Remote but not forgotten

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Last week 60 Jews from as far afield as Perth and Gold Coast gathered to bring in Shabbat in the Broken Hill Synagogue in the first service since Melbourne’s Ark Congregation’s visit in March 2018.

The group at the benches naming ceremony

The synagogue on Wolfram St, built in 1910, was active until its closure in 1962.  Following the decline of the once vibrant Broken Hill Jewish community, the synagogue was sold to the Broken Hill Historical Society in 1990 and became The Synagogue of The Outback Museum and home of the Society in 1991.

Professor Leon Mann of Melbourne was born in Broken Hill. He had long-wanted to recognise the five religious leaders who were ministers in the old synagogue and spiritual leaders of the Jewish community. He also wanted to recognise the synagogue trustees Alwyn Edelman and Harold Griff and the leaders of the Broken Hill Historical Society who had the foresight and vision to negotiate the transfer from Synagogue to Synagogue-Museum. His idea, accepted by the Society, was to install two benches in the Synagogue forecourt, one dedicated to the ministers and one for the protectors of the Synagogue.

The Jewish section

On Sunday morning, over 100 people gathered for the Bench naming ceremony.  Ron Hoenig, Minister for Local Government NSW, who received an aliyah in the shule on Shabbat morning and was honoured with Mayor’s Reception in the afternoon, spoke at the Ceremony together with Mayor Tom Kennedy, Professor Suzanne Rutland and the museum’s tireless co-ordinator, Margaret Price. The two benches were dedicated by Ross Mawby, a past President of the Broken Historical Society, and by Leon Mann.

Leon Mann, Ron Hoenig and suzanne Rutland

As part of the ceremony, Dr Danny Mann-Segal of Melbourne, whose father was born In Broken Hill, recited Shecheyanu and his wife Leeba blew the Shofar.

The Broken Hill Community Voices led by Robyn Sanderson sung a medley of Broken Hill and Jewish songs concluding with the National Anthem and Hatikvah.

Sarah Meinrath

In the true spirit of interfaith friendship, the Shabbat kiddush and the reception following the Bench naming Ceremony were held in the Salvation Army Hall across the road from the Synagogue.

On Saturday afternoon, the visitors participated in a guided walk along iconic Argent Street led by Leon Mann and Les White of the Historical Society, learning about the store owners whose families came to Broken Hill from the Ukraine, Russia, and Lithuania in the 1890s-1910s and became leaders of the community.

Inside the shul

On Sunday afternoon, the visitors gathered in the small Jewish section of the Broken Hill Cemetery for a moving consecration of the headstone of Simcha Shnukal (1876-1931) attended by his grand-daughter Anna. For some it was their first opportunity to place a stone on the graves of family members. Maurie and Vera Hasen brought nameplates for the 11 unmarked Jewish graves in the cemetery.

Anna Shnukal

Broken Hill, far from Australia’s regional towns and capital cities, has the most remote Synagogue-Museum in the world. However, the Synagogue and the Broken Hill Jewish community established in the 1880s are not forgotten.