<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/dec/13/melbourne-synagogue-fire-attack-world-war-ii-survivors-ntwnfb>
"Deep inside Melbourne’s oldest and largest synagogue, partially obscured by a
velvet curtain decorated with a Star of David, Rabbi Shlomo Nathanson is
preparing for the worst.
He carefully handles handwritten copies of Torah scrolls, sacred to his faith,
which have been stored at the synagogue for generations. Security around these
scrolls, and the community that holds them dear, is being bolstered, as a wave
of fear and anger washes through Jewish communities in Australia.
Like many, Rabbi Nathanson watched with disbelief as the destruction caused by
an arson attack on the nearby Adass Israel synagogue was revealed. The building
was left standing but its insides were gutted by fire. Police say the blaze was
“an attack on the Jewish people” that is being treated as terrorism. Three
suspects are yet to be apprehended.
Among the charred ruins was a Torah scroll pulled from the rubble of the Great
Synagogue in what is now Bratislava, Slovakia, which was firebombed during the
second world war. The scroll was one of seven saved by Jonas Eckstein, who was
detained in a forced labour camp during the Holocaust.
After the war, Jonas decided to take the scroll as far away as possible. He
settled in Melbourne, which to this day has the highest number of Holocaust
survivors outside Israel. He migrated with his one-year-old son, William. Both
joined the Adass Israel synagogue, which became the centre of their lives.
On Monday morning, more than 70 years after the scroll was first saved,
William, like his father, pulled it from a burned synagogue.
“It’s hard to believe this happened again, in Australia, of all places,”
William says."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
