The 1940s
During the Second World War, the Beth Israel Congregation supported their fellow Jews in distress in Europe through volunteer work with such organizations as the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society, the United Palestine Appeal, Youth Aliyah and United Jewish Refugees.
In the decades following the Second World War, Kingston's Jewish community began to grow again, having remained at stable levels in the years leading up to and during the war. By the late 1940s, the Queen Street shul could no longer accommodate the number of children needing to pursue their Hebrew studies. In 1947, a store was rented on Montreal Street and classrooms were set up there. In order to help defray the cost of schoolroom equipment, shul members Nate Hendin and Al Zimmerman organized weekly Bingo games, held at the synagogue.
