Great Synagogue (Sydney)

A large synagogue was built to unite the two Jewish congregations in Sydney, which at that time preferred synagogues on York Street and Macquarie Street . The synagogue on York Street was designed in the Egyptian style by James Hume ^[5] and was built in 1844. The first steps to find a suitable place for a new, larger synagogue were taken in 1864. In 1871, a meeting was held on York Street to discuss the purchase of land on Elizabeth Street . It was suggested that a meeting be held with representatives of the Macquarie Synagogue to join forces to buy land for a synagogue that would serve the entire community. John Solomon, a builder, bought land at an auction for £ 2,000 in 1871 and held it until the meeting was able to raise enough funds. It was planned to build a synagogue and educational institutions for less affluent members of the assembly. The money was to be earned by selling land on Kent Street, which was intended for a Jewish school, but was never used. Extra money was raised through the sale of real estate in York and Macquarie Street. An appeal was also requested to finance the new building, accompanied by a photograph of the New London Synagogue (subsequently destroyed by the bombing in 1941), which was to serve as a model for the building in Sydney. Thomas Rowe , a Cornish architect, was selected in 1872 as a result of a limited competition, other applicants were J. A. Mansfield and Benjamin Backhouse . Rowe also served as construction manager for the new building. The construction of the synagogue building was also partially supervised by the Princess Road Synagogue in Liverpool and the New West End Synagogue in London . The foundation stone was laid in January 1875 by postmaster general Saul Samuel , who later became the first Jewish Minister of the Crown in the British Empire. A huge charity bazaar was held in December 1875 to raise additional funds ^[3] .

The main masonry contractor was Aaron Lawridge, founder of the modern firm Loveridge & Hudson. Synagogue designs painted by Row and signed by Lavridge are in the Mitchell Library of Sydney. Other well-known synagogue firms included William Coleman (joinery), the Fletcher brothers (cast iron with decorative trim), Lewis and Steele (decorative plaster), Cornelius and Co. Philadelphia (gas lights), Minton Hollins and Co. (tile ), Russell and Co. (cast-iron columns) and Lyon and Cottier ( stained glass window ) ^[3] .

The synagogue was consecrated on March 4, 1878, but its decoration was not completed until 1883 ^{[6] [7]} . At the time of completion, the synagogue was the most impressive building on Elizabeth Street and was one of the first large Victorian buildings built in Sydney reflecting civic pride and prosperity. The Great Synagogue is the mother church of Australian Jewry and still maintains a register of all births, marriages, and deaths beginning November 1, 1826. It also houses a museum, a library. The synagogue participates in festivals in Sydney. In 1988, the Bicentennial Council of the State of New South Wales recognized the importance of the building and allocated a grant for the restoration of the facade on Elizabeth Street. ^[3]

The Great Synagogue combines elements of the Byzantine and Gothic architectural style ^[8] . This magnificent building is often called Australia ’s Cathedral Synagogue. The Great Synagogue consists of two main parts: the synagogue itself (the house of worship) with a women's gallery ending in Elizabeth Street and the five-story modern section ending in Castle Street. The original eclectic design in Victorian style of free Gothic was described at the time of consecration as Byzantine with a touch of Gothic elements. The facade and towers on Elizabeth Street are made of Pyrmontian stone, and the rest of the early construction is made of brick with cast-iron columns, wooden floors and a slate roof. The facade of Castle Street is stone on the ground floor, with brickwork on top. The interior is represented by stucco, carved wood and stained-glass windows decorated with abstract patterns to avoid the image of living forms. The surviving wooden staircases on Elizabeth Street have carved balustrades . The walls are painted with gold leaf, and the furniture is mainly made of polished wood and brass. Some original color schemes have been preserved, especially on the ceiling of the entrance to Elizabeth Street, while the midnight blue ceiling with gold leaf stars has been repainted several times in the original design. Wooden floors are aligned both at the ground level and at the gallery level, and the central part of the first floor and steps at the entrance are faced with mosaics .

In the basement there is a hall with steel portal frames supporting the columns and floor, as well as the museum of A.M. Rosenblum and the library of Rabbi Falk. The modern department, made of reinforced concrete, contains offices, classrooms and meeting rooms, as well as an elevator and a fire escape, and has a top floor with access to the roof. Modern stained glass windows on the facade of Castle Street have been designed by Louis Kahan of Melbourne . The synagogue building contains samples of sacred scrolls and religious artifacts, including a menorah (candelabra with nine branches) created by Rabbi L. A. Falk ^{[3] [6]} .

The current synagogue has a traditional feature of the above-ground female gallery. At first, bima , as expected, was located in the center. However, in order to increase capacity, it was moved to the western wall in 1906. Over the years, numerous additions and changes have been made to other objects belonging to this building, including the construction of a sukkah , excavation and the construction of a large reception area under the synagogue itself, the construction of the Rabbi Falk Memorial Library, the installation of electricity in chandeliers and the installation of the Shabbat elevator ". A useful review of the history of the synagogue is provided by a 2008 book edited by Rabbi Raymond Apple ^[9] .

On August 22, 2001, the condition of the building as a whole is listed as good, although the upper parts of the masonry require maintenance.

The Great Synagogue is mostly intact both outside and inside, in the old quarter overlooking Elizabeth Street ^[3] .

In June 2006, more than $ 310,000 was approved for interior decorating. The project includes: restoration work in the interior of the building, restoration of natural ventilation and conservation of suspended and wall gas generators ^[3] .

1. ↑ "The Great Synagogue". Sydney Architecture. (unspecified) .
2. ↑ "The Great Synagogue, 187A Elizabeth St, Sydney, NSW, Australia." (unspecified) .
3. ↑ ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7} "Great Synagogue" (neopr.) .
4. ↑ The Heritage of Australia . Macmillan Company. 1981. p. 2.
5. ↑ Muir Appelbaum, Diana (2012). "Jewish Identity and Egyptian Revival Architecture". Journal of Jewish Identities . 5 (2): 7.
6. ↑ ^{1 2} Phillips, 1975.
7. ↑ Bersten, 1995.
8. ↑ "Visiting The Great Synagogue, Sydney" (neopr.) .
9. ↑ ^{1 2} Apple, Raymond , ed. (2008). The Great Synagogue: A History of Sydney's Big Shule . UNSW Press.

• Attraction Homepage (2007). Great Synagogue .
• Orwell & Peter Phillips Architects (2000). Conservation Management Plan The Great Synagogue Sydney.
• Raymond Apple; with members of the congregation (2008). The Great Synagogue: a history of Sydney's big Shule.
• The National Trust of Australia (NSW) (1975). Classification Card for the Great Synagogue.
• Tourism NSW (2007). "Great Synagogue And Am Rosenblum Jewish Museum".

• Official site
• The great syngagogue of sydney
• A history of the Great Synagogue, Sydney
• Great Synagogue rabbis and the British Chief Rabbinate
• Ellmoos, Laila (2008). Great Synagogue . Dictionary of Sydney.