Rabbi Posting

BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION

KINGSTON, ONTARIO

RABBI SEARCH POSTING

SECTION 1: GENERAL INFORMATION

SECTION 3: OUR CONGREGATION

A. 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 1908, Beth Israel was founded as an Orthodox Congregation, and in 1910 the Queen Street shul building was completed. 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 an 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 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. 5 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.

B. OUR PURPOSE AND MISSION 

Beth Israel’s Constitution states: “Beth Israel’s purpose shall be to foster the teachings of Judaism and the Jewish tradition and to promote a sense of Jewish community. To achieve these objectives, the Congregation shall maintain an organization and a Synagogue for religious worship, a Talmud Torah, and provide for adult education, social and cultural activities.” Beth Israel’s mission is to meet the religious, educational, social and cultural needs of our members in a warm, welcoming, and supportive atmosphere. Beth Israel is a house of worship and also a meeting place for the wider Jewish community in Southeast Ontario. In the spirit of Klal Yisrael, the Congregation strives to support a healthy and secure State of Israel.

C. OUR MEMBERS

Beth Israel currently has 150 member units. About half are two-person families, a third are single adults, and a fifth are families with children 0-18 years.

About a third of our members are aged 20-60 years, and about two-thirds are 61+ years.

Forty percent of members have joined since 2014

The Membership Committee and the Rabbi connect with all prospective members. Once a family joins, our Social Committee ensures that they are welcomed at all events and are introduced to other members. Here are the membership trends over the past 12 years:

2012            120 members

2017            115 members

2019            121 members

2024           150 members

As a result of our programming and services, plus efforts to ensure newcomers experience a sense of belonging, we are one of very few congregations to increase their membership during the COVID years:

2019 – 2024 Attrition (moved, died, etc.) 20 members

2019 – 2024 New members (who have remained members) 49 members

D. GOVERNANCE AND STAFF

Beth Israel is governed by a five-person Executive and nine Trustees. The Constitution defines the rules for membership, ritual practice, government, and decision-making. Bylaws define the workings of the thirteen Standing Committees. The Operations Manual contains the organizational chart, Board and Standing Committee Policies and Procedures, and Terms of Reference for Ad Hoc Committees. Beth Israel has a full-time Congregational Administrator and a full-time Custodian. A Chazzan is hired for the High Holy Days to assist the Rabbi.

E. OUR SPACE

Our modern, up-to-date synagogue is well-maintained. On the main level, which is fully accessible, is the sanctuary, large social hall, Robinson extension multi-purpose room, a full kosher kitchen, Rabbi’s study, Administrator’s office, and accessible washrooms. On the lower level, which is not accessible to those who can not use stairs, are five classrooms, social hall, library, mikvah, and storage rooms. The sanctuary has a bima and flexible seating. During regular Shabbat services, the Torah table is not on the bima but rather is on the same level as the seating and therefore is accessible. The sanctuary opens up to the Robinson extension and the social hall. This allows the usual weekly available seating of 60-80 chairs to increase to as much as 300 seats if desired. In the sanctuary, Robinson extension, and social hall, there is a recently installed sound system with eight speakers, as well as a ceiling-mounted projector and screen in the social hall. We also have a state-of-the-art security system with multiple cameras both inside and outside the building.

 F. OUR CLERGY HISTORY

G. SYNAGOGUE FINANCES

The T3010 Registered Charity Information Return detailing revenue and expenses for the years 2019-2023 are available here:

https://apps.craarc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/dsplyRprtngPrd?q.bnRtNmbr=106790124&q.stts=0007&se lectedCharityBn=106790124RR0001&dsrdPg=1

Our congregation is financially healthy. We have a significant Endowment Fund from which the annual return on investment may be used to offset any fiscal deficit. We are in the middle of a 5-year Legacy Campaign which has raised $400,000 in pledges to offset the cost of renovations to Otterburn House.

H. RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL LIFE

Weekly Shabbat morning services are the core of our religious life. They are held every Shabbat (except during July) from 10 am to noon, followed by a kiddush lunch. Attendance varies between 20 and 40 souls, and includes seniors, parents with children, “middle-agers”, twenty-somethings, regular (and nonregular) minyan makers, extended family, visitors, seekers, and those who are studying for conversion. A long-time member serves as a greeter to ensure that all those who attend are welcomed. Our custodian opens the locked front door to those who arrive, and plays a security role.

The services are joyful with lots of communal singing. The tefillah is in Hebrew and the majority of the congregation are familiar with the prayers and tunes. We occasionally introduce some new melodies, but do so judiciously so that the overall familiarity of the service is maintained. No instrumental music is permitted.

The ba’alei tefillah include the Rabbi, our volunteer chazzan trainee, the Hillel Director, and 5-10 lay members who are skilled in leading prayer as well as chanting Torah and Haftorah. We have a Google doc sign-up sheet so that members can volunteer weekly 9 to lead Shacharit, the Torah service, Musaf, or function as the Gabbai. The Rabbi is responsible for the weekly Dvar Torah, or topical lesson and discussion.

The Torah is read on a triennial cycle. Typically, it is chanted from the Chumash while the Gabbai uses the Yad to follow along in the Torah scroll. Participation and leadership are 100% egalitarian. Also, there are roles that nonJews are permitted to perform, e.g. opening and closing the ark, reading the English prayers for Israel and Canada. Some of our Shabbat services are livestreamed to include those who are unable to attend in person.

We occasionally (but not routinely) hold a Kabbalat Shabbat service, sometimes followed by dinner. Periodically, we hold family services with the teachers and students from our Talmud Torah. We also program joint services with Hillel and members of the Reform Iyr Hamelech Congregation. For the past few years, we have a special Pride Shabbat service in June that is well-attended.

Services are held on the first day of the three festivals; we recite Yizkor as they do in Israel—on day 7 of Pesach, day 1 of Shavuot and on Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah unless the first day of the chag falls on a Friday. The congregation cannot sustain two days of services in a row (except for Rosh Hashanah) so we adjust accordingly. We hire a professional Chazzan for the High Holy Days, and the services are well-received. College/University students are welcomed at no charge. We also offer a family-friendly service on Erev Rosh Hashanah and the afternoon of Yom Kippur.

I. LEARNING AND PROGRAMMING

We are proud of our Bader-Elkin Talmud Torah (BETT) program. It is a professionally staffed supplementary religious school for children from preschool through to BMitzvah. Each year, there is a primary focus for learning based on the three pillars of Judaism (Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Hasadim). Historically, our Rabbi serves as the Principal of the school program. For more details about BETT, see our website: https://www.kingston-bethisrael.ca/bader-elkin-talmud-torah.html

The Rabbi is primarily responsible for preparing students for their b’nai mitzvah, assisted by tutors. In a typical year, there are about three B-Mitzvah celebrations.

We have an active Adult Education Committee that, together with the Rabbi, prepares an annual line-up of learning opportunities. These include weekly Nosh and Drosh, selected mini-courses including Hebrew language instruction, and periodic Shabbatons with visiting scholars. We also participate with Hillel during Holocaust Education week, and join Kingston Jewish Council (KJC) in their yearly commemoration of Yom Hashoa.

 Further, the Dept. of Jewish Studies at Queen’s University periodically hosts guest lecturers. For example, Dr. Susannah Heschel will be visiting Queen’s in September.

Beth Israel hosts an annual Hannukah party and a lively Purim Shpiel. Our members participate in KJC’s Light Up the Night Hanukkah celebration in Springer Market Square as well as the innovative Sukkah in the Square program. https://jewishkingston.org/sukkah-in-the-square/

Beth Israel members form the local Chevra Kadisha, and the Cemetery Committee is responsible for the care and management of the Beth Israel Cemetery. One of our recent initiatives is the establishment in our synagogue of the L’Dor Vador Holocaust Museum. It offers an audio self-guided tour of exhibit panels documenting ten Holocaust survivors who made their lives in Kingston after the war. https://www.kingston-bethisrael.ca/ldor-vador.html

SECTION 5: OTHER INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

We are not limiting our search to members of the Rabbinical Assembly. However, applicants should understand that Beth Israel follows Conservative ritual and standards. Applicants are advised to apply as soon as possible with a cover letter and resume to RabbiSearchLH@kingstonbethisrael.ca and RabbiSearchSR@kingstonbethisrael.ca and no later than November 3, 2024.