Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto is a synagogue in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto, and is one of the largest Orthodox synagogues in North America. It emphasizes family values and attracts Jews from a variety of religious backgrounds with what it calls the "warmth of Torah tradition". It also serves as a social hall for many social events in the Toronto Jewish community.HistoryThe idea of BAYT was conceived by Joseph Tanenbaum, who had performed philanthropy elsewhere and wanted to do something for his home town. He set out to create an Orthodox synagogue that was also modern and acted as the spiritual center of the community, and which would attract observant Jews and others searching for meaning in their lives.Tannenbaum approached Rabbi Baruch Taub, a prominent alumnus of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore, who grew up in Toronto, then national director of NCSY in New York, to be the Rabbi. By the mid 1980s, the community had reached over 200 families, and has now grown to over 700. The synagogue's former Chazzan, Rabbi Manny Klein, developed the first youth programs. The Shul's current building was dedicated in 1988.
