Beit Shalom Congregation

MARTIN SPITZER BOOK COLLECTION
Whilst most people expect to receive birthday presents, Martin Spitzer has decided to donate many hundreds of his precious and much loved books to Beit Shalom, as his special eighty fifth birthday gift. We Jews are often described as people of the book'. Certainly, Martin fits this description. One of Martin's great passions is collecting and reading books. This is accompanied by an insatiable quest for learning, searching for the truth, seeking answers and sharing his vast knowledge. According to an old adage, it is possible to know someone through his friends and books, Martin is on the pinnacle in both areas. The 10th May 1933 was the infamous 'day of burring books'. Seventy one years later, almost to the day, Martin makes his most liberal presentation, a truly magnificent gesture and statement from a Holocaust survivor. The 'Martin Spitzer Book Collection' will remain a complete section, 'Ex Libris Martin Sptizer' with in the Abraham Tversky Memorial Library. Martin Spitzer's autobiography 'Storm Over Tatra' gives a fascinating insight to his colourful rich experiences and exploits. It has been translated into several languages, was made into a film, and if available from the library.
ABRHAM TVERSKY L IBRARY
After the service on Friday, 21st November, the Temple Shalom Sunday School Library will be officially dedicated in memory of the late Abraham Tversky.’ - October 1975 Newsletter of South Australian Liberal Jewish Congregation Temple Shalom. The Library housed in a small room at the end of the hall in Prospect, began, as it would continue, with a collection of books donated by members often donated in honour of special occasions. In 1975. the Board of Management decided to dedicate the fledgling Library to the memory of Abraham Tversky ‘who devoted much of his time and effort to the growth of our Congregation’. Abraham conducted conversion classes and was one of the initial group of knowledgeable lay people capable of taking services. He had a great love of Ivrit, service procedure and knowledge of the history of Judaism, especially Zionism. After the move to Hackney, the memorial plaque of this occasion was placed above the door of Library now in the foyer of our Synagogue. In 1976 Ilana Culshaw donated funds for a collection to be established in memory of her parents, to be called the Johann and Pnina Peisach Collection. Abraham and Pnina, brother and sister, were born in Bessarabia. In 1913 their parents and with two other daughters left Imperial Russia for Jaffa Erez-Israel. In 1915 the Family Tversky were transshipped to Alexandria, Egypt, part of an estimated 12,000 people. The North African Campaign resulted in the Family moving to Cairo until the defeat of Rommell at Tobruk by the 2/43rd A.I.F. Battalion which included our Victor Feehan. Abraham and the family Peisach left Egypt in 1951 for Adelaide. A circuitous journey to Adelaide, and ultimately Beit Shalom. . Gertie Ross, Shirley Batton Ellie Rosenfield, Nick Sag were all custodians of the Library. In 1994 our volunteer Librarians moved the reference works and audio-visual materials to the corridor to increase the shelf space available in the foyer. The Library relies on donations and has a wide range of materials including fiction, religious, philosophical, historical and social publications. There are dictionaries, encyclopedias, rate 19th and 20th century prayer books and titles in Hebrew, Yiddish and German. Of great popularity is the children’s collection.