Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto’s oldest synagogue, is a leading Canadian Reform Jewish congregation with a rich history of responding to both tradition and modernity in our religious and spiritual expression. We pursue meaningful opportunities for personal growth and family fulfillment at every stage of life through belonging, learning, prayer and ritual, and acts of service for our congregation and community, our city and country, the Reform Movement, Israel, and all the world.
Each of our event spaces have distinct features and differing capacities, enabling you to get creative and have fun with planning and organizing your private event.
Included in your rental are the in-house chairs, tables; furniture set up and tear down; and cleaning before and after your event. We also have grand pianos that can be used on the Lower Level and on the second floor (covering the Lower-Level Gallery, the Philip & Fannie Smith Congregational Hall, and the Mishkan), and AV equipment for your speeches, background/ dance music and video presentations or slideshows.
For catered events, please contact our Simcha Coordinator for our Trusted Caterers List. Please note that Holy Blossom requires Kosher-style menus and is a nut-free facility.
To book your lifecycle or Simcha event, or if you have any questions, please contact our Simcha Coordinator, Rebekah Lobosco Gilli at 416.789.3291 ext. 255 or email rebekahlg@holyblossom.org.
Whether you are hosting a joyful Simcha or planning a meeting, Holy Blossom Temple provides a great selection of elegant and functional spaces. We will work closely with you to find which space is most appropriate for your occasion.
For smaller events and meetings, we have multiple Boardrooms & Meeting Rooms. Please contact our Simcha Coordinator, who is happy to provide personalized guidance on finding the best space to suit your needs.
For more information, please contact Rebekah Lobosco Gilli at 416.789.3291 ext. 255 or email rebekahlg@holyblossom.org.
What is the rental pricing for each space?
We have special rates for our members, rates for community organizations & partners, and corporate rates. Our base rate will always be based on a 4-hour minimum, though often events (including set up and tear down) take longer than that. Any additional hours beyond the 4-hour base rate are discounted to avoid the venue rental becoming exponentially more costly.
If you are not a member and not part of an organization, we are still happy to chat with you about hosting your private event in our venue.
In addition to the room fee, there is a Security Fee, generally ranging from $250 – $500. It’s a fee associated directly with personnel hours, so the fee is based on the hours of your event. If your event is a late-night event, for example, and outside of regular building hours, the fee will be at the higher end.
A fun fact, though, is that if your event is associated with a religious rite of passage (ex. A Perach Mitzvah Luncheon or a Wedding), we do not charge HST on your event! The same is true for registered Canadian Charity organizations.
Please reach out to our Simcha Coordinator for a personalized quote.
Do I need to put down a deposit? How does payment work?
The first step in the process for venue rental is the Event Quote. We want to make sure we’re all on the same page! An approved Event Quote (by you) officially holds the desired space for your event, even a few years out.
About a year out from your event (or less, as appropriate), we will put together a contract for you. Upon signing, your deposit will be due, and the balance of your event venue rental is due within 5 business days of your event. If you need any specific accommodation, please don’t hesitate to ask when working with our Simcha Coordinator. We always aim to be as flexible as possible, personalizing your experience according to your needs.
What is Holy Blossom’s Food Policy? Who are your caterers? Can I bring in my own food?
We are a Kosher Style Temple, which means your full menu should be either Dairy or Meat (fish can go either way!). A Dairy meal can include a protein like fish or could be modified to be fully Vegan. Meat meals must only have Kosher meat. The meat must be Kosher at the time of purchase but can be prepared in a non-Kosher kitchen. All our cooking spaces are not COR Kosher, so please plan accordingly if you or your guests need accommodation.
Additionally, our facility is 100% nut-free. That means even for private events, we ask that no nuts are used in the ingredients or used while cooking (i.e., peanut- or macadamia-nut oil). This includes tree nuts, peanuts, almonds etc. From an allergen perspective, sesame seeds and coconut are fine.
If you have specific questions, please reach out to our Simcha coordinator who is happy to help you with any specifics.
What is a Landmark Fee?
A Landmark Fee is a standard fee charged by caterers—sometimes called a Commission Fee or Landmark Commission—and is a percentage of the caterer’s total invoice that is charged to you as the client and then remitted back to the venue (for Holy Blossom, our catering agreement is 15%). It’s a standard practice and is a fee that your caterer pays to the venue for operating within that venue. As it is based on your quote from the catering company, it comes through them as the vendor.
We have a list of Trusted Caterers that we most commonly work with, and we aim to be as flexible as possible to accommodate the vision for your Simcha. It gives you, the client, lots of options but also means the wear and tear on our space is increased with all the different folks that come in and out of our prep/kitchen spaces. The standard fee, which for our specific agreements are on Food & Beverage charges only, ensures that the space continues to be functional for all who want to use it.
Is your venue accessible?
Yes! We have a ramp via our Ava Rd parking lot (on the south side of the building) and an elevator that stops at all the levels of the building.
What about parking for my guests? How does that work?
We have two parking lots (one off Ava Rd and one off Dewbourne Ave) and there’s also the possibility of street parking around the Temple. If you’re hosting a large event (100 people or more), please encourage guests to carpool. All parking is first come, first serve aside from the reserved spots for our Rabbis, Cantors, President and some of our HBT team in the Dewbourne parking lot.
Our building is also easily accessible by TTC. Check out our contact page for more information: Contact – Holy Blossom Temple
Can I serve alcohol at my event?
Yes! If serving wine, we ask that you use Israeli wine whenever possible. All alcohol should be purchased under a Special Occasions Permit (SOP) via the AGCO. The online application is quick and for a private event with an open bar (ie alcohol is not sold), it costs $50 CAD and you can get approval in minutes. Once you have the SOP completed, just send it to your caterer or our Simcha Coordinator so we can have it on file.
Alcohol should be served only to those 19+ and served by someone with a SmartServe Certificate, which professional event staff will have.
Can I hire other, specialty vendors for my event?
Absolutely – we welcome you to get creative with your event. We have policies about games and helium balloons, but by working with our Simcha Coordinator, together we can ensure that your full vision can come to life for your event. Don’t hesitate to have a conversation with our team and say your dream out loud!
Am I allowed to take photos during my Simcha? What about video presentations or music?
Within your private event, yes. It’s so lovely to capture the special moments, so we welcome photographers and the use of our AV equipment within your private event. If part of your Simcha is taking place in a congregational service (ex. your child is becoming Bat, Bar, or Perach Mitzvah), photography, professional or otherwise, is not allowed in the communal space. We ask that the privacy of our congregation is respected, as well as observances of Shabbat within the public spaces of the building. The private space you rent is a different matter and we’re happy to accommodate photography and presentations as applicable.
If you would like to have a video presentation or a slideshow during your event, please let our Simcha Coordinator know early on. We like to make sure we have at least 48 hours before your event to ensure the file works with our equipment, so everything goes seamlessly during your event.
Do you have other questions? Feel free to reach out to Rebekah Lobosco Gilli at 416.789.3291 ext. 255 or email rebekahlg@holyblossom.org.
1950 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, M5P 3K9
(416) 789-3291
templemail@holyblossom.org
Emergency Funeral Contact
Cell: 416-565-7561
Founded in 1856, Holy Blossom Temple is Toronto’s first synagogue with a rich history of tradition and modernity in our religious and spiritual expression.
