Chabad Lubavitch of Markham is a traditional Jewish congregation in Thornhill, just north of Toronto (Located on Green Lane, at Bayview and John Street). Our services are Orthodox, with an emphasis on outreach.
We trace our roots back to 1985 when Rabbi Avraham Plotkin and his wife Goldie arrived in Thornhill. At the time, there were no Orthodox Jewish facilities in Thornhill east of Yonge Street, and Rabbi and Rebbetzin Plotkin wasted no time filling the gap. Rabbi Plotkin began conducting regular Shabbat and holiday services in his basement, while his wife was soon in charge of a growing nursery school and kindergarten. For the High Holidays, Rabbi Plotkin rented space at the Thornhill Community Centre (at Bayview and John Street), where we shared the beauty and traditions of our Jewish faith with hundreds of others.
Our community grew by leaps and bounds. Within a few short years, there were enough 'Regulars' at Shabbat and Holiday Services to warrant bigger premises. Chabad Lubavitch of Markham and Torah Tots Nursery School moved to rented premises on Guardsman Road in Thornhill. The congregation continued to grow, and so did the annual High Holiday crowd at the Community Centre. At the same time, the increasing number of children in the congregation necessitated the creation of a Hebrew School and other youth programs and activities. Rabbi Meir Gitlin and his wife Esther arrived in 1989 from Irvine California and soon established the very popular Chabad Lubavitch of Markham Hebrew School, as well as Youth Clubs, Bar and Bat Mitzvah classes and teen programs.
In 1997, we opened our very own Synagogue Centre, on Green Lane. Recently in 2014, we expanded our building to the beautiful new centre that we have today.
The new building seats close to 1,000 people in its new majestic sanctuary and is able to accommodate close to 400 people for Simchas in an elegant social hall. The new lobby features a full wall three dimensional mural by Chasidic artist Michoel Muchnik and is adorned by some exquisite sculptures by Toronto artist Marta Franco. The new library and daily Beis Hamedrosh features 16 foot ceilings and a great selection of books, and our beautiful mikvah serves the entire community.
We're continuing to grow. But no matter how many families join us, one thing that will never change is the warmth you feel the moment you walk through our door. Our Shul has become a home away from home for more people than ever, and we always welcome anyone who's interested in rediscovering his or her Jewish roots.