Israeli rabbi set to take helm at Adelaide synagogue
A NEW rabbinical era is set to begin at Adelaide Hebrew Congregation with the recent appointment of an Israeli rabbi.
PETER KOHN
A NEW rabbinical era is set to begin at Adelaide Hebrew Congregation (AHC) with the recent appointment of an Israeli rabbi.
Rabbi Natan Friedler, who will begin in mid-October, will lead the congregation through a consolidation phase.
One of his primary objectives will be to attract new members, AHC president Eric Edelman told The AJN.
“He will hopefully bring the synagogue back to where it was some years ago. There are around 200 Israelis in Adelaide and we’re hoping he will attract some of them into the congregation as well.”
Rabbi Friedler, who comes from Petach Tikvah, studied for his rabbinate at the Straus-Amiel Institute in Jerusalem and has completed studies at Bar-Ilan University. He will arrive in Adelaide with his wife Shiri and their two boys.
Edelman said: “The synagogue conducted a lengthy rabbinical search and I had asked a former member of our congregation, who had returned to Israel, to interview him. He came back with an affirmative.”
Rabbi Friedler visited Adelaide a few weeks ago to preview his new congregation and meet the locals.
Edelman said there are no outstanding issues regarding a permanent rabbinical appointment in Adelaide.
This follows threats in 2007 by the Sydney Beth Din, which has jurisdiction in Adelaide, to place a siruv (boycott order) on AHC if it appointed a permanent successor to Rabbi Yossi Engel, the congregation’s former rabbi.
Rabbi Engel was involved in a legal dispute with AHC over his contract. The Supreme Court of South Australia has since ruled that the contract had been enforceable and that it had expired.
In June this year, Melbourne’s Rabbi Avraham Gutnick ended a temporary appointment as AHC’s rabbi.
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