PETER KOHN

ADELAIDE Hebrew Congregation has a new spiritual leader, Rabbi Netanel Friedler.

The rabbi was due to arrive in November from Israel, but ran into routine Department of Immigration delays in processing his paperwork.

The 31-year-old’s arrival last week signals the dawn of a new era for the South Australian shul, following a bitter legal row with Rabbi Yossi Engel, who served the congregation for eight years from 1998 and is now facing fraud charges.

AHC has had the temporary services of Melbourne’s Rabbi Avraham Gutnick in recent times, but a new permanent rabbi will prove a shot in the arm for the congregation, according to its president, Eric Edelman.

Rabbi Friedler, his wife Shiri and their two young sons were greeted at a welcome kiddush. He will be formally installed later this year.

“He’ll be able to gel our community together and bolster the numbers attending the shul. He will also be active in counselling,” Edelman told The AJN.

As well as supervising Adelaide kashrut, Rabbi Friedler will also become the spiritual leader at Massada College, where he will work in a consulting role and will likely teach as well.

His appointment has been endorsed by the Organisation of Rabbis of Australasia, the Orthodox rabbinical roof body, which will offer him assistance.

Rabbi Friedler, who comes from Petach Tikvah, studied for the rabbinate at the Straus-Amiel Institute in Jerusalem and completed his studies at Bar-Ilan University.