100 Years Beach History

Author: Dena Bain Taylor

Publisher: ECW Press

In October 1919, a small group of Jewish shopkeepers and housewives pooled their resources to purchase the building at 109 Kenilworth Avenue, one block up a tree-lined street from the shores of Lake Ontario, a building that had once housed a Baptist Church. So was born the Beach Hebrew Institute, also called the Beth Jacob Synagogue. On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, the synagogue commissioned writer and member Dena Bain Taylor to capture the dynamic history of the synagogue as it navigated its first century. Backed by meticulous archival research and with 85 photos, this gorgeous hardcover brings to life the voices and images of a century of challenges and the fascinating personalities who overcame them.

Dena Bain Taylor has spent most of her life in Toronto, Canada, pursuing her joint passions for music and books. She is a classically trained singer, writer, and Professor Emerita at the University of Toronto where she directed the Health Sciences Writing Centre. She is also the assistant cantor at the Beach Hebrew Institute.