Toronto for over 100 years —is a warm, welcoming, and accessible community dedicated to serving the Jewish community in downtown Toronto and beyond. Our shul is unaffiliated with any particular movement in Judaism allowing us to forge strong traditional and egalitarian values of which we are very proud.

We actively welcome Jews from all walks of life, including Jews of colour, intermarried Jews, Jews in the LGBTQIA2S+ community, Jews with mobility restrictions, Jews from all ethnic backgrounds, Jews from all socioeconomic levels, and those who made the profound choice to become Jewish through conversion, to join our relaxed, spirited, participatory heymish congregation that combines traditional liturgy with an egalitarian ethos. We have recently renovated our shul to make it as accessible in practice as it has always been in spirit. Our view of progressive Judaism is one that strives to cultivate an environment of acceptance and pluralism while also developing and sustaining traditional Jewish values such as love of Torah and Jewish learning for all ages. We seek to ensure that financial need is never a barrier to membership.  

Our community dedicates itself to tikkun olam, tzedakah, social action and contributing to the vitality of the downtown Toronto Jewish community. Our shul encourages a thoughtful and committed connection to the State of Israel. We prioritize caring for one another and supporting our multi-generational community through both times of celebration and times of difficulty and enriching the lives of our members by providing dynamic programming for children of all ages and adult education opportunities that enhance spiritual growth and Jewish identity.