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History
The Jewish Museum of Australia was established in 1982
and for thirteen years was located in the synagogue of the
Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, South Yarra. In that time,
the Jewish Museum presented over forty wide-ranging
exhibitions, several of which travelled nationally. The Museum
attracted significant communal support and won several
prestigious industry awards. In 1992 the Jewish Museum
of Australia purchased a building in Alma Road, St Kilda
opposite one of Melbourne's most beautiful synagogues,
the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation, and close to
Temple Beth Israel.
On 20 August 1995 the Jewish Museum of Australia, Gandel Centre of Judaica was officially opened
by the then Governor General, Bill Hayden.
Rabbi Lubofsky AM
Founder and Life President of the Jewish Museum of Australia Born 7/7/28 Died 21/4/2000
Rabbi Lubofsky was a superb orator and teacher, who devoted much of his energies to sharing the richness of Judaism within the rabbinate, academe and to a diverse audience through Mount Scopus Memorial College, Victoria College, Ormond College, and the Council of Adult Education. He worked actively to build bridges between the Jewish and wider community being a
Founder and President of the Council of Christians and Jews. As a trained chazan and a lover of Cantorial Music, Rabbi Lubofsky founded the Melbourne Jewish Men's Choir.
In 1978 Rabbi Lubofsky called together a group of men and women, then under the auspices of B'nai B'rith, in order to establish a Jewish Museum in Melbourne. Twenty two years later, the Jewish Museum of Australia has grown from Rabbi's seed of an idea into an important institution within the Jewish community and a major cultural venue within our country. The Museum is imbued with his love of Judaism and its physical manifestations. He knew and understood Judaica like no-one else in this country, had an important Judaica library and had trained as a bookbinder. He, with his wife Shirley, was an inveterate collector of Judaica.
The Jewish Museum of Australia acknowledges Rabbi Lubofsky's vision, which not only gave birth to this institution but encouraged it to keep charting new waters in the search for new and arresting ways of preserving, presenting, celebrating and sharing our uniquely enduring and richly diverse Jewish heritage.
Rabbi Ronald Lubofsky died unexpected on Friday 21 April 2000, on the second day of Passover after energetically and lustily leading a second Seder. He is deeply missed by his Jewish Museum family and the whole community. He was our mentor and teacher and we will be forever indebted to him.
The Jewish Museum of Australia will stand always as a reflection of all that Rabbi Lubofsky held dear.
Dr Helen Light AM
Director
John Gandel AO and Pauline Gandel
A distinguished history of generous philanthropy John and Pauline have been the major supporters of the Jewish Museum of Australia since its inception. John was a committee member already at the launch of the Museum in October 1982. With the assistance of their generous financial commitment over the years, this institution has grown to become a major cultural venue in our country and a significant organisation in our community. John and Pauline have given to the museum consistently over its whole life – to projects big and small, to exhibitions, to the purchase of objects for the collection.
They have both in their own ways participated actively and proactively in the life of the organisation. In 1983 John Gandel was elected Chairman of the Jewish Museum of Australia, a position he held for twelve years. In that time, he involved himself in the day-to-day running of our operations, always at the end of the phone to advise, support and keep us on our toes, working on several projects, most memorably with Museum Victoria and the Italian Historical Society in the groundbreaking collaborative exhibition: Bridging Two Worlds: The Jews and Italians of Carlton. John traipsed Melbourne with other executive members looking for an appropriate building to become the home of the Jewish Museum. And once we found, and with his guidance and financial support, purchased 26 Alma Road, John was involved in every discussion regarding the design of the building and the initial exhibitions. Since then he and Pauline have accepted the role of patrons for numerous projects close to our hearts. Pauline supported Zelda Rosenbaum’s wonderful production of the book From Where We Have Come and the Gandel family were patrons of the Gandel Festival of Jewish Music, a first in Melbourne, presented by the JMA in 2004.A most practical project that Pauline Gandel initiated and drove for many years was the Top Opp,
an opportunity shop at Chadstone Shopping Centre. The Gandel Foundation underwrote all the overheads.
The Jewish Museum and Vision Australia staffed the shop and all the proceeds were shared between the
two organisations, with a little extra going to the City of Stonnington. In the ten years the Top Opp operated
it raised nearly $2m for its beneficiaries.
The generous philanthropy of John and Pauline Gandel to many important organisations in medicine,
social service, education and the arts in Australia and in Israel is universally known and justly applauded.
