A young architect transforms a Johannesburg shul into a haven of light, warmth and connection
Photos: Reinier Harmse Photographix www.rhphotographix.com, Natasha Dawjee Laurent
Eliana Cline, Johannesburg
The late morning sun blazes down over the newly transformed Linksfield shul and community center in Johannesburg, South Africa, and architect Asher Marcus is beaming. Because behind his boyish face, wavy hair, and round transparent glasses is a talented young fellow with the vision, who believed in contemporizing the shul of his own youth with a 21st-century design.
The shul, originally built in 1977, is the only shul in the affluent Linksfield suburb of Johannesburg. With a small yet inspired core of frum members, the shul caters largely to those with a strong Jewish identity but who are not yet fully mitzvah-observant.
The shul shares a campus with King David, the country’s largest day school, whose 600 students use the building daily, and on Shabbos it’s used by the multi-faceted community. But was the space and design, built nearly 40 years ago, maximizing its multifaceted use?
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