The Syna-blogue

  Torah Portion: Vayetzei Synagogue: Emmy Monash Aged Care (Orthodox) Walking time from home: 25 minutes Reason for going: Close to my afternoon plans Kiddush: Lovely, small kiddush There are some shules that are in prominent locations but still keep a low profile. The shule at the Emmy Monash Aged Care home – on a main road – is one of them. The Home itself is more than 60 years old and it has always had a shule, since many of the residents were shule-goers in their younger years and wanted to continue to go to shule even in their advanced years. In 2016 when an addition was added to be building, a more permanent and modern-looing shule was also added, which is where the congregation meets these days. This week was a regular Shabbat service with no guests or celebrations. Often however there are special visitors. For instance, last week a choir from another sh

Torah Portion: Toldot Synagogue: Brighton Hebrew Congregation (traditional orthodox) Walking time from home: 70 minutes Reason for going: A talk and a lunch Kiddush: Lovely, small kiddush - beautiful lunch My quest to visit shules further afield continues. I have been to Brighton Hebrew Congregation (Brighton shule) numerous times for dinners or other events, but had never been for a Shabbat morning service. I was therefore looking for an occasion to visit and this week I found one.  Brighton shule is one of the old, traditional post-Holocaust shules that are dotted all over Melbourne. The current premises dating back to 1967 – like many of the era – is more than a shule, with a large community hall, a decent sized kitchen, classrooms and other facility rooms, a playground and a large area for a Sukkah. The sanctuary was never designed for a large crowd and even at c

  Torah Portion: Chayei Sarah Synagogue: ARK Centre (modern orthodox) Walking time from home: About an hour Reason for going: An exploration of shules further afield Kiddush: Lovely, small kiddush Last week I went to Kew shule, which for many decades was the premiere Jewish centre in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, but eventually fell out of favour because of gentrification and other issues. So almost two decades ago a new shule was set up in Hawthorn in a rented house on Auburn Road, and thus was initially called the Auburn Road Kehilla (ARK). Less than a decade later it moved to a purpose-built, dedicated premises around the corner, but the name stuck. After all, a Torah ark is the centre of any shule, so it is a good name for a shule. The new venue is somewhat connected to but not directly affiliated with Bialik College. As a Zionist, secular Jewish school, there

  Torah Portion: Vayeira Synagogue: Kew Hebrew Congregation (traditional orthodox) Walking time from home: One hour and 45 minutes Reason for going: Something new and different Kiddush: A three course sit-down lunch This week, with no other Shabbat afternoon plans, for the first time in a long time I decided to go to Kew shule – probably the furthest shule that I could reasonably walk to. Kew Hebrew Congregation is one of a handful of traditional old shules around Melbourne. Some of these were started before the war, but all of them were expanded and brought to life immediately post-war. The original Kew shule was in the hall next door (which no longer exists), whereas the current iteration was built in the 1960s. It has around 800 seats and a very beautiful, large ark as well as stained-glass windows throughout. Walking in, I had forgotten how beautiful it actually