A mosaic menorah mystery
A MYSTERIOUS part of Sydney's Jewish history has been revealed in the form of a colourful mosaic on a bathroom floor.
A MYSTERIOUS part of Sydney’s Jewish history has been revealed in the form of a colourful mosaic on a bathroom floor.
The tiled artwork, which depicts a menorah beneath a Star of David surrounded by bunches of grapes, was on the verge of being destroyed when Tina and John Penrose were considering renovations in their Oatley home.
But prompted by Jewish friends Brian and Jocelyn Nebenzahl, the couple contacted the Jewish Historical Society (JHS) before letting the builders loose in the bathroom.
The result was a significant find, with JHS archivist Helen Bersten ensuring the mosaic reached the hands of the Sydney Jewish Museum.
Museum curator Roslyn Sugarman said she was thrilled the mosaic had been saved.
“When we took it in we had no idea that we’d be holding a piece of valuable Australian Jewish heritage,” Sugarman explained. “Now that we’ve put the pieces together, we’re delighted that we made the right decision to take it into our collection.”
Since extracting the large artwork, the museum discovered it belonged to the original Central Synagogue in Grosvenor Street. It was quite a discovery, considering the synagogue’s archival records were burned in the 1994 Central Synagogue fire.
But archivist Denise Lvoff helped uncover pivotal leads.
Lvoff found that architect Gordon Keesing had designed both the Jewish War Memorial, now home to the Sydney Jewish Museum, and the original Central Synagogue.
The eagle-eyed archivist also noticed that the emblem on the front of the Darlinghurst museum is the same as that illustrated in the mosaic.
Lvoff’s search of Keesing’s papers in the Mitchell Library led her to a photograph, which revealed the mosaic’s origins as a decorative front panel on the synagogue’s bimah.
John Penrose was surprised to discover his bathroom floor once took pride of place in a shul.
“I had always noticed the symbols on the mosaic as it’s a stunning work of art, but it never occurred to me that it would have such a historical significance to the Jewish community,” Penrose said.
The ornate mosaic floor, now on display in the museum, came with the home when they purchased it in 1991.
CASSILEE KAHN
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