With members of Australia’s parliament, city council members, the Lord Mayor, rabbinic dignitaries and a broad representation of this city’s Jewish community looking on, the Melbourne Chabad-Lubavitch community recently dedicated a new synagogue.
Rabbi Yitzchok Isaac Riesenberg, co-founder and rabbi of the Central Shule Chabad opened the ceremony by highlighting that “the kindling of the menorah lights goes to the heart of what a shul must be.”
He noted that the Book of Proverbs states that ‘a mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light.’ Every mitzvah that we do lights up the darkness of our world,” he said. “The Torah that we learn becomes a bright beacon that shines in our lives, giving us moral clarity and purpose.”
The dedication marks the culmination of an intensive building campaign launched five years ago by the building and finance committee of Central Shule Chabad.
“Today, we can take collective pride in what has been achieved,” said Earle Sacher, chairman of the building committee, noting that the project was completed only “with fierce ambition, great support, tenacity, imagination and extraordinary generosity in the face of what often seemed impossible challenges.”
The congregation was co-founded in 1998 in utilising rented halls by Rabbi Riesenberg and its president, Ian Harris, on behalf of the large influx of South African Jews who came to Melbourne in the 1990s.
A former library on the current site was purchased by the congregation in 2001, but in recent years the facility no longer met the needs of the growing community. More than 350 families now belong to Central Shule, with more than 400 people attending the Friday night services, and upward of 800 joining in for the holidays.
The architects wrote of the new building that Central Shule Chabad was designed to be “a purpose-built synagogue for the greater Jewish community. It is a place to bring people together, acting as a hub for religious and social interaction.”
The main worship area consists of 800 seats, with tiered seating for the male and female congregants, located on the ground floor and first floor respectively. A clerestory, filtered glazing and skylights have been used to allow natural light into the space and provide limited interaction with the adjacent streetscape.
Stone was imported from Israel to clad the ark and the curved cantilevered wall on the street façade. The precast base is detailed with an abstracted Star of David pattern and eight menorah lights are part of the fabric of the building.
“South African Jewry has its own unique customs,” noted Ian Harris, “including a strong musical tradition, with many tunes originating from South Africa and Lithuania.” Owing to that heritage, Central Shule Chabad boasts a renowned 15-man choir led by choir master Myron Bletcher and Chazzan Didi Levin.
Earle Sacher explained that “The beautiful design of our building has delicately captured the journeys all of our parents that took to find a better future for our families. The façade outside, the foyer, the Aron Kodesh (holy ark) and all around the building are angles that subtly depict the imagery of pathways of transport.”
“There is movement everywhere we look,” noted Sacher. “The journey of the Diaspora is creatively celebrated with the artistic architecture. Deeper still the angles capture the choice we all are always confronted with. To strive and choose the path that goes up or in some cases the path that can go down.”
The overall Chabad community of Melbourne is the largest in Australia, noted Rabbi Riesenberg. It was led for more than five decades by the late Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, a revered educator who is widely considered one of the great Australian Jewish leaders of the 20th century.
Earle Sacher concluded: “What we all began here must not stop now. We cannot stop the journey at this point with a beautiful building. It must inspire all in the community to embrace our achievement. It must inspire a generation to accept this amazing gift, grow it, infuse it with a soul and choose the road upwards to build an inclusive and welcoming community serving the needs of all in the community.”
Such a warm, caring family, they are so caring and encouraging to everyone. They should receive much nachus from their shul community, they are a wonderful example to the wider community.
Rabbi Reisenberg is a true Shliach and an amazing person! I used to see him every morning at Rabbi Y.Y Gutnicks 770 Shul, he wakes up early every morning and learns for hours on end! Everyone in his Chabad House admires him to no end! It is amazing what you have built up for the south african jews! You should be Zoiche to grow begashmius uberuchnius Mechail el choyil! Keep on bringing the Rabbe to the masses and making our Rebbe proud! This is what the Rebbe wanted to see in Melbourne from the very early years, and thanks to… Read more »
rabbi reisenberg much success good seeing you and continued health and happiness in everything ahd meah ushmonim
Sheer determination and hard works pays off! Mazal tov Rabbi Riesenberg and family such a beautiful family and shul.
With such a chazan, which shul wouldnt fly!
Mazal-tov! mazal tov to the Riesenberg family and the community, It Looks beautiful! You should continue to have much hatzlacha in all the good work that you do!
The Shul is absolutely beautiful! Mazel tov to everyone involved
Rabbi and Sheyna ; I remeber the first Minyan too. It was 13 years ago and you could just get a minyan for Friday night. Wishing you both continued hatzlocha! May you go from strength to strength with Hashem’s help ,and continue to give the Rebbe nachas!
Sheina and Yitzchok, Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov! May you guys go M’Chayil El Choyil and give the Rebbe much much NACHAS.
I remember the first friday night minyan’s as a shliach at YG. I went to be chazan. Look how this has blossomed in 15 or so years ka”h. Kol Hakovod Rabbi Reizenberg!!