The McGowan Government will invest $6 million towards the construction of a new Jewish Community Centre in Yokine to create Western Australian jobs and provide important community infrastructure.
The centre, run by Maccabi Western Australia, has been a much-loved gathering place for the Jewish community since 1952.
After almost 70 years of service, the current facilities, which include meeting, sport and community spaces, require replacing to meet the needs of the local community.
The State Government funding matches a $6 million commitment from the Commonwealth Government and will be combined with $3 million in private funding.
The combined $15 million investment will see a new Jewish Community Centre built at the Woodrow Avenue site that will include:
- a world-class Holocaust education centre, co-located with the Perth Jewish Historical and Genealogical Society – this centre will incorporate a permanent memorial to the Aboriginal social justice activist William Cooper;
- an area for communal organisations to be housed, including a day care centre;
- dedicated youth space; and
- meeting and events facilities available for use to the wider community.
As stated by Treasurer Ben Wyatt:
“Maccabi Western Australia’s current facility has been the ‘heart’ of the Jewish community for almost 70 years.
“The plan to redevelop the site will not only ensure the community has a suitable place to gather for decades to come, but importantly will include a new world-class Holocaust education centre.
“I’m heartened that included in the plans for the Holocaust education centre is a memorial to Aboriginal social justice activist William Cooper who led a historic protest against the Nazis’ mistreatment of Jewish people in 1938.”
As stated by Mount Lawley MLA Simon Millman:
“The Holocaust has become a byword for the horrendous inhumanity which can result from racial hatred and religious bigotry.
“We remember the Shoah as a specific – but by no means the only – example of anti-Semitism that too frequently characterised the relationship between Jews and gentiles in Europe.
“Learning about the Shoah reminds us all of the threat of authoritarianism, the risk of dehumanisation, and the terrible consequences that can flow when we give bigotry a free pass.
“I am grateful to be a member of the McGowan team that is ensuring our terrific local community organisations have the facilities they deserve.”
