The Post-Second World War Years


The war years brought prosperity and made it easier to raise funds among Peterborough’s Jews. At the same time, a growing community made new premises desirable. In 1943, a former Methodist Sunday School on Reid Street was offered for sale. A committee headed by Myer Cherney negotiated the purchase of the building, which was extensively altered to transform it into a large synagogue and community centre.

The community was very proud of its new building on Reid Street. However, a little more than a decade after moving in, some people felt the need to take a bold step forward and construct a completely new synagogue, from the ground up. Also around this time in 1953, the community purchased their first Jewish burial grounds, which was a portion of the Little Lake Cemetery. Prior to this purchase, members of the community were typically buried in Toronto.