For the first time ever, the Jewish community in Bermuda has its own place to worship.

The Jewish Community Centre, located on St. John's Road, was opened on March 8 in a ceremony officiated over by Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz, a Rabbi based in Washington DC who has been serving the community for the last ten years.

Jewish Community of Bermuda president Fiona Elkinson said of the centre: "It is a work in progress, but this did not dampen the the spirits of the Community, who are just delighted to have their first 'home' in Bermuda history.

"The Jewish Community Centre will serve as a place of prayer, it will house the Community's Hebrew School and provide a home for our various social and religious events."

Ms Elkinson said the ceremony, which was attended by about 50 members of the Jewish Community of Bermuda, began with prayers and then moved to the symbolic attachment of the Mezuzah on one of the doorposts on the Centre's door on St. John's Road.

The Mezuzah is a parchment with a biblical prayer written on it, which is in a small ornate case, which is affixed to the right hand side of the entrance of a building, according to the Biblical commandments and the Jewish tradition.

Members of the JCB enthusiastically took turns tightening the screws affixing the Mezuzah to the doorpost.

The ceremony concluded when the Community's Torah (the Hebrew scroll of the Five Books of Moses), was ceremoniously passed along a chain of commmunity members standing in line leading into the building where it was then placed in the Holy Ark where it now resides.

Vice president Steven Musicant began the chain taking the Torah out of a car and it was then passed along to every member there, including the youngest child, ending with the Ms Elkinson, who was the person given the honour of placing the Torah in the Ark.

"It was a happy time for the community and the event concluded with song and some refreshments," Ms Elkinson said.

The JCB hopes to fit out the Centre shortly with furniture and decoration.

The Centre will be used as a Synagogue, which is generally the sanctuary for prayer, but it will also be used as a Hebrew school, and for board meetings and social meetings, which is why it is called a community centre.

"We also hope that the centre will eventually be used occassionally by community organisations outside of the Jewish religion to benefit the larger community of Bermuda," Ms Elkinson said.

The Centre will be used for regular services. At the moment, the JCB holds Sabbath services once a month and services for Jewish holidays.

The next service will be a Passover seder on the evening of April 8.

The Passover service/meal is the meal that was in fact jesus's last supper.

Ms Elkinson said the Centre is located in a building that belongs to St. John's Anglican Church and she said the JCB was very grateful to the Minister of St. John's Church, the Rev. Nicholas Dill, and the Vestry of the Church, for their support and assistance in making it possible.

Bermuda has had a Jewsih community since the early 19th Century and the JCB now has around 120 members.

Ms Elkinson said that although the congregation has historically been made up of expatriates, it now has several long term resident and Bermudian families among its membership.

She said the community caters to all Jewish denominations.

"We are not affiliated officially with one in particular," she said. "The Rabbi that we use mostly at this stage is conservative. There was a wedding last weekend in which the Rabbi that was brought in was Reform. Orthodox Rabbis also visit the community on occasion."