Our Story

Beginning around 1890, some Jews who had left Central and Eastern Europe began arriving in Kingston, a small Ontario town of 20,000 people.  They generally were attracted by the presence of relatives or friends.  Family names included Abramson, Zacks, Susman, Robinson, Tevan, Turk, Rosen, Abramsky, Palmer, Sugarman, and Springer.  Descendants of some of these families continue to live in Kingston and remain active in Jewish life.  

In 1897, property was purchased to serve as a Jewish Cemetery.  In 1908, Beth Israel was founded as an Orthodox Congregation, and in 1910 the Queen Street shul building was completed.  In 1954, Beth Israel Congregation was issued Letters Patent, formally  incorporating it under the Corporations Act of Ontario. 

Canadian immigration policy began to relax after World War II, and the population of Kingston Jewry grew.  In 1954, the congregation acquired a large property on Centre Street on which stood a 1850’s villa known as Otterburn House.  By 1961, the current synagogue building was completed adjacent to Otterburn.  At that time, Beth Israel membership stood at about 100 families. 

Significant change came to Kingston’s Jewish community beginning in the mid-1960’s.   Expansion of public institutions such as Queen’s University, St. Lawrence College, Royal Military College, and Kingston General Hospital, as well as industrial and research facilities such as Alcan and DuPont attracted many new hires which included Jewish faculty, physicians, and other professionals.  A number came from South Africa, the U.S. and larger Canadian cities.  They joined the largely business class of Jews who made up the bulk of Kingston Jewry at that time. 

Beth Israel thrived as an Orthodox congregation during the 80’s and 90’s, as the Talmud Torah was filled with the children of the baby boomers.  By the 2000’s, however, there were fewer families who observed Orthodox ritual and attended religious services.  In fact, it became a challenge to obtain a minyan at some Shabbat services.  Consequently, the congregation voted to change its ritual to Conservative in 2012.  Over the next few years, religious practice became fully egalitarian.  The equal participation of women and men led to a revitalization of the congregation.  Many new members joined, and membership in 2024 stands at 150 families.