Adass Israel Mosdos of Melbourne Australia are about to
celebrate 50 years of providing a dynamic Torah life to the
Melbourne chareidi community. It was the first chareidi
kehilla to be established in Melbourne after the
war.
To commemorate this milestone a dinner will be held at the
Park Hyatt Hotel on the ninth of Adar (20th Feb.). The guest
speaker is Rabbi Chaim Kaufman, the rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Tiferes Yaakov in Gateshead, U.K.
The Adass Israel School, located in Elsternwick, is today one
of Melbourne's fastest-growing Jewish day schools. It was
founded in 1952 by a group of Holocaust survivors who had
only one driving ambition -- to educate their children with a
guarantee that the unbroken chain of the Orthodox tradition
would continue even on this faraway continent.
The founders of the school embarked upon a holy campaign to
rebuild a kehilla similar to that which was destroyed
by the Nazis in their lands of origin. This included a
shul, mikveh, shechitah, kashrus services and
chevrah kadishah and even the first Jewish cemetery in
Australia, a complete set of services and facilities for the
entire family. It was modeled on the Chasam Sofer derech.
The main focus however, was always education. And for
this purpose the Adass Israel School was established.
The school was founded based on the timeless principles of
Torah-true Judaism, with each and every student given the
opportunity to grow both academically and spiritually in a
warm and nurturing environment.
Every aspect of the curriculum was to be permeated by a
sensitivity and respect for steadfast Torah observance. The
success of the founders can be seen in the fact that many of
those enrolled today are third generation students of the
Adass Israel school.
Having almost negligible funding, the school's beginnings
were in a rundown wooden cottage with 15 students. Within
eight years numbers had grown to such an extent that the
school was forced to find new and larger premises and in 1960
it moved to its present site at King Street, Elsternwick. As
numbers grew, the school continued to expand, purchasing
additional properties to cater for this growth.
Today the school caters for around 500 students from
kindergarten through secondary schooling.
There are four separate kindergartens providing preschool
education to more than 100 boys and girls from the age of
three. These are fully-accredited and provide the best
facilities and staff to ensure the children are properly
cared for and start their early childhood education in the
best of traditions and environments. A visitor to any of the
kindergartens is always delighted by the warm, happy and
smiling faces of children so obviously enjoying their day and
their environment.
The children continue at the school where each class has its
own Jewish studies and secular studies teachers with programs
designed to give the students the best possible grounding in
both areas.
The boys' secondary program is unique among Jewish schools in
Australia, offering a yeshiva ketanoh (without any
limudei chol) from Year 10. This program prepares the
students to further their Torah studies post-high-school in
top yeshivos around the world. The course is designed to
cater to the needs of each student, encouraging them to
maximize their potential. The bochurim can be found in
various Yeshivos around the world including Mir, Gateshead,
Manchester, Gur, Belz, Lakewood, Philadelphia, Toldos Aharon
and many more.
The girls' secondary course is geared towards an in-house
seminary which runs through Years 11 and 12 and equips the
senior girls with early childhood management and teaching
skills leading to a diploma of Torah education. Graduates
from the seminary are teaching at all levels at various
girls' schools in Melbourne and overseas.
The seminary is the pioneer of a program where the girls are
also trained in office management, culminating in a state-
wide recognized certificate. The girls are also given the
opportunity to learn skills that will enable them to take
their rightful place in the community.
The shul is also a beehive of activity. From the
vosikin minyan and onwards one can find many
minyanim throughout the morning and evening. Two Daf
Yomi shiurim are given during the day and a Kollel
Baalei Batim for elderly citizens takes place during the day.
A kollel is also housed in the premises, headed by
Dayan Katz. The current rov of the Adass Israel Mosdos is
HaRav Beck.
A journal to commemorate the vast achievements of Adass
Israel Mosdos is being prepared. The commemorative committee
are giving an opportunity for former students who are now
living overseas and former kehilla members to send
their best wishes or to honor their parents or rebbeim on
this milestone. Ads can be emailed to
dinner@adassisrael.com
