A ‘cohesive, warm and welcoming’ space
''Our synagogue represents the exiled Jews who lived in the Middle East, Africa, India and Asia.'
The Sephardi Association of Victoria marked 60 years with a special event on November 16 open to the community.
Sassoon Yehuda Sephardi Synagogue president Joanne Levy said to the attendees, “Our synagogue represents the exiled Jews who lived in the Middle East, Africa, India and Asia. Despite many of us coming from different countries with different customs, different tunes and practices, we’ve all come together here in this centre as a cohesive, warm and welcoming community. The customs of the synagogue are Sephardi, but we welcome all Jews, irrespective of their background and heritage.”
Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, around a million Jews were exiled from Arab and Muslim lands. Levy noted, “Many of our members are from the Middle East and were forced to leave or flee, and like my family, they had to leave everything behind and start a new life in a new country. And we’re truly thankful to have been able to migrate to Australia.
“However, those Sephardi Jews, including my family, struggled to fit in to the Jewish community, which is predominantly Ashkenazi, both here and in Sydney. They craved a space to pray and socialise that was familiar to them.” This led to the creation of the Sephardi Association of Victoria to honour their heritage and pass it down to future generations.
Caulfield MP David Southwick was a keynote speaker and discussed the importance of grassroots community leadership in the aftermath of October 7 and rising antisemitism.
“The grassroots have rebuilt now more than ever. And the people that have stood up and led the rallies and the support … to bring the community together has been the grassroots. Yes, our leadership of the Jewish community has been there. But what has really made the difference over the last couple of years? … It’s people like Joanne. It’s people that have said we’re going to develop care packs, we’re going to go out there and build things as a shule. We’re going to call for bringing the hostages home every Sunday.
“So for everybody that has done that, I say thank you. For this particular synagogue, I say thank you. It is now more than ever that we need our community.”
The Sephardi Association continues to invest in its future, with this year launching its Yachad Saviv program for Jewish youth and the Sephardi Heritage Museum of Australia (SHMA).
To learn more visitsephardivic.com