The 1960s
The dawn of the 1960s brought renewal to Beth Israel in the form of a new synagogue building. At this time, the community numbered about 100 families. Harry and Ettie Abramsky assisted Rabbi Karpol Bender in dedicating the cornerstone of the new building on December 3, 1967. Six years later, as one of his last activities before leaving for Israel, Rabbi Bender presided over the mortgage burning ceremony along with Harry and Irving Rosen.
Changing times within the Beth Israel congregation echoed shifts in the broader society. One important development during the 1960s was that Canadian universities experienced a growth spurt because of the baby boom generation. Queen's received an influx of Jewish students and as well, a number of Jewish academics came to Kingston to teach there. Those of the newcomers who joined Beth Israel tended to lean more towards Reform Judaism than did the merchants who had founded the community. These differences caused tension at Beth Israel and eventually led to the formation of a new, Reform congregation.
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The Beth Israel community continued to thrive in the 1960s and work towards its long-anticipated goal of a new synagogue building. A property was purchased at 116 Centre Street, west of the Queen's University campus and farther from the downtown core of Kingston than the Queen Street shul was. The new edifice was designed by architects in Toronto, and construction began in the late 1950s. From the groundbreaking through the shul's dedication and the mortgage burning celebration years later, the community commemorated its new space, cared for and enhanced it over the years.
