Emanuel’s $7.5m restoration
A restoration will help Emanuel celebrate the past and embrace the future for generations to come.
“Eighty years ago, our founders had the courage, in the midst of war, to raise the funds to create this heritage,” Emanuel Synagogue senior Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins said at an event last Sunday marking the commencement of the restoration of the shule’s Heritage Sanctuary.
“We, its beneficiaries, now have that opportunity to transmit the heritage for the generations to come.”
Work began last week on the $7.5 million project, which will see a new wraparound balcony that opens up to other areas of the campus, skylights to bring in more natural light, reorienting seats for better viewing of services and enhancements to the building’s acoustics, lighting and air conditioning.
“We hope that your hearts are moved to help restore this Heritage Sanctuary to its former splendour, transforming it into a stunning centre for inclusive spiritual and cultural engagement,” Rabbi Kamins said.
President Alex Lehrer said the building’s restoration, refurbishment and reinvigoration “represents a critical milestone in our wider campus redevelopment strategy”.
“With a growing and evolving community comes the need for expansion, improvement and modernisation,” he said.
“The refurbishment of the Heritage Sanctuary will support these aspirations and the time to do it is now.”
He noted the shule had received “very generous” bequests from the late Fritzi Ritterman and Anna Plotke comprising $1 million each for the Heritage Sanctuary project, in addition to two families who have pledged amounts totalling $1 million.
“So we have $3 million committed and we hope to raise a further $4.5 million,” he said.
Presenting a slideshow with artist’s impressions of the building’s enhancements, architect Steve Kennedy said, “We’ve just found it the most incredible journey to be working with a bunch of people who have had such an inspiring approach to what they want to achieve.”
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio said, “When this space was dedicated over 1000 people participated in the celebration. Each one brought their hopes and dreams for this space.
“And now we do the same among all those beautiful memories, among the hopes and the dreams and the prayers that have been absorbed by the walls of this space. We pour our love and our imaginings for what it will become and what it will be for the generations to come.”
A video was played of descendants of the synagogue’s founders and other identities central to its history reminiscing about the journey of the congregation over its 80 years, in addition to a moving recording of the late Cantor Michael Deutsch in full song.
For more information, visit restorethesplendour.org
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