Shabbos Project Perth 2015
The New Melbourne KehilaLink
The new Melbourne KehilaLink has just gone live.
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/melbourne
JewishGen KehilaLinks (formerly “ShtetLinks”) is a project facilitating web pages commemorating the places where Jews have lived. KehilaLinks provides the opportunity for anyone with an interest in a place to create web pages about that community. These web pages may contain information, pictures, databases, and links to other sources providing data about that place.
Kehila קהילה [Hebrew] n. (pl. kehilot קהילות):
Jewish Community. Used to refer to a Jewish community, anywhere in the world.
This site is hosted by JewishGen, the world’s largest Jewish genealogical organisation, an affiliate of the Jewish Heritage Museum in New York City. JewishGen provides amateur and professional genealogists with the tools to research their Jewish family history and heritage.
I like to include my photos of synagogues, of which there are many in Melbourne.
St Kilda is one of the beautiful synagogues to be found in Melbourne
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Joseph Plottel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Joseph Plottel | |
|---|---|
Joseph Plottel 1936
|
|
| Born | 1 January 1883 Yorkshire, Great Britain |
| Died | 28 March 1977 (aged 93) Melbourne, Victoria |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | Footscray Town Hall, St Kilda Synagogue |
Joseph Plottel (1883– 28 May 1977) was a British born architect who was active in Melbourne, Australia between 1911 and World War II, working in a modernist style with some significant Byzantine-Romanesque features.
Melbourne architectural practice
Plottel enjoyed a very diverse architectural practice with commercial and residential commissions in an eclectic modern style drawing on the American Romanesque and Arts and Craft movement. Among his early commissions were Embank House at 325 Collins St in 1911, the Williamstown Municipal Buildings in 1914 and several flat projects such as ‘Chilterns’, Glenferrie Road, 1917 ‘Garden Court’ of 1918 in Marne St South Yarra and ‘Waverly’ at 115–119 Grey Street St. Kilda from 1920. These designs tended to fine detailing in brick, but in a restrained manner characteristic of the romantic movement of the Arts Crafts. The prominent use of rain heads and down spouts in the composition is an interesting pointer to Plottel’s later work.[5]
In 1924 Plottel married and also was appointed to design the new St Kilda Synagogue, as the congregation had outgrown the 1872 building. As inspiration he presented a photo of the Temple Isaiah in Chicago, adapting the exterior to a ‘Byzantine Revival’ style with an octagonal base and dome roof clad in Wunderlich tiles, while the interior was finished in what was to become Plottel’s trademark finely crafted woodwork.[6]
The Jewish community provided many commissions, as he became close to several business people who had factories in Melbourne’s Western Suburbs including Footscray and Yarraville. Plottel’s wife Rachel was a doctor specialising in skin conditions. Their only daughter, Philippa May, married Cpl Rolf Hallenstein[7] (the brothers Isaac and Michael Hallenstein established the vast tannery of Michaelis Hallenstein in Footscray with their cousin Moritz Michaelis) and obtained a Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne then went on to a prominent role in women’s affairs and law, as a member of the National Council of Women of Victoria, the Victorian Women Lawyers Society, the Australian Local Government Women’s Association Victoria and many other organisations.[8]
St Kilda Synagogue
The foundation stone of the new synagogue was laid 28 February 1926 (the contractor being H H Eilenberg) and the synagogue was consecrated on 13 March 1927. The Ladies` Gallery was also extended in 1957–58 to designs by Plottel.[9] The Masonic Club, 164 to 170 Flinders Street Melbourne 1926 – 1927 again featured the extensive use of decorative brickwork, this time in a variation of the Neo – Grec theme, showing the style’s usual chaste ornament, formed by swags, antefixes and a shallow pediment.[10]
Last Week’s Classes in Lithuania
Late last week I gave two talks to the students at the Atzalynas Gymnasium in Kedainiai, Lithuania.
Laima Ardaviciene, their English teacher, set up the meetings using Skype, which has proven effective on previous occasions.
What makes our meetings so special is that Laima uses Jewish history and culture as her subject.
Keidan was an important multicultural town before the Holocaust, with around 50% of the town Jewish. No Jews live there now.
My connection to Keidan is via my third great grandfather, Avraham Shlomo Zalman Tzoref. He was a follower of the Vilna Gaon, and left in 1811 for Jerusalem.
I chose 15 of my photos of Lithuania to discuss with the classes.
They were in four different themes:
Theme 1
Three dual synagogue complexes in Lithuania
Kedainiai
Kalvarija
Joniskis
Theme 2
Righteous Gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews
Simon Davidovich, director of the Sugihara Museum in Kaunas
Brone
See Righteous Among the Nations
Theme 3
Yaakov Bunka, Last Jew of Plungyan in the Plunge, Salantai and Plateliai area.
The program is now run by his son, Eugenijus.
See Video
Theme 4
The Curonian Spit, a World Heritage Site
Tomorrow’s Class
Tomorrow afternoon at 1pm Perth time and 8am Lithuanian time, I will enter a virtual classroom with Laima Ardaviciene and her students of English at Atzalynas Gymnasium in Kedainiai.
We will use Skype, which has proved effective on previous occasions.
Laima seeks ways to give her students the opportunity to communicate in English, great for improving their language skills.
What makes our meetings so special is that Laima uses Jewish history and culture as her subject.
Keidan was an important multicultural town before the Holocaust, with around 50% of the town Jewish. No Jews live there now.
Laima’s students are inquisitive about the Jews and what happened to them, which is in contrast to the blackout in Laima’s own schooling in Kedainiai in Soviet times.
So what happened to the Jews of Keidan? 2076 were shot on 28 August 1941 by local Lithuanians.
See: http://www.holocaustatlas.lt/EN/#a_atlas/search//page/1/item/54/
My connection to Keidan is via my third great grandfather, Avraham Shlomo Zalman Tzoref. He was a follower of the Vilna Gaon, and left in 1811 for Jerusalem.
View:
I have chosen 15 of my photos of Lithuania to discuss with the class tomorrow.
I have already emailed them beforehand to Laima and her students.
They are in four different themes.
Can you guess what the themes are?
Theme 1
Theme 2
Theme 3
Theme 4
Why I Am A Jew
By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Gmar Chatima Tova
Eli
Is Australia’s New Prime Minister Really Menachem Mendel Turnbull?
Is Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s new PM, Jewish?
http://www.timesofisrael.com/australian-pm-ousted-for-more-moderate-rival-with-jewish-roots/
This Times of Israel article quotes from his 2013 interview with the Australian Jewish News:
Menachem Mendel Turnbull?
IT’S official. Malcolm Turnbull is Jewish … well, at least as far as his mother was concerned.
Speaking to The AJN this week, the shadow minister for communications and broadband recalled his mother, the author and academic Coral Magnolia Lansbury, discussing her heritage.
“My mother always used to say that her mother’s family was Jewish,” the member for Wentworth said.
However, he added, “I’ve never researched it. I honestly don’t know where or how I would do that,”
Asked if his mother’s revelation has shaped his views he said: “Yes, maybe.”
“I grew up in the Eastern Suburbs and as we all observe there were a lot of Jews in the Eastern Suburbs and I have always been very comfortable.
“There is no doubt that the strong traditions of family and the whole heimishe atmosphere of the Jewish community, which I’m sure some people don’t like, for me – as someone who is a good friend, but not part of it – I find very admirable.”
Reflecting on his mother, he noted, “She had a lot of Jewish friends in Sydney and a lot of Jewish friends in Philadelphia, where she was living when she died.”
Jewish genealogist Eli Rabinowitz, who calls himself a mishpachah-ologist because he likes to connect people with their past, recently returned from the International Jewish Genealogical Conference in Boston.
He told The AJN if Turnbull is interested, he could help trace his Jewish lineage.
“It’s very possible for Malcolm to trace his heritage if he wants to from clues that he may have from his parents and grandparents,” Rabinowitz said.“I’d happily offer to help him if he would let me.”
JOSHUA LEVI
Malcolm Turnbull candidly chats to The AJN. Photo: Gareth Narunsky.
Birzh – A Special Project Is Announced
This article has just appeared in the latest Cape Jewish Chronicle.
The old man Seftel Leib Melamed whose photo appears here, the last Jew in Birzh, passed away a few days ago at the age of 89.
Please contact me if you have roots in Birzh.
Litvaks On The Move!
Let us know your shtetls’ names
(Map – my thanks to Dovid Katz)
We can then update you on the activities in those towns.
For example, there are numerous Jewish projects currently taking place in Seduva, Zagare, Birzai, Plunge, Kedainiai, Joniskis, Kupiskis, Kaunas and Vilnius.
We are also interested in the towns that your Litvak forefathers settled in, after leaving.
Please email your list together with your family names associated with the particular towns and shtetls to:
eli@elirab.com
You can also visit our Facebook pages:
South African Shtetl on Facebook
If you wish, we can put you in touch with others with the same connections.
I look forward to hearing from you.
PS – If you are in Jo’burg tonight, I am giving a talk at the SA Jewish Genealogical Society at the HOD.
http://elirab.me/genealogy/two-talks-in-joburg-cape-town/
It would be great to see you there!
Best regards
Eli
Two Talks In Jo’burg & Cape Town
Hi all
I am giving two talks, in Johannesburg next Tuesday 25 August and in Cape Town on Thursday 3 September.
I look forward to seeing you there, if you are in town.
Here are the details:
Plus, I will report back on the recent IAJGS35 International Jewish Genealogical Conference in Jerusalem in July.
JOHANNESBURG
At the Jewish Genealogical Society South Africa
on Tuesday 25 August 2015 at 7pm for 7:30pm
at the HOD Hall
58 Oaklands Road
Orchards
JohannesburgRSVP by 24 Aug
Tel: 011-486-2188
Email: hannahkarpes@telkomsa.net
at the HOD Hall
58 Oaklands Road
Orchards
JohannesburgRSVP by 24 Aug
Tel: 011-486-2188
Email: hannahkarpes@telkomsa.net
CAPE TOWN
At the Jacob Gitlin Library
on Thursday 3 September 2015 5:30pm for 6pm
88 Hatfield Street
Gardens
Cape TownRSVP by 27 August
Tel: 021-462-5088
Email: gitlib3@netactive.co.zafacebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacob-Gitlin-Library/278584035495124
88 Hatfield Street
Gardens
Cape TownRSVP by 27 August
Tel: 021-462-5088
Email: gitlib3@netactive.co.zafacebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacob-Gitlin-Library/278584035495124
Paula & Moshe
Israel July 2015
Talk At The Jacob Gitlin Library
