Historic inauguration service at Silverton Road Shul

MICHAEL GREENBAUM

The service was attended by more than 200 guests, including community members and guests from Johannesburg and Israel.

The evening began with a mincha service led by Rabbi Yitzchak Lebowitz and the shul choir.  Dr Jonathan Beare and Stan Oshry were honoured with the opening of the Ark. Prayers for the State of Israel and the congregation were recited by Rabbi Pinchas Zekry, Rabbi Lebowitz and Rev Mark Friedman. 

Rabbi Zekry gave the honour of affixing the mezuzot to the doorposts of the shul to DUHC President Alex Zingol and Graham Kluk of the Umhlanga Jewish Centre Synagogue. Before affixing the mezuzot, Dr Issy Fisher and Rev Brian Lurie recited “Mizmor Chanukat Ha’bayit” in English and Hebrew.

DUHC Chairman Maurice Sacher, recalled the process of the building of the new shul and paid tribute to Rabbi Zekry for his guidance and dedication through the process and to Stan Oshry and Mary Kluk for their outstanding design and construction. Stressing what a team effort it had been, he quoted Winston Churchill: “So much is owed by so many to so few.”

Rabbi Zekry said the timing of special events always has a related significance. He compared the timing of the opening of the new shul to Parshat Balak, which contains the well-known verse: “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel.”

He said the past seven years have seen the opening of two new synagogues, serving both central and Umhlanga congregants, complementing each other, in addition to “our magnificent Jewish day school at Umhlanga”.

After the mincha service, the evening continued with a cocktail dinner in the Sacher Family Hall and on the terrace.