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Freedom to<br />
be a Jew<br />
Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins<br />
Freedom<br />
Nisan-Iyyar 5779<br />
<strong>April</strong>-<strong>May</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
No More<br />
Right & Left?<br />
Dudu Gottlib<br />
Creating a singing<br />
community<br />
Cantor George Mordecai<br />
Speak up in the face<br />
of injustice<br />
Donna Jacob-Sife
\<br />
present<br />
The Lost Journals of<br />
Dr Andor Kämpfner<br />
Shortly after his liberation from Buchenwald in<br />
<strong>April</strong> 1945, Dr Andor Kämpfner began writing<br />
an extraordinary document; his journals. His<br />
recollections began on the day the Germans<br />
occupied Hungary and brilliantly recount his<br />
thoughts and experiences in the final year of the<br />
Holocaust.<br />
These documents have never been published, until<br />
now. For the first time it has been translated into<br />
English and, for one night only, extracts will be<br />
presented as a dramatic reading.<br />
After the presentation Dr Kämpfner’s wife will<br />
share her recollections and Professor Konrad<br />
Kwiet, Resident Historian at the Sydney Jewish<br />
Museum will outline the significance of<br />
Dr Kämpfner’s writings.<br />
Don’t miss this special event.<br />
Members: free (donations welcome), Non-members $25<br />
Sunday <strong>April</strong> 7th from 5:00pm-6:30pm<br />
Emanuel Synagogue, 7 Ocean Street, Woollahra<br />
Book now: tinyurl/lostjournals or (02) 9389 6444
YOUR QUARTERLY JOURNAL ON SPIRITUALITY, LEARNING & COMMUNITY<br />
Emanuel Synagogue offers a home where you can live your Judaism in a contemporary<br />
world, drawing on our ancient teachings and traditions. We are a pluralistic community<br />
offering a choice of services, programs and activities for the Masorti, Progressive and Renewal<br />
movements. We do this with contemporary understanding to create a dynamic and diverse<br />
community, welcoming you and your involvement.<br />
PROGRESSIVE<br />
The structure of our Progressive<br />
services allows you to choose<br />
the type of prayer that is<br />
most meaningful for you.<br />
You may choose from alternate<br />
readings in English, you may read<br />
the Hebrew prayer (available in<br />
both Hebrew script, and in English<br />
transliteration), or you may choose to<br />
take a moment of personal reflection.<br />
Our Friday night “Shabbat<br />
Live” service is a moving,<br />
innovative service where prayer<br />
is enhanced with musical<br />
instruments, beautiful melodies,<br />
creative readings and stories.<br />
Shabbat Live is held at<br />
6:15pm every Friday.<br />
The Progressive Shabbat Service begins<br />
at 10am each Saturday morning.<br />
MASORTI<br />
Our Masorti (traditional) services<br />
are run almost entirely in Hebrew,<br />
honouring the tradition with<br />
contemporary insights.<br />
As with all services at Emanuel<br />
Synagogue, men and women<br />
participate equally and fully.<br />
The Friday night Carlebach service<br />
is a traditional Kabbalat Shabbat<br />
service, featuring the well-known<br />
melodies of Shlomo Carlebach.<br />
The Carlebach service is held<br />
at 6.15pm every Friday.<br />
Our Masorti Shabbat Service begins<br />
at 9am on Saturday mornings.<br />
We also hold a Masorti Minyan<br />
at 6:45am on Monday and<br />
Thursday mornings.<br />
RENEWAL<br />
The Renewal movement is devoted to<br />
personal and spiritual development,<br />
reinvigorating modern Judaism with<br />
Kabbalistic and musical practices.<br />
Through our Renewal activities<br />
you will have the opportunity to<br />
reach a new level of awareness,<br />
stress relief, self-development,<br />
relaxation and inner healing.<br />
Email: orna@emanuel.org.au<br />
Awakening to Freedom<br />
26th <strong>April</strong>, 6:15pm<br />
Renewal Friday Night -<br />
Pesach Service & Dinner<br />
Join us for an evening of song<br />
and learning as we explore<br />
the meaning of freedom.<br />
with Cantor George Mordecai and<br />
Rabbi Dr. Orna Triguboff plus special<br />
guests Kim Cunio and Samurai Cunio.<br />
A light dinner will be served. Cost: $20<br />
Rabbi Jeffrey B. Kamins Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio Rabbi Dr Orna Triguboff Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth<br />
Reverend Sam Zwarenstein<br />
Cantor George Mordecai
{CEO UPDATE}<br />
Once upon a time there was a<br />
castle in the middle of a “Forest of<br />
No Return”. This castle was very<br />
special. It was built on the largest<br />
grounds in the forest, and the entry<br />
was a majestic, beautiful garden<br />
full of blooming flowers and sweet<br />
Suzanna Helia<br />
perfumed roses all year long. As you<br />
entered this magnificent space, you<br />
stepped into a true fairy tale of magic,<br />
tradition, spirituality and culture.<br />
On the castle grounds there were<br />
multiple buildings. The south<br />
wing had a new colossal Ballroom<br />
with red carpet, which was filled<br />
with light, comfortable chairs<br />
and a space to hold concerts,<br />
receptions and grandiose dining.<br />
In the centre of the castle estate<br />
was the Heritage Hermitage room,<br />
that was much more traditional<br />
and filled with precious memories<br />
of the community. It was especially<br />
important because it was huge, so<br />
it accommodated the thousands<br />
of people who came every year<br />
for two to three days for a special<br />
occasion. Most importantly though,<br />
this space was so full of potential<br />
(more improvements to come!!!)<br />
Then there were other cottages and<br />
spaces, and even a mini-castle for all<br />
the children to play with dolls and<br />
cars, read, make-believe and sleep.<br />
This space had large rooms, and was<br />
always filled with joy and laughter,<br />
and the gobbledegook of baby’s talk.<br />
More than 3500 munchkins called<br />
the castle their home. However, when<br />
they came, some would merely smile<br />
at strangers, sit in their seats and keep<br />
to themselves. There were munchkins<br />
who didn’t really know each other.<br />
When they attended one of the<br />
services or events they often didn’t<br />
know the person who was sitting next<br />
to them. They would come to the<br />
majestic grounds, stand around or sit<br />
in their seats, but would be reticent<br />
to say ‘hello’ or introduce themselves<br />
to someone they didn’t know.<br />
Oh, and inviting someone who<br />
you sat next to at the service for<br />
several hours for dinner or a drink<br />
{INSIDE THIS EDITION}<br />
TRANSFORMATIVE<br />
LEARNING<br />
7<br />
FINDING TRUE FREEDOM<br />
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio<br />
14<br />
CHOOSE FREEDOM<br />
Reverend Sam Zwarenstein<br />
INSPIRING PRAYER<br />
6<br />
FREEDOM TO BE A JEW<br />
Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins<br />
16<br />
CREATING A SINGING COMMUNITY<br />
Cantor George Mordecai<br />
22<br />
A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE<br />
FESTIVALS<br />
Cover<br />
Marc Chagall - Crossing the Red Sea<br />
37<br />
PESACH AT EMANUEL
afterwards at your house – too scary!<br />
(And yes, we all find it daunting<br />
to ask to join a conversation with<br />
someone you don’t know.)<br />
There was this unspoken rule - keep<br />
on doing what you have been doing<br />
for years and then you won’t get<br />
disappointed; things will be as they<br />
always were. It was uncomplicated,<br />
and you knew the outcome.<br />
As would be obvious by now, the<br />
castle in our story represents our<br />
Synagogue and the munchkins<br />
are us, the congregation. This<br />
story has an important message<br />
for our community; we all have<br />
a vital role to play in creating the<br />
welcoming community we wish for.<br />
A few years back when I was<br />
in Los Angeles, I met Dr Ron<br />
Wolfson, author of many books on<br />
relational Judaism. He is convinced<br />
that Jewish organisations and<br />
Jewish life is about truly building<br />
communities that are engaged<br />
and relational. He writes, “I wish<br />
Jewish life were like Apple, a totally<br />
integrated closed system. Success<br />
is not butts on seats, not more<br />
programs, and not more one offs”.<br />
He suggests that the community is<br />
best placed to take charge. It is up to<br />
the community to get to know each<br />
other - to introduce yourself and say<br />
hello to someone you don’t know.<br />
I tend to leave religion to the rabbis<br />
and be the CEO. I generally don’t<br />
get involved with ‘how, when,<br />
how much, or why’ to pray at<br />
what service, and yet, I feel there is<br />
something I want to change in the<br />
way we conduct ourselves here at<br />
Emanuel. I do care about creating<br />
a truly vibrant community that<br />
makes one feel like they belong.<br />
For years our rabbis have had a<br />
vision, to have a strong vibrant<br />
community beyond High Holy<br />
Day and membership dues. “I pay<br />
you dues, you give me a rabbi on<br />
call”, or “a Bar Mitzvah for my child<br />
and a HHD ticket”. Or conversely,<br />
“You pay me membership, and we<br />
will give you access to the campus<br />
and a few cultural programs.”<br />
We have been working on creating a<br />
level of engagement that is relational,<br />
beyond servicing immediate needs.<br />
While flipping through pages<br />
of John Wood’s book “Creating<br />
Room To Read” I was struck by<br />
the similarity of the text to passages<br />
from the Torah. This is an inspiring<br />
story of a man who moved from<br />
a lucrative career in Silicon Valley,<br />
to founding ‘Room to Read’,<br />
a non-profit organisation that<br />
promotes literacy and education<br />
continued on page 10<br />
SUSTAINING THE<br />
ENVIRONMENT &<br />
HEALING THE WORLD<br />
4<br />
SPEAK UP IN THE FACE<br />
OF INJUSTICE<br />
Donna Jacobs Sife<br />
20<br />
FACING INDEFINITE DETENTION<br />
AS A STATELESS REFUGEE<br />
Shira Sebban<br />
26<br />
JOINING THE 'B AND B HIGHWAY'<br />
Judy Kahn Friedlander<br />
31<br />
IN CONVERSATION<br />
WITH THOMAS MAYOR<br />
CONNECTING WITH ISRAEL<br />
& WORLD JEWRY<br />
11<br />
NO MORE RIGHT OR LEFT?<br />
Dudu Gottlib<br />
24<br />
JEREMY SPINAK - A TRIBUTE<br />
25<br />
LET MY PEOPLE GO<br />
B. Karet<br />
29<br />
NETZER'S AMAZING<br />
SUMMER CAMP<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
4<br />
CEO UPDATE<br />
28<br />
AROUND EMANUEL<br />
31<br />
BUILDING A CONNECTION<br />
33<br />
NEW MEMBERS<br />
34<br />
TZEDAKAH<br />
38<br />
MAZAL TOV<br />
39<br />
PESACH PUZZLE PAGE<br />
Anne Wolfson<br />
5
{FREEDOM TO BE A JEW}<br />
Rabbi Jeffrey B. Kamins OAM<br />
Freedom for the Jews has led to a<br />
transformation of Judaism. One<br />
question in front of us in the 21st<br />
century is how we can live a vibrant<br />
and meaningful Judaism as we<br />
embrace our freedom as Jews.<br />
To understand the complexity of the<br />
problem, we need to go back in time,<br />
when we became free – not from<br />
the slavery of Pharaoh’s Egypt over<br />
3,000 years ago, but the oppressive<br />
forces of European Christendom<br />
that had created antisemitism and<br />
perpetrated vast suffering for Jews.<br />
In 1806, the council of Jewish<br />
notables gathered by Napoleon<br />
answered pointed questions about<br />
their observance of Judaism and<br />
their loyalty to the French Republic,<br />
recently born with the cry of<br />
“liberté, égalité, fraternité” – liberty,<br />
equality and fraternity. The leading<br />
Jews of the time – the council<br />
was comprised of the wealthy and<br />
powerful as well as distinguished<br />
rabbis– confirmed to Napoleon that<br />
the freed Jews of France would have<br />
primary loyalty to the Republic.<br />
So began the Emancipation of the<br />
Jews, an historical event whose<br />
repercussions are felt to this day.<br />
For 1800 years since Roman<br />
dominion had been exerted over<br />
the Kingdom of Judah, culminating<br />
in the destruction of the Second<br />
Temple in 70 CE, Jews had not<br />
known true freedom. Jews, scattered<br />
in exile from east to west, north to<br />
south, suffered under the whims<br />
of both Christian and Islamic rule.<br />
At the end of the 18th century,<br />
empires began to crumble and new<br />
civil societies formed, where there<br />
was a separation of secular and<br />
religious power, as in the Republic<br />
of France and the United States of<br />
America. Over the 19th centuries,<br />
new states came into existence that<br />
granted equal rights (more or less) to<br />
their citizens, regardless of religious<br />
persuasion. Thus, Jews began to see<br />
themselves less as a people, a nation,<br />
and more and more as adherents<br />
to a religion known as Judaism.<br />
At the same time, freedom of body<br />
led to freedom of mind; the early<br />
19th century also known as the time<br />
of the Enlightenment, championing<br />
the studies of history and science.<br />
Modernity confronted scripture,<br />
and the prescient insights of the<br />
17th century philosopher Baruch<br />
Spinoza moved from the margins to<br />
the mainstream, as more and more<br />
people understood that scripture<br />
was not the literal word of God, but<br />
rather the “conversation” between<br />
people and God. Not only was<br />
Judaism morphing from the way<br />
of life of the Jews to a religion, but<br />
this religion was now fracturing<br />
between those who held that the<br />
Torah was the exact, literal word of<br />
God, who separated into the varieties<br />
of orthodoxy (including haredi,<br />
hasidic and modern), and those<br />
who taught the Torah is a human<br />
document (from the progressives and<br />
liberals to the “positive-historical”<br />
conservatives). Freedom for Jews,<br />
physical and intellectual, led to a<br />
total transformation of Judaism.<br />
Napoleon grants freedom to the Jews, 1806, artist unknown<br />
Most Jews simply assume that the<br />
way it is now is the way it always has<br />
been. But this brief overview hints at<br />
the depths of understanding that can<br />
derive from an historical overview of<br />
Judaism itself – from the time of the<br />
patriarchs, through Moses and the<br />
prophets, kingdoms and Temples,<br />
exile and dispersion. The birth of<br />
the State of Israel adds another<br />
layer of complexity and meaning<br />
to our story. While Jews have<br />
maintained a values-based narrative<br />
for thousands of years, Judaism is<br />
something that has transformed<br />
with us. The 21st century is no<br />
different. It is incumbent upon<br />
6
us to use our freedom to learn to<br />
understand who we are and can be<br />
as a people. Now, with the rise of<br />
fundamentalism around the world,<br />
including among Jews, the privilege<br />
of learning becomes an imperative<br />
so that we can embrace our power<br />
to create the future of our people.<br />
At Emanuel Synagogue, and in<br />
pluralist communities around<br />
the world, we use our freedom to<br />
empower and include others in<br />
our unfolding story. We know we<br />
stand authentically in the chain of<br />
tradition, in the transmission of our<br />
deepest held values and practices.<br />
Yes, freedom gives us the ability to<br />
walk away from our heritage, our<br />
culture, our traditions, our values<br />
and our way of life, to leave it all<br />
behind and become like everyone<br />
else. But freedom also gives us the<br />
opportunity to know that as human<br />
beings we have the opportunity to<br />
live a fully conscious life, enhanced<br />
and guided by that very heritage<br />
and its visionary way of life. I look<br />
forward to walking this latter path<br />
with you at Emanuel Synagogue.<br />
{FINDING TRUE FREEDOM}<br />
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio<br />
Every year as we approach Pesach<br />
we begin to speak about freedom.<br />
Ask any child in the preschool<br />
what Pesach celebrates and<br />
they will answer, “that we were<br />
slaves and then we were free”.<br />
Look at any of the myriad of<br />
haggadot, and they all emphasise<br />
freedom - its importance and its<br />
significance. In fact, the one we<br />
use at my house is called “Feast<br />
of Freedom.” Yet while we speak<br />
about freedom, as I scrub and<br />
clean and think about all the<br />
rules and regulations, I wonder<br />
about the nature of this freedom<br />
we are celebrating. Seneca, the<br />
first century Roman philosopher<br />
wrote: “Show me a person who<br />
is not a slave. One is enslaved to<br />
passions, a second to profit and<br />
a third to status and everyone to<br />
fear.” Seneca, in the first century<br />
wrote something which is still true<br />
today. For all our talk of freedom,<br />
we are possibly still enslaved in the<br />
same way as our ancient brethren.<br />
How many of us are truly free?<br />
How many of us feel trapped<br />
within the bondage of others, the<br />
oppression of our work, driven<br />
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING<br />
to move ahead, to be<br />
better, to be more, to<br />
have more; we are on<br />
a treadmill - and it is<br />
so hard to get off! Even<br />
though we are not<br />
enslaved as our ancestors<br />
were, thank God, we are all slaves<br />
in one form or another. So, is<br />
Pesach really to celebrate our<br />
liberation from such bondage? Is<br />
Pesach about personal freedom,<br />
releasing ourselves from those ties?<br />
and if so, why so many rules and<br />
regulations? Why celebrate when it<br />
seems we are not really free at all?<br />
I read an incredible lecture presented<br />
by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in which<br />
he offers an insight into how the<br />
Torah and then Jewish tradition<br />
views the notion of freedom. He<br />
begins by looking at the language<br />
we use. When we speak of freedom<br />
in the Haggadah, or even the name<br />
for Pesach, z’man cheruteinu, the<br />
time of our freedom, the word<br />
used is from the root chaf reish taf,<br />
cherut. We talk in the haggadah<br />
of “me-avdut le-cheirut,” “from<br />
slavery to freedom.” But the word<br />
cheirut does not appear in the Torah<br />
at all. When the Torah speaks of<br />
freedom it uses the word chofesh/<br />
chofshi, which is the Modern<br />
Hebrew word for holiday. In the<br />
Torah, it is not referring to a nice<br />
long weekend break, or a two-week<br />
7
cruise, instead it is referencing the<br />
‘state of being’ of a slave once they<br />
have been freed - they were a slave,<br />
and then chofshi, freedom. So why<br />
then in the haggadah and in our<br />
discussions about Pesach, do we use<br />
the word cheirut instead of chofesh?<br />
Rabbi Sacks suggests our texts are<br />
speaking about two very different<br />
kinds of freedom. He begins with<br />
chofeshi, the freedom used in the<br />
Torah, i.e. the freedom which<br />
follows slavery. This freedom he<br />
suggests, has no strings attached.<br />
It is a pure kind of freedom which<br />
removes the person from any kind<br />
of obligation, any form of laws<br />
or requirements. It is a personal<br />
freedom to act, behave, come, go,<br />
be and do anything the person<br />
desires or imagines. So the sense of<br />
freedom is personal and it imposes<br />
nothing upon us. Rabbi Sacks<br />
then suggests that this kind of<br />
freedom is wonderful for individual<br />
people, but apply it to a society,<br />
and it will result in chaos. So,<br />
freedom for a people is different<br />
from individual freedom, and it<br />
therefore needed a different word.<br />
When the first Jews left Egypt, they<br />
were free in a chofesh, unlimited<br />
individual way; they had thrown<br />
off the yoke of slavery, and they<br />
walked through the parted waters<br />
to a life of liberty. But there was<br />
more to come. The Israelites as<br />
a community, were not freed in<br />
order to do as they pleased. If<br />
they were, the community would<br />
have descended quite quickly into<br />
chaos. Instead they were released<br />
in order to follow God, to accept<br />
upon themselves God’s laws and<br />
regulations. Their freedom came<br />
with conditions. That is why<br />
Shavuot, the next festival in the<br />
Jewish calendar, does not have its<br />
own date; it is linked to the Exodus.<br />
The date of Shavuot is 49 days from<br />
Pesach. So, as we count from Pesach<br />
towards Shavuot, we are counting<br />
the days until we receive the Torah<br />
at Mount Sinai; because freedom<br />
and laws, freedom and obligation<br />
are, according to the Torah,<br />
inextricably linked, one cannot<br />
exist without the other. Yet, even at<br />
this point the Torah does not refer<br />
to the Israelites as having freedom<br />
cherut, instead it still speaks of<br />
chofshi. So, when and why did it<br />
change and what is the difference?<br />
Rabbi Sacks goes on to explain<br />
that there is one use of the root<br />
word cherut in the Torah, and<br />
that is in connection with the ten<br />
commandments when it refers to<br />
engraving, etching them in stone.<br />
Later, by the prophet Isaiah, there<br />
is a reference to engraving the<br />
commandments on the hearts of<br />
the people. And it is this root, the<br />
word meaning engrave, which<br />
is the one used eventually to<br />
describe the Israelites’ freedom.<br />
So, what does that tell us?<br />
Like the link with Shavuot, it<br />
tells us that the freedom of which<br />
the Pesach story speaks is not an<br />
unlimited, open freedom - it has<br />
constraints and boundaries. The<br />
Israelites accepted those boundaries<br />
when they received the laws at Sinai<br />
and said, “na’aseh ve nishma”- we<br />
will do them and we will hear them.<br />
They accepted upon themselves<br />
the laws, and the limits to their<br />
freedom. But there was a problem<br />
because their acceptance was not<br />
wholehearted; the laws and their<br />
willingness to submit to them, was<br />
not engraved on their hearts. It was<br />
what they had to do, it was the right<br />
thing to do. <strong>May</strong>be as a sense of<br />
gratitude to God, i.e. You took us<br />
out of Egypt so the least we can do<br />
is accept your rules. Or maybe from<br />
a sense of fear. The midrash says that<br />
God held Mount Sinai over their<br />
heads and said, “will you accept my<br />
8
laws?”- the implication being, “you<br />
will accept my laws, or I will drop<br />
this mountain on you!” Not much<br />
freedom in that decision! And an<br />
acceptance of laws when there is<br />
guilt, obligation or fear motivating<br />
it, is doomed to fail. We saw what<br />
happened. The Israelites time and<br />
again, disobeyed God, and God’s<br />
laws. Over and over they do not<br />
follow the rules they appeared to so<br />
willingly accept. And that, Rabbi<br />
Sacks argues, is because they did<br />
not accept them in true freedom.<br />
That only happened later, when the<br />
rules were engraved on their hearts.<br />
The freedom of which the<br />
haggadah speaks, cherut, is what<br />
comes when our freedom is used<br />
to accept laws and rules, engrave<br />
them and etch them within, so<br />
that they are a part of us, a part of<br />
who we are. When we internalize<br />
the limits alongside the freedom,<br />
then we have cherut. And we<br />
come to the place of cherut by<br />
understanding our journey, seeing<br />
and acknowledging the degradation<br />
and hardship of slavery, the pain<br />
and suffering, the bitterness and<br />
the tears at the beginning of the<br />
seder. But we do not end the story<br />
there, we continue to the place<br />
where we bring within us the joys<br />
of freedom and the knowledge<br />
that we had the power to choose<br />
and we chose to be obligated.<br />
And freedom is hard work. It is<br />
not easy to be in that place; we<br />
have to work to protect it and be<br />
at one with it, to make our peace.<br />
Recently I read a commentary<br />
by my good friend Rabbi Brian<br />
Zachary <strong>May</strong>er in his podcast<br />
“Religion Outside the Box”.<br />
He was discussing the notion of<br />
obligation and how we speak about<br />
the things we “have to” do. He<br />
was in a meeting with his publicist<br />
and she was telling him all about<br />
the data from his website, what<br />
articles people liked, and suggested<br />
that if he wanted more people to<br />
be attracted to his articles, to read<br />
and respond, he should work in<br />
a certain direction. He started to<br />
become angry about having to<br />
do that. He felt that he should<br />
not be driven by data. It should<br />
not rule who he was and what he<br />
portrayed through his column;<br />
he was not going to be controlled<br />
and have his freedom curtailed.<br />
Then he remembered a lesson he<br />
taught to his maths class. (Brian<br />
taught maths as well as doing<br />
many other things.) One day, he<br />
set them a challenge. For that day,<br />
every time they were about to say<br />
“I have to…” do something, they<br />
were to replace it with “I get to….”<br />
Now I would probably say, “I have<br />
the opportunity to ….”, but you<br />
understand the message. He tried<br />
it with his own dilemma. Instead<br />
of saying, “I have to analyse the<br />
data, I have to change the way I<br />
do things in response,” he said,<br />
“I get to analyse the data, I get<br />
to change the way I do things in<br />
response.” He turned the obligation<br />
into opportunity, “I have to” into<br />
“I have the chance to…” and that<br />
is freedom. Imagine at Pesach,<br />
instead of saying “I have to eat<br />
matzah” we change that to “I have<br />
the chance to eat matzah”, and<br />
not, “I have to sit through the<br />
seder”, but “I have the opportunity<br />
to sit through the seder.” When<br />
we do this with our own lives,<br />
we turn slavery into freedom,<br />
we engrave it upon our hearts.<br />
The Israelites did not have to accept<br />
the laws, they had the incredible<br />
opportunity to accept the laws, the<br />
privilege of being in a place where<br />
they could curtail their hofesh,<br />
their absolute freedom, in order<br />
to have cherut, a deeper, more<br />
lasting freedom. A freedom infused<br />
with meaning because it was a<br />
choice - it was an opportunity, it<br />
was the ability to make a choice,<br />
to decide for themselves, to be.<br />
Every day we too have the blessing<br />
and opportunity to embrace cherut,<br />
a freedom of choice, a freedom to<br />
work and a freedom to rest, the<br />
chance to become all that we are<br />
going to be and engrave the laws,<br />
teachings, and blessings of Judaism<br />
on our hearts. Every day we have<br />
the hofesh to do what we want, to<br />
walk away from Judaism, to leave<br />
behind our traditions to separate<br />
from community, to let it all go.<br />
Sometimes that seems easier, it can<br />
be hard to be part of Jewish life, to<br />
accept its restrictions, to deal with<br />
the annoyances and frustrations<br />
of community. To see all the “I<br />
have to’s” and all the “you have<br />
to’s” and the “you can’ts” and leave<br />
it all behind. But when we do<br />
that, we also lose the richness and<br />
beauty, the blessings that Judaism<br />
can bring. So, instead of seeing<br />
“have to’s” and “musts”, we choose<br />
to see opportunities, chances,<br />
and abilities to have moments of<br />
incredible blessing, and to engrave<br />
them on our hearts - then we will<br />
find cherut, true freedom.<br />
9
CEO Report - continued<br />
as a means of eradicating poverty<br />
across the developing world.<br />
In his book, Wood speaks about<br />
the numerous failed attempts of the<br />
World Bank, National Geographic<br />
and others, to improve literacy in<br />
developing countries. He highlights<br />
that success doesn’t come from one<br />
drop of good-will in well-intentioned<br />
projects. The ‘high’ of a successful<br />
event or successful completion<br />
of a project, and the good feeling<br />
of the photo opportunity are not<br />
good enough to create a sustainable<br />
change. What makes the difference<br />
is the ownership of the community.<br />
After the last HHD I went to<br />
New York and visited the Central<br />
Synagogue. Although I arrived on<br />
my own, I left with two invitations<br />
to connect while I was there, enjoyed<br />
a lovely conversation over Kiddush<br />
with a number of locals, and was<br />
offered three business cards.<br />
I would like to think that kind of<br />
welcome extends to strangers in our<br />
synagogue. Our rabbis encourage<br />
conversation between members, and<br />
yet, once the service is over, do we<br />
search out those we may not know,<br />
do we look for ways to include others<br />
in our lives or, do we all quietly<br />
leave by ourselves? As one membermunchkin<br />
described, “I came; I<br />
had a conversation about smoked<br />
salmon with someone whose name<br />
I don’t know, and then I left.”<br />
So what shall we all do?<br />
A call to action:<br />
Now that we have all this beautiful<br />
space, garden and unique campus, it<br />
is up to each of us, when we come to<br />
the synagogue to introduce ourselves<br />
to our neighbour and find out who<br />
else is in our community. Be present<br />
and interested. <strong>May</strong>be we will find<br />
our next friend for life, a neighbour<br />
who knows our cousin or a first<br />
cousin of our aunt - I don’t know. I<br />
am not promising that we will find<br />
husbands or wives, but I do know<br />
that a community is very important,<br />
and a sense of belonging is what<br />
we humans need and long for.<br />
John Wood has identified – success<br />
of an initiative was achieved<br />
only when the community took<br />
ownership. Communities don’t<br />
get built by themselves, they get<br />
built by us, the individuals.<br />
In the meantime, our rabbis and<br />
office are going to help out a little.<br />
We will coordinate volunteering<br />
activities for ushers, to welcome<br />
visitors and members to the services,<br />
introduce people to each other<br />
and perhaps providing some useful<br />
information about our synagogue.<br />
Ushers will explain to people<br />
which service is where, and make<br />
people feel like they are coming to<br />
their ‘castle’ - to their home. Every<br />
Shabbat service we would like to<br />
have people who make each one of<br />
us feel like we belong. Perhaps you<br />
might want to join this first cohort<br />
of ushers? We invite each and every<br />
one of you to leave the fear behind<br />
and introduce yourselves; accept an<br />
invitation to Shabbat dinner or even<br />
an event. Really participate in the<br />
life of the congregation, in making<br />
new relationships and building this<br />
community together! The more you<br />
come, the more you get to know,<br />
the more you will belong.<br />
Expecting a baby?<br />
Jewnatal is a program for those expecting<br />
a baby in their lives, whether through birth<br />
or adoption, and whether the 1st or 5th!<br />
The concept is to foster/build relationships with<br />
people going through the same life stage that<br />
will carry forward after the class has concluded.<br />
Dates for 2nd cycle <strong>2019</strong><br />
Oct 27, Nov 17, Dec 1, Dec 15<br />
Contact the office for details.<br />
10
{NO MORE RIGHT AND LEFT?}<br />
Dudu Gottlib<br />
On the 9th of <strong>April</strong> <strong>2019</strong>, Israel<br />
will elect its 21st Knesset. This<br />
is one of Israel’s most interesting<br />
election campaigns. I often hear<br />
political commentators say, “It’s<br />
no longer a left or right electionit’s<br />
a Jewish or Zionist election”.<br />
If you hear a little bit about the<br />
political parties’ statements and<br />
actions the difference is quite<br />
obvious - the discussion is no longer<br />
about the two states solution, or<br />
socialism vs capitalism as it used to<br />
be. The parties don’t even bother<br />
to speak about their “other side”<br />
counterparts. The right parties<br />
are arguing between themselves<br />
about which party is the most<br />
Jewish-centric party, while the<br />
left-centre parties are arguing<br />
between themselves about which<br />
party is the most Zionist party:<br />
The Jewish-right camp is speaking<br />
about ethno-religious perception<br />
of Israel while the Left-Zionist<br />
camp is speaking about Nationalcivilian<br />
perception of Israel.<br />
The left agenda wants to<br />
accommodate not only Israel’s<br />
Jewish civilians but its non-Jewish<br />
civilians as well, and to pull Israel<br />
back to its previous “welfare<br />
state”- echoing the 2011 Israeli<br />
social justice protest slogans.<br />
The Jewish-right agenda sees Israel<br />
as first and foremost a Jewish state,<br />
and a state that is for the Jewish<br />
people - both on a national level<br />
but also on a religious level.<br />
Netanyahu, as Israel’s PM,<br />
understands that his greatest<br />
competition isn’t the left camp- but<br />
rather the religious parties- and<br />
you can hear him saying phrases<br />
such as “I’m not only the Prime<br />
Minister of Israel- but the Prime<br />
Minister of the Jewish people”.<br />
He’s basically saying, “if you want<br />
a Jewish Israel- vote Likud”.<br />
The Likud was never a party<br />
interested in religion. On the<br />
contrary- as liberals, the Likud<br />
values are based on a strict ‘the less<br />
intervention from the state in a<br />
person’s life the better’ approach.<br />
But that all changed in the<br />
early 2000s. In the early<br />
2000s, Israel’s religious<br />
parties changed their<br />
approach to politics. In<br />
the past they supported<br />
whoever won the majority<br />
of votes in the elections,<br />
knowing they would<br />
be needed to form a<br />
coalition and a working<br />
government. They were<br />
content with receiving budgets in<br />
return for their support. In the past<br />
two decades the religious parties<br />
developed their own ideologies,<br />
and visions for Israel - not only<br />
for religious Jews, but for nonreligious<br />
Jews, non-Jewish citizens<br />
ISRAEL<br />
Left, Benny Gantz, center, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, Yair Lapid<br />
11
etc., and have placed themselves<br />
politically to the right of the Likud.<br />
And what happened in the left?<br />
– It is becoming “Centre”.<br />
The term “Centre-Left” is being used<br />
in every election covered since 2013. It<br />
was used to describe Yesh Atid in the<br />
2013, then again in 2015 describing<br />
Yesh Atid, but also the Labor party<br />
and Kulanu. And now it describes<br />
about five parties. And I really<br />
wonder what does centre mean? If we<br />
look at the new combined list running<br />
for the Knesset (and latest polls<br />
anticipating they’ll get the majority<br />
of votes) - “Kachol Lavan”, a joint<br />
list combining “Chosen L’Israel”,<br />
Gantz’s party, Telem, Ashkenazi’s party<br />
and “Yesh Atid” led by Lapid, It is<br />
very clear that this is a left party that<br />
doesn’t want to be affiliated with the<br />
classic left party in Israel (Avoda). This<br />
is not due to an ideological gap, but<br />
more for PR reasons. If you look at<br />
the policies espoused by Gantz when<br />
he was the Joint Chief of Staff, and<br />
the policies of Yesh Atid when they<br />
spearheaded the Health, Education<br />
and Treasury ministries, it's very<br />
clear where they stand and it’s very<br />
much to the left. The definition of<br />
“centre” is purely hoping that right<br />
and left voters will be convinced to<br />
vote for them. And the latest polls<br />
suggest this stunt is actually working.<br />
On the one hand we have the right<br />
parties who it seems are steering<br />
further to the right, and competing<br />
about who’ll make Israel more<br />
Jewish and more religious, and on<br />
the other hand we have the left<br />
parties that are masking themselves<br />
as “centre”, hoping to attract more<br />
and more voters under the slogan<br />
“no more right, no more left”.<br />
But I think they got it right (pun<br />
intended) on one thing- the elections<br />
are no longer about right or left- at<br />
least not in the ideological sense.<br />
Like many other countries, Israel’s<br />
political campaign is about the<br />
“people” running for office - the<br />
leaders of parties have become the<br />
political equivalent of celebrities.<br />
It’s no longer about what they say<br />
and whether they mean it or notit's<br />
about the fact that they said<br />
something. And more importantlytweeted<br />
it, posted it and tagged<br />
whoever they wanted to react to that.<br />
So, on the 9th <strong>April</strong> <strong>2019</strong>, Israel<br />
won’t be voting “left or right”,<br />
it will be voting for the most<br />
popular leader or leaders.<br />
MASORTI MINYAN<br />
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12
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120 Traditional years. Values.<br />
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Traditional Values.<br />
Contemporary Choices.
{CHOOSE FREEDOM}<br />
Reverend Sam Zwarenstein<br />
One of the greatest benefits of<br />
being on a plane is that you’re<br />
uncontactable. No-one can get<br />
hold of you, you’re free to watch<br />
some tv or a recent movie release<br />
or perhaps a classic. <strong>May</strong>be you<br />
like spending some time listening<br />
to music or reading a book. And<br />
even though you’re in a somewhat<br />
confined space, you are generally<br />
free to “roam about the cabin” - just<br />
remember to fasten your seatbelt<br />
when you’re back in your seat. This<br />
is your time to do what you want<br />
to do-your time to make your own<br />
decisions without something or<br />
someone telling you what to do.<br />
Then, in 2008, commercial flights<br />
started offering in-flight wifi on<br />
domestic flights in the USA and in<br />
some other parts of the world, and<br />
the short-haul or domestic flight<br />
slowly became yet another place<br />
you could carry on with work or<br />
engage in other critical activities,<br />
such as Facebook or Twitter.<br />
I remember discovering this<br />
innovative feature in late 2011, and<br />
I will admit to using it on a couple<br />
of occasions, especially when I had<br />
several flights or connections on the<br />
same day. The ability to get work<br />
done, answer a few e-mails, perhaps<br />
do some internet banking, a bit<br />
of online shopping, message a few<br />
friends and catch up on the news, is<br />
a very good use of time, especially<br />
all the way up there in the sky.<br />
However, there went my time alone;<br />
my time of uncontactable peace.<br />
I had to waiver this time alone and<br />
justify that when you take into<br />
account the amount of time you’ll<br />
be saving when you get to your<br />
destination, whether it be home, a<br />
hotel, a conference or a meeting,<br />
you appreciate the convenience<br />
even more, perhaps because of the<br />
time you get back, perhaps because<br />
you used the time productively,<br />
14<br />
perhaps both. I acknowledge this<br />
is certainly useful on short-haul or<br />
domestic flights, especially when<br />
you are travelling for work.<br />
However, I have a problem with the<br />
idea of wifi when it comes to longhaul<br />
flights. For me, the long-haul<br />
flight is one of the last bastions of<br />
separation from the rest of the world.<br />
Unless you’re flying with a seriously<br />
low-cost airline, there is plenty to<br />
watch and listen to, and of course<br />
you can get really stuck into a good<br />
book, or perhaps even get some shuteye<br />
(acknowledging that sleeping<br />
on a plane is a varied experience).<br />
Recently, on a trip back from<br />
the USA, during the regular<br />
announcements after take-off, the<br />
cabin manager mentioned that<br />
the aircraft we were travelling on<br />
had onboard wifi, and that we<br />
could find instructions on how to<br />
connect on the screen in front of<br />
us. My plans to catch up on some<br />
sleep and to watch at least two<br />
of the movies that I never had a<br />
chance to catch at the cinemas, were<br />
overtaken by the urge to connect<br />
to the world out there. Despite<br />
the temptation, I left well alone.<br />
Why are we compelled to further<br />
submit ourselves to work and<br />
whatever is happening in the world,<br />
as though our lives wouldn’t have<br />
any meaning if we didn’t? Why<br />
can’t we bring ourselves to use the<br />
best excuse available for not being<br />
contactable, and allow ourselves<br />
some (relative) peace and quiet?<br />
This year, our journey as parents<br />
entered a whole new chapter<br />
- that’s the beauty of children,<br />
especially those in their teenage<br />
years. Rachel turned 16 in January,<br />
and she passed (as was expected)<br />
her driver knowledge test - she<br />
is officially a learner driver. All<br />
the parents who have been in<br />
our position are either laughing<br />
as they read this, or alternatively,<br />
this has reawakened some testing<br />
memories. This of course has<br />
meant that we are no longer serving<br />
only as taxi drivers/shleppers, but<br />
also driving supervisors. For all<br />
those not in the know, this role<br />
has a number of responsibilities
attached to it that make it different<br />
from simply being a passenger.<br />
One of the rules as a supervisor is<br />
that you cannot touch your mobile<br />
phone, just as the driver cannot.<br />
You have to act in the same manner<br />
as if you were the learner driver,<br />
not a passenger. So, as soon as the<br />
session begins, the phone goes into<br />
a pocket or the cubby hole, and<br />
being the conscientious person that<br />
she is, Rachel even activates “do not<br />
disturb” on her phone. For the length<br />
of the drive, you are uncontactable,<br />
allowing you to focus all your<br />
attention on the tasks at hand.<br />
Our natural instincts are to see this<br />
as an unnecessary restriction, an<br />
impediment. We are so obsessed with<br />
what we believe our rights are, that<br />
we cannot see the rationale behind<br />
this curtailment. By not having the<br />
distraction of the phone ringing and<br />
beeping and making all sorts of other<br />
noises, we can focus on helping the<br />
student in their quest to become a<br />
better driver, by learning from our<br />
years of experience in the driver’s<br />
seat. In effect, we have been given a<br />
freedom from our “captor”, which<br />
has allowed us to take on other<br />
tasks with a different perspective<br />
and a renewed sense of how we<br />
can apply ourselves in a different<br />
situation. We find that we have<br />
released ourselves from that which<br />
constrained us, and suddenly we<br />
are free to do so many other things,<br />
because we’re not distracted by (in<br />
this case) the phone. We can direct<br />
our attention to where it is needed.<br />
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not having<br />
a go at the poor mobile phone.<br />
I’m not saying it has taken control<br />
of our lives (even though there’s a<br />
strong argument in support of that<br />
theory). What I am saying is that we<br />
don’t allow ourselves to be removed<br />
from the madness and interference.<br />
We don’t have the discipline to<br />
ignore the distraction, so it’s only<br />
when we’re forced to ignore it or<br />
leave it alone, that we do so.<br />
On a plane, especially on those<br />
long-haul flights, we can’t use our<br />
phones as we normally would,<br />
so it’s almost as if we’re forced to<br />
allow ourselves freedom from that<br />
constraint. We occupy ourselves<br />
with other activities like reading<br />
or catching up on the latest visual<br />
or audio offerings. Similarly, when<br />
driving (or supervising a learner<br />
driver), we accept that our focus<br />
has to be on the road and what’s<br />
happening around us. Once<br />
again, we are almost forced into<br />
acknowledging that there is a choice.<br />
Of course, the world we live in<br />
is changing all the time, and<br />
we become more reliant on<br />
technology each time there’s a new<br />
development. We cannot, nor<br />
should we, ignore progress in the<br />
hope that we can allow ourselves<br />
the freedom that we don’t demand,<br />
but that allows us to take a break<br />
from what has become routine.<br />
In both examples I’ve given, we’re<br />
forced into allowing ourselves that<br />
freedom. Are we, therefore, incapable<br />
of taking that leap ourselves? Do we<br />
lack the discipline to proactively give<br />
ourselves an alternative even when<br />
we don’t need to? Optimistically,<br />
I’d say that we are both capable of<br />
taking the leap, as well proactively<br />
giving ourselves an alternative. We<br />
don’t throw a temper tantrum (well<br />
most of us don’t!) when the cabin<br />
manager or one of the stewards tells<br />
us to switch off our phones or put<br />
them in “airplane mode”. Therefore,<br />
we are able to take that break, we<br />
can accept that we need to take<br />
that break. What most of us lack<br />
is not necessarily the discipline to<br />
do so, but perhaps the capability<br />
to allow ourselves that choice.<br />
It’s not just about wifi on planes,<br />
or using your phone in<br />
the car. It’s about the<br />
many situations we find<br />
ourselves in without the<br />
apparent motivation to do<br />
things differently, to give<br />
ourselves the ability to<br />
choose our opportunities<br />
for freedom, and to<br />
do so when we feel we<br />
need to. We are quite<br />
capable of taking steps<br />
to control many other<br />
aspects of our life, so what is it<br />
that’s missing from this equation?<br />
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARING<br />
Just as in many other aspects of<br />
our life, we’ll look back one day<br />
and reflect on the opportunities<br />
we had, and the decisions we<br />
made. Inevitably there will be<br />
some regrets about the decisions<br />
we made. There will also be regrets<br />
about decisions we didn’t make<br />
and chances we didn’t take. We’ll<br />
reminisce about what could have<br />
been, if only we’d given ourselves the<br />
opportunity to make choices that<br />
were better for us, although they<br />
may not have been as convenient.<br />
We’ve all heard the saying; “Today<br />
is the first day of the rest of your<br />
life”. The question is, what are we<br />
going to do about it? Let’s find<br />
the strength and perhaps even<br />
the audacity to make this day, the<br />
day we start exercising our rights<br />
and choose freedom. Freedom<br />
to do what’s best for us, freedom<br />
to say no or to say yes, freedom<br />
to not be afraid of looking out<br />
for number one. Freedom to<br />
actually switch off from the rest<br />
of the world - give it a try!<br />
15
{CREATING A SINGING COMMUNITY}<br />
By Cantor George Mordecai<br />
A few years ago, I had the<br />
good fortune to encounter Joey<br />
Weisenberg. He is a musician<br />
and composer of Jewish music<br />
who spends almost every Shabbat<br />
in a different congregation<br />
teaching people how to truly<br />
build a singing community.<br />
We were both presenting at a<br />
liturgical workshop and co-led<br />
a Kabbalat Shabbat service at a<br />
Masorti convention in Chicago.<br />
I had heard about Joey and read<br />
his book, “Building Singing<br />
Communities,” but apart from<br />
a few you tube clips of him<br />
leading his singing workshops,<br />
I did not have an opportunity<br />
to experience him in action.<br />
Joey’s teaching and music<br />
has inspired so many people<br />
throughout synagogues and havura<br />
communities in the United States<br />
and beyond. He is not afraid to<br />
speak to the issues that inhibit<br />
communities from realising their<br />
musical and spiritual potential.<br />
To build a true singing community<br />
takes a lot of work. This is not just<br />
the result of an in-built tendency<br />
most of us have to resist that<br />
which is not familiar. It is because<br />
the melodies we have been raised<br />
with at synagogue have heart-felt<br />
resonances that vibrate at the core<br />
of our innermost being. These<br />
emotions are very deep. Despite<br />
this however, if we don’t challenge<br />
ourselves to embrace new and<br />
innovative approaches to music<br />
in sacred spaces, we will fail to<br />
grow and evolve as a community.<br />
Creating a singing community in<br />
synagogue space requires attention<br />
to many different details. Aside<br />
from uplifting melodies, how we<br />
arrange space, bringing people<br />
closer together during davening<br />
contributes to the ruach of a service.<br />
At the convention after Friday<br />
night dinner, we all moved to an<br />
adjacent room in the social hall. The<br />
chairs were arranged in concentric<br />
circles and we were all encouraged<br />
to sit close together. This simple<br />
yet important move created the<br />
conditions for an intimacy rarely<br />
experienced in synagogues. We<br />
could all hear each other singing<br />
and it increased the ruach and<br />
participation in the room.<br />
This kind of intimacy is crucial<br />
to creating the conditions for a<br />
true spiritual experience. We sang<br />
together, each of us in our own<br />
special way adding our unique<br />
voices to the collective sound that<br />
ascended and took us to a deep<br />
place, a place that we could not<br />
have reached on our own or even<br />
by putting our trust in a Cantor or<br />
Rabbi to “deliver the goods” for us.<br />
Many of the participants that night<br />
were transformed by the experience.<br />
As a Cantor and musician, I am<br />
passionately devoted to music as<br />
an art form but I have always felt<br />
that music is a vehicle, a means to<br />
an end, not an end in itself. It is a<br />
powerful way to connect with the<br />
divine life force that flows through<br />
us and all creation. When we pray<br />
together like we did that Friday<br />
evening at the convention with<br />
Joey, we were doing more than just<br />
singing together, we were creating a<br />
place for the divine to dwell among<br />
us and recognising the divine in each<br />
and everyone us who was present.<br />
The Emanuel community is truly<br />
blessed to have so many members<br />
who care deeply about Judaism and<br />
our synagogue. We are a committed<br />
and diverse community and the<br />
directions we take now at this crucial<br />
juncture will have a lasting effect<br />
for generations to come. In order<br />
to journey down the path which<br />
will ensure that our community<br />
grows and remains strong, we<br />
are going to need to experiment<br />
with different approaches to<br />
music, space, education and<br />
communal organisation.<br />
Let us embrace the future with<br />
excitement and enthusiasm in the<br />
knowledge that our community<br />
will continue to grow and thrive<br />
because we are a loving, caring place<br />
that is not afraid to experiment<br />
with and embrace change.<br />
Ilan Kidron with Cantor George Mordecai<br />
16
ChristieLaw<br />
For all your general law needs.<br />
Specialising in wills & estate planning.<br />
First consultation free, discount<br />
for Shul members.<br />
Primary School Open Day<br />
Discover why Emanuel School is small enough<br />
to know your child and big enough to make a difference<br />
Meet our staff, take a tour, visit classes and enjoy displays<br />
Wednesday 27 March <strong>2019</strong><br />
9.30 am - 11.00 am<br />
Emanuel School, 20 Stanley Street, Randwick<br />
Bookings can be made at www.emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au/visit<br />
For further information contact Gail MacKenzie on 8383 7333<br />
or enrolments@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au<br />
Suite 902, Level 9, 84 Pitt Street,<br />
SYDNEY NSW 2000<br />
Tel: 02 9232 2264<br />
Fax: 02 9232 2643<br />
Mob: 0413 049 050<br />
rick@christielaw.com.au<br />
www.christielaw.com.au<br />
Emanuel School is a member of<br />
the JCA Family of Organisations<br />
A 10-day tour of Israel with<br />
a focus on Jewish<br />
Spirituality.<br />
We explore<br />
ancient sites, learn<br />
with the best<br />
kabbalah teachers<br />
in the world<br />
and experience<br />
authentic inspiring<br />
tikun olam<br />
projects, getting<br />
to know the<br />
people involved.<br />
CONNECTION WITH ISRAEL &<br />
WORLD JEWRY<br />
KABBALAH TOUR<br />
OF ISRAEL<br />
OCTOBER 20-30, <strong>2019</strong><br />
LED BY RABBI DR. ORNA<br />
TRIGUBOFF WITH<br />
ISRAELI MUSICIANS,<br />
TEACHERS AND ARTISTS.<br />
For more information,<br />
please email<br />
orna@emanuel.org.au<br />
17
{SPEAK UP IN THE FACE OF INJUSTICE}<br />
Donna Jacobs Sife<br />
Of the many and various ideas that arise from the festival of Pesach, I find one<br />
particularly compelling. The sages tell us that the syllables of the word Pesach each<br />
represent a word in their own right: "Pe" means "mouth" and "sach" means "speaks".<br />
When I was 12, I became a ‘selective<br />
mute’. I stopped talking for several<br />
months. And now, when asked how<br />
I became a storyteller, this image of<br />
a mute young girl comes to mind.<br />
Perhaps I became a storyteller so<br />
that my words would be heard. And<br />
I suspect also that my penchant<br />
for social justice and speaking up<br />
also has roots in that young girl.<br />
However, the imperative to speak<br />
up in the face of injustice also has<br />
its roots in Judaism. The midwives<br />
Puah and Shifra spoke up when<br />
they refused to follow the orders<br />
of the Pharaoh and chose to save<br />
a little baby boy. The Pharaoh’s<br />
daughter spoke up when she saw<br />
that little baby floating down the<br />
river in a basket. Moses stood<br />
before the Pharaoh and spoke up in<br />
the name of his enslaved brethren.<br />
We are a People today, because<br />
others chose to speak and not<br />
remain silent in the face of injustice.<br />
It is in our origins, in our genesis.<br />
Dissent gave birth to us as a nation.<br />
Think of Abraham, when faced<br />
with the injustice as he saw it<br />
of the destruction of Sodom<br />
and Gomorrah by God. Even<br />
to the highest authority,<br />
Abraham was not deterred.<br />
“Will You sweep away the innocent<br />
along with the guilty? What if there<br />
should be fifty innocent within the<br />
city; will You then wipe out the<br />
place and not forgive it for the sake<br />
of the innocent fifty who are in it?”<br />
Abraham points out that there<br />
are innocent people living in<br />
Sodom and Gomorrah who do<br />
not deserve punishment. He<br />
begins bartering with God, asking<br />
how many innocent people there<br />
would have to be for the cities to<br />
be spared. He ultimately bargains<br />
18<br />
down to 10 innocent people<br />
before the episode concludes.<br />
As Abraham says,<br />
“Far be it from You to do such a<br />
thing, to bring death upon the<br />
innocent as well as the guilty,<br />
so that innocent and guilty fare<br />
alike. Far be it from You! Shall<br />
not the Judge of all the earth<br />
deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25).<br />
Elie Wiesel<br />
We know that Sodom and<br />
Gomorrah were not spared. But we<br />
also know by Abraham’s example, in<br />
the words of the Pirkei Avot: You do<br />
not have to complete the task, but<br />
neither are you free to desist from it.<br />
Of course, there are many in this<br />
troubled world who are silenced,<br />
because to speak up is a dangerous<br />
thing. To be silenced is to be<br />
controlled, oppressed, subdued. We<br />
know that in countries governed<br />
by despotic dictators, any hint of<br />
rebellion could be punishable by<br />
death. In 2015, the Australian<br />
parliament passed a law concerning<br />
workers and medical officers at<br />
the detention centres. It became a<br />
criminal offense for them to reveal<br />
to outsiders what is happening to<br />
asylum seekers, with a potential<br />
penalty of job loss and two years<br />
in prison. When refugees speak<br />
of their experience in public,<br />
they do so understanding that<br />
it could very likely adversely<br />
affect their immigration status.<br />
In Australia, for the most part,<br />
we are free. We can express our<br />
concerns, our criticisms, our<br />
protests, without fear of retribution.<br />
And yet, because this freedom is a<br />
given, we tend to take it for granted,<br />
and forget how lucky and privileged<br />
we are to live in such a country.<br />
And consequently, we do not use<br />
that privilege in the way that our<br />
ancestors have modelled to us. We<br />
forget that freedom and speaking<br />
up, pe-sach – are indelibly linked.<br />
Elie Wiesel in his acceptance<br />
speech for his Nobel Peace<br />
prize in 1986 put it this way:<br />
I swore never to be silent whenever<br />
and wherever human beings endure<br />
suffering and humiliation. We must<br />
always take sides. Neutrality helps<br />
the oppressor, never the victim.<br />
Silence encourages the tormentor,<br />
never the tormented. Sometimes<br />
we must interfere. When human<br />
lives are endangered, when human<br />
dignity is in jeopardy, national<br />
borders and sensitivities become<br />
irrelevant. Wherever men or women<br />
are persecuted because of their<br />
race, religion, or political views,<br />
that place must – at that moment –<br />
become the center of the universe.<br />
This Pesach, I hope to continue to<br />
speak up in the face of injustice,<br />
and to remember that I am one<br />
of the privileged few in this<br />
world who is free to do so.<br />
Tzdek Tzedek tirtof – Justice,<br />
Justice You shall Pursue.
Shabbat<br />
in the Circle<br />
One Saturday each month from 9:30am<br />
Join us for this new Shabbat<br />
morning gathering.<br />
We begin at 9:30am with the study of<br />
Hassidic and other mystical texts then discuss<br />
how we can apply them in our daily lives.<br />
This is followed at 10:15am by a collaborative<br />
musical gathering based on the Shabbat<br />
morning service incorporating melodies,<br />
poems and dance to enhance our Shabbath.<br />
Contact gmordecai@emanuel.org.au<br />
See: emanuel.org.au/shabbatcircle<br />
Awakening<br />
to Freedom<br />
Renewal Friday Night<br />
Pesach Service & Dinner<br />
26th <strong>April</strong>, 6:15pm<br />
Join us for an evening of song and<br />
learning as we explore the meaning of<br />
freedom.<br />
with Cantor George Mordecai and Rabbi<br />
Dr. Orna Triguboff plus special guests<br />
Kim Cunio and Samurai Cunio.<br />
A light dinner will be served.<br />
Cost: $20<br />
HEARTS<br />
ON FIRE<br />
Lag B’Omer<br />
Wednesday 22 <strong>May</strong>, 7pm<br />
Songs, teachings and meditations on<br />
the Omer and Jewish mystical tradition.<br />
with Cantor George Mordecai,<br />
Rabbi Dr. Orna Triguboff and<br />
guest musician.<br />
Free of charge<br />
19
{FACING INDEFINITE DETENTION<br />
AS A STATELESS REFUGEE}<br />
Shira Sebban<br />
On 13 February <strong>2019</strong>, I joined fellow volunteer refugee advocates at the High<br />
Court in Canberra in support of an allegedly stateless asylum seeker, who<br />
was attempting to challenge Australia’s system of indefinite detention.<br />
Known as “plaintiff M47”, the<br />
man, who has been held in onshore<br />
immigration detention for over<br />
nine years, was represented by<br />
renowned Melbourne QC Ron<br />
Merkel and Alison Battisson<br />
of Human Rights for All.<br />
The case was dismissed: After<br />
questioning his credibility<br />
and discussing the mystery<br />
surrounding his identity, the<br />
Court unanimously found that<br />
such a challenge “did not arise”.<br />
Nevertheless, not only does our<br />
government mandatorily detain all<br />
non-citizens without a valid visa – a<br />
policy adopted under Paul Keating<br />
in 1992 as an essential component<br />
of strong border control – but<br />
it may also detain non-citizens<br />
indefinitely, despite the fact that<br />
they have not committed a crime.<br />
“We didn’t win and we didn’t<br />
lose – we drew,” Battisson said.<br />
“This means that we can keep<br />
fighting for M47, if he wants, and<br />
there is space for other detainees<br />
to bring similar challenges to<br />
their lengthy detention. [This<br />
case] showed us just how high<br />
the bar is set to win freedom.<br />
Unfortunately, nine years on its<br />
own is apparently not enough.”<br />
Each week, I visit asylum seekers<br />
and refugees in Villawood<br />
Detention Immigration Centre, as<br />
a member of Supporting Asylum<br />
Seekers Sydney (SASS), cofounded<br />
six years ago by Emanuel<br />
Synagogue member Anna Buch.<br />
Among those we visit is stateless<br />
refugee Ahmad Shalikhan, 21, who<br />
has been detained since arriving<br />
as a child in 2013. He too now<br />
faces indefinite detention, after the<br />
government took more than two<br />
years to reject his visa application.<br />
Despite facing no criminal charges,<br />
Shalikhan has been refused by<br />
Immigration Minister David<br />
Coleman, due to a risk he would<br />
“engage in criminal conduct in<br />
Australia”, thus deeming him to<br />
have failed the character test as<br />
defined under the Migration Act.<br />
His legal team is appealing<br />
the decision. “It is<br />
unacceptable that<br />
someone who arrived as<br />
a child, and has various<br />
cognitive difficulties,<br />
should be subjected to<br />
detention for this long,<br />
and that the government<br />
could consider indefinite<br />
detention for him,”<br />
Battisson said.<br />
In a statement dated 3<br />
January <strong>2019</strong>, Coleman<br />
wrote: “In light of<br />
the serious nature of<br />
the potential harm, I<br />
have found that Mr<br />
Shalikhan represents<br />
an unacceptable risk<br />
to individuals in the<br />
Australian community”.<br />
This outweighed<br />
other considerations<br />
including “Australia’s<br />
international nonrefoulement<br />
obligations,<br />
the prospects of<br />
indefinite detention<br />
of Mr Shalikhan and<br />
its possible effect on<br />
his mental health, and<br />
the impact of a refusal<br />
decision on his family”.<br />
Ahmad Shalikhan<br />
A Faili Kurd, who fled Iran by boat<br />
with his mother at the age of 16,<br />
Shalikhan has been in detention<br />
since arriving on Christmas Island<br />
in August 2013. Suffering from<br />
a developmental disorder and<br />
mental health issues exacerbated<br />
by his father’s death in Iran, he<br />
has in the past attempted suicide<br />
and displayed volatile behaviour.<br />
The Faili Kurds have long been<br />
persecuted in Iran as an ethnic<br />
minority. Both Shalikhan’s mother<br />
20
and older brother have been<br />
recognised as refugees by Australia,<br />
his mother granted a five-year visa<br />
in 2016, while his brother, who fled<br />
earlier, has permanent protection.<br />
Shalikhan too was able to prove a<br />
well-founded fear of persecution<br />
in Iran, Australia recognising him<br />
as a refugee in 2016. This means<br />
Australia is legally obliged to<br />
protect him and cannot forcibly<br />
return him to a place of harm.<br />
In 2014, however, as a 17-yearold<br />
minor, he was charged with<br />
two counts of assaulting a public<br />
officer. The offences were resolved<br />
by the Western Australian children’s<br />
court, which issued him a caution<br />
and noted “all criminal matters<br />
are finalised”. While no formal<br />
punishment was ordered, the<br />
incident continues to haunt him, the<br />
Minister taking it into consideration<br />
“on the basis that his violent conduct<br />
… has been proven in court”.<br />
Moved to detention centres around<br />
Australia, his education and social<br />
development were disrupted. Having<br />
only completed Year 10, he has not<br />
been allowed access to education<br />
since turning 18 – despite repeated<br />
requests – and has languished in<br />
Villawood since mid-2016.<br />
People with disabilities are<br />
particularly vulnerable in detention,<br />
Battisson said. “Although no one<br />
should be administratively detained<br />
for seeking asylum, it is particularly<br />
unsuitable, and cannot be made<br />
suitable, for those with disabilities.”<br />
Shalikhan has accepted his earlier<br />
behavioural issues. “I don’t want to<br />
be an old man still in detention …<br />
I have said things whilst here but<br />
this was all due to the frustration<br />
of being in detention. I wouldn’t<br />
do any of the things talked about<br />
… I want to live in Australia. I will<br />
not be a threat to the Australian<br />
community. I am a good person.”<br />
Last year, Battisson submitted a<br />
complaint on his behalf to the<br />
UN Working Group on Arbitrary<br />
Detention (WGAD). In December<br />
2018, it released its opinion,<br />
determining the Australian<br />
government was in breach of five<br />
articles of the Universal Declaration<br />
of Human Rights and four articles<br />
of the International Covenant<br />
of Civil and Political Rights. It<br />
recommended he be immediately<br />
released and accorded an enforceable<br />
right to compensation. It also<br />
called for an investigation into<br />
the circumstances surrounding<br />
his deprivation of liberty and<br />
for appropriate measures to be<br />
taken against those responsible<br />
for violating his rights.<br />
In its third report on his<br />
incarceration, tabled in October<br />
2017, the Commonwealth<br />
Ombudsman noted “psychiatrists<br />
have continuously advised that as a<br />
young and vulnerable person, [his]<br />
ongoing detention is detrimental to<br />
his mental health and recommended<br />
… he be released … with mental<br />
health support and enrolment<br />
in an educational course”.<br />
While the Minister accepted that<br />
should he be released, Shalikhan<br />
would have the support of his<br />
family and the NSW Health<br />
Refugee Service, the government<br />
maintains this is still outweighed<br />
by the risk he “would engage in<br />
criminal conduct in Australia”.<br />
However, while most<br />
criminals serve a fixed<br />
term, when even<br />
murderers sentenced to<br />
life imprisonment are<br />
often eventually released,<br />
our government is<br />
seemingly still prepared<br />
to condemn stateless<br />
refugees to indefinite<br />
detention.<br />
SUSTAINING THE ENVIRONMENT<br />
& HEALING THE WORLD<br />
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO<br />
HELP ASYLUM SEEKERS<br />
AND REFUGEES?<br />
Support Emanuel Synagogue's<br />
work for refugees, email<br />
socialjustice@emanuel.org.au<br />
For more information about<br />
Supporting Asylum Seekers<br />
Sydney (SASS) please see https://<br />
sydneyasylumseekersupporters.<br />
wordpress.com All welcome! Those<br />
interested in visiting Villawood<br />
Immigration Detention Centre<br />
please contact Anna Buch:<br />
anna-buch@outlook.com<br />
Many organisations supporting<br />
asylum seekers and refugees have<br />
volunteer programs, including<br />
Settlement Services International<br />
(SSI): https://www.ssi.org.au/<br />
support-ssi/volunteer; Asylum<br />
Seekers Centre Newtown:<br />
https://asylumseekerscentre.<br />
org.au and Australian Refugee<br />
Volunteers: https://www.<br />
arvolunteers.org/volunteer<br />
Other ideas include:<br />
• Visit refugee-run restaurant,<br />
Four Brave Women, in Summer<br />
Hill and Parliament on King<br />
Cafe in Newtown, which also<br />
offers social enterprise catering;<br />
• Buy fashion through The<br />
Social Outfit, which provides<br />
employment and training<br />
to people from refugee and<br />
new migrant communities;<br />
• Donate musical instruments<br />
to community group<br />
Music for Refugees;<br />
• Host dinner for refugees<br />
in your home via The<br />
Welcome Dinner Project;<br />
• Volunteer to teach English<br />
to Sudanese refugees: see<br />
http://www.sailprogram.org.<br />
au/site/join/volunteer/;<br />
• Join an organised "walk<br />
and talk" with refugees in<br />
different areas of Sydney<br />
via One Step Walks: https://<br />
www.onestepwalks.org<br />
21
{A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE FESTIVALS<br />
OF PESACH AND SHAVUOT}<br />
49 Day Challenge – a Guide for <strong>2019</strong><br />
Rabbi Dr Orna Triguboff<br />
WHAT IS THE OMER?<br />
For thousands of years counting<br />
the 49 days from the second day of<br />
Pesach to Shavuot with a blessing<br />
has been practised. Why? It’s a<br />
commandment that comes from<br />
the Torah – Leviticus 23:15 “You<br />
shall count…from the day that<br />
you brought the omer as a wave<br />
offering…” What is an omer? It’s a<br />
measure of about 1.5 kg. In temple<br />
times, the Israelites brought an omer<br />
of barley as an afternoon sacrifice on<br />
the second day of Pesach and after<br />
that counted 49 days with a blessing<br />
till Shavuot – a time of harvest.<br />
This is the agricultural aspect of the<br />
festival, literally a period of ripening<br />
of produce and symbolically it<br />
points to a ripening of the psyche.<br />
THE JOURNEY FROM SLAVERY TO<br />
FREEDOM<br />
The Omer begins with a celebration<br />
of the exodus from slavery, on Pesach,<br />
it then continues with a countdown<br />
for 49 days – as a journey of self<br />
reflection - till the 50th day, Shavuot<br />
, the festival marking the receiving<br />
of Torah on Mt. Sinai. On the level<br />
of the psycho-spiritual, this can be<br />
seen as a 7 week opportunity for<br />
self-development. Since each festival<br />
in Judaism has its own flavour, we<br />
can make use of this unique period<br />
to achieve our goals of living a good<br />
life and the aspiration for constant<br />
improvement. It is a journey towards<br />
freedom, and for each person there is<br />
a unique meaning to this. It may be<br />
used as a period to move from being<br />
boxed in by habits that don't serve<br />
you well, to a more healthy life-style.<br />
THE OMER –<br />
A DAILY SPIRITUAL PRACTICE<br />
In the 16th century in the city of<br />
Tsfat, in the Galilee, the Omer<br />
period was given a new dimension<br />
of religious/spiritual practice. Each<br />
day of the Omer was seen as being<br />
connected to a different aspect<br />
of a person’s character. And each<br />
day of the Omer was seen as an<br />
opportunity for self-improvement.<br />
According to this Kabbalistic<br />
practice, each week is dedicated to<br />
a particular attribute: compassion,<br />
strength, love, endurance,<br />
humility, bonding, leadership. The<br />
22
names for the seven attributes are<br />
derived from a verse in the Tanach<br />
and each one describes an aspect of<br />
the personality that can be improved<br />
and refined during the Omer.<br />
These attributes are connected to the<br />
holy spark within each person. With<br />
each week it is hoped that there is<br />
a level of self-refinement that will<br />
allow us to “receiving the Torah” on<br />
Shavuot in a new way each year.<br />
In the following few paragraphs<br />
there are some suggestions for daily<br />
awareness practices for the Omer.<br />
Of course there are plenty of other<br />
ideas that will be sparked by these. As<br />
each person is unique, their journey<br />
through the Omer is unique.<br />
CHESED – COMPASSION AND<br />
LOVING KINDNESS<br />
Week 1 of the Omer begins<br />
the eve of the 20th of <strong>April</strong><br />
During this week one can reflect on<br />
the aspect of compassion in one’s<br />
life. During the day there is an<br />
invitation to notice when you feel<br />
compassion, when people act with<br />
kindness towards you, in which<br />
situations it is harder for you to feel<br />
compassion…are there times of the<br />
day when compassion is easier to feel?<br />
Symbols connected to the<br />
aspect of chesed are:<br />
The colour white, the angel<br />
Michael, the qualities of: opening,<br />
giving, generosity and empathy.<br />
GEVURAH –<br />
STRENGTH AND JUSTICE<br />
Week 2 of the Omer – begins<br />
the eve of the 27th of <strong>April</strong><br />
Each quality is more than just<br />
one word. Some associations<br />
traditionally given to Gevurah are:<br />
the colour red, the angel Gavriel,<br />
the qualities of: strength, courage,<br />
restraint, discernment, boundary<br />
setting and a sense of social justice.<br />
During this week one could notice<br />
when issues concerning boundaries<br />
arise. Also you could notice situations<br />
when courage and strength are<br />
needed and how you react to<br />
those situations. In the spirit of<br />
Gevurah you might decide to tidy<br />
a messy drawer during this week!<br />
TIFERET – BEAUTY AND LOVE<br />
Week 3 of the Omer – begins<br />
the eve of the 4th of <strong>May</strong><br />
Symbols associated with Tiferet<br />
are the colour green, the symbol of<br />
the Star of David, the angel Uriel,<br />
the qualities of beauty, love, openheartedness.<br />
Tiferet is a balance<br />
of Chesed and Gevurah so it is<br />
connected to the ability to balance<br />
giving and receiving in one’s life.<br />
During this week you might choose<br />
to notice the flow of giving and<br />
receiving that takes place on many<br />
levels with each activity to do.<br />
NETSACH – ENDURANCE<br />
Week 4 of the Omer – begins<br />
the eve of the 11th of <strong>May</strong><br />
The qualities connected to Netsach<br />
are the ability to persevere, optimism<br />
and ambition. During this week<br />
one might sit down and write<br />
one’s ambitions – short term, mid<br />
term and long term. This is an<br />
exercise that helps see one’s life in<br />
perspective. You might explore<br />
which things in your life enhance<br />
your vitality and which drain you.<br />
Notice each time you feel optimistic<br />
and be aware of how it feel as well<br />
as what you are optimistic about.<br />
HOD – HUMILITY AND<br />
SPLENDOUR<br />
Week 5 of the Omer<br />
– begins the eve of<br />
the 18th of <strong>May</strong><br />
The quality of Hod<br />
is often connected to<br />
Aharon the High Priest.<br />
It is the part of each<br />
person that is able to set<br />
the Ego aside and feel<br />
humility and connection.<br />
This quality is also connected to<br />
sacrifice. During this week you<br />
might choose to notice when you do<br />
things for others – a sacrifice of sorts.<br />
During the week notice when you<br />
are humble and when you are not.<br />
YESOD – FOUNDATION AND<br />
BONDING<br />
Week 6 of the Omer – begins<br />
the eve of the 25th of <strong>May</strong><br />
Yesod has many associations – it<br />
literally means foundation, thus<br />
it is a good time to look at one’s<br />
foundations in one’s life. It is a good<br />
time to ask oneself what are the<br />
things that are REALLY important<br />
to me? What are my core values, my<br />
foundation? Yesod is also the quality<br />
of bonding and thus it is a week of<br />
noticing our connection with others<br />
– with family, friends, work associates<br />
Conversations about Israel<br />
Every Monday, join Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins<br />
or guest speakers to examine the complex<br />
issues facing contemporary Israel.<br />
Monday mornings from 10:00-11:30<br />
PRAYER<br />
23
and community. As you go through<br />
the week, notice your connections<br />
with different people and groups.<br />
What does each connection give<br />
you and what do you give?<br />
MALCHUT – LEADERSHIP<br />
Week 7 of the Omer – begins<br />
the eve of the 1st of June<br />
The last week of the Omer is<br />
dedicated to the quality of Malchutkingdom<br />
or leadership. It is a week<br />
of exploring your role as a leader<br />
and how you relate to authority in<br />
your life in the various situations<br />
you come to. As your week unfolds<br />
notice which situations call on<br />
your leadership skills and how you<br />
react. This quality is also called<br />
Shekhinah – divine presence and<br />
so it is a week during which you<br />
are invited to notice holiness in<br />
yourself and in your environment.<br />
JOURNALLING AND MEDITATION<br />
Besides using the Omer as an<br />
opportunity for daily awareness<br />
practice one might choose to<br />
journal one’s experience each day<br />
before saying the blessing for the<br />
next day of the Omer. Sitting in<br />
quiet meditation as part of the<br />
Omer practice is also beneficial.<br />
Please email the synagogue<br />
if you would like to join our<br />
free weekly email that guides<br />
you through the Omer.<br />
Wishing you a meaningful<br />
period of joyous practice.<br />
JEREMY SPINAK - A TRIBUTE<br />
Jeremy Spinak was one of the most<br />
influential and highly respected<br />
communal leaders in Sydney, but<br />
last November at the age of 36 he<br />
succumbed to a rare form of cancer.<br />
The immediate past president<br />
of the NSW Jewish Board of<br />
Deputies (JBOD), was remembered<br />
in emotional speeches at his<br />
funeral and a memorial service<br />
at Emanuel Synagogue.<br />
“Today we honour a beautiful,<br />
unique and much-appreciated young<br />
man of untold value, an excellent<br />
unselfish man devoted to Australia,<br />
community and family,” Rabbi<br />
Jeffrey Kamins told more than<br />
1000 people at Spinak’s funeral.<br />
“Today we honour a beautiful,<br />
unique and much appreciated<br />
young man of untold value, an<br />
excellent unselfish man devoted to<br />
Australia, community and family.<br />
“Jeremy’s light does shine on,<br />
through each of us blessed to<br />
know him, and into the future.”<br />
In a rare show of respect, Spinak’s<br />
death was announced at a NSW<br />
Cabinet meeting, and the NSW<br />
Labor caucus stopped for a minute<br />
of silence for him, an honour<br />
usually reserved only for deceased<br />
members of Parliament.<br />
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian<br />
said he was “an outstanding<br />
community advocate and an amazing<br />
human being”, and NSW Deputy<br />
Opposition Leader in the NSW<br />
Legislative Council noted that “a dark<br />
cloud of sadness” spread through<br />
the corridors of NSW Parliament.<br />
The Executive Council of Australian<br />
Jewry said in a statement that<br />
Spinak had excellent judgement<br />
and a compassionate, Jewish heart.<br />
“In all his communal work he was a<br />
conciliator, a healer and a unifier.”<br />
JBOD president Lesli Berger<br />
and CEO Vic Alhadeff said in<br />
a statement that Spinak was a<br />
much-loved and greatly respected<br />
leader of the community.<br />
“His contribution to enhanced<br />
political bipartisanship, a nuanced<br />
approach to advocacy and<br />
engagement with all sectors within<br />
the Jewish community were features<br />
of his presidency,” they said.<br />
Spinak’s wife Rhiannon delivered an<br />
emotional tribute at the minyan.<br />
“We had six wonderful years together<br />
– not nearly long enough,” she said.<br />
“He gave me the experience of<br />
being completely understood,<br />
supported and utterly loved and<br />
I’ll carry that with me always.<br />
“He also gave me the gift of<br />
our beautiful one-year-old<br />
twins, Michael and Grace.”<br />
Describing Spinak as his “soulmate”,<br />
his older brother Jason spoke<br />
of how excited he was when<br />
his baby brother was born.<br />
“Jez was a gorgeous baby, eczema,<br />
cradle cap and all … he came<br />
out with charisma,” he said.<br />
“We tried everything, every<br />
specialist around the world …<br />
and the response would always<br />
[be] there’s nothing more that<br />
we can do than what has been<br />
done for him in Australia.”<br />
The Jeremy Spinak Family<br />
Fund, which is administered by<br />
JewishCare in NSW, has been<br />
created to assist Spinak’s wife<br />
Rhiannon and their 13-monthold<br />
twins Grace and Michael.<br />
To donate, visit bit.ly/spinakfund<br />
24
{LET MY PEOPLE GO}<br />
B. Karet<br />
Arguably one of the most<br />
recognisable icons in the world,<br />
The Statue of Liberty is regarded<br />
as ‘a potent symbol of liberty,<br />
peace and human rights’. 1<br />
The towering statue of Lady Liberty,<br />
based on Liberatas the Roman<br />
goddess of freedom, sits proudly<br />
on Liberty Island in New York<br />
Harbour. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi<br />
sculpted the copper statue in France<br />
in the mid 1800’s, and Gustav Eiffel<br />
constructed her metal framework.<br />
The torch she thrusts skyward in her<br />
right hand, and the seven-spiked<br />
crown she wears, illuminate the sky<br />
- a means for Liberty ‘to enlighten<br />
the world’. In her left arm, she clasps<br />
a stone tablet with the inscription<br />
‘JULY IV MDCCLXXVI’, the<br />
date of the U.S Declaration of<br />
Independence, enshrining the<br />
concept of freedom, as do the<br />
broken shackles at her feet. In 1903,<br />
a plaque was added to the pedestal<br />
of the statue (funded by America),<br />
bearing the last lines of the sonnet<br />
‘The New Colossus’. This moving<br />
poem was written by the Jewish<br />
activist and poet Emma Lazarus, to<br />
help raise funds for the completion<br />
of the statue. It begins, ‘Give me<br />
your tired, your poor, your huddled<br />
masses yearning to breathe free’. 2<br />
Built in France as a gift for America,<br />
she was hauled across the world in<br />
214 crates and reconstructed on<br />
Bedloe Island (renamed Liberty<br />
Island). Since her dedication in 1886,<br />
to commemorate the centennial of<br />
the end of the Civil War, she has<br />
greeted millions of refugees and<br />
immigrants. For the war-weary<br />
Europeans arriving after World War<br />
II, with exhausted bodies and broken<br />
spirits, she was a beacon of hope<br />
symbolising freedom and a better life.<br />
Edouard de Laboulaye, the president<br />
of the French Anti-slavery Society,<br />
originally proposed the idea of<br />
the statue as a gift from France to<br />
memorialize President Abraham<br />
Lincoln, of whom he was a great<br />
admirer, and to celebrate the<br />
emancipation of African Americans<br />
after the Civil War. 3 He hoped it<br />
would inspire his own countrymen to<br />
fight for democracy and freedom in<br />
their own repressive regime. However,<br />
for many African Americans, she<br />
has not been a symbol of liberation;<br />
rather a stinging reminder of the<br />
rights and freedoms they do not<br />
share with their fellow Americans.<br />
Recent movies such as ‘Hidden<br />
Figures’, the story of the mostly,<br />
unacknowledged African American<br />
female mathematicians and engineers<br />
who worked for the American<br />
space agencies, and ‘Green Book’, a<br />
snapshot of the touring life of Dr<br />
Don Shirley, a highly educated and<br />
gifted pianist of Jamaican heritage,<br />
portray their lack of freedoms. As<br />
recently as the second half of the<br />
20th century, African Americans<br />
endured shameful segregation,<br />
discrimination and humiliation.<br />
Over the centuries, in every<br />
inhabited continent, men and<br />
women have continually<br />
struggled for freedom -<br />
freedom from inequality,<br />
freedom from famine and<br />
freedom from religious<br />
and political persecution.<br />
In the 20th century,<br />
charismatic leaders such<br />
as Nelson Mandela and<br />
Martin Luther King fought to end<br />
apartheid in South Africa and the<br />
United States. Mahatma Gandhi<br />
led a nonviolent campaign for<br />
freedom and independence for<br />
India from British colonial rule.<br />
The fight for freedom continues<br />
in the 21st century. The citizens in<br />
South American countries such as<br />
Venezuela fight for political freedom,<br />
and Nobel Peace Prize winner<br />
Malala Yousafzai quietly campaigns<br />
to free women from bigotry and<br />
exploitation. Wherever she finds a<br />
platform to be heard, she raises her<br />
voice to advocate for the right of<br />
girls in Pakistan, Afghanistan and<br />
India to have an equal opportunity to<br />
receive an education. Most recently,<br />
WORLD JEWRY<br />
25
the plight of Rahaf Mohammed<br />
al-Qunun, a young, Saudi Arabian<br />
women fleeing an abusive family<br />
in the Middle East, highlighted the<br />
desperate struggle for freedom of<br />
many Muslim women. In countries<br />
under strict Islamic rule, such as<br />
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain,<br />
women yearn for the freedom of<br />
self-determination - to be freed from<br />
the yoke of the male guardianship<br />
laws practised in these countries.<br />
During Pesach, we recount the story<br />
of our ancestor’s liberation from<br />
cruel bondage in Egypt. Moses was<br />
summoned by God to confront<br />
Pharaoh to free the Children of Israel.<br />
In words, ‘Thus says the Lord: Let<br />
My people go that they may worship<br />
Me’ Exodus 8:16, and by actions,<br />
e.g. the plagues God inflicts on the<br />
Egyptians, escalating in might each<br />
time Pharaoh stubbornly refused to<br />
free the Hebrews. Moses didn’t give<br />
up. Acting as God’s agent on Earth,<br />
he negotiated with Pharaoh overand-over<br />
again, until he was finally<br />
convinced to ‘let (His) people go’.<br />
Our freedom was secured thousands<br />
of centuries ago so that we ‘could<br />
worship God …. and be a kingdom<br />
of priests and a holy nation’ Exodus<br />
19:6, and ‘a light unto the nations’,<br />
Isaiah 49:6. We are now God’s agents<br />
on Earth. We need to step up and<br />
raise our voices advocating for human<br />
rights and the freedom of oppressed<br />
people around the world. Just as<br />
Moses did many centuries ago on our<br />
behalf, we need to urge our political<br />
leaders to show compassion to asylum<br />
seekers and change their policies.<br />
To paraphrase Martin Luther<br />
King, ‘we can never truly enjoy<br />
our own freedom, unless we<br />
secure the freedom of others -our<br />
destinies are inextricably linked’. 5<br />
Our words and actions need to<br />
make the ideals of ‘freedom and<br />
enlightenment’ the Statue of Liberty<br />
symbolises not just a concept, but<br />
a reality for all men and women.<br />
References:<br />
1. www.everything-everywhere.<br />
com%2Funesco-world-heritagesite-93-statue-of-liberty<br />
-UNESCO<br />
‘Statement of Significance’.<br />
2. Moreno, Barry (2000). The<br />
Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia. New<br />
York City: Simon & Schuster.<br />
3. Berenson, Edward (2012)<br />
The Statue of Liberty: A<br />
Transatlantic Story (Icons of<br />
America) Yale University Press.<br />
4. Harris, Jonathan (1985). A Statue<br />
for America: The First 100 Years<br />
of the Statue of Liberty. New York<br />
City: Four Winds Press (a division of<br />
Macmillan Publishing Company).<br />
5. King, Martin Luther Jn (1963)-<br />
I Have a Dream (speech at the<br />
‘March on Washington’.)<br />
{JOINING THE ‘B AND B HIGHWAY’}<br />
Judy Kahn Friedlander<br />
Emanuel Synagogue is set to participate in an important sustainability<br />
initiative that will also provide opportunities for congregants to meet<br />
members of neighbouring faith and community groups.<br />
As part of the ‘B and B Highway’,<br />
Emanuel will soon be hosting a ‘B<br />
and B’ – a ‘Bed and Breakfast for<br />
Birds, Bees and Biodiversity’ as part<br />
of a Sydney-wide innovative airborne<br />
highway that aims to counter the<br />
alarming decline in our pollinators.<br />
The ‘B and B Highway’ was launched<br />
recently by the not-for-profit group<br />
26<br />
FoodFaith, as part of a UTS/City<br />
of Sydney initiative. It aims to<br />
provide rest stops for birds, bees<br />
and other insects across Sydney<br />
in a bid to help food security and<br />
biodiversity. The initiative will<br />
bring other faith and community<br />
groups together who also host ‘B<br />
and Bs’ on an annual basis to share<br />
sustainability knowledge and tips.<br />
Founder of FoodFaith, Judy<br />
Friedlander, is also a post-graduate<br />
researcher with The Institute<br />
for Sustainable Futures at The<br />
University of Technology Sydney<br />
and is completing her PhD this<br />
year. Judy says that we are at a
tipping point for biodiversity<br />
and the loss of insects can have a<br />
cascading impact on food security.<br />
Insects are critical for pollination,<br />
recycle materials in the soil and<br />
provide the main source of food<br />
for birds, bats, fish and many other<br />
vertebrate species. One in three bites<br />
of food rely on insect pollination.<br />
As reported this month in The<br />
Sydney Morning Herald, BBC and<br />
other leading news media, a just<br />
published scientific review provides<br />
sobering research and statistics on<br />
the loss of insects. There has been<br />
a reported decline of more than<br />
75pc of total insect biomass in 27<br />
years. A UK study found that many<br />
species of butterflies and moths<br />
are declining at alarming rates.<br />
Entomologists across Australia also<br />
report lower than average numbers<br />
of wild insects. Bee collapse is<br />
a huge international concern.<br />
While bee colony collapse has<br />
not happened in Australia, many<br />
experts say our bees face threats.<br />
The academic study found a linear<br />
decline of 2.5% of current (<strong>2019</strong>)<br />
biomass, which is estimated to<br />
lead to the total disappearance<br />
of insects within 40 years.<br />
The main causes of insect species<br />
decline are habitat loss, pesticides and<br />
fertilisers, biological factors including<br />
introduced species, and climate<br />
change. While it is also important to<br />
create more varied habitat in rural<br />
areas, our cities can help the loss of<br />
biodiversity and it is also predicted<br />
that we will increasingly use our<br />
urban areas for food and farming.<br />
The B & Bs are located at community<br />
centres, places of worship from a<br />
range of different faiths throughout<br />
Sydney and at community housing<br />
supported by Community Greening.<br />
With eight centres already funded by<br />
the B and B Highway, each B & B<br />
features a special variety of pollinating<br />
plants selected by horticulturists<br />
as well as an insect hotel or native<br />
stingless beehive. Sydney’s eastern<br />
suburbs will form an important<br />
foundational hub and there are other<br />
‘pollen booths’ in Lane Cove and Mt<br />
Druitt with more being planned.<br />
The initiative is inspired by<br />
other pollinator highways in<br />
Belfast, Oslo and Vancouver.<br />
Judy Friedlander says that creating<br />
pollinating gardens with native plants<br />
that flower the whole year round is a<br />
‘win win for pollinators and people’.<br />
‘I was fortunate enough to be<br />
surrounded by bees, butterflies and<br />
birds as a child – as many of us<br />
were – and we should be working<br />
to ensure that our children have<br />
these same nurturing foundational<br />
experiences of nature,’ she says.<br />
‘Importantly, there is a very serious<br />
side to this and this recent scientific<br />
report provides a wake-up call for us.<br />
‘It is not alarmist to say we are at<br />
a crucial time and if we don’t do<br />
something to help our pollinators we<br />
are in serious trouble. Fortunately, we<br />
can do something to help insects –<br />
the little things that run the world.’<br />
If you would like to support<br />
this initiative or find out<br />
more information, contact<br />
info@foodfaith.com.au<br />
Want to plant some pollinating plants<br />
in your garden? Some suggestions:<br />
- Native flowers such as Cutleaf<br />
daisy Brachysomes<br />
- Lavender is high in nectar<br />
and flowers all-year round<br />
- Native bees also love herbs such<br />
as basil, thyme, sage, rosemary,<br />
lemon balm and mint<br />
- Aussie favourites: Flowering<br />
gum, tea tree, acacia,<br />
bottlebrush, grevillea<br />
ENVIRONMENT<br />
27
{AROUND EMANUEL}<br />
Scenes of life around our Synagogue<br />
Clockwise from top left:<br />
• Thomas <strong>May</strong>or in conversation with Rabbi Kamins<br />
• Emanuel's past presidents gather<br />
• Some of our Bnei Mitzvah students<br />
• Our Kef Kids teachers<br />
• Rabbi Krebs in conversation with Rabbi Kamins<br />
• The World Wide Wrap<br />
28
{NETZER'S AMAZING SUMMER CAMP}<br />
137 amazing and enthusiastic chanichim (participants) took part in<br />
this summer Netzer Sydney’s summer camps season. This was one of<br />
Netzer’s biggest and most exciting summer seasons in memory!<br />
I think the best way to try and<br />
explain Netzer camp is to share<br />
some stories from camp so<br />
I’m going to share some of my<br />
personal highlights from camp.<br />
I would never forget that moment<br />
I was little 8 year old girl, clinging<br />
onto my parents for dear life as<br />
we arrived at shul on a beautiful<br />
summer morning. I remember<br />
looking around at all of the giant<br />
people walking around in matching<br />
green tops and thinking “get me out<br />
of here!”. I was so nervous and all<br />
I could do was stare at the people<br />
walking around me, clinging onto<br />
my pillow. Then my parents told me<br />
“get on the bus and we’ll see you in<br />
a few days”, it happened SO FAST<br />
and in a minute I was on my way to<br />
my first Netzer camp with a bunch<br />
of children I did not know. The<br />
moment we arrived at the campsite,<br />
suddenly everything changed. I<br />
suddenly stopped being nervous<br />
and started making friends with the<br />
people in my group! I was pushed to<br />
my limits and provided with so many<br />
opportunities to make friends and<br />
challenge myself! It was the start of<br />
something truly amazing. I have now<br />
been on 22 camps and counting...<br />
Now, as a 20 year old madricha<br />
(leader) I am so thankful for my<br />
parents for forcing me to get on<br />
that bus. Everything I know about<br />
myself now, I owe to the wonderful<br />
world of Netzer. Every single camp<br />
you learn more and more about<br />
Judaism, our community andyourself.<br />
All my happiest childhood<br />
memories have been made at Netzer<br />
peulot (programs), meal times on<br />
camps, talent shows on camps and<br />
of course- the wonderful Shabbat<br />
services I got to lead on camps ….<br />
One of the things that are highly<br />
important for us on our camps<br />
is to have our chanichim engage<br />
with the synagogue’s leadership:<br />
We are thankful for the continued<br />
support of our local community,<br />
Synagogues and Jewish organizations.<br />
Over the course of<br />
Summer and Junior<br />
camps we were joined by<br />
Rabbi Rafi Kaiserbluth<br />
and Reverend Sam Zwarenstein<br />
from Emanuel Synagogue. They<br />
ran incredible educational activities<br />
for our chanichim and we thank<br />
them as continued supports and<br />
educational role models for our<br />
movement. We look forward to<br />
continuing our relationship with the<br />
Synagogues through joint activities<br />
and events throughout the year, in<br />
order to continue providing amazing<br />
Jewish education and experiences for<br />
young people in our community.<br />
This year we started a new tradition<br />
that included a few parents coming<br />
up on camp to help us make Shabbat<br />
dinner -we were also joined by<br />
Kim Skurnik, Louise Thurgood<br />
Phillips, Inbal Luft, Nicki Stiassny,<br />
Symone Miller, and Naomi Levi -<br />
mothers of Netzer chanichim who<br />
came to camp to cook the Erev<br />
Shabbat dinner for 140 people (!)<br />
I am happy to report that Netzer<br />
Sydney, and Netzer Australia,<br />
continue to move from strength<br />
to strength. We are incredibly<br />
thankful for the ongoing support<br />
of our wider Jewish community,<br />
and look forward to deepening<br />
these relationships, providing<br />
ongoing Jewish experiences, and<br />
contributing to our community.<br />
B’vracha,<br />
Caroline Freeman,<br />
Sydney Mazkira (chairperson) <strong>2019</strong><br />
And everyone in the Netzer<br />
Sydney family.<br />
ISRAEL & WORLD JEWRY<br />
29
{BUILDING A CONNECTION}<br />
Here is an excerpt from a parent watching their son grow, develop and build his<br />
lifelong connection to this community. During his 2-year journey in the Synagogue’s<br />
B’nei Mitzvah program, he has truly been shaped by his Bar Mitzvah process.<br />
My son had his Bar Mitzvah earlier<br />
this year at Emanuel Synagogue<br />
after attending the Bar Mitzvah<br />
program there. He doesn’t go to a<br />
Jewish School, his father isn’t Jewish,<br />
we never used to go to Synagogue,<br />
and although I have a strong Jewish<br />
identity, I would definitively put us<br />
in the ‘culturally’ Jewish category.<br />
To put it another way, he had a lot<br />
of learning to do when he went to<br />
his first class in Year 5. What I was<br />
not expecting, was for my son to find<br />
what he (and by extension we) found,<br />
when he commenced this journey<br />
to find his own Jewish identity.<br />
The Bar Mitzvah program at<br />
Emanuel has offered my son so<br />
much. It’s not perfect, but nothing<br />
is. What it is though, is warm and<br />
inclusive. Daniel Samowitz (or Samo<br />
as he is known) has been both cool<br />
and wise – a balance one can never<br />
expect to achieve as a parent. He<br />
has shown the boys how to be real<br />
men, by being both kind and strong<br />
and living the Jewish values, all with<br />
a sense of humour. The rabbis are<br />
always available, and know each<br />
child for whom they really are. There<br />
is no judgement and no criticism<br />
about how one practises Judaism<br />
at home, or the type of choices one<br />
makes. My son found the synagogue<br />
a place he could be himself, when<br />
he didn’t even know he was looking<br />
for one. And because of the Bar<br />
Mitzvah class, the way he has been<br />
taught to enjoy the community, and<br />
his experience of what it is like to<br />
be part of something bigger than<br />
himself, he has found a way of being<br />
Jewish that at age 13 he can love.<br />
Last Saturday my dad and my son<br />
went to the synagogue together,<br />
because they both like being there<br />
and sharing something of which<br />
they are both a part of. When<br />
my son started his Bar Mitzvah<br />
education, I thought that the Bar<br />
Mitzvah was the big goal, but I<br />
now realise that it was just a part<br />
of it. The lessons themselves were<br />
actually just as significant in laying<br />
the ground work for a Jewish life, in<br />
whatever exciting form it may take.<br />
With Kef Kids and the B’nei<br />
Mitzvah program both occurring<br />
on a Thursday afternoon from<br />
4:00-5:30pm, the Synagogue<br />
campus has been transformed<br />
by youthful life and energy -<br />
all of us experiencing the joy<br />
of being Jewish together.<br />
If you want more information on<br />
our youth educational programs,<br />
please contact Daniel Samowitz<br />
at daniel@emanuel.com.org.au<br />
30
{IN CONVERSATION WITH THOMAS MAYOR}<br />
On Sunday March 3rd, <strong>2019</strong> Emanuel Synagogue presented a special event as part of it’s<br />
In Conversation series, featuring Thomas <strong>May</strong>or, delegate to the Uluru Statement process.<br />
Thomas has been travelling<br />
throughout Australia with the<br />
Uluru Statement advocating for<br />
its call for the ‘establishment of<br />
First Nations Voice enshrined in<br />
the Constitution’. He shared his<br />
story and explained in detail the<br />
significance of the Statement.<br />
Thomas <strong>May</strong>or is a Zenadth Kes<br />
(Torres Strait Islander) man born<br />
and living on Larrakia country<br />
(Darwin). Thomas was a delegate at<br />
the Convention and is now touring<br />
the country as the current custodian<br />
of the Uluru Statement, talking<br />
about its significance to regional<br />
and metropolitan communities.<br />
Mr <strong>May</strong>or says the document has<br />
not received enough attention or<br />
leadership in Parliament, but it was<br />
written to the Australian people,<br />
so he's taking it out to them.<br />
The Uluru Statement from the Heart<br />
was signed in <strong>May</strong> 2017 by a historic<br />
gathering of around 300 Aboriginal<br />
and Torres Strait Islander leaders. The<br />
statement is a proposal of reform that<br />
would establish a constitutionally<br />
enshrined First Nations representative<br />
body to advise parliament on policy<br />
affecting Indigenous peoples and<br />
commit Australia to a process<br />
of truth-telling of its colonial<br />
history through the establishment<br />
of a Makarrata commission.<br />
You can read the whole statement<br />
at https://www.1voiceuluru.org/.<br />
Here is an extract, “Our Aboriginal<br />
and Torres Strait Islander tribes were<br />
the first sovereign Nations of the<br />
Australian continent and its adjacent<br />
islands, and possessed it under our<br />
own laws and customs. This our<br />
ancestors did, according to the<br />
reckoning of our culture, from the<br />
Creation, according to the common<br />
law from ‘time immemorial’, and<br />
according to science more than<br />
60,000 years ago. This sovereignty<br />
is a spiritual notion: the<br />
ancestral tie between the<br />
land, or ‘mother nature’,<br />
and the Aboriginal and<br />
Torres Strait Islander<br />
peoples who were born<br />
therefrom, remain<br />
attached thereto, and must<br />
one day return thither<br />
to be united with our<br />
ancestors. This link is the<br />
basis of the ownership<br />
of the soil, or better,<br />
of sovereignty. It has never been<br />
ceded or extinguished, and coexists<br />
with the sovereignty of the<br />
Crown. How could it be otherwise?<br />
That peoples possessed a land for<br />
HEALING THE WORLD<br />
31
sixty millennia and this sacred link<br />
disappears from world history in<br />
merely the last two hundred years?”<br />
The statement ends with the words,<br />
“In 1967 we were counted, in 2017<br />
we seek to be heard. We leave base<br />
camp and start our trek across<br />
this vast country. We invite you to<br />
walk with us in a movement of the<br />
Australian people for a better future.”<br />
Rabbi Kamins committed to<br />
spreading the Uluru Statement<br />
from the Heart and said that, given<br />
our history, we have a special duty<br />
to spread the truth about what<br />
happened to Aboriginal people,<br />
and explain to others the aim of<br />
the statement; to establish a Voice<br />
for First Nations, a representative<br />
body to sit alongside Parliament<br />
to have a say in laws that impact<br />
their lives before they are passed<br />
(not as a third chamber with veto<br />
power). There is also a call for a<br />
Makarrata Commission (a Truth<br />
and Reconciliation commission)<br />
to let the Truth be told.<br />
As this movement builds, please<br />
educate yourself and others about<br />
what these 250 Aboriginal elders<br />
and leaders called for in the Uluru<br />
Statement from the Heart. When this<br />
finally comes to a referendum we owe<br />
it to the First Australians to finally<br />
do right by them and give them<br />
their Voice, a Treaty and a chance<br />
for the whole Truth to be known.<br />
We encourage people to register<br />
their support for the Statement<br />
at 1voiceuluru.org/.<br />
For more see:<br />
emanuel.org.au/indigenous<br />
Rabbi Kamins, Cantor Mordecai and Rabbi Ninio with the Uluru Statement from the Heart<br />
As indicated, profits after costs from the event have been donated to<br />
the remote community, Jilkminggan to build a Dialysis clinic. The<br />
clinic is going to be working alongside Purple house who will nurse the<br />
clinic and the NT Health Dept who have donated machines.<br />
Currently patients have to travel 3 hrs, 3x per week to receive dialysis in Katherine,<br />
putting a huge strain on patients and families, many have no means of transportation<br />
and there isn’t a bus to take them. This money will go directly towards a vehicle that will<br />
provide some instant relief while the community continues raising for the structure.<br />
32
Miss Chantal Abraham<br />
Mr Greg Bachmayer &<br />
Miss Margherita Roser<br />
Ms Leah Bangma<br />
Ms Lauren & Mr Eli Barel<br />
Ruby Belnick<br />
Nina Ben-Menashe<br />
Ms Vikki Biggs<br />
Mrs Elaine Bogan<br />
Mr Alastair Bor &<br />
Ms Kerry Shaz<br />
Ms Vanessa Brajtman<br />
& Mr James Wilson<br />
Vivienne Bromberger<br />
Max Caminer<br />
Isabel Sophie<br />
Jackie Charny<br />
Mrs Janice Christie<br />
Household<br />
Ms Michelle Cohen &<br />
Mr Cordell Scaife<br />
Nathan Edourd Cohen<br />
Miss Nell Laura Cohen<br />
Mr Roy & Jennifer Cohen<br />
Isaac John Crawford<br />
Dr Anthony M Cutler &<br />
Mrs Rhonda R Cutler<br />
Joshua Postle Doust<br />
Ms Kaylene Emery<br />
Mr Clifford Fram &<br />
Mrs Laura Alfred<br />
Matthew Noah Friedman<br />
Mr Brandon &<br />
Mrs Jodie Gien<br />
{NEW MEMBERS}<br />
To welcome the stranger<br />
Mr Barry & Mrs<br />
Tahnee-Lee Goldman<br />
Michael Hamilton<br />
Miss Natasha han-<br />
Tian Sommer<br />
Sarah Irving<br />
Mr Peter & Mrs<br />
Erica Keeda<br />
Dr Joshua Keller &<br />
Dr Joy Dai-Keller<br />
Dr Peter Klug<br />
Thomas Kurz<br />
Miss Micayla Lucy<br />
Laurence<br />
Luca Lavigne<br />
Ms Margaret Lederman<br />
Mrs Julia Lehmann &<br />
Mrs Leslie Ngatai<br />
Ms Michal Levy<br />
Mr Ofer Levy &<br />
Ms Joy Dong-E<br />
Dr Simon Lewi<br />
Mr Paul Lowenstein<br />
& Ms Robyn Katz<br />
Mrs Liza & Mr<br />
Andrew Lyons<br />
Mrs Penne Marks<br />
Daniel Martin<br />
Mr Fraser & Mrs<br />
Michelle McEwing<br />
Mr Geoff & Mrs<br />
Melissa McGrath<br />
Mr Alan & Miss<br />
Lisa Salkinder<br />
Cameron Morris-Mikardo<br />
Miss Amy Kiara Nahum<br />
Mr Alon & Mrs Eva Novy<br />
Mr Damien & Mrs<br />
Caren Ottaviano<br />
Remington Owen<br />
Nicholas Palmer<br />
Miss Rebecca Anne Penny<br />
Mr Dean Kremer and<br />
Ms Allie Powell<br />
Mr Guy Rob & Ms<br />
Elizabeth Radford<br />
Dr Frances Rapport<br />
Mr Paul Reti<br />
Nikki Riesel<br />
Jonathan Mark Rispler<br />
Mr Jeffrey &<br />
Mrs Jodi Roth<br />
Jeremy Schneider<br />
Raphael Sebban<br />
Gabriella Shaoni<br />
Nathan Shapiro<br />
Mr Michael Shor &<br />
Miss Lucka Beram<br />
Mr Kevin & Mrs<br />
Madeleine Simon<br />
Mr Ryan Wilkan & Miss<br />
Stephanie Snedden<br />
Ms Francesca Stanton<br />
Nissim Toledano<br />
Ms Dee Dee White<br />
Mr Brendan & Mrs<br />
Meital Winter<br />
Joshua Zwi<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
33
{TZEDAKAH}<br />
Greater is tzedakah than all the sacrifices<br />
BEQUEST<br />
Mr Alexander Ferson<br />
$10,000 OR MORE<br />
Susan & Isaac Wakil<br />
Foundation<br />
Mr Geoffrey &<br />
Mrs Marty Cowen<br />
Mr Robert Whyte<br />
$5,000 OR MORE<br />
Mr James & Mrs<br />
Shauna Corne<br />
$1,000 OR MORE<br />
Mrs Rosemary Block<br />
Mr Stanislav & Mrs<br />
Irina Farbman<br />
Dr Michael &<br />
Mrs Cyndi Freiman<br />
Mr Adrian Gold<br />
Mrs Eugina Langley<br />
Mr Peter Ryner Household<br />
Dr Steven Spielman &<br />
Ms Natasha Figon<br />
Mr David Garvin &<br />
Ms Suzanne Tavill<br />
$500 OR MORE<br />
Mr Jeff Anderson<br />
Dr Karen Arnold &<br />
Dr Drew Heffernan<br />
Mr Thomas Biller & Dr<br />
Anita Nitchingham<br />
Dr David Block A.C.<br />
& Mrs Naomi Block<br />
Ms Jessica Block<br />
& Mr Tim Fox<br />
Mr Anthony & Mrs<br />
Kate Boskovitz<br />
Dr Michael Levy & Mrs<br />
Renee Ferster Levy<br />
Mr Joel & Mrs<br />
Megan Freedman<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Karen Gordon<br />
Mr Maxwell Kahn OAM<br />
Ms Yittah Lawrence<br />
Mr Robert & Mrs<br />
Vivian Lewin<br />
Mr Sergio and Mrs<br />
Olivia Polonsky<br />
Dr Natalie Raquel Shavit<br />
Mrs Salome Simon<br />
Ms Elaine Solomon<br />
Mr John Szabo &<br />
Ms Jenifer Engel<br />
UP TO $499<br />
Mr Reuben Aaron OBE<br />
& Mrs Cornelia Aaron<br />
Mrs Beverley<br />
Adcock OAM<br />
Mr Peter Adler<br />
Mr Michael & Mrs<br />
Melanie America<br />
Ms Mary Levy<br />
Mrs Bernice Bachmayer<br />
Mr Stephen & Mrs<br />
Wendy Baer<br />
Mr Victor Baskir<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Sandra Bassin<br />
Ms Katarina Baykitch<br />
Mr John & Mrs<br />
Yvonne Bear<br />
Mr Danielle Bence Ellison<br />
Mrs Ruth Bender<br />
Mr Peter Benjamin<br />
Ms Susan Benjamin<br />
Dr Jane Berger<br />
Dr David & Mrs<br />
Sandra Berman<br />
Mrs Anne Elizabeth Biner<br />
Mr Lester & Mrs<br />
Frankie Blou<br />
Mr Sydney & Mrs<br />
Judith Bogan<br />
Mrs Tessa Boucher<br />
Mr Leonard Brandon<br />
Mrs Alicia Brandt-Sarif<br />
Mrs Wendy & Dr<br />
David Brender<br />
Mrs Julianna Brender<br />
Mr Rodney Brender and<br />
Ms Bettina Kaldor<br />
Mrs Joni Brenner<br />
Mr. John Brieger & Mrs<br />
Susi Brieger OAM<br />
Mrs Dahlia Brigham<br />
Mr Ian Brodie<br />
Mr Leon & Mrs Emma<br />
Bronfentrinker<br />
Mr Robert & Mrs<br />
Julie Brown<br />
Mrs Helene Cadry<br />
Ms Lorraine Camden<br />
Mrs Jennifer Carleton<br />
Mr Adam Carpenter<br />
& Ms Tal Schlosser<br />
Mr David Castle<br />
Mrs Lynette Chaikin<br />
Mr Darren & Mrs<br />
Hannah Challis<br />
Mr Erwin Charmatz<br />
Mrs Glenda Cohen<br />
Mrs Wendy Cohen<br />
Mr Nathan Compton<br />
Ms Doris Cope Krygier<br />
Mr Kevin & Mrs<br />
Dina Coppel<br />
Mrs Valerie Coppel<br />
Mr James & Mrs<br />
Shauna Corne<br />
Eugenie Coronel<br />
Ms Iska Coutts<br />
Mrs Nereida Cross<br />
Mrs Jacqueline Dale<br />
Mrs Jessie Daniel<br />
Mr Albert Danon & Mrs<br />
Dinah Danon OAM<br />
Mr Robert Davidson<br />
Mr Roger Davis<br />
Mrs Sally Davis<br />
Ms Dahlia Dior<br />
Mrs Daphne Doctor<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Suzette Doctor<br />
Dr Richard & Mrs<br />
Ellen Dunn<br />
Dr Ron Ehrlich<br />
Dr Stewart & Mrs<br />
Susan Einfeld<br />
Dr David Eisinger<br />
Household<br />
Ms Naomi Elias<br />
Ms Julie Ellitt<br />
Mr David Emanuel<br />
Mrs Coryl Engel<br />
Mr John Szabo &<br />
Ms Jenifer Engel<br />
Mr Jonathan Leslie<br />
& Ms Susan Engel<br />
Mrs Marlene Epstein<br />
Mr David Faigen<br />
Mr George & Mrs<br />
Vera Faludi<br />
Mr Vladimir & Mrs<br />
Irina Feldman<br />
Mr Lloyd Gayst & Mrs<br />
Tamara Fettmann<br />
Mrs Zinaida Fettmann<br />
Mr Danny & Mrs<br />
Rachael Fischer<br />
34
{...TZEDAKAH CONTINUED}<br />
Ms Judy Fischer<br />
Mrs Giza Fletcher<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Vinita Fonteyn<br />
Ms Lorraine Fox<br />
Mr Peter Frankl & Mrs<br />
Michelle Stein-Evers<br />
Mrs Roberta Freedman<br />
Mrs Phyllis Freeman<br />
Ms Anna Fried<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Christine Frish<br />
Mr John & Mrs Judy Gal<br />
Mr Heinz & Mrs<br />
Yvonne Gerstl<br />
Dr Robert & Mrs<br />
Eva Gertler<br />
Mrs Liza & Mr<br />
Richard Glass<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Ruth Glasser<br />
Mr John & Mrs<br />
Judith Gleiber<br />
Mr Charles Golan<br />
Mr Brian & Mrs<br />
Susie Gold<br />
Mr John Gold<br />
Mr Dan Goldberg & Ms<br />
Jody Tocatly Goldberg<br />
Prof Ivan & Mrs<br />
Vera Goldberg<br />
Mrs Milly Goldman<br />
Mr John & Mrs<br />
Tova Goldstein<br />
Mr John & Mrs<br />
Tova Goldstein<br />
Dr Lorna Graham<br />
Mr Jeffrey & Mrs<br />
Diane Grant<br />
Mr Richard David<br />
Grant Household<br />
Mrs Elizabeth Green<br />
Mr Robert Griew &<br />
Dr Bernie Towler<br />
Ms Tracey Griff<br />
Dr Reg & Mrs<br />
Kathie Grinberg<br />
Mr Roger Grinden<br />
Mrs Etty Hahn<br />
Dr Christine Harris<br />
Dr Newman Harris<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Sharon Harris<br />
Mr Les Hart<br />
Mr Neville & Mrs<br />
Debbie Hausman<br />
Dr Karen Arnold &<br />
Dr Drew Heffernan<br />
Ms Lesley-Ann Hellig<br />
Mr Michael & Mrs<br />
Anthea Hemphill<br />
Mrs Jennifer Hershon<br />
Mr Andrew & Mrs<br />
Dee Hilton<br />
Michelle Pauline Hilton<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Monique Hirst<br />
Mr Jonathan &<br />
Mrs Karen Hirst<br />
Mr Richard Hoenig<br />
& Ms Sharon Stern<br />
Ms Barbara Holmes<br />
Mrs Valerie Hosek<br />
Mrs Rosalind & Mr<br />
Wayne Ihaka<br />
Mr Benjamin Isaacs<br />
Mrs Cynthia Jackson AM<br />
Mr Gordon Jackson<br />
Mrs Claudette Jacobs<br />
Mr Tony Jacoby &<br />
Ms Anita Ullman<br />
Mrs Vera Jacoby<br />
Dr Jack Jellins & Mrs<br />
Maureen Jellins<br />
Mr Peter & Mrs<br />
Susan Kadar<br />
Mr Anthony Kahn & Mrs<br />
Judith Kahn Friedlander<br />
Professor Steven & Mrs<br />
Andrea Kalowski<br />
Mr Garry Kam<br />
Dr Errol & Mrs<br />
Zina Kaplan<br />
Barbara Karet<br />
Mr Barry & Mrs<br />
Pamela Karp<br />
Assoc Prof Robert<br />
Kummerfeld &<br />
Prof Judy Kay<br />
Dr Peter & Mrs<br />
Elizabeth Kitchener<br />
Mr Jack & Mrs<br />
Maxine Klarnet<br />
Mr Jack & Mrs<br />
Maxine Klarnet<br />
Mrs Toni & Mr<br />
Mark Kleiner<br />
Mr Aron Kleinlehrer<br />
Dr Stephen & Dr<br />
Deborah Koder<br />
Mrs Veronica Kolman<br />
Ms Renee Koonin<br />
Ms Yvonne Korn<br />
Mr Jim Kornmehl &<br />
Mrs Jeany Simons<br />
Mrs Dorit Krawitz<br />
Mr Daniel & Mrs<br />
Nicole Krieger<br />
Mr Andrew & Mrs<br />
Dianne Krulis<br />
Emeritus Prof. Konrad<br />
Kwiet & Mrs Jane Kwiet<br />
Mrs Judith Lander<br />
Ms Magdalena Langer<br />
Pamela Ann Lansky<br />
Williams<br />
Mr Jason & Mrs<br />
Mia Lavigne<br />
Mr Anthony & Mrs<br />
Louise Leibowitz<br />
Mr Anthony & Mrs<br />
Louise Leibowitz<br />
Mrs Barbara Leser<br />
Mr Lewis Levi<br />
Mr Peter<br />
Mintz & Ms<br />
Belinda Levy<br />
Mrs Beth Levy<br />
Mr Gregg &<br />
Mrs Sue Levy<br />
Mr Philip & Mrs<br />
Lorraine Levy<br />
Ms Miriam Lewin<br />
Mrs Joan Lewis<br />
Mrs Myrna Lewis<br />
Dr David & Mrs<br />
Patricia Lieberman<br />
Mr Stanford & Mrs<br />
Abirah Lifschitz<br />
Mrs Rachel Light<br />
Mrs Erika Lindemann<br />
Mr Maurice Linker<br />
Mr Martin Lipschitz<br />
Mr Peter & Mrs<br />
Anna Loewy<br />
Mrs Sylvia Luikens<br />
Mr Michael Lyons<br />
Dr Isaac & Mrs<br />
Denise Mallach<br />
Dr Linda Mann<br />
Mrs Janka Mansberg<br />
Mrs Debbie Manser<br />
Mr Danny & Mrs<br />
Anna Marcus<br />
Dr Bernard <strong>May</strong>bloom<br />
Dr Mary-Louise McLaws<br />
Mrs Denise McOnie<br />
Ms Judy Menczel<br />
Dr Graeme Mendelsohn<br />
Mr Henry Mendelson AM<br />
& Mrs Naomi Mendelson<br />
Mr Henry Mendelson AM<br />
& Mrs Naomi Mendelson<br />
Mr Brendon Meyers<br />
Mrs Rae Morris<br />
Mrs Anita Moss<br />
Mr Frank Muller<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
35
{...TZEDAKAH CONTINUED}<br />
Mrs Helen Mushin<br />
Ms Vivienne Nabarro<br />
Mrs Victoria Nadel<br />
Amira Nathan<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Sarah Nathan<br />
Mr Michael & Mrs<br />
Ruth Nathanson<br />
Ms Lana Neumann<br />
Thomas and Vivien<br />
Neumann<br />
Thomas and Vivien<br />
Neumann<br />
Dr Peter & Mrs<br />
Ziporah Neustadt<br />
Ms Tara Newhouse<br />
Mr Terry & Mrs<br />
Anne Newman<br />
Dr Joel Nothman<br />
Mr Alon & Mrs Eva Novy<br />
Mr Laurence Osen<br />
& Mrs Julia Osen<br />
Ms Ruth Osen<br />
Mr. Warren Pantzer<br />
Mrs Elizabeth Parker<br />
Mr Shimon Parker<br />
Mr Barry & Dr<br />
Yvonne Perczuk<br />
Mrs Helen Perko<br />
Mr Peter & Mrs<br />
Yvonne Perl<br />
Mr Peter & Mrs<br />
Yvonne Perl<br />
Dr Ralph & Mrs<br />
Margaret Hilmer<br />
Mr David & Mrs<br />
Susie Phillips<br />
Mr Peter & Mrs<br />
Carol Reismann<br />
Mr Peter & Mrs<br />
Carol Reismann<br />
Mr Roger & Mrs<br />
Jeannine Revi<br />
Mr Donald &<br />
Mrs Silvia Robertson<br />
Mrs Patricia Roby<br />
36<br />
Myriam & Jack Romano<br />
Dr Ellis and Mrs<br />
Lyn Rosen<br />
Dr Ellis and Mrs<br />
Lyn Rosen<br />
Dr Robert & Mrs<br />
Lisa Rosen<br />
Mrs Deanne Rosenthal<br />
Mr George & Mrs<br />
Shirley Rotenstein<br />
Dr Neville & Mrs<br />
Ingrid Sammel<br />
Mrs Aliza Sassoon<br />
Dr Regina Sassoon<br />
Ms Betty<br />
Saunders-Klimenko<br />
Ms Anita Schwartz<br />
Mr Roger & Dr<br />
Eleanor Sebel<br />
Mr John Roth & Ms<br />
Jillian Segal AO AM<br />
Mr John & Mrs Joan Segal<br />
Mr Kevin & Mrs<br />
Yadida Sekel<br />
Miss Jennifer Selinger<br />
Mr Raphael & Mrs<br />
Roslyn Shammay<br />
Mr Kenneth & Mrs<br />
Cathy Shapiro<br />
Ms Ronit Sharon<br />
Mr John Sharpe<br />
Mrs Vivienne Sharpe<br />
Ms Merril Shead<br />
Mrs Andrea & Mr<br />
Maon Sher<br />
Mr Brian Sherman AM<br />
& Dr Gene Sherman<br />
Mr Yakov & Mrs<br />
Ludmila Shneidman<br />
Mr Yakov & Mrs<br />
Ludmila Shneidman<br />
Professor Gary Sholler<br />
Mrs Regina Shusterman<br />
Ms Donna Jacobs Sife<br />
Mrs Agnes Silberstein<br />
Mrs Marianne Silvers<br />
Mrs Margaret Simmonds<br />
Mrs Barbara &<br />
Mr Charles Simon<br />
Mrs Ruth Simons<br />
Ms Deborah Singerman<br />
Mrs Joy Sirmai<br />
Ms Lilly Skurnik<br />
Mrs Dora & Mr<br />
Jacob Slomovits<br />
Ms Leslie Solar<br />
Mrs Jenny Solomon<br />
Mrs Agnes Spencer<br />
Mrs Neva & Mr<br />
Leo Sperling<br />
Dr Ron & Dr<br />
Judy Spielman<br />
Mr Gary Stead<br />
Dr Stephen & Mrs<br />
Anne Steigrad<br />
Dr Jeffrey Steinweg OAM<br />
& Dr Sandra Steinweg AM<br />
Dr Jeffrey Steinweg OAM<br />
& Dr Sandra Steinweg AM<br />
Mrs Janet & Mr<br />
Tim Storrier<br />
Ms Jacqueline Stricker-<br />
Phelps OAM & Professor<br />
Kerryn Phelps AM<br />
Dr Alfred Stricker<br />
Mr Michael Taksa<br />
Mr Jacob & Mrs<br />
Rosalind Tarszisz<br />
Mr Alan & Mrs Eve Taylor<br />
Mrs Eve Joan Taylor<br />
Mr Alan & Mrs Eve Taylor<br />
Mrs Miriam Tier<br />
Ms Marianne Vaidya<br />
Mrs Ericka Van Aalst<br />
Ms Jenny Van Proctor<br />
Mr William & Dr<br />
Miriam Van Rooijen<br />
Mrs Pauline Vellins<br />
Mr Stephen & Mrs<br />
Edna Viner<br />
Mr Maurice Watson<br />
Mr Leon &<br />
Mrs Tracey-Ann Waxman<br />
Mr Andrew Weber<br />
Mrs Trudy Weil<br />
Mr Gerald & Mrs<br />
Audrey Weinberg<br />
Mrs Thea & Mr John Weiss<br />
Mrs Viola Wertheim<br />
Mr Scott Whitmont<br />
& Mr Christopher<br />
Whitmont-Stein<br />
Ms Toni Whitmont<br />
Ms Teresa Wiliono<br />
Mr Harold & Mrs<br />
Lana Woolf<br />
Ms Eve Wynhausen<br />
Mrs Zara Yellin<br />
Mr Maurice & Mrs<br />
Betty Zamel<br />
Mrs Patricia Zinn<br />
Mrs Anita Zweig<br />
and numerous other<br />
anonymous donors
{PESACH AT EMANUEL}<br />
There is much to do at Emanuel Synaogogue this Pesach! (See emanuel.org.au for more details)<br />
How to Pesach Workshop<br />
14th <strong>April</strong> 10:00am-1:00pm<br />
Join Rabbi Ninio and Cantor Mordecai and learn the practicalities of preparing your home and yourself for<br />
Pesach then discuss how to run a fun, engaging seder<br />
Session 1 - 10am to 11:00am - In the first session, learn the practicalities<br />
of preparing your home and yourself for Pesach.<br />
INSPIRING PRAYER<br />
Session 2 - 11:15am-12:30pm This session will teach you how to run a fun, engaging seder.<br />
2nd night Communal Seder Saturday 20 <strong>April</strong>, 6:15pm service<br />
followed by a wonderful communal seder. Bookings essential<br />
2nd night Family Seder<br />
Bookings essential<br />
Saturday 20 <strong>April</strong>, 5:30pm<br />
Netzer Chocolate Seder<br />
$10 per person or if over 3 people, $5 per person.<br />
Don't forget to sign up for this exciting event!<br />
Women's Seder<br />
Sunday 21 <strong>April</strong> from 6:00pm<br />
Tuesday 23 <strong>April</strong> from 6:30pm<br />
There are limited spaces available for our Women's Seder. Women have a very special role in the<br />
Pesach story. To learn more, join us as we celebrate them using our unique haggadah.<br />
ANZAC Service<br />
Thursday 25 <strong>April</strong> 6:15pm<br />
Join us for a special communal ANZAC Commemoration<br />
Awakening to Freedom<br />
26th <strong>April</strong>, 6:15pm<br />
Renewal Friday Night - Pesach Service & Dinner<br />
Join us for an evening of song and learning as we explore the meaning of freedom.<br />
with Cantor George Mordecai and Rabbi Dr. Orna Triguboff plus special guests Kim Cunio and Samurai Cunio.<br />
A light dinner will be served. Cost: $20<br />
37
Lorenzo Joseph<br />
Dominic Avenoso<br />
Matilda Kato Boskovitz<br />
Cooper Clenner<br />
Baby Boy Greenblo<br />
Allie B Armstrong<br />
Olivia Freya Baer<br />
Jesse Harry Carpenter<br />
Daniel James Christolis<br />
Jacob Joseph Farbman<br />
Jacob Jonathan<br />
Forshlager<br />
Mr Alexander Smith<br />
& Ms Stacey Davis<br />
Julia Glaser &<br />
Kimon Tellidis<br />
Hetty Angel<br />
Egon Auerbach<br />
Annalise Braakensiek<br />
Gabriel Brown<br />
Susanna Denes<br />
Peter Rudolf Fleischer<br />
Myrna Freed<br />
Rosalie Goldstuck<br />
Amalia Hammer<br />
Remy Hope<br />
Luka Keyte Katsmartin<br />
Gia Allegra Kogan<br />
Ashira Levin-Yabsley<br />
{BIRTHS}<br />
Mazal Tov to<br />
Mr Philip Levy<br />
Zakiah Isabel<br />
Muscio-Dobkin<br />
Xavier Gerard<br />
Alfred Osen<br />
Emmanuelle Savdie<br />
{B’NEI MITZVAH}<br />
Mazal Tov to<br />
Sam Eli Fox<br />
Samuel Garvin<br />
Aidan Jack Gruenpeter<br />
Ruby Reggae Grynberg<br />
Hugo David Isert<br />
Joe Thomas Katz<br />
Ella Kirschner<br />
Miss Lucy Emma Klein<br />
Zac Raphael Krieger<br />
Leo Saul Latter<br />
Coco Sophia Lavigne<br />
Zachary Atticus<br />
Leibowitz Villa<br />
Jarrah Schlesinger<br />
{MARRIAGE}<br />
To rejoice with the happy couple<br />
Mr Gidon Butow &<br />
Miss Gina Kezelman<br />
Mrs Eleanor Moses &<br />
Mr Dean Leibowitz<br />
Henriette Jaszsagi<br />
Alan Kahn<br />
Aubrey Krawitz<br />
Andre Menash<br />
Ronald Stanley Munz<br />
Golda Amalia Prince<br />
Mary Saul<br />
Harry James Smith<br />
Mr Marcus Schweizer &<br />
Mr Romy Helen Ehrlich<br />
Mr Harvey Tuch &<br />
Ms Gabrielle Gareau<br />
{DECEASED}<br />
To comfort the bereaved<br />
Susan Susskind<br />
Mildred Teitler<br />
Edith Weiner<br />
George Wiederman<br />
Ethan Max Sebestyen<br />
Ramasawmy<br />
Elijah Michael Stern<br />
Dylan Henry Josef<br />
Wiederman<br />
Teo Wolfe Yalda Jacobson<br />
Lior Schlesinger<br />
Milo Elias Sherman<br />
Mischa Odile Spielman<br />
Jake Jensen Timm<br />
Oscar Zane Timm<br />
Natalie Anne Weber<br />
Mr Simeon Weisz & Ms<br />
Adriana Granados-Fallas<br />
38
{PESACH PUZZLE PAGE}<br />
by Anne Wolfson<br />
39
{SERVICE TIMES}<br />
Morning Minyan<br />
Morning Minyan is on Mondays and Thursdays at 6:45am.<br />
All service times are subject to change. Please check<br />
emanuel.org.au for any amendments to our regular services.<br />
SHABBAT SERVICES<br />
Erev Shabbat<br />
• 6:15pm - Masorti Service (Neuweg)<br />
• 6:15pm - Shabbat Live (New Sanctuary)<br />
Shabbat Morning<br />
• 9:00am - Masorti service (New Sanctuary)<br />
• 10:00am - Progressive service (Heritage Sanctuary)<br />
Pesach services and seders - see page 37<br />
{CONTACT US}<br />
All services and other programs are held at the synagogue unless otherwise indicated:<br />
7 Ocean Street, Woollahra NSW 2025<br />
There are many ways to get in touch — we would love to hear from you!<br />
Call: (02) 9389 6444<br />
Email: info@emanuel.org.au<br />
Visit: www.emanuel.org.au<br />
Like: www.facebook.com/emanuel.synagogue<br />
Follow us! We’re on Twitter @emanuelshule and Instagram @emanuelsynagogue<br />
Office hours<br />
Monday–Thursday: 9am–5pm<br />
Friday: 9am–2pm<br />
_______<br />
Edited by Robert Klein<br />
{THANK YOU}<br />
A huge thank you to all of the contributors to this edition of Tell, and<br />
to our wonderful team of volunteers who give their time to help us<br />
get the magazine packed and into members’ homes each quarter.<br />
If you would like to contribute to the next edition of Tell, or to<br />
enquire about advertising, please email tell@emanuel.org.au.<br />
If you are interested in volunteering, email volunteer@emanuel.org.au.