Central Synagogue, Sydney
Building
The core synagogue is a two-level atrium. An oculus in the ceiling floods the room with natural lighting. Centrally located on the first floor directly beneath the oculus, the bimah and aron kodesh are positioned in a direct line with Jerusalem. Imported Jerusalem stone adorns the aron kodesh and features prominently throughout the synagogue. Four large windows designed by Australian artist Janet Laurence feature forty-nine veils of glass. Each window represents one of Four Worlds of Kabbalah and the number forty-nine is symbolic of the highest level of spirituality in Judaism. The colours of the windows symbolise the sephirot.
The greater synagogue complex includes multiple halls and rooms, including:
- The Julius & Erna Platus Hall, the grand entrance to the synagogue complex with glass doors and a glass roof.
- The Lowy Beit Midrash, featuring its own aron kodesh
- The Triguboff Family Foyer
- The John Saunders Hall, the largest reception hall with a high ceiling, its own foyer and a dance-floor
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Centralsynagoguebondijunctionnsw.jpg/220px-Centralsynagoguebondijunctionnsw.jpg)
The Central Synagogue was formed as the Surry Hills congregation in 1912 with the aim of introducing Eastern European custom into Sydney, and to arrest the drift from Judaism. The Bondi-Waverley congregation, established in 1918, and merged with that of Surry Hills in March 1921, to form the Eastern Suburbs Central Synagogue at Bondi Junction. The Central Synagogue was firstly an endeavour to provide more accommodation for worship in the Eastern Suburbs, but also, at least initially, intended to provide a less anglicised environment than that found at the Great Synagogue. The foundation stone was laid by the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, Dr J. H. Hertz.
See also
References
- ^ Rutland, Suzanne D. (2005). The Jews in Australia. p. 31.
The Central Synagogue was formed in 1912 with the aim of introducing the Polish minhag (custom) into Sydney.
- ^ Apple, Raymond (2008). The Great Synagogue: A History of Sydney's Big Shule. Sydney, N.S.W.: Great Synagogue. p. 38.
The Eastern Suburbs Central Synagogue was seen both as an endeavour to provide more synagogue accommodation and a reaction against the anglicised nature of the Great Synagogue. Its main concern was to arrest the drift from Judaism and ...
- ^ The Australian encyclopaedia: Volume 1 1958 "During his term a number of synagogues were built in Sydney, the main one being the Central Synagogue (Bondi Junction), whose foundation stone was laid by the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, Dr JH Hertz, in April 1921."
- ^ Kimmel, Hans; Staedter, Joseph (1955). Sydney's Jewish community: materials for a post-War (II) history.
Israel Brodie, lay the foundation stone of the new Central Synagogue to be built at Bon Accord Avenue, Bondi Junction. With a silver trowel, the Rabbi performed the ceremony then recited the appropriate prayer after reading the ...
- ^ Ben-Moshe, Danny; Segev, Zohar (2007). Israel, the Diaspora, and Jewish identity. p. 266.
In the 1960s, Netzer, the international Zionist youth movement of Reform Judaism, was founded in Australia, ... Commencing in 1975 as a local synagogue youth group connected with Central Synagogue in Sydney, in recent years it has ...