Stalwart Suss’s new shul role

Get The AJN Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

IN taking up the reins as general manager at Caulfield Hebrew Congregation, senior communal professional Miriam Suss is looking forward to the next phase in a career that has encompassed the United Israel Appeal (UIA), the Jewish Com-munity Council of Victoria, Jewish Care and the Ethnic Communities Council.

The Israeli-born former social worker and grandmother of three said she would work hard to make Caulfield synagogue “a communal hub”.

Suss began her career in social work and specialised in that field for 26 years, but she is also known for her eight years as CEO of UIA Victoria and, over the past two years, for her work in the development department of Jewish Care.

In the newly created position of general manager, she aims to promote Caulfield shul’s development plans to become “a centre for people in the geographic area but who are also attracted to modern Orthodoxy”.

“Our thinking came together, as I have a history of involvement in community development as a communal professional,” she told The AJN.

Suss said she would create opportunities for Caulfield synagogue to “reach further into the community, attracting people who perhaps might not automatically think of engaging with the shul, building on the membership, working on attracting young people and strengthening the community”.

“My interest in working in the Jewish community has always been about Jewish continuity,” she said.

In announcing the appointment, shul president Robert Weil said: “I am confident that Miriam’s experience as a social worker, fundraiser and administrator, together with her devotion to synagogue and family life, will prove to be invaluable in the ongoing success and continued growth of the congregation.”

Caulfield Hebrew Congregation has 2682 members, representing more than 830 families, and has a combined seating capacity of 1660 seats.

PETER KOHN