Beth Israel Synagogue (Peterborough)

Beth Israel Synagogue
Basic information
Location Weller Street, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Affiliation Judaism
Rite Conservative/Unaffiliated
Status Active
Leadership Rabbi
Website .ca

The Beth Israel Synagogue is a synagogue in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

History

The Beth Israel Synagogue was founded in 1934 by the Peterborough Jewish Society, in a remodeled house on Aylmer Street formerly owned by the late Abraham Swartz. Peterborough's Jewish population increased during World War II, and in 1945 the congregation moved to a larger centre on Reid Street that had formerly served as a Methodist Sunday School building. The current building on Weller Street was constructed in 1964. In 2004, Beth Israel reached an agreement to share the building with the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough.[1]

Affiliation

The Beth Israel Synagogue moved toward holding egalitarian services in the early 2000s.[2] Its website notes that, while Jewish services in Peterborough have traditionally been Orthodox, the membership voted unanimously to adopt an egalitarian and "Conservative type" service in 2004.[3] The Canadian Jewish Congress describes the synagogue as "Conservative/Unaffiliated" as of 2010.[4]

References

  1. ^ About Us - History, Beth Israel Synagogue, accessed 9 September 2010.
  2. ^ Clark Kim, "Old ways, new thinking come to a compromise as Jewish New Year marked," Peterborough This Week, 26 September 2003, p. 24.
  3. ^ About Us - History, Beth Israel Synagogue, accessed 9 September 2010.
  4. ^ Synagogue Directory: Ontario, Canadian Jewish Congress, accessed 9 September 2010.