New South Wales Jewish War Memorial Community CentrePrint Page

The Community Centre was erected in 1965 to commemorate the New South Wales Jewish soldiers who served in World War One and World War Two. The building is adjacent to Maccabean Hall which was the original war memorial. 

In 1965 the building was remodelled as the "NSW Jewish War Memorial Community Centre". Designed by Henry Epstein, the building was financed by public subscription. The building is designed in the Post WW2 Brutalism style with a concrete facade which features a large concrete insitu sculpture by Lyndon Dadswell, a 20th century Australian modernist sculptor. The sculpture is an abstraction of the Menorah or the seven branched candelabra as described in the Torah. It is bold and dramatic. The building incorporates a wide spanning concrete slab with concealed tubular spacer-voids to form a deep flat plate structure, which is an early use of this method of forming in Post WW2 Sydney. The clear span so produced permits maximum flexibility in the planning and layout of the interior partitions. The interior has been subject to a number of changes over time.

It was agreed that a living community centre would be the best way to commemorate those who served in the war. A time capsule, sealed behind the cornerstone in Burton Street and to be opened at the buildings’ centenary, contains, coins, newspapers and other memorabilia.

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