CHANTAL ABITBOL

IT all started in the mid-1950s, when a small group of migrants began holding services in private homes on Sydney’s Lower North Shore.

The gatherings quickly grew, and soon the fledgling congregation succeeded in raising £1000 to put a deposit on a block of land to build a new shul.

The doors opened in 1960, and it was officially called Cremorne and District Hebrew Congregation.

Fifty years on, the shul is set to kick off its golden jubilee celebrations. These days, it’s more commonly known as Cremorne Synagogue, and caters to more than 200 families in the area.

“It’s a time to look at the founding members, some of whom are no longer with us, and to remember their contributions,” said organising committee chairman Dr John Gallo, who has been a member of the shul since its inception.

“We’re also trying to look at the needs of the younger members and hoping they will take on the baton and move ahead in the future with their own ideas.”

A series of events are scheduled over the next year, beginning with a talk by academic Dr Rachael Kohn on Sunday, November 15 at 7.30pm. She will speak about the future of religion in Australia and the West.

Dr Kohn is the presenter of ABC’s The Spirit of Things. She is also the author of several books and has won numerous awards for radio and television documentaries.

Other events planned include luncheons and dinners with prominent speakers, cultural functions, film showings and young adult shabbatons.

Festivities will culminate with a gala cocktail reception next August.

“Our aim over the next 50 years is to build on the first 50,” said Cremorne Synagogue president Harold Marshbaum.

“We want to ensure that the shul remains the centre of Jewish activity on the Lower North Shore and to attract more and more of the local Jewish community to the congregation.”