East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation
Encyclopedia
The East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation (Hebrew: ק"ק מקוה ישראל), also known as East Melbourne Shule, East Melbourne Synagogue, Melbourne City Synagogue or City of Melbourne Synagogue is a historically significant Jewish congregation in East Melbourne
, Victoria, Australia
. The synagogue
, consecrated in 1877, is the oldest in Melbourne.
. Initially named Mikveh Israel Melbourne Synagogue, it was provided with a government land grant in 1859 on the corner of Little Lonsdale Street and Stephen Street (today Exhibition Street) in Melbourne's City Centre
. A small synagogue was erected on the site in 1860. The congregation consisted primarily of Rintel's followers, including German and Eastern-European Jews who lived in Melbourne's inner-city suburbs within walking distance of the synagogue.
Seeking new premises, the congregation received government permission to sell its property in 1870. It moved to a new site on Albert Street, East Melbourne, where a new synagogue building was consecrated in 1877. Rintel served the congregation until his death in 1880.
In March 1977 the synagogue's centenary was celebrated with a special service led by Rabbi M. Honig.
Continuously in use since 1877, the East Melbourne Synagogue is the oldest in Melbourne and the largest 19th-century synagogue in Victoria. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
and is classified by the National Trust of Australia
due to its historical, social, and architectural significance.
The two-storeyed synagogue was designed by noted Melbourne architects Crouch & Wilson. The internal space is surrounded on three sides by a gallery carried by cast iron columns, each surmounted by an unusual arrangement of an impost block flanked by consoles. The main ceiling is paneled, with a row of large and unusual ventilators marking the location of former suspended gas lights. The original interior, particularly the Bimah
and Torah ark, remain in an intact state.
The building's facade
, constructed in the style of Renaissance Revival, was completed in 1883. It comprises five bays
. Tuscan
pilaster
s divide the bays of the lower floor, and Corinthian
pilasters divide the upper floor bays. Two dome-like mansard roof
s flank the central pediment
.
Regular Sabbath
and holiday
services have been held at the synagogue since its establishment, making it the oldest continuously active synagogue in Australia.
East Melbourne, Victoria
East Melbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, adjacent to Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, East Melbourne had a population of 4,330....
, Victoria, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, consecrated in 1877, is the oldest in Melbourne.
History
The congregation was formed in 1857 under the leadership of Reverend Moses Rintel following his leave from the Melbourne Hebrew CongregationMelbourne Hebrew Congregation
The Melbourne Hebrew Congregation , or Toorak Shule, is the oldest Jewish congregation in Melbourne, Australia. Formed in 1841, the congregation was originally located on Bourke Street before moving to Toorak Road, South Yarra in 1930.-History:The first Jews in Melbourne arrived around the time of...
. Initially named Mikveh Israel Melbourne Synagogue, it was provided with a government land grant in 1859 on the corner of Little Lonsdale Street and Stephen Street (today Exhibition Street) in Melbourne's City Centre
Melbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
. A small synagogue was erected on the site in 1860. The congregation consisted primarily of Rintel's followers, including German and Eastern-European Jews who lived in Melbourne's inner-city suburbs within walking distance of the synagogue.
Seeking new premises, the congregation received government permission to sell its property in 1870. It moved to a new site on Albert Street, East Melbourne, where a new synagogue building was consecrated in 1877. Rintel served the congregation until his death in 1880.
In March 1977 the synagogue's centenary was celebrated with a special service led by Rabbi M. Honig.
Architecture
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
and is classified by the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
due to its historical, social, and architectural significance.
The two-storeyed synagogue was designed by noted Melbourne architects Crouch & Wilson. The internal space is surrounded on three sides by a gallery carried by cast iron columns, each surmounted by an unusual arrangement of an impost block flanked by consoles. The main ceiling is paneled, with a row of large and unusual ventilators marking the location of former suspended gas lights. The original interior, particularly the Bimah
Bimah
A bimah A bimah A bimah (among Ashkenazim, derived from Hebrew בּמה , almemar (from Arabic al-minbar) or tebah (among Sephardim) is the elevated area or platform in a Jewish synagogue which is intended to serve the place where the person reading aloud from the Torah stands during the Torah reading...
and Torah ark, remain in an intact state.
The building's facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, constructed in the style of Renaissance Revival, was completed in 1883. It comprises five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s divide the bays of the lower floor, and Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
pilasters divide the upper floor bays. Two dome-like mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
s flank the central pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
.
Today
Led by Rabbi Dovid Gutnick since November 2007, the congregation has a current membership of around 200 families. It is currently the only synagogue in Melbourne's inner-city area.Regular Sabbath
Sabbath
Sabbath in Christianity is a weekly day of rest or religious observance, derived from the Biblical Sabbath.Seventh-day Sabbath observance, i.e. resting from labor from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is practiced by seventh-day Sabbatarians...
and holiday
Jewish holiday
Jewish holidays are days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov or chag or ta'anit...
services have been held at the synagogue since its establishment, making it the oldest continuously active synagogue in Australia.
See also
- History of the Jews in AustraliaHistory of the Jews in AustraliaThe history of the Jews in Australia dates back to 1788, when a number of Jews were among the convicts brought to the country aboard the First Fleet to establish the first European settlement on the continent, on the site of present-day Sydney. Today, an estimated 120,000 Jews live in Australia...
- List of synagogues in Australia and New Zealand
- Oldest synagogues in the worldOldest synagogues in the worldThe designation oldest synagogue in the world requires careful definition. Many very old synagogues have been discovered in archaeological digs. Some synagogues have been destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site, so, while the site or congregation may be ancient, the building may be...
External links
- East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation website
- East Melbourne Synagogue on the Victorian Heritage Register
- East Melbourne Synagogue at the National Trust
Further reading
- History of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation "Mickva Yisrael", 1857–1977, By Morris C. Davis, East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, 1977 ISBN 0-9596899-0-7, 978-0-9596899-0-7
- Historical Sketch of the Two Melbourne Synagogues Together with Sermons Preached, by Dattner Jacobson and Moses Rintel (1877), By Maurice Brodzky, Dattner Jacobson, Moses Rintel, Kessinger Publishing LLC, 2009 ISBN 1-104-17771-4