In December 2010, Rabbi Levi and Mushkie Itkin arrived to Nun’s Island in Verdun, QC, where Jewish religious infrastructure was non-existent.
Otherwise known as Île des Sœurs, it is a small island at the foot of the Champlain Bridge, famous for its beautiful scenery and parks overlooking the Saint Laurence River.
Founded as Île S. Paul in 1899, the island was primarily used for farming until the 1960’s but today boasts mostly upscale apartments and luxury condos. There are few commercial offerings and business ventures found on the less-than one-and-a-half square-mile island.
Major development began on Nun’s Island in the 1960’s, and today, its population consists largely of retirees, developers and people in the real-estate industry. There has never been any Jewish community on record.
“We figured we’d take the leap,” says Rabbi Itkin, who had learned about the growing population on the Island and in Verdun. Himself a son of Chabad representatives, Rabbi Itkin and his wife have slowly begun introducing Jewish social and educational programs to the Island’s small, but now vibrant Jewish community.
Shabbos dinners convene at the Itkins’ rented townhouse along the Eastern shore of the Island and weekly Torah classes take place across the Island. The Rabbi and his wife each conduct one-on-one study sessions and religious coaching on an almost daily basis.
Drawing a minyan, a quorum of ten for formal prayer services, was a challenge the Itkins chose to tackle this past Shavuot with commitments from several men who walked to the Island from Montreal proper.
And so the first Minyan on Nun’s Island came together for the reading of the Ten Commandments, giving many of the participants a reason to celebrate.
Mr. Michael Trossman, a resident of the Island was elated. “Thank you so much for inviting me! This is the first aliya I’ve had in years.”
While the guests were nibbling on Mrs. Itkin’s home-made cheesecakes and blintzes, the Rabbi offered a toast.
“Mazel tov. Lchaim! You were all part of the beginning of something big!”
Chabad will kick-off some new programs during the summer.
“Its very exciting to see the Jews of Nun’s Island and Verdun slowly climb out of the woodwork,” Rabbi Itkin told Lubavitch.com. “The first response of every Jew is ‘I am the only one here,’ and then, sure enough, they discover they are not alone.”
Reprinted with permission from Lubavitch.com
