The synagogue that was erected and opened in 1925 stood the congregation in good stead for two decades. However, even before the end of the Second World War, it was becoming obvious that the Jewish population in St. Catharines was about to explode. The picture above, showing all the children in the Hebrew School around the end of the war, clearly indicates a large Hebrew School. Shown on the pages are most of the children born in the ’30s who were coming of age after the war and it was a reasonable assumption, at the time, that they would all end up staying in St. Catharines, settling down and getting married. At least that was the hope.
So, it was decided to add to the synagogue structure a Jewish Community Centre which would eventually house classrooms, a library, an office, a rabbi’s study, a small group room cum board room, and a large auditorium that would double as a social hall. The social hall was to have a fully functional meet and dairy kitchen. After all, all those kids were going to need Bar Mitzvahs and maybe even wedding receptions. So plans were drawn up and the ground was prepared in 1952, and the building opened in 1954, thirty years after the synagogue had opened. Congregation B’nai Israel was ready for the baby boomers and all their religious and educational needs as well as the many activities common to Jewish communities in the ’50s.
