The Melbourne Hebrew Congregation (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: ק"ק שארית ישראל), or Toorak Shule, is the oldest
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
congregation in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Formed in 1841, the congregation was originally located on
Bourke Street
Bourke Street is one of the main streets in the Melbourne central business district and a core feature of the Hoddle Grid. It was traditionally the entertainment hub of inner-city Melbourne, and is now also a popular tourist destination and tr ...
before moving in 1930 to
Toorak Road,
South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a populati ...
.
History
The first Jews in Melbourne arrived around the time of the city's founding in 1835. Jewish
High Holiday
In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim; , ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm'') consist of:
#strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement");
#by extension, the ...
services were first held in 1839, and in 1841 the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation was formed. The congregation's first synagogue building, located at 472 Bourke Street, was erected in 1847, with a seating capacity of 100.
[Melbourne Hebrew Congregation – beginnings]
Reverend
Moses Rintel arrived to serve as the congregation's
rabbi
A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
. After a number of disputes, however, Rev Rintel left the congregation in 1857 and formed the
East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation
The East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation (), also known as East Melbourne Shule, East Melbourne Synagogue, Melbourne City Synagogue or City of Melbourne Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and historically significant synagogue, located ...
. He was replaced by Rev EM Myers, who was followed by Rev WI Marks and Rev AF Ornstein.
[
The 1850s saw the arrival of some 300 Jewish families from ]London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and the Province of Posen
The Province of Posen (; ) was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1848 to 1920, occupying most of the historical Greater Poland. The province was established following the Greater Poland Uprising (1848), Poznań Uprisi ...
, Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
to Melbourne, prompting the construction of a new larger synagogue on the Bourke Street site. Benefactor David Benjamin laid the foundation stone of the 650-seat building in March, 1855.[ The synagogue was re-consecrated in 1877, at which time Rabbi Dattner Jacobson was appointed rabbi. In 1883 he was succeeded by Rabbi Joseph Abrahams, who went on to serve the congregation for some forty years. Notable members during this period included Sir Benjamin Benjamin, the Hon Edward Cohen, and Ephraim Zox. In 1891 the congregation celebrated the marriage of John and Hannah Victoria Monash.
]Raphael Benjamin
Raphael Benjamin (June 19, 1846 – November 15, 1906) was an English-born rabbi who ministered in Australia and America.
Life
Benjamin was born on June 19, 1846, in London, England, the son of Elias Benjamin and Mary Lazarus.
Benjamin attende ...
was assistant rabbi and reader of the congregation from 1874 to 1882.Israel Brodie
Sir Israel Brodie (10 May 1895 – 13 February 1979) was the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth 1948–1965.
Biography
He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He served as a Rabbi of Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australi ...
, who later became chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire
The B ...
.Nahum Barnet
Nahum Barnet (16 August 1855 – 1 September 1931) was an architect working in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, best known for his extensive legacy of commercial buildings in Melbourne's CBD, as well a ...
.Zelman Cowen
Sir Zelman Cowen, (7 October 1919 – 8 December 2011) was an Australian legal scholar and university administrator who served as the 19th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1977 to 1982.
Cowen was born in Melbourne, and attended ...
, who later became Governor-General of Australia. In April 1937 Rabbi Brodie returned to England, and in August 1938 Rabbi Harry Freedman
Harry Freedman (''Henryk Frydmann''), (April 5, 1922 – September 16, 2005) was a Canadian composer, English hornist, and music educator of Polish birth. He wrote a significant amount of symphonic works, including the scores to films such as '' ...
succeeded him. Following World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the synagogue had a full membership for the first time in its history. In December 1947 Rabbi Hugo Stransky was appointed rabbi. In February the following year the congregation conducted the funeral service of Sir Isaac Isaacs
Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, (6 August 1855 – 11 February 1948) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the ninth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1931 to 1936. He had previously served on the High Court of Au ...
, the first Australian-born Governor-General. Rabbi Izaak Rapaport was appointed rabbi in September, 1952.[
The congregation today enjoys a large and diverse membership with its chief minister, Rabbi Shlomo Nathanson.]
See also
* List of synagogues in Australia
* History of the Jews in Australia
The history of Jews in Australia traces the history of Australian Jews from the British settlement of Australia commencing in 1788. Though Europeans had visited Australia before 1788, there is no evidence of any Jewish sailors among the crew. T ...
* Oldest synagogues in the world
Historic synagogues include synagogues that date back to ancient times and synagogues that represent the earliest Jewish presence in cities around the world. Some synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site. Others were ...
References
Bibliography
* .
External links
*
{{Authority control
Synagogues in Melbourne
1841 establishments in Australia
Synagogues completed in 1841
Modern Orthodox synagogues in Australia
Jewish organizations established in 1841
Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA)
Synagogues completed in 1847
Synagogues completed in 1930
20th-century synagogues in Australia