Sometime during the height of the COVID pandemic, Rabbi Aaron Spiro posted an ad on Facebook — something that read along the lines of: “Are you Jewish? Do you live in Trois-Rivières?” These questions would soon be answered with an unexpected Jewish revitalization in one of Quebec’s oldest cities.
About a two-hour drive from Montreal, the city of Trois-Rivières gets its name from the three channels where the Saint Maurice River meets the Saint Lawrence River.
The city has a strong Jewish history. British businessman Aaron Hart, one of the first Jews to live in North America, settled in Trois-Rivières in 1761. His son, Ezekiel, was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in the early 19th century, initially unwilling to take his seat because the swearing-in oath included the phrase, “on the true faith of a Christian.”
Today, the city’s “Hart Street” honors the family’s legacy, and until recently, this was the sole memory of anything Jewish in Trois-Rivières. The last known synagogue closed in the 1950s; even the Jewish cemetery was relocated to Montreal in the 1980s. However, with the Montreal Torah Center’s L’Chaim Project, which aims to revitalize Jewish life around Quebec, an opportunity arose. In 2021, Rabbi Levi New called up Rabbi Aaron Spiro, asking him to participate in a new outreach project to help those feeling isolated due to the Covid pandemic. “Reach out to the Jews of Trois-Rivières,” he said.
After a few Facebook ads, people responded, and the dormant Jewish spirit of the city was awakened. Soon, Aaron and his wife Amanda, along with their 3 children, began visiting the city once a month, offering programs for Shabbat and holidays, with a growing number of participants.
Gina Levine saw the advertisement on Facebook and was overjoyed. “I had been living here for over 30 years, holding strong to my Jewish beliefs and traditions all throughout. But when the Spiros came they brought our small, but warm, community together.” She joined around 25 others in the first public Menorah lighting in the city’s history, a celebration that, she says, “brought tears to my eyes.”
Eventually, the Spiros began making the trek more often. However, each time, they were met with a challenge: where would they host the programs? Searching for a proper venue and koshering kitchens time and again was proving to be quite the hassle.
But just before Passover of 2024, Aaron received an unexpected call from a Montreal acquaintance who offered them a spacious, furnished condo in Trois-Rivières rent-free for Chabad use. Within 10 days, they moved in, furnished it, and hosted a Passover Seder and holiday services. After Passover, they held an event to inaugurate the new Chabad House, drawing 100 attendees. These days, the Spiros visit the city pretty often, hosting Shabbat and holiday services and meals — and soon, Rabbi Spiro says, Torah classes.
“The Spiros’ efforts to reach out, especially to my son, have made a big difference,” says Sam Falk. Sam lives in a small town nearly two hours north of Trois-Rivières, but he feels a close connection to Chabad there. “It’s comforting to have a Jewish presence in what feels like a spiritual wilderness. Knowing there’s a place to connect for Shabbat and holidays means so much.”“Every Jewish person in the community has a unique story,” says Rabbi Aaron. Some moved recently, while others settled there decades ago. Some even live in even smaller towns nearby and travel to Trois-Rivières for Jewish events. “Whenever we meet a new face, the first thing they often say is, ‘I thought I was the only Jew here.’ We’re here to let them know that that’s not the case.”
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