Elwood Talmud Torah Hebrew Congregation
Encyclopedia
The Elwood Talmud Torah Hebrew Congregation (Heb.: ק"ק בית אברהם), or Elwood Shule, is a historically significant Orthodox
synagogue
located in the Melbourne
suburb of Elwood
, Victoria, Australia
. The congregation played an important role in accommodating Melbourne's large population of Jewish Holocaust survivors following World War II
.
The congregation was formed around 1931 or 1932 as a prayer service in a private home. In 1938 the congregation moved to 40 Mitford Street where a part-time Talmud Torah
was established in addition to regular prayer services. Prior to World War II the congregation grew with the arrival of Jewish European immigrants. In 1939-40 several members broke away and formed their own congregation, later known as the Adass Israel Congregation.
Elwood Shule flourished during and especially following World War II. Services took place in halls in Acland Street, St Kilda, and Hennessy Avenue, Elwood during peak periods, before larger premises were acquired at 26 Avoca Avenue in 1942.
The synagogue's current site, at 39 Dickens Street, was purchased in the early 1950s by synagogue President Abe Sicree. A new synagogue building was constructed and dedicated at the site in 1957, in time for the High Holidays of that year. The following year Rabbi Chaim Gutnick
was appointed Chief Minister of the synagogue, a position he held for some forty-five years until his retirement in 2003. A new school campus was constructed on synagogue premises by Moriah College of Elwood in the early 1960s. Following Moriah College's demise the campus was occupied by Mt Scopus Memorial College and later Yesodei HaTorah College. In 1973 the synagogue building was renovated and expanded to a seating capacity of 1068. In 2003 Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick
succeeded his father Chaim as Chief Minister of the congregation.
In 2008 the Elwood Talmud Torah Hebrew Congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary. Federal member for Melbourne Ports Michael Danby
, an Elwood resident, marked the occasion by paying tribute to the congregation in a speech before Australian Parliament on 16 October 2008, saying,
.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
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...
located in the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Elwood
Elwood, Victoria
Elwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
, 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 congregation played an important role in accommodating Melbourne's large population of Jewish Holocaust survivors following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The congregation was formed around 1931 or 1932 as a prayer service in a private home. In 1938 the congregation moved to 40 Mitford Street where a part-time Talmud Torah
Talmud Torah
Talmud Torah schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of public primary school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary education in Hebrew, the Scriptures , and the Talmud...
was established in addition to regular prayer services. Prior to World War II the congregation grew with the arrival of Jewish European immigrants. In 1939-40 several members broke away and formed their own congregation, later known as the Adass Israel Congregation.
Elwood Shule flourished during and especially following World War II. Services took place in halls in Acland Street, St Kilda, and Hennessy Avenue, Elwood during peak periods, before larger premises were acquired at 26 Avoca Avenue in 1942.
The synagogue's current site, at 39 Dickens Street, was purchased in the early 1950s by synagogue President Abe Sicree. A new synagogue building was constructed and dedicated at the site in 1957, in time for the High Holidays of that year. The following year Rabbi Chaim Gutnick
Chaim Gutnick
Shneur Chaim Gutnick , was a prominent Orthodox Jewish Chabad rabbi in Australia....
was appointed Chief Minister of the synagogue, a position he held for some forty-five years until his retirement in 2003. A new school campus was constructed on synagogue premises by Moriah College of Elwood in the early 1960s. Following Moriah College's demise the campus was occupied by Mt Scopus Memorial College and later Yesodei HaTorah College. In 1973 the synagogue building was renovated and expanded to a seating capacity of 1068. In 2003 Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick
Mordechai Gutnick
Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick is a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi in Australia. He is the eldest son of the late Rabbi Chaim Gutnick and brother of Australian mining magnate Joseph Gutnick....
succeeded his father Chaim as Chief Minister of the congregation.
In 2008 the Elwood Talmud Torah Hebrew Congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary. Federal member for Melbourne Ports Michael Danby
Michael Danby
Michael David Danby is an Australian politician and has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since October 1998, representing the Division of Melbourne Ports, Victoria...
, an Elwood resident, marked the occasion by paying tribute to the congregation in a speech before Australian Parliament on 16 October 2008, saying,
A similar tribute was delivered before Victorian Parliament by Martin Foley
"It is very fortuitous, when viewed in retrospect, that this congregation was formed by central and east European migrants prior to the Second World War. These were the very people who were able to look after the refugees and the displaced persons who came off the ships after the Second World War and who, subsequently, filled the pews at this very special Shule."
Martin Foley (politician)
Martin Foley is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2007, representing Albert Park....
.