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This project promises to transform the Heritage Sanctuary into a truly 21st century space, while recapturing all the beauty envisioned by award-winning architect Sam Lipson in the 1940s.
The Heritage Sanctuary is the centrepiece of Emanuel Synagogue, our original building, visible all the way down John Street. We call it the Heritage Sanctuary as it is a classic Art Deco heritage listed building.
So much lives in this space – not just all the Yamim Noraim of the past, but countless weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, funerals – such as those of Cantor Deutsch, Rabbi Brasch, Rabbi Fox, communal luminaries and community members; it holds powerful memories of sacred moments and experiences of communal and cultural events over eighty years.
We, as custodians today, have the duty and responsibility to preserve this heritage, which was a gift to us, for the generations to come, for our future
If you were in the sanctuary now, you would see that, 80 years later, it urgently needs renewal and tender loving care.
We have realised that this magnificent heritage building can and should be restored to its original beauty, while at the same time enhancing its use for our synagogue’s religious services, educational programs and growing body of cultural events.
We dream of the next 80 years, which will take us to the next century. We are committed to advance sustainability for the future, so the building will be environmentally sustainable, enabling our creativity and inclusivity, supporting our broad range of activities beyond prayer and providing a home for those seeking a relational community of meaning.
FASHIONING OUR FUTURE
We fashion our future as we create a sacred space that will be the heritage for our progeny. This renovation, in form and function, will meet the needs of the children of the 21st century. The wrap around balcony, with its embedded audio visual technology and drop down screens will create a space whose flexibility will enable a broad range of engaging activities appropriate to the spiritual community centre that is our evolving Emanuel Synagogue. Natural light from skylights and changes to ventilation will provide a more environmentally conscious and healthy space.
