We Welcome You With Open Arms And Open Minds
About Us
Beit Aharon Mayfield Street Shule is a contemporary traditional shule in Melbourne Australia. Within the Orthodox framework, we embrace diversity and modernity whilst placing a high value on maintaining our proud and timeless traditions.
We recognise that although Jews express their Judaism in many different ways and that attending shule on a regular basis may not be high on everyone’s list of priorities, we also recognise that a shule is central to the needs of Jews at times of joy and at times of sadness.
We therefore believe that shule needs to be an interesting experience, allowing Jews to fulfil their spiritual needs, to learn a little more about their traditions, to exchange views with others, and to join with others in a community which is warm, friendly, welcoming to new faces and inclusive.
Beit Aharon Mayfield Street Shule is proud of the role it plays in promoting the role of women in the Shabbat services. We have a long tradition over many years of having multiple women on the Board of Management. The Torah is brought into and carried by women in the women’s section, and each week the tefillot for the government and Israel are read aloud by women during the service.
Our History
Beit Aharon Mayfield Street Shule was founded in 1987 as a minyan in the newly dedicated Arnold Bloch Memorial Synagogue with the assistance of Moshe Rabovich, then head of Jewish studies at
Mount Scopus College. Founding members included the Boltin family and other members of the extended family of the late Arnold Bloch, together with a number of people who lived in the local area including the Felzen family, the family of the late Jakob Balbin a’h, the Honig family, the Lederman family and the Cohen family. Life member, Sam Tatarka joined the shule in 1988 and became gabbai when Moshe Rabovich returned to Israel.
Rabbi William Altshul served as the Kehilla’s first rabbi for a period of five years from 1992 and he was succeeded by Rabbi Ralph Genende who occupied the position for a period of ten years ending in 2007. Rabbi Shamir Caplan currently serves as Rabbi of the Kehilla and Rabbi Sholem Blesofsky continues as Baal Koreh in a position he has held for well over twenty years.
Our People
Beit Aharon Mayfield Street Shule is proud to have Rabbi Shamir Caplan as its rabbi. Shamir is highly empathetic, understanding that each person approaches Judaism in their own way. Both adults and children find him to be approachable, an attentive listener, open and honest.
Rabbi Shamir was born in rural South Africa and raised in rural West Texas. He attended the University of Texas, Yeshivat Darche Noam, Yeshiva University, and the Gruss Kollel in Jerusalem. Rabbi Shamir has worked for Hillel in Washington and Philadelphia, and is currently chaplain at Mount Scopus Memorial College.
Rabbi Sholem Blesofsky is our much loved Baal Koreh, beautifully reading the Torah portion each week. Sholem’s reading of the Purim Megillah is truly a delight, one of the highlights of the year. Rabbi Sholem has been a teacher at Yeshivah for many years and although highly knowledgeable, is always open to different views. Sholem is also a cricket tragic and a fount of information on all things cricket.
Gary Schmidt has been our Gabbai for many years and plays a central role in ensuring our services run smoothly. If you have a simcha coming up, just let Gary know the people you wished to be called up to the Torah and he will look after everything for you.
