The 1950s
During the 1950s, post-war prosperity allowed Jews to move out of the old immigrant neighbourhood around the Queen Street shul. As well, there was a need for new facilities that would expand the role of the shul and make it a Jewish community centre. The congregation decided it was time to sell, relocate and rebuild. The transitional period, from when the old synagogue was sold in 1958 until the new one was opened two years later, was an exciting time. Different groups competed with one another to find better ways to raise money. With Rabbi Karpol Bender providing leadership, the necessary funds were gathered and the new building at 116 Centre Street opened in 1961.
Although the Beth Israel congregation remained Orthodox in its charter, there were signs that its practices were changing. One sign of a shift in the community's orthodoxy was a letter dated June 29, 1953, sent from Martin Hamburger to the Kingston Jewish community. The letter stated that demand for kosher meat had dwindled to such an extent that the aptly-named Mr. Hamburger was unable to continue to operate the Kosher Meat Department of his store, the Kingston Meat Market.
Another sign of changing times came in 1954, when a determined young Merle Rosen (later Koven) broke the gender barrier and became the first girl to celebrate her bat mitzvah in the synagogue. Although Merle did not ascend to the bimah or read from the Torah, she delivered the prophetic reading from Isaiah as well as the Dvar Torah, standing on the bottom step. Even these modest changes upset the traditionalists and all the men left the bimah in protest. However, the women in the balcony looked down with pride; as well, Merle realized that she could count on the support of her grandfather, then synagogue president Hyman Rosen.
