TELL September 2020

The Days of Awe
Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins
High Holy Days
TISHREI 5781
September
Sanctifying Time
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio
Reinventing Our
Determination
To Succeed
Reverend Sam Zwarenstein
Who shall say
is calling?
Cantor George Mordecai
The Truest Gift
of Freedom
Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth
Entering the Belly
of the Whale
Rabbi Orna Triguboff

HIGH HOLY DAY SERVICES
Masorti services will be pre-recorded and will be available for viewing throughout Yom Tov.
12th September 8:30pm - Selichot
18th September 6:00pm - Erev Rosh Hashanah
19th September 10:00am - Progressive Rosh Hashanah morning
20th September 10:00am - Rosh Hashanah Live
4:00pm - Tashlich live-streamed
27th September 5:45pm - Progressive Communal candle lighting
6:00pm - Progressive Kol Nidrei
6:30pm - Renewal Kol Nidrei
28th September
10:00am - Progressive Yom Kippur morning
12:00pm - Meditation, sermons, reflections
1:00pm - Yom Kippur afternoon
3:00pm - Meditations, sermons, Ask the Clergy
4:30pm - Progressive Yizkor
5:30pm - Progressive Ne’ilah
6:34pm - Havdalah Community
See emanuel.org.au for details
Cover Art
100 Sounds of the Shofar
Our cover depicts the 100 sounds we blow
on the shofar each day on Rosh Hashanah
reflected through the Tree of Life.
Kabbalah discusses the deep spiritual
significance of this pattern of sounds
blown since ancient times.
Courtesy The Tzfat Gallery of Mystical Art

YOUR QUARTERLY JOURNAL ON SPIRITUALITY, LEARNING & COMMUNITY
Emanuel Synagogue offers a home where you can live your Judaism in a contemporary
world, drawing on our ancient teachings and traditions. We are a pluralistic community
offering a choice of services, programs and activities for the Masorti, Progressive and Renewal
movements. We do this with contemporary understanding to create a dynamic and diverse
community, welcoming you and your involvement.
PROGRESSIVE
The structure of our Progressive
services allows you to choose
the type of prayer that is
most meaningful for you.
You may choose from alternate
readings in English, you may
read the Hebrew prayer, or you
may choose to take a moment
of personal reflection.
6:15pm Friday - Shabbat Live
(Millie Phillips Building - in
person & live-streamed) https://
emanuel.org.au/services
The Shabbat Embrace Service begins
at 10am each Saturday morning.
https://emanuel.org.au/services
10:00am Saturday - Progressive (in
person only)
MASORTI
Our Masorti (traditional)
services are run almost entirely in
Hebrew, honouring the tradition
with contemporary insights.
As with all services at Emanuel
Synagogue, men and women
participate equally and fully.
We hold a Masorti Minyan at
8:00am Monday to Friday mornings
(https://zoom.us/j/702546413)
and 9:00am Sundays
(https://zoom.us/j/306800789).
10:00am - Masorti (Millie Phillips
Building - in person only)
RENEWAL
The Renewal movement is
devoted to personal and spiritual
development, reinvigorating
modern Judaism with Kabbalistic
and musical practices.
Through our Renewal activities
you will have the opportunity to
reach a new level of awareness,
stress relief, self-development,
relaxation and inner healing.
Email: orna@emanuel.org.au
Kabbalah Meditation
An opportunity to learn
meditation in a Jewish context.
With Rabbi Dr. Orna Triguboff.
Rabbi Jeffrey B. Kamins Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio Rabbi Dr Orna Triguboff Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth
Reverend Sam Zwarenstein
Cantor George Mordecai

{CEO UPDATE}
I would like to start by offering
my thanks and appreciation to
our incredible community - to
thank all the volunteers, clergy
and staff for their commitment,
teamwork and leadership in
these challenging times. The
commitment, collegiality and
Suzanna Helia
effort shown to make sure we
are here, six months into the
pandemic, standing as strong
as we are, is a testament to all
involved. Thanks to so many
who showed enthusiasm and put
in long hours to help transform
our synagogue into a wonderful
and welcoming virtual space.
The whole community and all
synagogues joined forces with
passion, to work together and
find the best approach to respond
and support each other. From the
depth of my heart, I will forever
remember the collegiality and
the united front of the Jewish
community at this unprecedented
time...and the work continues.
In March, there were more than
36 participants in a conference
call arranged by NSW Jewish
Board of Deputies, to hear
the different approaches
of Jewish synagogues and
community organisations, to
COVID-19. Within 24 - 48
hours, many organisations
had to make decisions, that
we are still living with.
As with many crises, new
initiatives have been created.
Many cultural institutions,
including museums, galleries,
concert halls, independent
musicians and artists, found a
means to create, perform, and
connect with their audience
through online platforms,
bringing much comfort to many
people confined to their homes
across the world. Amazingly,
so did we, through the Dunera
Project. This online hub is an
initiative of Emanuel Synagogue,
and has enabled hundreds of
isolated people to engage and
enjoy a variety of live events
and activities from the security
of their homes. The amazing
{INSIDE THIS EDITION}
TRANSFORMATIVE
LEARNING
8
SANCTIFYING TIME
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio
14
REINVENTING OUR
DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED
Reverend Sam Zwarenstein
19
ENTERING THE BELLY
OF THE WHALE
Rabbi Dr Orna Triguboff
19
ANNA'S LAST DAY
Donna Jacobs-Sife
INSPIRING PRAYER
2
HIGH HOLY DAY SERVICES
6
THE DAYS OF AWE
Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins OAM
17
THE TRUEST GIFT OF FREEDOM
Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth
24
WHO SHALL I SAY IS CALLING?
Cantor George Mordecai

variety of educational, cultural
and entertaining offerings are
presented and curated by a group
of dedicated volunteers. The
project that was made possible
through the involvement of
a large number of wonderful
volunteers aims to “bring about
a new sense of togetherness,
even though we are apart”.
I would also like to acknowledge
the importance of the campus
and its buildings being
maintained and “kept warm and
alive”. Ruth’s Garden has been
looked after by our dedicated
staff, and the Millie Phillips
building became a recording
studio for Shabbat Live,
‘becoming live’. Meanwhile, we
have also lodged a Development
Application with Woollahra
Council for the improvements
to the Heritage Sanctuary
aiming to bring back the “shine”
to this space and celebrate
the historical significance
of the building’s beauty.
Back in March, we anticipated
that operations would be
‘normalised’, and our lives
would be back to normal by the
High Holidays. And here lies
the dilemma - what is “back to
normal”? For many of us High
Holidays is a time of reflection,
goal setting, aspirations or even
hope. Many of us have now
accepted that the reflection
component of this year’s reset
button is life changing.
In response to the pandemic,
former Chief Rabbi, Jonathan
Sacks, an influential figure in
British intellectual life, remarked,
we “have been coasting along
for more than half a century”,
and all at once “we are facing
the fragility and vulnerability
of the human situation.”
One could say we were like
hamsters on the wheel of life. We
have all established our rhythm
- we go to work, go home, eat,
watch TV and go to sleep. Or,
for those of us who feel a little
more 21st century – we wake
up, meditate, exercise, go to
work, attend the next “envelope
opening”, post on social media,
eat and post on social media
the dish you ate at a restaurant,
go for our annual European
trip and post on social media,
sleep, wake up and start all over
again. The pandemic, however,
has stopped the wheel. It has
given us an opportunity to look
in the mirror, reset, and make
a conscious decision about
where, and how, to spend the
rest, or next stage of our lives.
I have been thinking about
my reset button, about what
Continued on page 7
SUSTAINING THE
ENVIRONMENT &
HEALING THE WORLD
12
SOCIAL JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT
Tanya Igra
21
SAVING THE WORLD
Liam O’Callaghan
CONNECTING WITH ISRAEL
& WORLD JEWRY
22
MESSAGE FROM UNION FOR
PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM
22
MESSAGE FROM
MERCAZ-MASORTI AUSTRALASIA
COMMUNITY
4
CEO UPDATE
27
BNEI MITZVAH
29
NEW MEMBERS
29
TZEDAKAH
34
MAZAL TOV
35
PUZZLE PAGE
by Anne Wolfson
5

{THE DAYS OF AWE}
Rabbi Jeffrey B. Kamins OAM
On Rosh Chodesh Elul, coinciding with August 21st this year, we
begin sounding the shofar for every day leading to Rosh Hashanah,
with one final sounding at the end of Yom Kippur.
The sound of the shofar reminds
us of where we were last year,
including in the midst of a
severe drought. Who could
have imagined the year that
would unfold since that last
sounding? What an incredible
journey we have all taken in
this world, in our country
and in our community. Since
those Yamim Noraim, we have
experienced horrific fires that
raged early and intensely and
impacted on so many, devastation
then overshadowed by the
illness, death, uncertainty and
disconnection caused by the
coronavirus still affecting each
and all of us. As we hear the
shofar again and reflect on this
last year, we remember how frail
and vulnerable we can be. There
is vast power beyond us that
keeps our life in perspective.
Indeed, according to the rabbinic
tradition, one of the meanings
of the Shofar is to herald the
arrival of “God as King”. The
metaphor of the sovereignty
of God in fact runs through
the entire liturgy from Rosh
Hashanah to Yom Kippur.
Throughout the prayers we will
substitute the Hebrew word “El”,
or “God” for “melekh”, meaning
“king”. We recite the stirring
prayer, “Avinu, Malkeinu” (our
father, our king), pleading for
the divine ruler’s benevolent
compassion and forgiveness. The
“power imbalance” between us
and the sovereign plays out in
the words of U’nataneh Tokef,
acknowledging the sacred power
of the day, when it is written
“who shall live and who shall
die”. Yom Kippur’s specific
liturgy, poems such as “Ki anu
amecha” and “Ki hineh ka’chomer”
emphasise our vulnerability
within the great unknown.
Often, when we stay too close to
the literal words of the prayers,
we miss their significance. How
many moderns truly believe that
God is a King, that we are clay
in the hands of the potter, or that
on Rosh Hashanah it is written
and on Yom Kippur it is sealed
who shall live and who shall die?
Yet, if we have learned anything
this last year it is how powerless
we can be in the face of the forces
6

of the universe. While we can
choose to explain the causes of
extreme fires as climate change or
poor bush clearance, we cannot
escape the fact that the forces
of nature can overwhelm us
within moments. Even more so,
COVID-19 has demonstrated
how a virus can totally transform
human society with long lasting
impact on our physical and
mental well-being, on our very
way of life. Some may not ascribe
this power to a God who is king,
but understanding our liturgy at
this season as reminding us of
our relatively insignificant and
vulnerable place in the grand
scheme of things can help us
recalibrate. Indeed, the intention
of these days is for us to come
back to balance.
So let us acknowledge the sacred
power of these days. Even though
we will not be able to pray and
learn together in the same space
this year, we can continue to
imbue these days with meaning,
as is their intent. We can still
come together in small numbers
with family and friends – for some
physically, for some virtually. We
can dress up, as if we were really
at synagogue on the day. We
can create connections as we did
at Pesach and as we continue to
do on Shabbat. If anything, this
year, the words of our prayers
- understood metaphorically as
is all good poetry - are all the
more meaningful. We now know
how vulnerable we are, how little
of our lives is in our personal
control, and how ultimately,
spiritual wealth and general wellbeing
transcends material wealth,
fame and power. As we begin
hearing the sound of the shofar
let us awaken to new perspectives.
These are the Yamim Noraim, the
days of awe. May it be a good,
sweet and healthy New Year.
CEO Update continued
makes me happy, and what
really matters in life. I came
across the longest study on
happiness, the Harvard Study of
Adult Development, currently
led by the psychiatrist Robert
Waldinger. For more than 75
years, data has been collected
that has led to some clear answers
about what makes for a good life.
The study reveals that: “Close
relationships, more than money
or fame, are what keep people
happy throughout their lives.
Those ties protect people from
life’s discontents, help to delay
mental and physical decline,
and are better predictors of
long and happy lives than social
class, IQ, or even genes”.
It suggests that “The people who
fared the best were the people
who leaned in to relationships—
with family, with friends,
with community.” I think we
would all like to have good
relationships, but are we actually
doing much about it? For some
it comes naturally, but others
need to make a conscious effort.
So, what if we “leaned in'' to the
relationships that matter most?
Imagine making family, friends
and our community our true
priority, in the way we spend our
time and where we devote our
greatest energy and creativity. I
have decided to do just that. In
a somewhat sad coincidence, as
I am consciously trying to spend
more time with my children,
my oldest son is moving to a
boarding school. The pressure of
time is a hidden gift. Days don’t
get wasted wandering aimlessly;
every minute is accounted for,
even if it is just spending time
in his company, or sitting and
talking. My children, family and
a few close friends are now at the
centre of my life. We are all more
present than ever before, and
we appreciate the importance
of human connection.
A late evening walk after a
concert may seem distant. The
experience of still hearing the
melody of live music buzzing in
our heads has now been replaced
with a home Zoom experience,
or perhaps for some lucky ones,
an intimate gathering around
a piano or cello enjoying the
tunes. High Holidays this year
will be for many, I imagine, by
invitation only, to a home event
led by a Zoom service. This year
more than ever, not being able to
attend services at the synagogue,
might make many feel isolated
and lonely. I encourage you
all, if you know of anyone who
might be at home alone over
these High Holidays, or perhaps
if you are the one who is on
your own, to reach out to your
families. Don’t hold grudges if
that’s what is separating you;
invite people over. Everyone of
course, remaining COVID Safe.
Wishing you all Shana Tova in
good health and prosperity.
Suzanna Helia
7

{SANCTIFYING TIME}
by Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio
This year we have been
challenged to reimagine so
many moments and times in our
lives: Shabbat, life cycle events,
shopping, socialising, even
the simple act of greeting one
another. We have learned, as we
have begun to don masks, how to
make our eyes smile, to connect
with one another in different
ways and now we are called upon
to do so for the most sacred and
holy days in our calendar, days
which for many of us, derive
their power and awesomeness
from the gathering of community
in our sacred spaces. This year,
we will not be able to gather
in large numbers as we have
in the past, so it is upon us to
find new and innovative ways
to connect to each other and to
these holy and sacred moments.
When we enter the synagogue
we recite: “ma tovu ohalecha
Ya’akov, mishkenotecha Yisrael”
How beautiful are your tents,
Jacob, your dwelling places,
Israel. It’s interesting that we
say these words as we enter the
synagogue, yet they speak about
our dwellings and our homes.
That is because the two are
reflections, one of the other, and
this year for the High Holydays
we are being called to create in
our homes, sacred, holy spaces.
Abraham Joshua Heschel so
beautifully described Judaism as
a religion which sanctifies time
and not space. We can create a
synagogue, a sanctuary anywhere.
One of my favourite poems is
from Ruth Brin: “A Sense of
Your Presence” She writes:
…among our many attributes
There is a talent for
worshipping God
Jews who wandered in the
desert beneath the stars
Knew their hearts were
hungry for God
Jews who studied in candlelit
ghetto rooms
Thirsted longingly after God…
Help us to seek the
silence of the desert
And the thoughtfulness
of the house of study
Bless us, like our ancestors
in ancient days
With that most precious gift:
a sense of your presence…
(“Harvest: Collected Poems
and Prayers” by Ruth Brin)
Ruth Brin, in this prayer, reminds
us of the myriad of places our
8

people have found God and
connected with prayer. We are not
tied to a place, we are connected
through belief, through history,
through time. We create sacred
moments, we sanctify time and we
can do that anywhere. When the
Temple was destroyed, so much
of our practice, our worship of
God was destroyed along with
it but we were not destroyed
as a people, because God was
not in the Temple, Judaism
was not confined to a space.
It travelled with us all over the
world, through deserts and snow,
over land and sea, and we pray,
we worship and we connect in
all manner of locations: indoors
and in nature, in magnificent
synagogues and humble rooms,
hiding in basements, freely
in spaces open to the world.
We make space sacred by our
worship in the holiness of time.
Growing up in Adelaide I
remember going to “Synagogue
Place” a little lane off one of the
main shopping streets, where the
Orthodox Synagogue was located.
It was a magnificent building,
chandeliers, a carved wooden
reading platform, space upstairs
for the women where I sat with my
grandmother, always in the front
row in the middle, as she sang out
loudly and called to my cousins
downstairs for the page numbers.
In the 1980s the community made
a decision to sell that building,
prime real estate, and build a new
synagogue and community centre
closer to where the congregation
were living. So the synagogue was
sold and the purchaser turned it
into a nightclub called… “The
Synagogue.” It has since had a
name change and it was very
confusing when my non Jewish
friends would declare “I’m going
to the synagogue tonight” and
mean the night club not the shule,
but people were perplexed at how
it could be that a synagogue could
become a nightclub; surely it was
sacred ground!
But the ground was only sacred
because of the acts which
were performed within it, the
Torah scrolls, the dedication
of that space to prayer, study,
meeting and devotion, once
they were removed, so too was
the sanctity of the building,
it became just a building.
This year, at our High Holydays
were are being called to create
holy space in our homes, to turn
our places into sanctuaries and to
reflect the holiness in time, in our
houses. We have the opportunity
to transform our every day spaces
into sacred places for prayer
and connection with spirit.
Adelaide Synagogue 1871 - State Library of South Australia
9

We will be streaming all our
services, so maybe find a way to
make the area in which we will be
watching the service, a reflection
of the day. We can drape it in
white, add some flowers, dress in
our High Holy Day finest and
sing along with the music, allow
ourselves to be drawn into the
beauty of the moment, the ancient
chants and prayers, close our eyes
and fly free in our imaginations,
travelling anywhere, connecting
with the past, remembering
and shaping something unique
and beautiful for today.
For Yom Kippur especially,
being at home provides the
opportunity to do some deep
reflection, uninterrupted by the
distractions of the synagogue,
quiet moments for you to be
with yourself and your spirit.
Maybe take some time to go
outside, connect with nature,
think about the magnificence
of the world, our place in it, our
and its fragility and beauty. This
year is also a chance to engage
in some study, a discussion with
a friend or a family member. To
connect with people, maybe not
in person, but definitely through
the many other means by which
we have chosen to link together
these past many months.
And we can find community
within our homes as well.
Imagining as we say the prayers,
the homes all over our city, our
country and the world where
this year, Jews will be praying,
our souls together, our bodies in
our sanctuaries at home. We can
use the technology to link for
discussion and reflection with our
congregation but also with family
and friends all over the city and
the world. We can create a High
Holyday “zoomunity” (a zoom
community) where we can enjoy
apples and honey, prayers and
wishes for the year ahead, hear the
call of the shofar, chat, discuss,
pray, sing, dance, reflect and be
together in oneness of spirit. We
can feel the unity of the world
in ways we have never dared to
dream or imagine before. And
there is the bonus of not needing
to find parking, remember your
tickets, choose a service, find a
seat…”
I am excited as we imagine all
the possibilities for these High
Holydays and look forward to
greeting you all, connecting with
community, our spirits joined,
our prayers rising and creating
a canopy of love over all of us,
our cities, our countries and
the world as we feel the beauty
of the holiness we will create
together in time and space.
May we have a year ahead of
health, strength and blessings
Shana Tova Umetuka,
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio
SAVE THE DATE!
UPJ VIRTUAL BIENNIAL: 2020 VISION ON SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2020
The in-person UPJ Biennial planned for 5-8 November 2020 has been postponed to 14-17 October
2021, and we are pleased to announce that our special guest speaker Rabbi Sharon Brous of Ikar in
Los Angeles will be with us at that time.
This year, on Sunday 8 November 2020, a Virtual Biennial will be offered, with an online
introduction from Rabbi Brous. During July, Biennial chair Susan Kadar spent 10 days conducting
interviews with UPJ congregations throughout the region to determine a program that will best
suit the needs of our constituents for the Virtual Biennial. Early-bird registration, including details
about the program and speakers will be launched on 1 September on the UPJ website. For more
information, contact the UPJ office at: upj@upj.org.au or 0416 700 613.
10

Parashat HaShavua -
Weekly Parasha Study
Every Wednesday from 8:15pm
- Musings on our Texts -
A contemporary look at our
ancient texts. We will delve into
our weekly portion looking at
difficult passages, inspiring texts,
and stories that you think you
know to cast new light on the
stories essential to our identity.
https://zoom.us/j/93124176951
Thursday evenings from 7:15pm
Join Cantor George Mordecai on
Thursday evenings to learn some very
deep Torah. Cantor Mordecai will give
over the insightful and amazing Omer
teachings imparted to him by his teacher
and mentor, Reb Miles Krassen.
Contact gmordecai@emanuel.org.au
Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/205614635
Note: if you don't have access to Zoom,
you can join by phone (audio only). Call
02 8015 6011 Meeting ID: 205 614 635
Expecting
a baby?
Jewnatal is a program for those expecting
a baby in their lives, whether through birth
or adoption, and whether the 1st or 5th!
The concept is to build relationships with people
going through the same life stage that will
carry forward after the class has concluded.
Email Rabbi Kaiserblueth:
rkaiserblueth@emanuel.org.au
11

by Tanya Igra
{SOCIAL JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT}
Emanuel Synagogue’s Social Justice group had been unable to
carry their usual volunteer work due to COVID-19.
As a result, they had been looking
for a project that could work
logistically with the current
government health regulations of
social distancing.
They selected the Gunawirra school
backpack drive for Aboriginal preschool
children living in rural and
remote areas of NSW. This followed
the success of a similar care pack
drive conducted by our Synagogue
for Mitzvah Day in 2018.
One of Gunawirra’s signature
programs is the Five Big Ideas
program. By teaching pre-schoolers
about personal hygiene, basic health
care and simple nutrition, significant
improvements to primary health care
can be created. The program aims to
reduce longer term chronic health
problems, and ultimately, reducing
the difference in life expectancy
between Indigenous and non-
Indigenous Australians.
Due to the social isolation of children
due to COVID, donors were asked
to put together a kit for girls or
boys aged 2–5, including a school
backpack with socks, underwear,
an activity book and coloured
pencils/textas. Gunawirra then
added toiletries to complement each
backpack.
A big thank you to our generous
donors! Our appeal reached 95
backpacks which were recently
delivered to Gunawirra headquarters
in Rozelle, and were warmly and
gratefully received by their staff.
These will be transported together
with the collections from their other
donor organisations to reach over
600 Aboriginal pre-school children.
Below are photos of the delivery
of the backpacks to the staff at
Gunawirra. We hope to be able to
share with you some photos of the
children receiving their backpacks in
the next TELL magazine.
12

Women’s
Rosh Chodesh Group
FROM 8:00PM
Online
Why a Women’s Rosh Chodesh Group?
There is a legend told that when the Israelites
came to create the golden calf, the men
asked the women to give them all their
jewellery and gold to be melted down for
the calf. The women refused to supply their
jewels and as a reward a special festival
was given to them: the festival of Rosh
Chodesh, the celebration of the new moon.
For more information, please call the
Emanuel Synagogue office on 9389
6444 or email info@emanuel.org.au.
CLERGY CAFE
Speakeasy with Rabbi Kamins
Tuesday 5:00pm
An hour of shmoozing about a topical matter of social import, made that much
easier with a drink of your choice from the comfort of your home.
Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/94346997043
Phone: +61 2 8015 6011 Meeting ID: 943 4699 7043
Pre-Shabbat Shmooze
Friday 10:00am
Join Reverend Sam Zwarenstein for a chance to chat and catch up
over coffee, tea, wine, whiskey or green smoothie!
10:00am to 11:00am - Shmooze on Zoom.
Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/94590645619
Phone: +61 2 8015 6011 Meeting ID: 945 9064 5619

{REINVENTING OUR DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED}
By Reverend Sam Zwarenstein
There is no doubt that given the many challenges we’ve had to endure
since the onset of COVID-19, it would be difficult to focus on the positive
experiences. One such positive phenomenon is the world of online meeting
platforms, including GoogleMeet, GoToMeeting and Zoom.
There is no doubt that given
the many challenges we’ve
had to endure since the onset
of COVID-19, it would be
difficult to focus on the positive
experiences. One such positive
phenomenon is the world of
online meeting platforms,
including GoogleMeet,
GoToMeeting and Zoom. In the
highly unlikely event that you
haven’t heard of these platforms,
just ask any person working
from home or attending a
conference or education seminar,
or any of the millions of parents,
grandparents, aunts and uncles,
cousins, siblings, etc. about
these blessings that have allowed
so many to connect with the
outside world for work, family,
or a myriad of other reasons.
These platforms have allowed
many businesses to stay in
business and operate in a manner
that has brought some sort of
familiarity to their operations.
They’ve also enabled the
facilitation of online learning
in an interactive sense, so that
participants can ask questions,
join in on the conversation, and
just like it is for businesses, bring
a sense of familiarity to their
environment. The benefit that
most of us have had the pleasure
of enjoying is catching up with
family and friends. Given the
social and physical restrictions
we’ve been enduring since
mid-March, the various online
meeting choices have given all
of us the chance to connect
visually (in most cases) with
those we are physically missing.
Grandparents can chat with their
grandchildren, some of them are
seeing grandchildren and other
family members (born since
March) for the first time, via
the internet. Extended families
can have their family gatherings
without having to cater for the
entire crowd at one person’s house
(that goes for food and space).
Another positive outcome is that
you don’t have to catch public
transport or order a ride-share or
even drive (and look for parking)
to meet others. You can also,
for the most part, wear casual
clothing, perhaps even your
pyjamas, and relax in the comfort
of your lounge, bedroom,
favourite chair, etc. with your
preferred beverage and you’re set.
For me, Zoom in particular
has provided many hours
of interaction, fun, learning
opportunities, and best of all -
entertainment. Many parodies
have emerged, leaving their
mark of “art imitating life”,
reflecting the technological
struggles of connecting and the
frustrations of assisting those
new (and not so new) to the
world of marvellous mystery
and the often unexplained.
14

Amongst them is this video
by Yonatan Gruber - https://
youtu.be/_Ef5dRyvQ1Y - it’s in
Hebrew, but there are subtitles.
Not only is the video hilarious,
the comments people have posted
will resonate with all of us.
And then there’s a special set
of behaviours and mannerisms
that we all think are unique
to our own people, yet when
discussing these traits with
others, we realise that every
culture has their own, sometimes
scarily similar, adventures.
Let’s have a look at how some of
our people behave on Zoom.
Firstly, talking over each other.
Sometimes this is how people
behave when face to face, so
it shouldn’t be too much of a
surprise that this is how we act
on Zoom. One person is talking,
then someone else talks at the
same time, and then for good
measure, someone else talks
over them. What makes it more
frustrating or funny (you can pick
either or both), is that because
we’re not face to face, it doesn’t
work the same as in person.
This results in lots of facial
movement, and incoherent
voices competing for the same
airtime. When you put this
in the context of perceived
audience participation (e.g. the
sing-along portion following the
screening of “Fiddler: Miracle of
Miracles” in April), you get way
too many people trying to join
in and sing together, which was
beyond hilarious. By the way,
more than one person trying
to sing or speak at the same
time on Zoom, is too many.
Then there’s the mute feature. It
has become the Zoom equivalent
of “pocket dialling” where
somehow (use your imagination)
participants unmute themselves,
even though they are not
addressing the session at that
time. The result - we hear them
talking, or we hear the TV/radio
in the background, or we get to
experience their meal through
the wonder of sound. During
some sessions, we’ve had to act as
the “mute police”, patrolling the
list of participants to make sure
they’re on mute. There’s always
someone who keeps unmuting
themselves, no matter how
many times you mute them.
How about those individuals
that, even if momentarily, forget
that they are on camera and
they go about some of their
daily activities oblivious to the
consequences? People have gone
to the toilet or have gotten
changed or they’re “multitasking”
and they clearly can’t do more
than one thing at a time (at the
best of times). All this during
an online session and everybody
gets to share in that experience.
Of course, all of this is in
addition to the technology
melees, the time zone mix-ups,
the multiple log-ins under the
same profile, the meeting ID
conflicts, and the list goes on.
We could also look at the
financial success that some of
these platforms have enjoyed
over the past few months. In
January 2020, Zoom shares
were valued at just over $68
USD each. In mid-July they
were just over $275 USD. In
a Jackie Mason-esque routine,
we would be rueing not buying
Zoom shares back in January.
We would say; “If my (insert
relationship) hadn’t talked me
out of buying shares, I could have
made millions of dollars. That’s
family for you”, or “That was the
one stock I needed to complete
my top performing portfolio,
now I may as well give it all up”.
In April 2020, Zoom reported
more than 300 million peak
daily meeting participants.
There is some postulation about
what that statistic means, and
even by Zoom’s own admission,
15

daily meeting participants can
be counted multiple times, so
it’s not the same measure as
daily active users. Still, it’s a
very impressive achievement.
Clearly Zoom and the various
other platforms have enjoyed all
this success in the past 6 or so
months, and it appears they’ll be
riding the quarantine or isolation
wave for some time to come.
There is also a level of success
and accomplishment that
we can enjoy as part of this
boom. I have no doubt that if
in November 2019, we would
have had a planning session
with the aim of offering our
classes, services and other
sessions online, no amount of
preparation, research, testing or
engagement would have yielded
the success we have experienced
with our various online
offerings since March 2020.
The sheer fact that we were
thrown into the deep end
on this has driven a desire to
overcome the obstacles we faced
(and still face), and not only to
the point of making do, but to
new heights and achievements.
So much so, that we receive
accolades from around the
community, the country and the
world, and even communities
who have been live streaming
or otherwise broadcasting their
services and classes for a number
of years already, are emulating
our methods and style.
Amongst the reasons for our
success is that we have the clergy,
administrative and inventive
resources to pull together to
make this happen. Ideas and
concepts can be spoken about
16
and visions can be dreamed
about ad infinitum. Without
the capacity to make it happen,
it won’t go much further than
dreams and discussions.
We are also well-placed within
the Jewish community to engage
with our members and the
broader community where they
are, not just where we want them
to be. We can connect with them
in their homes, at work, in the
park, at a community centre, on
Shabbat and Festivals, wherever
and whenever. Not being able to
get to the synagogue is no longer
a barrier to regular engagement.
Most of all, it has been the
determination to not give
in and just accept our fate.
COVID-19 has resulted in
so many complications and
frustrations, and has gone a
long way to separating people
from their loved ones, from
their work, from their friends,
and from their community.
We have fought through these
barriers, we have found a way
to overcome the obstacles, and
we have created an environment
that enables us to continue to
engage with the community,
with friends and family, and
with people all over the world.
The perseverance we have
demonstrated to allow us to
do what we already have, is
undoubtedly the key ingredient.
We have learnt that as long as
we keep at it, not giving up
when we face unprecedented
challenges, but rather finding a
way to overcome complications
and barriers, we will succeed.
We have also learnt that we
have to do this over and
over, because the challenges
continually find new ways to
appear and get in our way.
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you.
If you run into a wall, don’t turn
around and give up. Figure out
how to climb it, go through it, or
work around it.” - Michael Jordan
Let’s find the courage to keep on
reinventing our determination
to succeed, time and time again,
and embrace the opportunities
we afford ourselves.

{THE TRUEST GIFT OF FREEDOM}
by Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth
In May, as my son Jordy’s birthday was approaching, Rachel and I were
struggling with how we were going to be able to celebrate. Clearly a party was
out of the question. What was it that an almost 4-year-old wanted?
We struggled with being trapped
in the mould and routine of how
celebrations had always been. A
party with lots of friends, one
cake, presents, singing, and one
day. We felt trapped, unable
to be inspired, until we gave
ourselves the freedom to venture
beyond. Our solution was to
create the week of Jordy. One
whole week of small celebrations
with family (live and virtual),
small outdoor playdates, and
of course, four separate cakes
including his specifically
requested broccoli cake! Jordy
was thrilled with his special week
with nary a complaint about
not having a big party. He still
speaks of the Week of Jordy
It may seem strange to be
contemplating freedom as we
approach the High Holidays, a
time normally devoted to taking
stock of the past year, repentance
forgiveness. Yet, here I am,
almost five months after Pesach,
approaching Rosh HaShanah, and
freedom is foremost on my mind.
Without the normal events
that help to remove us from
the doldrums of routine, how
can we mark those unique
moments that arrive? How can we
adequately prepare for the High
Holidays without the normal
processes of gathering, meeting,
building up the anticipation?
How are we, in this period
of constraints, able to express
ourselves, to go beyond what
has become a routine and
surpass the routine which we
have become so accustomed?
How do we ascend into the
sublime moments of the spiritual
highs of the High Holidays?
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
writes in God in Search of Man:
The reality of freedom, of
the ability to think, to will,
or to make decisions beyond
physiological and psychological
causation is only conceivable if we
Marc Chagall - Moses and
Aaron before Pharoah
17

assume that human life embraces
both process and event. If man is
treated as a process, if his future
determinations are regarded as
calculable, then freedom must be
denied. Freedom means that man
is capable of expressing himself in
events beyond his being involved
in the natural processes of living.
To believe in freedom is to
believe in events, namely to
maintain that man is able to
escape the bonds of the processes
in which he is involved and to
act in a way not necessitated by
antecedent factors. Freedom is
the state of going out of the self,
an act of spiritual ecstasy, in
the original sense of the term.
Who, then, is free? The creative
man who is not carried away by
the streams of necessity, who is
not enchained by processes, who
is not enslaved to circumstances.
This time of year, we are given a
choice. Are we to be to bound to
the past? Are we to be trapped in
the routines of our lives, those
processes, as Heschel describes,
that dictate and govern our every
action? Or, will be accept what
is and what has been, but also
accept that we can and must
venture past that if we are to
create the moments of meaning?
When can we be free?
Heschel continues:
We are free at rare moments.
Most of the time we are driven
by process; we submit to the
power of inherited character
qualities or to the force of
external circumstances, Freedom
is not a continual state of man,
“a permanent attitude of the
conscious subject.” It is not, it
happens. Freedom is an act, an
event. We all are endowed with
the potentiality of freedom. In
actuality, however, we only act
freely in rare creative moments.
When we shrug off the shackles
of routine, of process, and
arrive fresh and renewed at
those moments that allow us
to realise our potential, that
is true freedom. To infuse the
unique instants of our lives with
holiness and spirituality and most
importantly, meaning! That is the
truest gift of freedom which we
can give to ourselves. Let us be
generous to ourselves this year.
Shanah Tova U’Metukah,
Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth
18

{ENTERING THE BELLY OF THE WHALE}
By Rabbi Dr Orna Triguboff
In the lead up to Rosh Ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur we
examine our lives and reflect on how we can improve. It
is a chance to reflect on what has gone well over the last
year and what we can build on for the year to come.
The many mystical teachings
about this period are full of
imagery and symbolism, and
I wanted to share some of
them with you. Reb Zalman
Schachter-Shalomi, founder of
the Jewish Renewal movement,
once told me that these
teachings are designed to nurture
the more artistic, creative parts
of the brain, as well as helping
develop emotional intelligence.
So let’s enter the belly of
the whale (and one of the
Tanach stories we read
on Yom Kippur) …..
A storm is raging, and the ship
in which Jonah is sailing is about
to capsize. According to the
ancient divination of the sailors
on board, Jonah is the cause
of this dangerous situation.
He is cast into the sea, and
promptly swallowed by a whale.
Three days later Jonah is spat
out onto dry land, and takes
on the mantle of a prophet.
The 18th Century Gaon of
Vilna, connected the journey
of Jonah to the journey of the
soul during a lifetime. Jonah’s
sojourn in the belly of the whale
being connected to times of
soul transformation. The name
Jonah in Hebrew is Yonah,
which means “dove”, and dove
is a symbol for the soul. During
periods such as the lead up to
Yom Kippur, where teshuvah –
“repentance” is the focus, it is
as if our souls are experiencing
what Jonah did thousands of
years ago. The time inside the
belly of the whale, is a time to
connect with our essence, to
return to our essence; teshuvah
means “return”. Once we return
to our essence, we are ready to
leave the belly of the whale and
be active in the world again
with renewed authenticity.
REPENTANCE IS ENTERING THE
DEEPEST WELLSPRING
The ancient love song, The Song
of Songs, has a famous verse:
“From the depths I cry to you,
O Lord”. The mystical 13th
Century text, the Zohar links this
continued over...
19

verse to Repentance. Repentance
is described in this way: “There
is a hidden place above, it is the
depth of the wellspring. From
this well, fountains and streams
flow to all directions, and the
deepest of depths is ‘Repentance’.
And whoever wishes to repent
and cleanse themselves of sin
must call on the divine through
this deep well.” (Zohar)
REPENTANCE IS DIVING INTO
THE CELESTIAL OCEAN
Just as the myth of Venus
describes her daily swim in the
ocean as the way she is constantly
renewed, so too, the Zohar
describes the process of repentance
as a diving into the ocean of the
spirit. It is called the principle of
Binah - Understanding. Binah
is not only called the Supernal
Mother of all creation, but also
the Celestial Ocean. During Elul
and the 10 Days of Awe, through
the process of teshuvah, our soul
is returned to its source, like a
river flowing to the sea. When it
rests in the ocean, it can connect
to its original purity and be reinvigorated.
This spiritual ocean
is so huge that it is able to receive
all souls. Even when we feel there
is no return, when there is no
way back, the ocean beckons.
Whether it is the belly of
the whale, the deepest well
or the grandest ocean, we all
have a great opportunity this
year, to return and reconnect
with our inner spark.
Wishing you a meaningful
High Holy Day period,
Rabbi Dr. Orna Triguboff
20

{TO SAVE THE WORLD}
My name is Liam O’Callaghan,
and I have been a member of
Emanuel Synagogue for the past
three years. During COVID-19,
many of us have been looking
for extra projects to do, or new
skills to learn, as the lockdowns
and social distancing measures
keep many of us stuck at home.
A lot of us have picked up skills
such as sourdough baking,
gardening or making masks.
Instead, I decided to take
up a completely different
and uncommon skill - bush
firefighting. During the horror
summer of bushfires, I, along
with all other Australians, was
in awe of the incredible efforts
of our volunteer emergency
services, in fighting to save lives
and property. My favourite line
from the Talmud, and the one
that resonates mostly with me, is
“Whoever saves one life saves the
world entire”. I believe as a Jew
I have a moral obligation to help
protect the lives of my fellow
citizens, and so in December last
year, I applied to join my local
branch of the Rural Fire Service.
During the months of lockdown,
I completed training in the use
of fire extinguishers and hoses,
how to conduct hazard reduction
burns, how to operate a fire
truck pump, how to escape a
fire overrun, and many other
crucial techniques to help
protect my local community
and its natural environment.
A week after completing my final
exams for my university degree,
I successfully passed my bushfire
assessment, and became a fullyfledged
member of the NSW
Rural Fire Service as a qualified
bush firefighter. This is only the
beginning of my training, and
I have already started learning
to operate the fire truck, and
will begin learning how to fight
house fires later this year.
The NSW Rural Fire Service
is an incredible organisation,
made up of dedicated and brave
volunteers, and I encourage
members of our community
to not only support them, but
volunteer your own time if you
have it. It may not be one of
the popular skills that many
of us have picked up during
the lockdown, but hopefully,
come the summer, it will be
one of the most useful.
21

During the past six months
of the global pandemic, as
well as the previous months of
devastating fires throughout
Australia, the Union for
Progressive Judaism has been
inspired by the efforts of our
Progressive community as
they have responded to the
many resulting challenges.
The enormous dedication and
creativity exhibited by UPJ
congregations and organisations
in establishing a myriad of
virtual services, classes and
resources has resulted in
even greater than normal
As the Yamim Noraim approach,
it is hard to put into words
what the past few months have
meant for our community,
and the Jewish world more
generally. Loss, dislocation,
separation and major financial
and organizational challenges.
Adaption, flexibility, innovation
and have been so important.
Our Emanuel community has
responded to these extraordinary
times in a wonderful way,
maintaining connection with
congregants, reaching out to
individuals, developing new
ways of ensuring that all of us
have the opportunity to be and
feel connected with our kehila
and our Jewish lives. Most
22
{MESSAGE FROM UNION FOR
PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM}
participation and a higher level
of engagement for so many
seeking ways to learn and pray.
As always, we strive to make
our organisation the best that
it can be. In keeping with the
tradition of the High Holy
Days, if we have inadvertently
upset or offended anyone, we
sincerely ask for forgiveness.
May the new year 5781 bring
blessing to you, your families
and congregations, and may
our shared efforts continue
to grow Progressive Judaism
{MESSAGE FROM MERCAZ-
MASORTI AUSTRALASIA}
of us recognize that we have
nonetheless felt dislocated from
our usual ways of being Jewish.
That will certainly be a feature
of this time we are in and
how it will impact and limit
our experience of the High
Holy Days. But we can also
be grateful for the means that
new modes of communication
provide for us to remain
engaged and experience
community together.
Collectively and as individuals,
we have this opportunity to work
at making this a meaningful
period of reflection and teshuvah.
Mercaz-Masorti Australasia is so
grateful to be part of Emanuel
in our region and help bring
about a lasting peace for Israel.
L’shana tova tikatevu: may our
communities be inscribed and
sealed in the Book of Life,
David D Knoll AM and
Brian Samuel OAM
Co-Presidents
Jocelyn Robuck
Executive Manager
Synagogue, for the home it
provides for our egalitarian,
traditional approach to Jewish
life and the celebration of
diversity that it offers.
We are also grateful to all who
have joined our organization.
Have a look at our website
www.masorti.org.au for more
news and information about
Masorti in Australia and our
connections with the world
wide Masorti movement.
Wishing you and your loved ones
Shana Tova Umetukah
Eric Lundberg
President Mercaz-
Masorti Australasia

Kabbalah Meditation
Authentic Ancient Jewish Meditation
Breath, Sound and Higher Inspiration
13th Century Spain, Rabbi Avraham Abulafia taught a unique form
of breath meditation combined with sound and Gems of Wisdom.
Presented by Rabbi Dr Orna Triguboff, this combination makes for a
practical experience of kabbalah with authentic text study.
FREE. It will happen online and will be recorded.
Conversations
about Israel
Every Monday, join Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins
or guest speakers to examine the complex
issues facing contemporary Israel.
Monday mornings from 10:00-11:30
https://zoom.us/j/631843337
Shabbat Embrace
Be embraced by the Shabbat and be
embraced by community as we connect
for Shabbat prayer, song and reflection.
Join Cantor George Mordecai and
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio for a spiritual
and musical experience embracing the
essence of Shabbat. Click on the link
below to join us at 10am on Saturdays.
Shabbat Embrace will also be
available on Facebook Live! Head
to emanuel.org.au/services
23

by Cantor George Mordecai
{WHO SHALL I SAY IS CALLING?}
Recently I have inquired about the appropriateness of contemporary
congregations’ replacement of the traditional High Holy Days prayer
U’Netaneh Tokef with Leonard Cohen’s ‘Who by Fire’.
U’Netaneh Tokef—liturgically
situated in the Musaf Amidah
of both Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur—has been one of
the most popular prayers in our
liturgical canon and it has been
revered throughout the ages.
Despite this, the theology
articulated in the piyyut (liturgical
poem) is one with which many
of us have problems. We are at
the mercy of an omnipotent God
who decides each year, between
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,
who will live and who will die and
in what way. We are essentially
powerless, like a flock of sheep,
bereft of agency and choice.
It was after being in Israel during
the Yom Kippur War, in 1973,
that Leonard Cohen wrote ‘Who
by Fire’, taking up the central
passages of U’Netaneh Tokef—
those verses introduced by “On
24
Rosh Hashanah it is written, and
on Yom Kippur it is sealed!”
Leonard Cohen is very interesting
for us on many levels. He is
considered one of the most
gifted songwriters of our era and
his songs have reached millions
of people around the world.
His songs contain a plethora of
Biblical, Midrashic and mystical
references. Even though his songs
are not liturgical, they reflect a
poet who is deeply engaged in his
religious tradition. Leonard Cohen
needed to search outside Jewish
tradition for spiritual technologies
that would help him along his
journey, but he always remained
connected to his Judaism. It
informed his life till the end.
In an interview with Arthur
Kutzweil, Cohen says: “I was
brought up in the Conservative
tradition, which I have the
deepest respect for. I light the
candles Friday night. I feel very
close to the whole trip. I don’t
think we were able to develop
a meditational system that
could seize and address the deep
appetites of our best young people,
the people who really had to have
an experience of the Absolute.
We didn’t take that seriously. I
think our faith is full of atheists
and agnostics. I think that there
are lots of nominal Jews around.
But I think there are people who
really believe, who have really
had an experience, who have
really been embraced, who have
felt this embrace, who have felt
themselves dissolve in the midst of
a prayer. And felt that the prayer
was praying them. ... I began
practising the Judaism that I had
never practised. Laying tefillin
every morning, and going through
the shemoneh esreh, and really
understanding that there were
these 18 steps and that they were
a ladder, and that these were a way
of preparing yourself for the day.
... While starting from a very low
place, you could put your chin up
over the windowsill and actually
see a world that you could affirm.”
We see from this excerpt that
Cohen was powerfully connected
to his tradition while feeling the
need to explore other spiritual
technologies—for example, Zen
Buddhism—in order to ‘fill
the gaps’ that had opened for
many seekers in the West during
the 1960s. Cohen’s journey is

the journey of an individual
whose spiritual search took him
in many different directions
and yet he always remained
Jewish, negotiating the domains
identified by laying tefillin and/
or sitting on a meditation cushion
in a seminary or ashram.
So what are the differences
between the traditional
U’Netaneh Tokef and Cohen’s
interpretation? The piyyut states:
On Rosh Hashanah it is written,
and on the Fast of the Day of
Atonement it is sealed!—
How many will pass on, and
how many will be born;
who will live and who will die;
who will live a long life and who
will come to an untimely end;
who will perish by fire and who
by water; who by sword and
who by beast; who by hunger
and who by thirst; who by
earthquake and who by plague;
who will be strangled and
who will be stoned;
who will be at peace and
who will be troubled;
who will be serene and
who will be disturbed;
who will be tranquil and
who will be tormented;
who will be impoverished
and who will be enriched;
who will be brought low,
and who will be raised up.
Cohen keeps the form of the
piyyut but he contemporises
many of the phrases to reflect
current disturbance and to reveal
some of our deepest anxieties:
“Who by barbiturate ... who
by powder, who for his greed
... who in solitude, who in this
mirror ... who in power ...’’.
But the most compelling and
theologically transformative
position that Cohen puts to us is
in his interrogatory refrain “Who
shall I say is calling?” He uses this
refrain to replace the traditional
On Rosh Hashanah it is written,
and on the Fast of the Day
of Atonement it is sealed!
25

The emphasis on God-as-judge,
deciding who will live or die
in the following year and by
what means, is totally absent
in Cohen’s interpretation.
Cohen stated: “That song derives
very directly from a Hebrew
prayer that is sung on the [sic]
of the Day of Atonement. ‘Who
by fire, who by sword, who by
water.’ According to the tradition
the Book of Life is opened and in
it is inscribed all those who will
live and all those who will die for
the following year. In that prayer
is catalogued all the various ways
in which you can quit this vale of
tears. The conclusion of the song
as I write it is somewhat different,
‘Who shall I say is calling?’ That is
what makes the song into a prayer
for me in my terms which is who
is it, or what is it that determines
who will live and who will die?”
Cohen does not put his trust
in faith here. He addresses the
contemporary seeker who cannot
rely on old faith and belief
paradigms. It is the ontological
question of questions that informs
the refrain of Cohen’s prayer.
Leonard Cohen’s ‘Who by Fire’
doesn’t provide us with the answer
as in the traditional text- but
repentance, prayer and charity
can temper God’s judgementsolve
the problem of theodicy—
the question of how God’s
goodness can permit evil in our
lives— Leonard recognises that
many of us no longer inhabit
the theological space articulated
and expounded in the unetane
tokef, but it does welcome openendedness,
renewed and deep
spiritual enquiry with the question
“Who shall I say is calling?”.
SHABBAT LIVE
Join us in our virtual sanctuary as we welcome the
Shabbat with the spiritual, meaningful, music, prayers
and stories of Shabbat Live.
Join us online on Zoom from 6:15pm.
Shabbat Live will also be available on Facebook Live!
www.emanuel.org.au/services
26

By Donna Jacobs-Sife
{ANNA'S LAST DAY}
Anna’s last day had dawned with reluctance. The sky hung low
with unexpressed rain. Time moved thick and sulky.
Anna half looked out the window
on this, her last sky. Without the
prospect of her usual morning
coffee and toast, this being a
day of fasting, she wrapped
herself up in her dressing gown,
went into the lounge room,
and sat by the window.
It had not been a restful night.
There had been disturbances.
Dreams of being followed by a
faceless dark figure. Anna feeling
terror, running away fast, fast,
whilst the dark figure walked with
leisure and monotony, always just
a step behind. There had been
long periods of fitfulness too, and
a heaviness in her chest, as if a
hand were grasping her heart.
The sun was straining beyond
the clouds. She closed her eyes,
and yearned for its light and
warmth. It occurred to her that
she was not feeling very well.
Her shoulder ached, her fingers
were tingling, and her heart still
struggled beneath the firm grip
of that unseen hand. Placing
her palm upon her chest, she
gazed with unseeing eyes, and
mouthed words – inevitable and
unconscious – ‘Aveinu malcheinu,
I have sinned before thee.”
Those words seemed to set in
motion an eternal decree, the
disembodied hand began to
squeeze her heart, as if it had
been waiting forever, for the
clock’s hand to move this one
last time. Anna looked at the
carpet and strategized how to
fall without hitting the corner
of the table with her head.
She did not recall the falling
itself, nor did she know how long
she had laid upon the floor, but
as her consciousness returned,
Anna progressively noted her
new situation. After the first
moments of confusion, came
the steady realization of pain,
that finally grew so intense, that
it fed on all other thought and
sensation. Anna fought against
it, her body rigid against its
demands to concede defeat.
Gripped in this frozen unyielding
state, the sun suddenly broke
through the clouds and began
to warm Anna through the
window beneath which she lay.
It was a warmth that soaked
into her blood, that circulated
to her chest and arms and legs
and hands, whispering ‘let go,
let go’ in rhythm to her breath.
And as she relaxed, so did she
separate from the grip of pain,
and found that her body could
have its own experience. That
there was another part of her
that was completely unconnected
to her body, and if she focused
on that, the pain did not lessen,
but became insignificant.
She opened her eyes, and found
that they were unseeing, except
for a whiteness that at once was
brilliant and remote. She closed
her eyes again, and felt this other
part of herself rise up, away from
the body of pain.
“I am dying” she thought to
herself. “I am dying on Yom
Kippur.” Anna noticed that her
nightgown had ridden above her
thighs, and that her legs were
splayed inelegantly apart. She
tried to move a hand, but was
27

unable to. She managed with
some effort, to move her leg
to a more modest position.
Two unblinking eyes
appeared, looking into her,
seeing her, and with them
the unbearable thought.
“My God” she whispered,
the profound doubt finding
words. “have I been good?”
The eyes were those of the dark
figure of her dream. They filled
her with horror. A coldness
spread across her, beginning at
the heart and flowing out to her
limbs, as if she had just plunged
through ice into a winter’s
river. The eyes dominated her.
All she could do was gaze into
them whilst they reflected the
entirety of the unripe, unloving,
unwise bitterness of her life. Her
shame was complete. “I am this
wickedness.” She knew it from
every dying pore. “God forgive
me for what I have done,” she
prayed, without hope of salvation.
Quiet. The place between earth
and heaven is filled with music.
Not voices, not instruments. Just
music. Anna’s breathing became
slow and shallow. From far away
she heard a song, so faint she
stilled her breathing to listen.
It seemed to be coming from
within her, as well as without.
A deep voice, one absolute
note that vibrated through her,
breaking down the particles of
her being, loosening them from
the bonds of physical life – the
voice drew her up as particles
of dust, illuminated by light.
As Anna rose ever upward, the
shining particles that were her
soul began to take form. Each
of them became the shape of a
face, and one by one, Anna saw
them, and named them. This
one the desperately ill child she
had sat with, all those years ago,
and told stories to. This one the
stranger she had driven home,
crazed and hungry. She saw
his face as it had been the next
morning, his eyes shy and grateful.
This one, the dying mother with
whom she sat. This one, the lost
child. The wayward boy who
came to stay. The neighbour she
sent money to. Faces, a galaxy
of faces. Children, lovers,
strangers, brides, elders, the living
and the dead. Tiny fragments
of compassion. Forgotten,
silly moments of kindness.
From far below, the shofar could
be heard. And from above, the
same shofar – both blasting out
the ancient demand for justice,
mercy, eternity - both announcing
the arrival of Anna to the Gates
of Heaven, and the magnificent
dispersal of her acts of love.
28

Dr Anastasia Volvets
Ms Danielle Raffaele
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{NEW MEMBERS}
To welcome the stranger
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Rebecca Jacobs
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Miss Sebastiana Caranna
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& Ms Callantha Brigham
{TZEDAKAH}
Greater is tzedakah than all the sacrifices
$10,000 or more
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$5,000 or more
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29

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30
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Up to $499
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31

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32
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33

Benjamin Nathaniel Berger
Sam Boolkin
Albie Cohen
Tobias Czeizler
Elias Davis
Jonah Ernster
Sienna Gerstl
Ben Henkin
{BIRTHS}
Welcome to
Nathaniel Drummond
Raphior Fedangong
Flynn Huxley
Blake Meisner
{B’NEI MITZVAH}
Mazal Tov to
Sam Levi
Noah Novick
Maxwell Pozniak
Ben Rubinstein
Camille Jane Shulman
Joseph Yakubson
Max Salamon
Sam Salamon
{MARRIAGE}
To rejoice with the happy couple
Frank & Deborah Dorrian
{DECEASED}
To comfort the bereaved
Emery Angles
Jacqueline Baruch
Brian Brigham
Eddy Costi
Violette Eshed
Cherry Schneider
Edith Schuller
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Patricia Zinn
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Valerie Landa
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Phillipe Perignon
Emmi Reves
Joost Sarfaty
34

Puzzle Page
by Anne Wolfson
35

{SERVICE TIMES}
All service times are subject to change. Please check
emanuel.org.au for any amendments to our regular services.
Morning Minyan
Morning Minyan is on Monday to Friday at 8:00am
(Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/702546413) and
Sunday at 9:00am
(Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/306800789).
SHABBAT SERVICES
Erev Shabbat
• 5:45pm - Masorti (Neuweg - in person only)
• 6:15pm - Shabbat Live (Millie Phillips Building - in person & live-streamed)
(emanuel.org.au/services)
Shabbat Morning
• 10:00am - Shabbat Embrace service (streamed only)
• 10:00am - Masorti (Millie Phillips Building - in person only)
• 10:00am - Progressive (in person only)
(emanuel.org.au/services)
To attend services in-person before Friday 11am. Masks or face shields must be
worn.
NB: Security Screenings are required for all persons unknown to the Synagogue
prior to attending. Please contact info@emanuel.org.au for further information.
Details of High Holy Day services on page 2.
{CONTACT US}
All services and other programs are held at the
synagogue unless otherwise indicated:
7 Ocean Street, Woollahra NSW 2025
There are many ways to get in touch — we would love to hear from you!
Call: (02) 9389 6444
Email: info@emanuel.org.au
Visit: emanuel.org.au
Like: facebook.com/emanuel.synagogue
Follow us! We’re on Twitter @emanuelshule and Instagram @emanuelsynagogue
Office hours
Monday–Thursday: 9am–5pm
Friday: 9am–2pm
_______
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