Tome is where the heart is

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard praised the Jewish community’s “ceaseless celebration of scholarship and the written word” in a letter read to hundreds of attendees at the launch of the Lamm Jewish Library of Australia last Sunday.

“For over 5000 years, the Jewish people throughout the world have cherished knowledge and learning, centred on the Torah and its teachings.

“The Lamm Family Library therefore expresses a recommitment to values that are woven into the fabric of Australian life and society,” wrote Gillard.

The testament was one of many to the $7 million resource centre, which, set to house 75,000 volumes, will be the biggest Jewish collection in the Southern Hemisphere.

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, who officially opened the new facility at 304 Hawthorn Road, received a warm round of applause for his tribute to the Jewish State and Australian Jewry.

“I understand how important Israel is to democracy, to the West and to the interests of the Jewish community,” he said, praising the community as one of the most passionate and committed in Victoria. “When it comes to shaping and informing policy for the benefit of multicultural society, you can rest assured that the Jewish community has its say,” he added.

Made possible by a $1 million ­government grant, the support of the Zionist Council of Victoria (ZCV), and the philanthropy of investment manager Rafi Lamm, his father Danny and mother Rolene, the amalgamation of several community libraries will be open six days a week with professional staff, state-of-the-art cataloguing and online ­services.

Lamm emphasised that he saw his son as part of a younger generation continuing the heritage of giving. He also commended the communal partnership that brought the library into existence. “A library under one banner, it shows that we in the community can merge, we in the community can put our resources together,” he said.

President of the ZCV Sam Tatarka spoke of the library as the manifestation of the community’s love of learning, ideas and culture. “We have a veritable botanic garden of books and resources that would truly gladden the soul of Ibn Tibbon,” he said.

A community open day followed the launch, with hundreds showing up to take part in kids’ activities, talks, exercise classes and cooking sessions at the centre – which its founders hope will become a vibrant hub of learning and cultural interaction.

LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA