HONOURING OUR HERITAGE

We honour our heritage as we restore the building to its more pristine beauty and sacredness, serving the existing needs of our community.

When Emanuel Synagogue was founded as the Temple Emanuel in 1938, its beautiful – now heritage building – provided a sacred space primarily for worship services.

Over the decades, we have expanded our engagement to include as many people as possible in the celebration of Judaism... a range of spiritual practices, a variety of educational programs, and an array of social and cultural events; all embedded within our creative and inclusive practice of Judaism.

At the same time, changes to the heritage building – such as the low overhanging balcony and the visible air conditioning ducts – have detracted from its original seamless beauty while creating a space not suitable for the dynamic and engaging community we are. The heritage building no longer does – but soon can – provide the multi-purpose space to reflect our multi-vocal and multi-focal Synagogue.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The Heritage Sanctuary is the centrepiece of Emanuel Synagogue. It bears the most historical significance of any location on the site and, having hosted countless significant religious and community events over many years, is dear to the hearts of many.

While it is still a beautiful and functional space, the Sanctuary has fallen into a state of disrepair – consistent with its age and the time since any substantial refurbishment has been undertaken.

We are very grateful for the opportunity to present our vision for the continued success of Emanuel Synagogue to you and we sincerely hope that you will support us in this endeavour.

The new design will harness the latest in electronic and digital technology to create a sense of intimacy and ambience within the Sanctuary, whether the room is full or occupied by just a few people; enabling Emanuel Synagogue to engage more effectively with its community into the future.

Our recent construction of the beautiful new shul in the Millie Phillips Building has shown us how powerful and uplifting one’s physical surroundings can be, and how fundamentally a building can influence the beauty and majesty of a religious service.

There is no doubt that the new sanctuary has brought renewed enthusiasm, excitement and vigour to our community and it is our hope and expectation that the proposed Heritage Sanctuary upgrade will have a similar effect.

Emanuel Synagogue President, Alex Lehrer

CREATING OUR FUTURE HERITAGE

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.