‘Shtetl’ plan for outer Melbourne

This sounds like a good idea?

WITH property prices in Caulfield skyrocketing for the average – or larger than average – Jewish family, interest is being sought to establish a new Jewish community in a more affordable part of Melbourne.

A group of charity-minded individuals have held a couple of meetings to test whether members of Melbourne’s various Orthodox communities would be interested in moving their families elsewhere. Suggestions have ranged from Altona in the west to Frankston and Dandenong in the south.

The purpose-built satellite Jewish community would consist of several houses, a synagogue, sports facilities, recreational areas and shops. It would also likely need an eruv around its perimeter.

The price of building a new Jewish suburb is still being considered, but the group’s spokesperson, Ruvi Herzog, thinks that if enough people express interest, it should be completed by late 2010.

Herzog is realistic about the difficult choice families will have to make to move away from their local shul, from Jewish schools and from their ageing parents.

“As far as a Jewish community is concerned, you would need to have 100 [families] and in terms of the religious community, because part of it would have to be religious, I think you would need 25 or 30 religious families [to make it possible],” he said.

The faraway community would be open to all Jewish people, irrespective of their religious ideology. Herzog admits, though, that there is probably not much incentive for more secular members of the community to join.

“It’s definitely not a religious project, I mean [observant] Jewish people are bound ... to being in certain areas.

“Without being unfair, without being religious, you really don’t have those restrictions.”

Herzog is looking to create the satellite Jewish community as a not-for-profit project. He is a major donor to the Adass Israel community and helped found Hatzolah, the Jewish emergency-response service.

Bagelblogger: This in my opinion is a great idea, and will possibly not only alleviate a drastic affordable housing shortage in some areas of Melbourne, but may very well enable some Jews to live more observant lives.

The truth is that Orthodox Jews need to live within walking distance of their shule and for this very reason the prices in surrounding areas are driven up. For some, it is beyond being affordable.

References:
AJN: ‘Shtetl’ plan for outer Melbourne

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