''For the Sydney Jewish Day School, see Masada College'' Massada College was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

early learning and

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, located in Glenside in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It shared a suburban campus with

Adelaide Hebrew Congregation The Adelaide Hebrew Congregation is a Modern Orthodox synagogue and congregation in Adelaide, in South Australia. The congregation was first established in 1848, and the synagogue was completed in 1850. A larger synagogue building was construct ...

. The school served students from Orthodox and Progressive Jewish backgrounds, as well as non-Jewish students. The school opened in 1976 and closed in 2011. It was the only Jewish school in South Australia.South Australia’s only Jewish school to close
''The Jewish Telegraphic Agency''. 4 July 2011

History

Victor Ades Memorial Kindergarten, a Jewish kindergarten, was founded in 1972 and later co-existed with Massada on the same campus. Massada was founded in 1976, when Adelaide's Jewish population was around 2, 000. The school began with an enrollment of 3 students and by 1982 had 56 students and 25 in Victor Ades. The school and kindergarten were based located in Walkerville, before relocating to a purpose-built campus with

in Glenside in 1990. The school had hoped to expand with a high school within three years of their move to Glenside. The school received financial support from a number of benefactors over the years, such as Rabbi

Joseph Gutnick Joseph Isaac "Diamond Joe" Gutnick (born June 1952; ) is an Australian businessman, mining industry entrepreneur and the former president of the Melbourne Football Club (1996–2001). He is also an ordained Orthodox rabbi, and is well known for ...

. In 1994, the school launched a campaign to raise $1 million and overcome its bank debt.

Yehuda Avner Yehuda Avner (; December 30, 1928 – March 24, 2015) was an Israeli prime ministerial advisor, diplomat, and author. He served as Speechwriter and Secretary to Israeli Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Levi Eshkol, and as Advisor to Israeli Prime Mi ...

, Israeli ambassador to Australia, delivered the keynote address for the school's 18th anniversary, held at the Hilton Hotel in Adelaide. At this time, a third of students came from the former

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. In 1996, the school expanded by opening a second stream of classes. At the time, the school was becoming increasingly popular with non-Jewish students, who accounted for 30% of all enrollments. In the same year, South Australia's governor, Roma Mitchell and Shmuel Moyal, Israel's ambassador to Australia, attended the launch of the school's fundraising appeal. In 1996, Massada also became the first Jewish school in the world to begin offering the

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, by offering the

IB Middle Years Programme The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an educational programme for students between the ages of 11 and 16 around the world as part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum. The Middle Years Programme is intended ...

. In 1998, the Australian Jewish pianist David Helfgott visited the school and performed. Helfgott was the subject of the 1996 film '' Shine'', in which several Massada College students appeared as extras. The school's principal, Ronnie Figdor, has also served as advisor on the film for its Jewish content. The school reached a point of financial crisis in 1998, but received support from the

National Bank of Australia The National Bank of Australasia was a bank based in Melbourne. It was established in 1857, and in 1982 merged with the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney to form National Australia Bank. History In 1857, Alexander Gibb, a Melbourne gentleman ...

. By the time of the school's closure in 2011, Adelaide's Jewish population had halved in size since the school was founded. The school went into voluntary administration. Residential redevelopment has been proposed for the school site and former synagogue.Flemington Street Code Amendment
Burnside Gov. 27 October 2021Synagogue returning to CBD
''The Australian Jewish News''. 19 July 2023

References

{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1976 Modern Orthodox Jewish day schools 1976 establishments in Australia Modern Orthodox Judaism in Australia Jews and Judaism in Australia Jews and Judaism in South Australia Defunct schools in South Australia Private schools in Adelaide History of Adelaide 2011 disestablishments in Australia City of Burnside Educational institutions disestablished in 2011

History

See also

References