Street Address : 203 Wellington Street
Three generations of Kingston Jews lived and/or made their living at this location. For a time (it’s not clear precisely when), it was home to Solomon and Jenny (née Rosen) Cohen. Then, in 1920, the couple arranged to bring her parents over from rural Lithuania. Moishe and Fruma Rosen were settled in at this location, on the second floor of the building. Jack Rosen, Jenny’s nephew, opened a barber shop on the ground floor.
Although already an elderly man, Moishe Rosen earned his keep in what was by then a traditional, if onerous, avenue of employment. The Beth Israel commemorative book describes his activities as follows:
After acquiring a horse and wagon, he earned his living by peddling. On his route—Highway 15 to Codes Corners, Kingston Mills and back to Montreal Street—he collected rags, bottles, papers, and tins which were sorted and stored in brown hop sack bags. This merchandise was sold to his sons Hyman and Meyer who were in the scrap business.