In 1911, the Knesseth Israel Congregation purchased a tract of land at 56 Maria Street and commissioned the firm Ellis & Connery to design a new synagogue.  The building was completed in 1912, prompting the development of a Jewish community along Maria Street.  Like many orthodox synagogues, the hall of worship was designed to face towards Jerusalem.  Knesseth Israel is currently the oldest synagogue in Ontario still being used as a synagogue.

An Ontario Heritage Trust plaque at the site reads:

"The Junction Shul" was founded early in the 20th century in a building at the corner of Maria Street and Runnymede Road, with a congregation primarily of Polish and Russian Jews. As the congregation grew, construction of this building began in 1911 and it appears that services were first held here about 1913. Designed by the architectural firm Ellis and Connery, the exterior is simple and the interior evokes the splendour of Eastern Europe. Typical of orthodox synagogues, the hall of worship faces toward Jerusalem. The circular windows are divided into eighteen segments, the numerical value of the Hebrew word for life, "chai". This is now the oldest purpose-built synagogue building in Ontario still in use as a synagogue.

• Architect - Ellis & Connery - This was a partnership between James August Ellis and William Connery.   <-- More buildings by this architect.