Object numberM2019/035:006
DescriptionPhotograph of the interior of the South Coast Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. The interior furnishings of the Synagogue were built by Warner Reed, who was one of the founders of the congregation and President for seven years. The synagogue was opened on Sunday 8 September 1963 by Moses Pearl and consecrated by Rabbi Dr I. Porush.
Warner Reed (Werner Otto Roehricht) was born 31 December 1924 in Stettin, Germany, but soon moved to Magdeburg. Following the loss of his father’s job, their German nationality and rights, Warner and his immediate family immigrated to Sydney on 18 August 1937, with the new name of Reed (a direct translation). He was 12 years old. During the war, Warner’s paternal aunt, uncle and three of his cousins perished in Auschwitz. Part of the family made it to Palestine, others to Austral and others to Argentina.
Warner met his wife Ursula by chance on a bus in Sydney in 1943. He recognised her as his group leader in the German-Jewish Youth in Magdeburg. They were engaged in 1944, ten years after they had originally met, and married in May 1945.
In the early 1950s, the Reed family moved to Wollongong and became influential in the Jewish community there. Warner was instrumental in founding The South Coast Hebrew Congregation in 1961. The congregation worked to support the Jewish community, resettle newcomers, educate Jewish children and generally to build and foster a Jewish way of life. The congregation was eventually incorporated into the Illawarra Synagogue in the early 1980s when many of its members had moved to Sydney.
This photograph is part of a collection documenting significant events from the establishment of the South Coast Hebrew Congregation in 1961 to its closure in 1981. The collection was donated in memory of Warner Reed z”l.
Warner Reed (Werner Otto Roehricht) was born 31 December 1924 in Stettin, Germany, but soon moved to Magdeburg. Following the loss of his father’s job, their German nationality and rights, Warner and his immediate family immigrated to Sydney on 18 August 1937, with the new name of Reed (a direct translation). He was 12 years old. During the war, Warner’s paternal aunt, uncle and three of his cousins perished in Auschwitz. Part of the family made it to Palestine, others to Austral and others to Argentina.
Warner met his wife Ursula by chance on a bus in Sydney in 1943. He recognised her as his group leader in the German-Jewish Youth in Magdeburg. They were engaged in 1944, ten years after they had originally met, and married in May 1945.
In the early 1950s, the Reed family moved to Wollongong and became influential in the Jewish community there. Warner was instrumental in founding The South Coast Hebrew Congregation in 1961. The congregation worked to support the Jewish community, resettle newcomers, educate Jewish children and generally to build and foster a Jewish way of life. The congregation was eventually incorporated into the Illawarra Synagogue in the early 1980s when many of its members had moved to Sydney.
This photograph is part of a collection documenting significant events from the establishment of the South Coast Hebrew Congregation in 1961 to its closure in 1981. The collection was donated in memory of Warner Reed z”l.
Production placeAustralia
Production date 1963 - 1963
Object namephotographs
Materialphotographic emulsion, paper, paper
Dimensions
- width: 152.00 mm
height: 102.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Ursula Reed. This object was donated in memory of Warner Reed z"l