The 1960s
Only five years after moving into the new synagogue, where seating for men and women was located on the same floor, the Sons of Jacob congregation officially joined the Conservative movement under the United Synagogues of America on 12 November 1961. In 1962, Sol Mandell succeeded Joel Mazer as the shul’s president, having previously served as the chair of the shul’s education committee. The Rev. Walter Seligman took over as spiritual leader of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in 1966 after serving Guelph’s Jewish community in the early 1960s. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, and lived in Venezuela and Israel before settling in Canada in 1959.
In 1962, it was noted in the synagogue’s executive meeting minutes that $4500 had been raised for the UJA. This amount would have represented a large portion of the synagogue’s fundraising activities for that year. An extraordinary array of events were held as fundraisers throughout the year including dances, teas, bazaars, fashion shows and bridge tournaments. In 1969, new stained glass windows were commissioned for the synagogue representing the twelve tribes of Israel, one of the more distinctive features of the building’s present architectural design. The windows were completed in 1973.
Representatives for the Zionist Organization of Canada and the United Israel Appeal sat on and reported directly to the executive of the Sons of Jacob Congregation. However, fundraising in Belleville proved challenging during the 1960s, as dwindling synagogue membership meant expenses sometimes surpassed income. In 1966, Yehuda (Joe) Noy found it so difficult to collect pledges for the Zionist Organization of Canada from members of the Belleville community, that he stated that returning to the community for the next drive would be a waste of time.
