The Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, in Melbourne’s south-east, was firebombed early in the morning on Friday. Two people were inside at the time, and neither was badly injured.
What is the Adass Israel synagogue?
The Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne’s inner south-east is a central meeting point for prayer and study for this ultra-orthodox group within the broader Jewish community.
People inspecting the damage at the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea. Credit: Arsineh Houspian
The synagogue sits opposite Ripponlea train station in one of the most identifiably Jewish parts of Melbourne.
A centre of community life, it is surrounded by other Jewish businesses, many of them selling kosher food.
Who are the congregants of Adass Israel?
A large proportion of the synagogue’s early congregants were Jewish migrants from Hungary whose pre-war lives had been destroyed in the Holocaust. Many members of Adass Israel today are the second, third and fourth-generation descendants of those Holocaust survivors.
The members of Adass Israel are a small but fervently committed Jewish congregation. The 2016 documentary Strictly Jewish said the Adass Israel community consisted of about 200 families and 2000 people altogether. Having big families is considered a blessing.
Adass Israel board member Benjamin Klein described the synagogue as the busiest in Melbourne. It is particularly busy on the Sabbath, which begins every Friday evening and ends on Saturday night. But it is common to see activity at the synagogue at all hours and days of the week with congregants coming, going and milling outside.
Congregants comfort each other outside the synagogue on Friday morning.Credit: Simon Schluter
What are their beliefs and customs?
This congregation adheres to strict interpretations of biblical and kosher law. Like all observant Jews, they will not use electricity or do anything that is considered work during the Sabbath. That means no driving, shopping or using phones. A threat to human life is an exception to these rules.
Adass Israel congregants adopt traditional styles of dress, and men can often be seen wearing round fur hats known as “shtreimels”, particularly on the Sabbath.
Many congregants also converse in Yiddish, which is spoken only in some pockets of Melbourne’s Jewish community. Some members of Adass Israel shun the internet and other aspects of modern life. They are an insular community and generally do not seek to recruit Jews from outside into their congregation.
Why were people there at 4am?
Men often use this synagogue to study and pray at all hours. During some festivals, it is customary to stay up all night to engage in prayer and learning. At other times individuals or even rabbinical students might study and argue over religious texts into the early hours of the morning.
What has the congregation said about the Middle East conflict?
In short, nothing publicly. Adass Israel does not generally involve itself in the public political arena.
The destroyed interior of the Adass Israel synagogue Friday December 6.
Has this synagogue been targeted before?
This is not the first time the Adass Israel synagogue has been the target of an attack. The synagogue was badly damaged in 1995. The St Kilda Historical Society reports the community launched a rebuilding effort and the synagogue reopened later that year.
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