Description
Estelle Grinblat can trace her family back to her great-great-great grandparents on her mother’s side and to her great-grandparents on her father’s. From the mid-1850s members of both sides of her family were residing in Ballarat, becoming important merchants in the Ballarat community and devoted members of the Ballarat Hebrew Congregation.
Born and reared in Ballarat, Estelle lovingly describes her family and school life and presents the reader with a unique picture of a Jewish girl growing up in a country town in Victoria. Estelle met her husband, Ivan, in Melbourne and was married in the Ballarat shul before moving to Melbourne.
Estelle and Ivan joined the Leo Baeck community when it was founded in 1971. They raised two children, Danny and Debra, both of whom died tragically at a young age. Despite their losses, Estelle and Ivan felt blessed in having three grandchildren. After Ivan’s death in 2010, Estelle was still able to rejoice at the birth of a great-granddaughter, Taya, in 2012.
