Books
Rabbi Apple is the author of several books. (A list is available by clicking here). His most recent books are on the history of The Great Synagogue in Sydney and his memoirs.
). His most recent books are on the history of The Great Synagogue in Sydney and his memoirs.
To Be Continued: Memoirs & Musings (ISBN 9780980472219) offers a light-hearted look at aspects of Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple’s life and career spanning 45 years as a congregational rabbi in the UK and Australia and as a spokesman for Jews and Judaism in the community at large. Rabbi Apple introduces the book with the comment, “If there is one subject on which everyone is an expert, it is the rabbi. Ask a person what Torah portion is read this week or what Hebrew date it is, and they probably don’t know. But ask about their rabbi – his looks, his books, his wife, his life, his faults and failings – and you’ll get a detailed analysis that would do credit to a Royal Commission.” The book outlines some of the incidents and issues – be they funny, aggravating, joyous, solemn or contemplative – that Rabbi Apple was party to during his lengthy time in the rabbinate. It is book that thoroughly entertains while offering its readers an insight into the life of one of Australia’s most prominent religious leaders.
To Be Continued: Memoirs & Musings is available from Mandelbaum Publishing. Click on the image of the book for the order form.
The history of The Great Synagogue is available from the UNSW Press by clicking on the image of the book below.
The Great Synagogue: A History of Sydney’s Big Shule (ISBN 9780868409276) is a beautifully designed illustrated history of Australia’s oldest synagogue and its congregation. Written by its emeritus rabbi, Raymond Apple, and members of the congregation, it spans the fascinating history of the Jews in Sydney, from their arrival on the First Fleet – sixteen of them as convicts – through to the construction of the synagogue in 1878 and up to the present day. Illustrated with numerous historical documents, paintings and photographs, this book brings to life the history of the most visited and visible Jewish building in Australia and its congregation.
UNSW Press, February 2008, 384pp
