Shopify President Dedicates Chabad Center in Ottawa

By COLlive reporter

The joyous opening of the Finkelstein Chabad Jewish Centre this week in Ottawa’s Sandy Hill neighborhood marked not just the culmination of a seven-year construction project, but the fulfillment of a dream that began nearly two decades ago around a humble Shabbat table.

Back in 2008, Harley Finkelstein was a young law student at the University of Ottawa when he told his campus rabbi, Rabbi Chaim Boyarsky, that one day he’d like to help buy a building for Chabad. At the time, the Chabad House operated out of the Boyarskys’ small living room. “I was a poor law student; I wasn’t a rich kid,”

Finkelstein, now President of Shopify Inc., a Canadian multinational e-commerce company, recalled. “It was a throwaway comment—I never imagined it would actually happen.”

This week, that once-offhand promise became reality as elected officials, donors, and community members gathered to inaugurate the stunning new 6,000-square-foot, two-story facility located just minutes from Parliament Hill. The building houses a synagogue, dining hall, commercial kitchen, guest suites, and soon, a mikvah—transforming it into a true hub of Jewish life in Canada’s capital.

Rabbi Chaim and Yocheved Boyarsky, who established the Rohr Chabad Student Network of Ottawa in 2008, recall those early days when students crowded their home every Shabbat. “There was barely space to move,” said Rabbi Boyarsky. “But there was warmth, joy, and a sense of belonging. That spirit lives on in this new centre.”

Finkelstein was among those early guests. “He invited me to dinner every Friday night,” he said. “It was remarkable—students everywhere, the energy was amazing.” It was also where Harley met his future wife, Lindsay, who later became a driving force behind the expansion. “When she saw the demand in 2021,” he shared, “she said, ‘We need to make it bigger.’ It was her ambition that brought this to the next level.”

The Finkelsteins’ leadership inspired a wave of local giving. A building committee led by Jules Sigler and Ian Shabinsky raised close to $3 million of the $5 million project total. The initial property purchase was made possible by Larry Hartman, another pillar of Ottawa’s Jewish community.

Rabbi Boyarsky noted that the project was “almost entirely funded by Ottawa Jews—students, alumni, and residents who believe in the future of Jewish life here.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was in attendance at the opening, and praised Chabad’s contribution to Canadian life, calling it “a symbol of resilience, unity, and kindness for the Jewish community and the city as a whole.”

Also in attendance were Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Councillor Stéphanie Plante, who lauded the initiative as a model of community partnership. “This centre reflects Ottawa’s inclusive spirit,” said the Mayor. “It’s a place where learning, faith, and friendship come together.”

Also in attendance were Head Shliach of Ottawa, Rabbi Dovid Hayes, Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky from Chabad Headquarters, Rabbi Avi Weinstein, COO of Chabad on Campus International, Shluchim Dr. Yosef and Devora Caytak, and Shliach Rabbi Chaim Mendelsohn.

Finkelstein sees a parallel between Chabad’s model and his own work at Shopify. “Chabad disrupts the old synagogue model just like Shopify disrupted big business,” he said. “They meet people where they are. Rabbi Chaim bet on me when I was a broke student—and he got a great return on investment.”

He added, “Chabad doesn’t care if you’re secular or observant; they care that you’re Jewish. That’s what makes them different. My wife and I met through Chabad; this is the most meaningful thing we’ve ever done. I want there to be a hundred more centers like this with other people’s names.”

The new Finkelstein Chabad Jewish Centre will host prayer services, holiday celebrations, student programs, family events, and community partnerships. Organizers say it will serve as a safe and vibrant home for Jewish life, identity, and continuity for generations to come.

As the crowd sang and danced at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rabbi Boyarsky smiled and said, “Seventeen years ago, we had students in our living room. Today, we have a home for every Jewish student in Ottawa.”

What began as a “throwaway comment” has blossomed into a cornerstone of Jewish life—proof, as Finkelstein put it, that “when you invest in community, the returns are infinite.”

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