The Sydney Jewish Report - March 2020

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VOL. 69 Friday, 13 March 2020 / 17 Adar, 5780

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MONTE OFFERS PESACH RESPITE PAGE 5

A WIN FOR MOUNT SINAI PAGE 12

PURIM PAGE 15

PURIM SAMEACH HANNA ZETS AND ORI VINK CELEBRATE PURIM WITH JEMS

MACCABIAH IN FULL SWING PAGE 24

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community

March 2020

Braving the Storm to Hear from the Stolen Generation COURAGE TO CARE NSW DOVI SELDOWITZ On Sunday, 20 February, a deluge of wind and rain-soaked and battered Sydney (thankfully assisting with the ongoing NSW bushfires) and over 50 Courage to Care volunteers and friends braved the elements to hear the remarkable testimony of Uncle Michael "Widdy" Welsh, a member of the Stolen Generations, who was taken from his family as a young boy and placed in the Kinchela Boys Home.

Kathy Sharp, Vice-Chair of Courage to Care NSW introduced the guest speakers from Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC), a charity supporting Aboriginal men who were placed in the home as children. The Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home was operated by the NSW Government from 1924 to 1970, housing 600 boys over the years. Uncle Widdy recounted how the boys were not permitted to speak their mother tongue, associate with the Aboriginal community in any way, or use even their birth names. Instead, the staff called the boys by number only. Uncle Widdy was number 36.

The event’s speakers also included Dr Tiffany McComsey, the group's CEO, and Dr Ari Lander, the group's Education Officer.

Ari previously served as the Education Officer at the Sydney Jewish Museum and has done remarkable work bridging the Jewish community and other communities of genocide survivors such as the Armenian, Rwandan, and Cambodian communities.

Dr Tiffany McComsey, Ari Lander, Uncle Widdy.

Of particular interest to our Courage to Care audience was how the former children of Kinchela had committed to sharing their stories to Australian children and now use a travelling bus that features a mini-history exhibit and seating space for students to hear firsthand accounts from members of the Stolen Generations.

As our volunteers can attest, live storytelling captivates listeners and reinforce

the lessons of history. In the case of Uncle Widdy, we learn that coercive assimilation efforts produce disastrous consequences for Aboriginal children and their families.

For the Jewish community, Uncle Widdy’s story may inspire us to learn more about a difficult chapter in 19th Century Jewish history when Jewish boys (known as ‘Cantonists’) were abducted from their families, forced to live in boarding schools

and later serve in the Czarist army. These largely forgotten stories may help us better empathize with the experiences of the members of the Stolen Generations.

We hope these stories will encourage young Australians to combat racism and prejudice in all its forms and to work toward building a kinder and more harmonious society.

Aussies Jazzing It Up at Shaare Zedek

AUSTRALIAN FRIENDS OF SHAARE ZEDEK INC MIRIAM PACANOWSKI

Max Epstein, 18, is on his gap year in Israel as part of the Israel By Choice program.

He and a group of fellow Australian students including Liam Eliau, Nechama Klajn and Cobi Chrapot have chosen to spend time each week volunteering at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Centre.

Max says, “I played the saxophone at my school in Sydney. I took my saxophone into the hospital and we went around to different wards and we played some chilled jazz. It is a great opportunity for us, and it is really beautiful to see the positive impact on the patients.

“A lot of the older patients didn’t have family with them, so it was nice for us as a group to go in and help out.

“I felt that I gained personally just by being in that environment.

“The staff are absolutely amazing at Shaare Zedek. We are independent volunteers and everyone has been so welcoming of us.

“You’d see Arab doctors around the hospital, which was really nice because it transcends the idea that there is hatred between the two groups. They come together for the greater good and it was so good to see that.

“We also heard a story about Friday and

Shabbat. There’s an influx of Arab staff who come in on Shabbat and do all the writing for the nurses. It’s pretty awesome and definitely unique to Israel.

“I’m hoping to study medicine next year so being able to go and actually volunteer at a hospital and see how the doctors work and how they interact with patients and literally see it from my own eyes and not through studying from a textbook was really awesome.

“Hopefully soon when we volunteer, I’ll be able to actually shadow a doctor and get a bit more experience out of it.

“I noticed that there was extra security at Shaare Zedek compared to Australia.

I found that very interesting because if you go to a hospital in Australia you just walk in whereas here there was a greater emphasis on security.”

Dr Allan Garfield, Chairman of the Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek

Inc says, “We welcome our Australian supporters to visit Shaare Zedek and to view the Hospital with a Heart as it performs its crucial role in caring for the citizens of Jerusalem.

“Whilst Shaare Zedek continues to grow dramatically, the spirit of compassion positivity and care for every human being permeates all of its activities.”

www.shaarezedek.org.au

DOUBLE BAY ELLIOTT PLACKS | ASHLEY BIERMAN

SILVER

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community

March 2020

Support UIA for its Centenary, Support the People of Israel UIA

Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal (KHUIA) has been at the forefront of Israel’s growth for a monumental 100 years.

Founded in 1920 as the fundraising arm of the Zionist movement, KH-UIA played a key role in allocating the resources needed to establish an independent State.

For the past century, KH-UIA supporters have demonstrated that ‘all of Israel is responsible one for the other’, reflecting their unconditional love for the Jewish People and homeland.

With the help of contributions from around the world, KH-UIA has brought hundreds of thousands of Jews who fled Europe to Israel, helped absorb them and started over 900 urban and rural settlements.

Today, in collaboration with the global Jewish family in over 45 countries worldwide, UIA helps strengthen the national priorities of Israel. Most importantly, this includes rescuing Jews living in danger, encouraging aliyah and absorbing new immigrants, as well as other vital programs that strengthen disadvantaged populations living on the periphery.

With your help as our unwavering partner, UIA will continue to support projects which meet the constant contemporary challenges facing Israel and world Jewry, as well as strengthen the State as a safeguard for Jews

around the world, for the next 100 years and beyond.

Your support is also a source of strength for the People of Israel, and a reaffirmation of the unshakeable bond connecting the Jewish people to its homeland. Here are ways you can help Israel through UIA: SUPPORT ISRAEL FINANCIALLY: Your support of UIA helps address the priority needs of Israel and the Jewish people: aliyah, rescue, strengthening weak sectors of society and building solidarity among Jews around the world.

EXPERIENCE ISRAEL WITH UIA: Experience Israel like never before on a UIA mission, where you will gain an insider’s view of Israel. Enjoy a trip of a lifetime and first-hand encounter with the Jewish State, learn about the latest developments from the people who are making them happen and see the impact of our work directly. If you are short on time, UIA for a Day provides a first-hand glimpse of the impact of your contribution at UIA-supported projects.

REMEMBER ISRAEL IN YOUR WILL: When you leave a legacy to UIA, you help secure Israel’s future, while linking your name to the Jewish State in perpetuity.

For more information, contact UIA NSW on 9361 4273, info@uiansw.org.au or visit uiaaustralia.org.au

The Year-Long Seniors Festival

COA

Every year in February, when NSW Seniors Festival arrives, seniors and their loved ones have their pick of a wide variety of activities, expos, and entertainments. So much is packed into ten days that it can be a bit overwhelming. COA’s special event was their annual Seniors Festival Harbour Cruise, and it was a huge hit with the over 100 seniors who attended.

But what happens when Seniors Festival is over?

In the Jewish community, we honour our elders every day, all year round. We don’t need a special festival to celebrate them because we celebrate life together with them all the time.

Our local community is fortunate to have an organisation that runs its Seniors Festival program for six days every week:

COA Sydney.

Local resident Norman Gabriel comments that when it’s not Seniors Festival, “you’ve got so many activities at COA already that you don’t feel as if you’re missing out.”

While organisations across Sydney will host a single concert for seniors once a year, COA has live music twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Other Seniors Festival activities COA runs yearround include movies, lectures, exercises, art classes, language groups, outings, discussion groups, and the list goes on…

So even though the NSW Seniors Festival is over, you can join in the Seniors Festival that ºruns all year long at COA’s Woollahra drop-in centre.

For more information on their huge variety of activities, live music, and special events, call (02) 9389 0035 or visit www.coasydney.org.

Eat Well Every Day

COA Kosher Meals-on-Wheels Nutritious menu Makes food preparation simple Delivered by friendly COA volunteers 37 years experience and over one million meals delivered  Pesach Menu: orders must be lodged by latest Wednesday 18th April at Midday    

Enquiries to 9389 0035 or email coa@coasydney.org or go online to www.coasydney.org for more information

Wednesday 25th March at 11:45am Come celebrate Pesach together with COA members and friends.

Enjoy a Seder style lunch, prepared by our volunteers, with Haggadah reading led by Rabbi Chaim Ingram OAM and matzoh kneidlach for all!

$12 per person for COA members, $15 for non-members Booking (preferred but not essential) 9389 0035 Transport available for COA Members

March 2020

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community

Montefiore offers Passover peace of mind with respite care MONTEFIORE Montefiore is inviting the community to ‘taste test’ its leading residential care over the Pesach holiday with a short respite stay, or add some extra support with Help at Home.

This Pesach, Montefiore is extending a special invitation to older members of the community to book a short stay, known as respite care, at its Randwick, Woollahra and Hunters Hill Residential Care campuses.

“Respite care is a service we offer when someone’s regular carer or support network is unavailable, or when an individual or their carer wants to spend time independently from each other,” explains Director of Client & Community Relations Melanie Lindenberg.

With Pesach and April school holidays coinciding this year, it’s a time when people with older relatives may be concerned about them staying home alone as they travel.

“For those older members of the community considering a move into residential care, respite also offers the opportunity to sample the leading care, quality accommodation and leisure and lifestyle programs on offer, plus our delicious kosher dining of course,” adds Lindenberg.

Dining is an even more important

part of the Montefiore experience at Pesach, when a short stay removes the complication of koshering a home kitchen.

“It’s such a special time at Montefiore,” says Spiritual & Cultural Executive Manager Lynda Dave, who is already working with the Catering Department and Spiritual Dean Rabbi David Rogut OAM to plan this year’s Seder menus and festivities.

“We host up to 1000 people across our dining rooms at long Seder tables, welcoming residents, family and friends there as well as at Pesach teas throughout the festival.”

For those members of the community who would prefer a little extra support in their own home over the holiday period, Montefiore’s Help at Home service provides a range of offerings from personal care to cooking, cleaning, shopping and companionship, says Lindenberg. “Our Care Coordinators can help put together a short or longer term package to suit each invidual’s needs and support them to live independently.”

Respite care spaces at Montefiore are limited and subject to availability.

For more information on respite Residential Care stays and Help at Home services, phone 1800 978 711, email info@montefiore.org.au or visit montefiore.org.au.

Montefiore Residential care is offering short stays over Pesach. Photo: Daniel Linnet

The Montefiore Spiritual & Cultural team planning Seder menus with head chef Sunil Pajnoo. Photo: Nadine Saacks

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community

March 2020

How you and JCA have made an impact in our community JCA It is sometimes difficult to quantify the impact of an organisation in the community. Unless that organisation is JCA and it’s 23 member organisations that provide services across many sectors to those most in need of support.

Last year, JCA introduced a new fundraising model to give donors more choice – to make a communal donation to JCA for distribution where most needed or to donate towards individual programs closest to their hearts, or both.

To give donors more insight into the impact of their giving, JCA’s 23 member organisations provided some remarkable results from the programs they deliver to the local Jewish community. These are just some of them: In the aged care sector over 20,000 Kosher Meals on Wheels delivered through COA Sydney, over 1,000 seniors received at home social support and services and over 16,000 transport rides were provided for family members in need or their carers.

The community also saw increasing engagement in sport and culture – Maccabi engaged over 2,000 people including all abilities sport, over 20,000 people attended Jewish cultural events and over 1,000 families received Jewish library books through the PJ Library program every month.

With findings in the US showing the decline in an understanding and knowledge of the Holocaust it was comforting to know that funding ensured that in Sydney over

25,000 school students and over 1,000 teachers were educated on the Holocaust through the Sydney Jewish Museum.

Combatting the rise of antisemitism, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies clocked over 1,000 media engagements in Jewish community advocacy and our Community Security Group provided over 25,000 hours

Intergenerational Playgroup MONTEFIORE

Music and laughter filled the room at a special session of our intergenerational playgroup in honour of the late Rose Fekete. Rose’s family joined in as tributes

flowed for the founding force behind Montefiore’s intergenerational program.

Babies enjoyed craft and play, before all joined a sing-a-long with music therapist Lisa on guitar – including a special solo from 5-year-old Lola.

of protection across events, synagogues and Jewish communal organisations.

Engagement and education form the cornerstones of Jewish identity and more than 2,000 students in non-Jewish schools were exposed to Jewish education content through the Board of Jewish Education. And the Y2i program supported immersive trips to Israel for

320 Year 10 students.

In 2020 JCA will continue to connect the organisations and people who make up our vibrant local Jewish community. The 2020 JCA campaign event takes place this year on Thursday 21 May (save the date!). If last year was anything to go by, it should be another sell-out night.

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community

March 2020

B’nai B’rith –Still Relevant and Meaningful after 75 years B'NAI B'RITH 2020 has begun as another significant year for B’nai B’rith NSW benevolence with members contributing $35000 to the bush fire crisis.

The Bargain Bazaar, run by volunteers, better known by locals in Surry Hills as ‘that little Jewish Shop”, continues to raise substantial funds for various local charities.

The Sydney Nominees Trust continues to support Jewish Continuity and Jewish Education initiatives.

Courage to Care NSW, an educational program about the need to stand up in the face of prejudice will reach out to over 5000 school students across the state this year.

They have exciting plans for exhibitions at UWS and Liverpool Regional Museum and are working towards a workplace program.

BB Kids Club (8 – 12) will once again meet each holiday period to practice photography on exciting excursions.

BBYO teens, (12 - 17), sit on their own committee and coordinate their own events, learning community leadership skills while having fun. A Neon Party is planned for 14 March (8.30pm – 10.30pm). They will next visit the Princess Gardens Retirement Village for a pre-Pesach Shabbat kiddush to distribute matza to residents.

Once again more than 100 Jewish artists will connect at the ABC Community Art exhibition in June. This event is run collaboratively with COA. Planning is underway for a new online

project called ‘Click and Connect’.

Volunteers will be teaching conversational English to targeted disadvantaged Israeli students to enhance their prospects of finding employment.

Promoting Jewish culture has always been a goal of B’nai B’rith and this year our Wallenberg Portrait Competition is attracting attention. Based on the prominent Archibald

Prize, entrants are asked to create a portrait of someone remarkable to them. Portrait classes with Holocaust survivors telling their stories will be held throughout the year. The first one on the 23 March is already booked out!

B’nai B’rith has over 300 active members in the Eastern suburbs and on the North Shore. Members belong to one of 6 units.

Each unit is a social hub and organizes

events, talks and outings. Units also raise funds for chosen charities. For example, The Alfred Dreyfus Unit is dedicated to confronting prejudice and racism and targets these issues.

Please email or call us to find out more or join. http://www.bbnsw.org.au/. council@bbnsw.org.au (02) 9321 6300

Moriah College Primary School Enrolling now for Years K-6, 2021 We know that wonderful things happen with every spark of learning.

That's why we ignite the passion in our educators and students to create an environment that inspires young minds, creates confident, engaged learners, and motivates each child to develop a strong sense of belonging and identity.

Open Days 19 March and 11 May 2020 | Visit www.moriah.nsw.edu.au to register Queens Park Road, Bondi Junction, Sydney, Australia Tel: (02) 9375 1600 | Fax: (02) 9387 3490 Email: info@moriah.nsw.edu.au | www.moriah.nsw.edu.au

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community

March 2020

Jewish radio wins support in parliament J-AIR RADIO MELBOURNE-based Jewish radio station J-AIR has won bipartisan support in federal parliament in its fight against anti-Semitism through its bid for a dedicated and more powerful community-wide FM licence.

J-AIR has argued to the Australian Communications and Media Authority that it needs its own dedicated frequency to educate the wider community about the scourge of rising anti-Semitism and to improve security in general through its partnership with the Community Security Group for the Melbourne Jewish community.

At the moment, J-AIR broadcasts on the low-powered frequency (or spectrum) 87.8FM rented from a secondary party.

The bid for community-wide spectrum won support from the Liberal and Labor parties during a debate in the House of Representatives in Canberra on Monday, 2 March.

A motion supporting J-AIR’s bid was moved by the Liberal member for Goldstein Tim Wilson. Mr Wilson’s motion called on ACMA to “consider the new relationship with the CSG and allocate J-AIR a community broadcasting licence in the Melbourne radio licence area”.

“J-AIR is one of the most important social institutions in Melbourne's Jewish community.

It's an incredibly important part of the social fabric because it provides many Jewish Australians in our community, across Australia and overseas through the internet with the opportunity to directly hear about the issues that affect Jewish Australians,” Mr Wilson said.

“But one of the challenges that J-AIR has always faced has been around access to spectrum to be able to broadcast Jewish culture into the Australian context through a proper broadcast medium. They have constantly and

unsuccessfully lobbied ACMA and regulators to make sure that they have access to spectrum to have a permanent home.”

Mr Wilson was supported by the Labor member for Macnamara Josh Burns, who said: “J-AIR is a wonderful, local community radio station. It is a place where ideas are spoken about, not just in relation to the Jewish community but also the wider community and our local community.

“We have a huge Jewish community in Macnamara, but they are also spread across Melbourne and the country, which is why it is nice to see so many of my follow parliamentarians supporting this motion,” he said.

In support, the Liberal member for Higgins Katie Allen said she would continue to encourage ACMA to work with J-AIR to secure a broadcasting licence. “Community radio helps ensure everyone in our community has a culturally relevant voice,” Dr Allen said.

Labor member for Eden-Monaro Mike Kelly said he heartily endorsed the call for ACMA to issue a community broadcasting licence to J-AIR. “Reflecting on J-AIR, in particular, we have, as part of the wonderful cultural landscape, the contribution that the Jewish community of Australia has made — and the rich diversity of what is broadcast on J-AIR is a wonderful, living, breathing example of all that that community has contributed to this country,” Dr Kelly said.

Chairman of J-AIR Sean Meltzer said the Jewish community of Melbourne in particular was most appreciative of the bipartisan support shown by the federal politicians. “This bodes well for our future for a long time to come,” he said.

J-AIR's signal is heard mainly the Caulfield area of Melbourne, but can be heard on a live stream at j-air.com.au

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international

March 2020

Netanyahu scrabbles his way to one of his biggest victories

9

AARON DAVID MILLER

Nearly 70 polls had predicted that Israel’s March 2 election would produce something reminiscent of Bill Murray’s classic movie “Groundhog Day” -- a seemingly endless time loop of political stalemate, dysfunction and yet another election following the previous two last April and September.

Instead, the Israeli voting public gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu perhaps one of his greatest victories.

Even though he is under formal indictment for fraud, bribery and breach of trust and set to go on trial March 17, many voters decided to back Netanyahu’s Likud party.

And with 90% of the vote counted, if his current projected number of 59 seats (including those of his likely coalition partners) holds, his right-wing coalition -- as opposed to Benny Gantz’s 54-seat bloc composed of the left and center-left parties and the Arab Joint List -- will be best positioned to form a government.

We may be in for weeks of political maneuvering as Netanyahu seeks to get to the magic 61, if not beyond -- and for new elections if he ends up not being able

to form a government.

government to his dream come true, a

bury any hope of a negotiated settlement

But, make no mistake, the beleaguered

right-wing coalition that would transform

and all-but-written-off Netanyahu now

the Israeli polity, muzzle an independent

with Palestinians.

has options -- from a National Unity

judiciary, undermine the rule of law and

CONTINUED PAGE 9

Why Are Palestinians Dying in Hamas Prisons?

BASSAM TAWIL Essam al-Sa'afeen, a 39-year-old Palestinian from al-Bureij refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip, was pronounced dead on February 23, one month after he was arrested by Hamas security forces. His family and friends are demanding answers from Hamas regarding the circumstances of the death al-Sa'afeen, a father of six.

Hamas says it has formed a commission of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Interior, which is in charge of the Palestinian security forces in the Gaza Strip, al-Sa'afeen died shortly after he was transferred from prison to a hospital. The ministry said al-Sa'afeen was rushed to the hospital after a "sudden deterioration in his health condition."

The Palestinian Fatah faction, headed

by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, has accused Hamas of brutally torturing al-Sa'afeen during his incarceration.

Al-Sa'afeen was a member of Fatah who previously served as a police officer in the PA security forces before Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

On January 27, 2020, masked gunmen arrested al-Sa'afeen on the streets of alBureij refugee camp, apparently for his membership in Fatah.

Hamas often arrests Fatah members in the Gaza Strip for their political activities and criticisms of Hamas's leaders and policies. Similarly, the Fatah-dominated PA in the West Bank regularly arrests Palestinians in the West Bank because of their affiliation with Hamas. Palestinians call the security crackdown by both parties "politically-motivated arrests."

The death of al-Sa'afeen did not surprise Palestinians who are familiar with various methods of torture in Hamas and PA prisons. The Gaza-based AlMezan Center for Human Rights said that an autopsy conducted by the forensic medicine department on the body of alSa'afeen showed "bruises and a change in the color of the skin" -- implying he had been physically abused.

"Al-Mezan Center regrets the death of the detainee and calls for a serious investigation into the conditions of his detention," the center announced in a statement.

The Center also called on Hamas to investigate whether al-Sa'afeen had received medical treatment during his detention for the high blood pressure and diabetes from which he suffered.

Addammer, a Palestinian human rights organization in the West Bank, also expressed concern over his death and called for an immediate inquiry.

The organization also called for "providing medical care in detention

centers to detainees" and urged Hamas to launch a "serious investigation into this incident and hold those responsible to account."

The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), another Palestinian human rights organization, said that it had first become aware of the detention of al-Sa'afeen in early February, when his family appealed to its representatives for help. "Since ICHR received the family's complaint, it tried to visit al-Sa'afeen in prison to learn about the conditions of his detention," the organization disclosed.

"The [Hamas] Internal Security Agency refused to allow our representatives to visit him. We demand a criminal investigation into this incident, the publication of the results and holding accountable those responsible."

Al-Sa'afeen's mother emphasized that the Israelis treat Palestinians much better than Hamas does. "When the Jews arrest someone, they contact his family to say they are holding him," she stated.

"But Hamas refused to provide us with any information about the detention of my son or his health condition. We didn't receive any phone call from my son and [Hamas] wouldn't allow us to send him clothes or food or medicine."

She added that Hamas did not even inform her family that al-Sa'afeen had been transferred to a hospital. "May God punish all those who assaulted him," she

said.

"The Jews allow detainees to phone their families. We didn't receive even one phone call. We told [Hamas] that he's sick and needs medicine, but they refused to give him any treatment. Until today, we don't know why my son was arrested."

The Palestinian news website Amad pointed out that on the same day that al-Sa'afeen was pronounced dead, the Israeli authorities installed phones for the use of Hamas prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

The al-Sa'afeen family later issued a statement saying that in a Hamas prison, their son had died as a result of brutal torture. The family said that they held Hamas and its security forces fully responsible for the death of their son and called for the formation of an independent commission to investigate the circumstances of, and reasons for, his death.

Sadly, al-Sa'afeen's death follows an unacceptable pattern: In 2011, Hamas announced the death of Ibrahim al-A'raj in one of its prisons two days after he was taken into custody.

In 2015, the family of Khaled al-Balbisi, 41, announced that he had died in a Hamas prison three days after his arrest.

In 2016, a Palestinian human rights group called for an immediate investigation CONTINUED PAGE 10

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international

March 2020

Why Are Palestinians Dying in Hamas Prisons?

FROM PAGE 9

into the death of Ashraf Eid, 40, in a Hamas prison in the town of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip. The group said that Eid died only three days after he was arrested

by Hamas security forces.

In 2017, another Palestinian, Khalil Abu Harb, from Gaza City, also died while being held in a Hamas prison. Hamas then promised to investigate the incident, but no results have ever been published.

Some reports claimed that Abu Harb had committed suicide.

A year later, another detainee, whose name has never been released, was found dead in his prison cell in the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. No one has ever heard the result of any investigation into this case, as well.

Also in 2018, Palestinians reported that a 21-year-old man, whose identity was also not known, had died of a "heart attack" in a Hamas prison in the northern Gaza Strip.

The families of al-Sa'afeen and the other Palestinians who have died in Hamas prisons are deluding themselves if they think they will ever receive satisfactory explanations from Hamas regarding the circumstances of these deaths.

The families' calls for launching investigations into the death of their sons

When Palestinians are brutally tortured and die of dubious causes in Hamas prisons, the murders are ignored not only by Hamas, but also by the international community, human rights organizations and media. Pictured: A jailed Palestinian in Gaza City on November 7, 2018. (Photo by Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)

while in Hamas detention have been ignored not only by Hamas, but also by the international community, human rights organizations and media.

Palestinian detainees do not die of dubious causes in Israeli prisons; perhaps that is why no one in the international community seems to care. When

Palestinians die in Palestinian prisons, the murders are presumably regarded as the handiwork of supposedly savage Arabs, who are -- with racist contempt -- held to a to lower standard of conduct than Westerners, and therefore regarded as unworthy of human rights, accountable governance, due process or equal justice

under the law.

They are evidently considered "just" Palestinian families complaining about brutal torture in Palestinian prisons -- so international human rights organizations do not even notice them.

Bassam Tawil is based in the Middle East.

Netanyahu scrabbles his way to one of his biggest victories FROM PAGE 9

How does Netanyahu do it?

In May 1996, as Netanyahu faced off against Shimon Peres in his first campaign for prime minister, I quipped to my State Department colleague Dennis Ross that Netanyahu would never become Prime Minister of the state of Israel. Since then, Bibi has been Prime Minister in four consecutive terms, is now the longest-governing leader in Israel’s history and may well be positioned to secure a fifth.

How did Netanyahu do it? As Haaretz senior columnist Anshel Pfeffer observed Monday: “This is what he does. He doesn’t lie down after a setback. From the morning after the last election, he was already planning this election campaign. He knew that with 55 seats he wouldn’t be able to form a governing coalition, and his only option was to brazen things out and head for a third election.”

In this campaign -- one of his most determined and dirtiest, Netanyahu was relentless in trying to rally and reclaim thousands of Likud votes. He appealed to niche groups from Ethiopians to cab drivers to pot smokers with fantastical

promises, accused his opponent Gantz of being weak on Iran and mentally deficient, while participating in efforts to secretly record Gantz’s top strategist to smear his rival, according to The New York Times. (Netanyahu denies being part of the effort.)

Malicious and sleazy accusations aside, Netanyahu is popular among his base -- and in a nation moving ever rightward, he is seen as a leader with strong, clear ideology, best positioned to protect Israel’s security and deal with challenges and tough leaders on the world stage.

What happens now?

The game is far from over, and Netanyahu’s victory is far from assured.

The final vote count likely won’t be tallied until late Tuesday and might take longer because of new procedures and counting votes of those quarantined because of coronavirus. It’s conceivable that Netanyahu might pick up or even lose an additional seat.

Recall that in last April’s election, Netanyahu polled 60 seats and still -courtesy of Avigdor Lieberman’s refusal to support his former boss-turnedadversary -- couldn’t reach the magic 61.

Netanyahu’s strategic goal is to remain Prime Minister. This isn’t just a matter of politics, ego or reputation.

Facing trial on serious charges, which he denies (former Prime Minister Ehud OImert spent 16 months in prison on lesser ones), Netanyahu desperately needs to remain at the top to better defend himself.

Claiming that the Israeli public has spoken and given him a governing mandate would strengthen his defense to either cut a better plea deal or seek legislation to bypass the Supreme Court, obtain immunity or get the indictment reversed.

So, let the games begin.

There is talk of a Supreme Court challenge to block an indicted Prime Minister’s authority to form a government, but it’s hard to see the court so blatantly overturning the election results.

Options for Netanyahu range from trying to pick off defectors from opposition parties -- including Blue and White -- to perhaps trying to reconcile with Lieberman, who is projected to have seven seats. The other intriguing possibility is a national unity government with Gantz, who has refused to date to

serve with or under an indicted Israeli prime minister.

But a variety of factors -- from the prospects of the deep aversion to putting the country through the expense, trauma and humiliation of a fourth election, to his own poor showing, pressures from within his party and even the uncertainties of the coronavirus -- might create a basis of cooperation between the two that might sustain their political careers, at least temporarily.

There is one additional option that Gantz might consider as well.

If Lieberman would agree to join a government supported by the Arab Joint List, despite his stated aversion to doing so, together with the center-left parties Gantz would be able to form a government.

It’s a long shot, but in a desperate effort to block Netanyahu it may no longer be unthinkable.

If not, as hard as it is to believe, Israelis will be heading to a fourth election in September -- an outcome incidentally that the wily and indefatigable Netanyahu would likely welcome, leaving him caretaker Prime Minister for the next seven months. Welcome back to “Groundhog Day.”

March 2020

11

international

The Coronavirus and the Search for Scapegoats ROBERT BARTHOLOMEW PH.D. During times of crisis, people look for scapegoats to blame for their problems. It’s part of the human condition. Right now, it’s the Chinese. Since the Coronavirus outbreak, there are reports of people shunning Asians and Chinese, while the internet has exploded with social media posts depicting the Chinese as "dirty" and deserving of what they get for dining on creatures that many Westerners would consider pets. Many of the posts are vile and racist.

Foreigners and outsiders—people who anthropologists call the Other—have long been the first to be blamed for infections.

During the 14th century, when the Bubonic Plague swept across Europe, it wasn’t called the European Plague—it was just "the Plague" or "the Black Death" on account of the lymph nodes turning dark. The Jews most often took the blame for spreading the dreaded sickness and were accused of poisoning wells or trying to infect others directly. Many Jews were murdered based solely on rumor and innuendo. Entire villages were wiped out in retaliation.

Widespread anti-Semitism during this period may have served to protect Jews during outbreaks as they were often forced to live in isolated communities where they practiced religious rituals that promoted hygiene, such as washing one’s hands before eating certain foods or after using the toilet. While these practices may have spared some of them from the ravages of the epidemic, it cast suspicions as rumors spread to explain why some communities were not hit as hard.

What’s in a Name?

The World Health Organization has recommended using the temporary name "2019-nCov" to describe the current epidemic.

While it’s not exactly a catchy name, it is a vast improvement over the current one. The year refers to when it was discovered, the "n" stands for its new or novel nature, while the "CoV" denotes that it is a Coronavirus.

In 2015, the World Health Organization published a set of guidelines for naming infectious diseases. In it, they discouraged making references to people and places as well as animals and occupations. They also recommended against using terms that are likely to “incite undue fear.” They came up with these guidelines with good reason—to avoid the potential for social stigma. One particularly egregious recent example was GRID—the original name for AIDS. It stood for Gay Related Immune Deficiency.

Since the outbreak, some Chinese citizens feel they are being discriminated against with blanket travel bans. They have also been the subject of fake news reports that have gone viral on social media. These types of reports feed into pre-existing prejudices and stereotypes of Chinese people as cold, calculating, opportunistic, and amoral.

Demonizing certain ethnic groups and nationalities during epidemics has been a mainstay throughout history. The Great Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919, was initially dubbed the Spanish Flu—a description that is still widely used today. It doesn’t seem to matter that health experts agree that it didn’t originate in Spain, which took the blame because it was where flu reports first appeared in the popular press. Many

countries involved in the war were reluctant to reveal news of the epidemic, not wanting to show weakness to the other side. The Spanish were essentially punished for their honesty and transparency.

While experts have been unable to prove where the epidemic originated, over the years, two prominent hypotheses have emerged: an American military base in Fort Riley, Kansas, and a British base at Étaples, France. It was never renamed the American or French Flu. More recently suspicions about that flu have fallen on China, but no one can say for certain.

During the 1892 cholera epidemic in the U.S., the scapegoats were newly arrived Jewish immigrants from Europe. Some were evicted from their dwellings (under the pretext that they were breeding grounds for cholera) and were forced to undergo humiliating exams. These inspections and exams had little scientific basis. During the early 1990s, Haitians were stigmatized as carriers of AIDS and HIV. In the U.S., some parents refused to let their children attend school with Haitians, fearing that they could catch the disease. Others were harassed and beaten. One student was even set on fire. During the H1N1 virus outbreak of 2009, popularly known as swine flu, there was widespread prejudice against Latin Americans. Five years later, when the Ebola epidemic struck, those of African descent were stigmatized. Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control has tried to tamp down fears of Chinese people by announcing: “We should not assume because someone is of Asian descent that they have the new coronavirus.” That’s

easier said than done.

Throughout history, groups on the margins of society have faced similar scapegoating after being blamed for society’s problems.

In recent times, it has been Muslims, migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers who seem to get a disproportionate share of the blame. Occasionally, it’s a nationality.

To find out which group is in disfavor, go to the cinema, where for the past several decades, most of the villains have been Russians, Chinese, Iranians, mad scientists, and twisted millionaires. During the 1950s and '60s, Communists and homosexuals were society’s evil-doers. In the wake of economic depression following the Great War, Hitler infamously blamed the Jews for the nation’s woes. What is less wellknown is that the prejudice against Jews was so strong that despite stories of Nazi persecution, the U.S. only took in about 10% of their annual quota of Jewish asylumseekers fleeing Nazi Germany, amid absurd rumors that many were spies for Hitler.

These claims were fueled by anti-Semitism in the State Department and reinforced by popular stereotypes about Jews as cunning and lacking in morality.

When we label epidemics after ethnic groups and nationalities, we risk creating a world of "them versus us" instead of "we." It’s time to overcome our fear of those who look, speak and act differently. Let’s not throw fuel on the fire by labeling Chinese as diseasecarriers. It’s time to recognize these labels for what they really are: human constructs.

We can rewrite the script.

Bipartisan ‘foundation’ on Israel in danger, warns AIPAC CEO at conference enmeshed in politics JNS WASHINGTON—The theme of this year’s AIPAC Policy Conference was billed as “Today. Tomorrow. Together,” the essence of which seemed to be lost in all the political noise associated with 2020 Democratic presidential candidates deciding on whether or not to show up at the annual event.

The conference, however, has long been geared to deliberate concerns and boost relations between Diaspora Jewry and Israelis, and use the time to salve some of the more contentious issues associated with the two largest Jewish communities in the world.

However, with this year’s conference coinciding with a U.S. presidential election and the Democratic primaries, clearly politics was an unavoidable part of the gathering. And in an unusual turn of events, the conference also took place smack dab in the midst of the third round of general elections in Israel within the last year. It was almost hard to get past such major goingson to tackle other pressing matters, such as the blatant anti-Semitism that’s snaking its way across Europe and the United States.

The conference proceedings seemed muted by the clash of candidates—notably, by progressive Democrats Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) stating weeks beforehand their intention to stay away. Only former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attended in person to speak (who on Wednesday morning, after a poor showing on Super Tuesday, announced the end of his campaign), despite the fact that it was Vice President Joe Biden who was brushing off his suit jacket after a striking win in the South

Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, followed by consecutive successes on Super Tuesday. Instead, Biden taped comments that were shown to the 20,000 pro-Israel activists gathered in the nation’s capital.

And there were other elephants in the room: The disconcerting progression of the coronavirus, which has statistically racked up as much time in the news as the numbers associated with delegates being collected during the Democratic primaries, and the ongoing aggression from Iran, which did get some attention during the three-day conference.

In fact, that’s where Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Trump administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, came in to shine.

They touted the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the reimposition of U.S. sanctions and the establishment of new ones; the continued hard line against Tehran when it comes to its nuclear program and attempts to avert sanctions, and to continue to do business with Europe and Asia; and the U.S. killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a move that evoked controversy among legislators in Congress.

And, of course, they rattled off the impressive list of administration accomplishments when it comes to proIsrael moves—from recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv, coupled with acknowledging Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and its right to Jewish settlements, to clamping down on aid to the Palestinian Authority due to its payments to terrorists and their families, in addition to

closing the PLO mission in Washington, D.C. Not to mention the “Peace to Prosperity” plan that has set expectations for change in the Middle East over the next few years, the contents of which were definitely embrace

by Israel and rejected by Palestinian leadership.

‘Foundation in danger of being rocked’ Meanwhile, the issue of maintaining bipartisan support for Israel and the pushback against anti-Israel progressives (especially in light of the Sanders’s snub) was a crucial topic for AIPAC CEO Howard Kohr as he kicked off the conference.

“For decades, we have built a broad and bipartisan consensus as the foundation of support for Israel in America,” said Kohr on Sunday morning. “This foundation consists of both parties. Democrats and Republicans.

All faiths. All races. All Americans.”

“It is a foundation that has endured no matter who was president, no matter who controlled Congress, no matter how events unfolded in the Middle East,” he continued.

“We believed, and continue to believe, that when America stands with the Jewish state, Israelis are more secure, and Americans are, too.”

However, warned Kohr, “today that foundation is in danger of being rocked as it never has been before. A growing, highly vocal and energized part of the electorate fundamentally rejects the value of the U.S.-Israel alliance. It is no longer on the margins, but instead has taken the spotlight of our political life. Its most radical views are bending the political conversation and commanding attention,” he said.

Such language comes amid Democratic leadership being criticized for inadequately dealing with anti-Israel bias and anti-Semitic

rhetoric within its own party—namely, from Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), both of whom have endorsed Sanders for president.

And it almost pointedly referred to the provocative nature of Sanders’s directives towards AIPAC, who on Feb. 23 proclaimed his decision not to attend the conference after even more loudly accusing AIPAC of “fostering bigotry,” a claim that caused AIPAC to respond with a statement calling the comment “truly shameful.” (They also noted that he’s never even attended an AIPAC conference—a not-so-subtle insinuation of “no love lost.”)

That’s on top of multiple calls over the years accusing the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as being “racist”—a harsh determination that, more recently, he has associated with Netanyahu himself.

It was a claim that had Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon saying, “We don’t want Sanders at AIPAC. We don’t want him in Israel. Anyone who calls our prime minister a ‘racist’ is either a liar, an ignorant fool or both.”

He almost proved Kohr’s point.

“Once among the best, most authentic expressions of bipartisan support in America, the U.S.-Israel relationship as we know it … is under attack,” he said, adding that “between now and Nov. 3, every candidate running for federal office will appeal to our various communities for support. But the promise of our support must be predicated on their promise to stand with Israel.”

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schools / shuls

March 2020

Mount Sinai College announced as winner in the Renovation/ Modernisation category 2019 LEA Australasia Awards MOUNT SINAI COLLEGE Mount Sinai College was awarded the winner of the prestigious 2019 Learning Environments Australasia (LEA) NSW Chapter for outstanding achievements in ‘Renovation/Modernisation over $5M’ category.

The jury’s citation reinforced Mount Sinai’s successful balance between the educational transformation of learning spaces and the cultural values delivered through the architectural design and vision of the College. “The emerging pedagogical approach at Mount Sinai College is focused on the ‘diversity’ of individual student needs; through a curriculum enabling ‘curiosity’; and the encouragement of ‘creativity’. The design strategy and architecture supports this vision by creating a connected, inclusive and stimulating environment that inspires the students on their learning journey.”

Mount Sinai’s new classroom spaces effortlessly embody the vision of future education and are purposely designed to support learning that is self-directed, independent, interdependent, authentically personalized and differentiated. Learning that is active rather than passive and student-driven.

Smith + Tracey, who are the architects of the new campus relaunch say “we view the

L:R Phil Roberts, Principal of Mount Sinai College and Adrian Curtis, Director of Learning from Smith + Tracey Architects.

LEA as validation that the transformation of the learning environment at Mount Sinai College strongly reflects and embeds the culture of the College community with a connected contemporary educational setting.”

Principal of Mount Sinai College Phil

Roberts says, “as the famous proverb goes ‘you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear’. Well, in our case, I beg to differ. The transformation of the College has been an inspiration to all. What I have enjoyed is meeting the many ex-Collegians who have not seen the College for a number

of years as they are so excited to see the new school. However, as I have always said, this is great architecture in so far as it achieves the purpose of making teaching and learning more enjoyable and meaningful to everyone.”

Anthony Berman, Mount Sinai College President said, “most of you have lived through the past year of construction with us, and whilst we as a community and school are incredibly proud of our new campus, it’s often rewarding when external professionals recognise the accomplishments of our hard work. Our architecture says ‘come in and meet the family’, and that’s exactly what we want from a school and broader community.”

The LEA awards, made up of both designers and educationalists, promote best practice across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in the design, building and use of learning spaces that can improve educational outcomes for learning. Mount Sinai College is now being put forward for the LEA National and International Awards held in New Zealand May 2020.

Smith + Tracey say, the opportunity to submit for the International Awards “is a celebration of the design quality, cultural engagement and pedagogical synergy created at MSC, and the chance to share the innovative and progressive thinking within a National and International forum.”

Jems joins the CTeen Shabbaton Sydney Jems teens recently flew all the way to New York to be part of a 4 day international Shabbaton joining over 2700 other boys and girls from 24 counties around the world.

Jems Bat Mitzvah Class Begins Jems first group of 2020 Bat Mitzvah girls started off with awesome energy with 33 girls from 10 different schools participating.

13

schools and shuls

March 2020

Masada College Open Day MASADA COLLEGE Masada College will proudly open their doors for their annual Open Day on Wednesday 1st April. Staff and students enjoy this opportunity to open the College to the community to come see all that the College has to offer. College Principal, Martin Tait, says choosing a school for your child is a huge decision for most parents and he encourages all parents to take the time to visit schools of interest, in order to get a real feel for the school. He argues it is easy to be distracted by factors like Naplan

scores, impressive buildings or glossy school brochures. “Parents need to meet the people that will care and develop their children. It’s most important that parents feel confident that they have found a place where their child will be engaged and ready to learn,” said Mr Tait. “Our aim at Masada is to develop the whole student, so they are equipped to deal confidently with the challenges they will face once they leave the security of our school grounds,” he added.

Masada College began in 1962 as a Jewish kindergarten and has now grown to a thriving Early Learning Centre to Year

12 campus. The College has outstanding academic results, ranking 35th in the NSW HSC last year, making it the top Jewish school in the state. The College has also pioneered programs such as Stephen Covey’s ‘The Leader in Me’. This is a whole school improvement model that focusses on developing the whole person, where educators empower students to take responsibility for their own learning, as well as their engagement with their lives and others. Masada students have benefited greatly from this model since it was introduced more than seven years

ago, as it gives them values and tools to communicate and manage conflict, that they can use in the classroom, playground and at home.

The College has an amazing Jewish Learning program to ensure Jewish children appreciate and understand their Jewish heritage. ‘Our children are so lucky because the values of Judaism are embedded in everything we do,” says Head of Jewish Learning, Jo Gluckman.

“Our Jewish curriculum is designed to meet the educational needs of all our students, through both formal programs and experiential practice,” she said. This year the College will introduce structured Jewish learning sessions with Rabbi Krebs every morning and Year 7-8 students will participate in creative tefillah, led by peer support leaders and EDJE (Experiential Department of Jewish Education).

Opportunities for service learning are being broadened to include Friendship Circle and Standup. The Pathways/Zionist Seminars, with both Israeli and local Madrichim as well as the planning for MIT is underway. “If young people are encouraged to recognise their own uniqueness and value their identity, they will flourish,” said Mrs Gluckman.

Masada College Open Day offers Junior School Tours at 10am, 12pm and 2pm and then a Senior School showcase from 4pm until 6pm. For more information email enrolments@staff.masada.nsw.edu.au.

Masada College Students will proudly showcase their school to the community at Open Day

The Sydney Jewish Report apologises for misprinting a Masada College image in our February Back to School edition

Masada College

OPEN DAY 1ST APRIL

Senior School 4-6pm Junior School Tours 10am, 12pm, 2pm

Top performing Jewish School Ranked 35th in NSW HSC 2019 ELC-Yr 12 College Campus: 9-15 Link Road, St Ives email enrolments@staff.masada.nsw.edu.au or call 9449 3744

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schools / shuls

March 2020

The man behind a thriving community - Principal Phil Roberts from Mount Sinai College celebrates 30 years!

MOUNT SINAI COLLEGE Phil Roberts has spent half his life at Mount Sinai College – 30 years in fact! In that time, Phil has transitioned from teacher to Deputy and begins 2020 in his 18th year as Principal of Mount Sinai College. He sits on an array of boards and influential committees; Secretary of IPSHA for 6 years, Member of ISTAA Council, Director of CIS Board and member of CIS council, Previous member of AIS Professional Development Advisory Committee that formerly set policy framework for PD across the States and Principal Coach - Trained as a principal coach under the AIS/IPSHA framework and currently coaches new principals in NSW. It is not uncommon for schools to turn over many principals but one of the key features of Mount Sinai’s success has been its ability to attract and retain outstanding staff members, not the least Phil himself. “Our people within the school are so stable and so cognizant of what the culture is and understand organizational health within their culture,” says Roberts.

This has given Mount Sinai great stability over time and has ensured that the College has continued to embrace change whilst honouring the important traditions that have characterised Jewish learning and the ethos of the school for close to 40 years.

After finishing off the stage 1 renovations mid-last year, the College is thriving: being acknowledged for a third designation as an Apple Distinguished School and recently winning the prestigious 2019 Learning Environments Australasian award in the NSW Chapter for renovations above $5 million category. The award reinforces Mount

Sinai’s successful balance between the educational transformation of learning spaces and the cultural values delivered through the architectural design and vision of the College.

Mount Sinai’s new classroom spaces effortlessly embody the vision of future education and are purposely designed to support learning that is self-directed, independent, interdependent, authentically personalized and differentiated. It promotes student driven learning that is active rather than passive.

When asked how education has changed since he first stepped into the classroom in 1985, Phil mentions two aspects: firstly, technology and the transition into the information age;

and secondly the development of cognitive neuroscience and understanding of how the brain works!

“Both these developments have impacted enormously on education in the most profound and exciting ways. We have learnt so much more about how children learn and have the interesting challenge of preparing our children for an ever-changing world,” says Roberts.

Phil believes in the ethos and groundings of Jewish education. “I think the difference with a Jewish education is the level of expectation.

The value that’s put on education in both the home front and schooling is invaluable.

You can’t measure it or take it for granted.”

Developing the personal values and qualities

Canberra Jewish School Opens

CHABAD ACT

The first Jewish school for the Australian Capital Territory and region has opened its doors this week in what is being hailed as a historic milestone for the Canberra Jewish community.

Chabad ACT was given final approval by the ACT Government to open the primary school catering for years K-6 on the multi-building campus following a rigorous two-year process which included detailed inspections by a Government appointed educational panel.

Incoming Principal Rebbetzin Chasia Feldman received the certificate to open the school from Ms Lynda Tooth, Head of Non-Government Schools in the Education Department of the ACT Government following the sign off by Minister of Education Yvette Berry MLA. The school will provide an educational extension to many of the children enrolled in Gan Yisroel, Canberra’s Jewish day care centre and preschool established by Chabad ACT in 2014, as well as to other Jewish school aged children living or moving to the nation’s Capital and region.

Chairman of Chabad ACT, Rabbi Shmueli Feldman said, “A Jewish school is an essential element for any viable Jewish community.

In Canberra, particularly with its national significance, it is crucial that Jewish families that live and move here have the option for their children to be educated in a Jewish environment and to have access to the same excellent Jewish education being offered in other cities around Australia.” The school, he said, “will complete the basic infrastructural package for enabling and preserving Jewish life and practice in Canberra with which we set out to achieve when we, as a family, arrived here seven years ago.”

“It has been a deeply moving experience to

watch as our precious founding students learn in our school thus realising our long-awaited dream,” stated the founding Principal Rebbetzin Chasia Feldman. “I would like to express my deepest feelings of gratitude to G-d A-lmighty and to our exceptional and experienced staff, community members and volunteers who made this first week of CJS an incredibly uplifting and successful learning experience for all our students. I am lucky my own children are part of this outstanding school which I am confident will become a model of great education worldwide.” She concluded with a blessing, “Baruch ata Hashem, shehechiyanu vekiymanu vehigiyanu lizman haze- blessings to G-d A-lmighty who has granted us life, sustained us and has now enabled us to reach this occasion.”

Mrs Menouha Wasserman, the head teacher, arrived in Canberra with her husband R’ David and family in January as Chabad emissaries to help establish and run the school. Menouha said she was “truly excited to be a part of this monumental next step for Jewish continuity in Canberra” and that she “looked forward to meeting the local Jewish community and welcoming their children to a school which will offer the best of all worlds in a Jewish spirit.”

Founding Canberra Jewish School committee member, Ms Alisa Krasnostein said she was “so excited to watch the enthusiastic and keen first intake of children head off on their very first day of school. It’s vitally important for Canberra to offer an option to Jewish families of a Jewish education, particularly when considering whether a move to the city was viable.”

The school has started intentionally small with composite aged classes and hopes to encourage broader enrollments as the school year progresses.

in children that will prepare them for the future has always been important to the College and in this respect, Jewish education has been the guiding rudder.

A great leader is always anchored by a great team. “Our teaching staff have been able to evolve in their teaching methods. They get behind the vision and the need for change.

They’ve been nimble-footed, receptive and embracing. And that’s been the distinguishing feature of our school compared to many others,” says Roberts.

When asked about his vision for the next 10 years Phil quickly says “To get a high school, number one. And to make sure that we are always evolving. We must honour the tradition, so long as I'm here, we can never forget what it means to be a Jewish school. And keep embracing the change and leading that. If I look at 10 years from now, I want to be the school that has been so responsive to those interruptions that we get in society and I want to be able to lead at that level and to lead with a really good team.”

A token Jew at heart, Phil explains “You've got to think of 32 years of walking into the shule every week, just being part of 32 years of Sederim. 32 years of Purim. 32 years of all festivals, commemorative days. It has a significant shaping of who I’ve become and I’m more aware of that in the last 10 to 15 years.

That's over half my life! And you think about the first half as a younger child, you don't have the level of self-conscious awareness. Most of my adult life has been formed in this environment.

I'd better get a bloody honorary badge when I leave!”

March 2020

purim

Being Besimcha: It’s all in GLOBAL AMBASSADOR, MORIAH COLLEGE & CEO, MOSAIC UNITED RABBI BENJI LEVY

The month of Adar has arrived, and with it a transformation of the mood of the Jewish people. Parades and parties have been planned, children have chosen their costumes, adults have prepared a sumptuous feast and scholars have been poring over the book of Esther. Among the many songs that are sung at this time of year, perhaps the most famous includes the words Mishenichnas Adar, Marbim B’simcha – ‘when Adar enters, happiness increases.’[1] A month-long obligation to deepen our happiness is an intriguing challenge; a provocation to distinguish between profound, true happiness and transient pleasure.

It is, of course, the festival of Purim that gives Adar its special flavour. Although it seems to follow the familiar template of many Jewish festivals (an external enemy came close to wiping us out, God’s intervention saved us, we celebrate by extensive eating and praying) Purim nonetheless has some unusual distinctions. Its elaborate symbolism, its emphasis upon uniting Jews and caring for the poor, and it’s wonderful celebratory spirit makes this festival a favourite among many Jews.

One strange commandment stands out among the activities during Purim day. The Talmud states that each person is obligated to reach a state that one can no longer distinguish between the ‘blessing of Mordechai’ and ‘wickedness of Haman’[2] which is roughly the equivalent of not being able to distinguish between friends and foes. The strangeness of this statement is striking. Judaism usually demands a way of life that encourages intentionality and mindfulness in every action.

Whether praying, learning or performing acts of loving-kindness, the point is always to have kavvana (purposeful intention), be mindful of one’s actions and fully engaged in the experience. Why on Purim are we enjoined to abandon our usual concentration, to take

temporary leave of our rationality, and to confuse ourselves to the point that we can no longer tell the difference between archetypal opposites? What is the message behind this counterintuitive ethos?

I would like to suggest two different and yet complementary ideas. Deep down, there is no real difference between the righteousness of Mordechai and the wickedness of Haman.

What does this mean? The story of the book of Esther can be read, on a superficial level, as a story of human success and failure, a tale of political conniving and palace intrigue in which the Jewish people – through the bravery of a well-placed insider – manage to escape disaster. The fact that God’s name is conspicuously absent from the entire book could support such a reading. However, ancient Jewish wisdom invites us to read the story from a diametrically opposite perspective. God’s explicit presence is absent from the story, but His plan suffuses and informs every action and every actor. As is so often the case in our own lives, God’s plan appears to be hidden and mysterious while the story is unfolding; it is only during the denouement – that sigh of relief after the dramatic climax, when all is revealed – that we understand retrospectively the decisive role that the Divine plan plays in our personal and national redemption.

This paradigm shift is difficult to expect.

While we are in the thick of our own lives, when we are forced to pay minute attention to the events swirling around us, it is difficult to pause and appreciate the grand narrative in which we act. Therefore, on Purim, we temporarily sink ourselves into confusion, to the point where we can forget the particulars, blur the sharp focus through which we categorise our own small existence, and focus on the one great truth that should dominate our thoughts: that it is all part of the Plan. Every setback, every frustration, every tragedy great and small, occurs for a reason and can be used as a platform for the achievement of true greatness. Fortified with this knowledge, we can face the rest of our year with strength and grace, willing to accept everything that comes our way. A paradigm shift of this nature requires profound and penetrating thinking, a concept that the Hebrew language captures in the word Machshava. It is surely no coincidence that those same Hebrew

letters make up the word Besimcha – the state of deep happiness and contentment. Only through understanding the place of our own actions in the grand cosmic plan that will bring the world towards goodness and redemption, can we achieve this sense of pure happiness.

The second idea that lies at the heart of the obligation to move beyond the cerebral is absolutely central to a truly religious life.

Judaism, it may be said, is a religion that centralises, even celebrates, rational cognitive activity. The fundamental premise of learning Torah is that all possible questions, even deeply disturbing or subversive, must be encouraged.

Reasons for everything – from rituals to textual anomalies, from historical events to messianic prophecies – are studiously sought in every genre of Jewish literature. Our pantheon of Jewish heroes is replete with those giants of the intellect (Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi, Maimonides and Elijah of Vilna for example) whose grand intellectual projects attempted to categorize the vast constellations of Jewish ideas into by the probing scholarly mind. This tradition of intellectualism begins early, as all Jewish children who are taught to ask the ‘Four Questions’ on Seder Night are initiated into a distinctly Jewish didactic search for truth. Torah learning – a strenuously cognitive activity – is often portrayed as the greatest conduit for communing with God. Our minds can take us very far indeed, but only up to a certain point. Everyone intuits this truth, for it lies at the basis of our humanity.

There are many crucial areas of human activity in which the rational mind reigns supreme: all scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and political endeavours are excellent examples of this. However, those areas that are most important to us – love, morality, spirituality, and ultimate meaning – remain, in a very deep way, far beyond our logical and cognitive capacities.

Very few people can give purely logical explanations as to why we love our partner, why we sacrifice ourselves for our children, or a host of other elements of how we live our lives.

Yet that does not mean that we are not fully committed to these beliefs; on the contrary, we live our very lives upon their veracity. Human beings cannot rationalise their way through life, and require different modes of perception and expression in order to relate to the greatest

15

Imges: JEMS celebration Purim

mysteries and convictions of humanity. We have therefore developed elaborate rituals of singing and prayer, learn great texts that are suffused with potent symbolism and moral instruction, and create space for contemplation and meditation.

Despite celebrating and appreciating the immense power of the mind, we have also come to recognise its limitations in exclusively guiding us through life. We set aside one afternoon per year where we eliminate – to the extent that is sensible and proper – our cognitive faculties, allowing us to expand our horizons, and to relate through emotion, soulful intuition, and sheer exuberant joy. The fact that we are far more than merely our rational selves, the fact that we are able to transcend our everyday cognitive limitations, to reach out to God and to each other through a wide array of mediums, is a tremendous blessing. Purim offers us the chance to tap into this blessing and to activate these unique innate capabilities and appreciate them for what they are.

Both ideas are, of course, interlinked. This Purim, when we are transported to a different state of being, we should relish the opportunity to blur the boundaries that characterise our everyday rational selves. We should reach out beyond ourselves, connect joyously to our fellow Jews, and recognize that our own personal thoughts and worries are subsumed into a grand design that is more wondrous and powerful than we can usually ever imagine.

Truly, this is a source of deep happiness.

[1] Babylonian Talmud,Tractate Taanit 29a.

[1] Babylonian Talmud,Tractate Megillah 7b.

Rabbi Benji Levy is the CEO of Mosaic United, a partnership between the State of Israel and the global Jewish community dedicated to addressing wide-ranging approaches to Jewish engagement and raising the playing field to ensure a stronger Jewish future. A recent Oleh from Australia, he previously served as the Dean of one of the largest Jewish schools in the world, Moriah College and now is their global ambassador.

Imges: JEMS celebration Purim

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March 2020

Values Are Caught, Not Taught RABBINICAL COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND RABBI YAAKOV GLASMAN There is an intriguing story that talks to one of the central theme of Purim.

A rabbi was once awoken at three o’clock in the morning by a young couple who were quarrelling.

They explained that the next morning their new born son was scheduled to have his bris.

“I know” the rabbi responded, “but this should be a time of joy so why are you both so perturbed?”

“Because we cannot agree on what name to give our child” the wife said. “You see, I want to name him after my grandfather whose name was ‘Moshe’” “I see, said the rabbi, “And who do you want to name him after?” he asked the husband.

“Well, I want to name him after my grandfather whose name was also ‘Moshe’!”

Confused, the rabbi asked “If you both want the name Moshe then what is the problem?” to which the wife replied “No rabbi, you don’t understand.

My grandfather was a scholar and a gentleman, a well-respected man who departed this world with a good name. My husband’s grandfather was a crook, a no good-nik and a cheat who left this world with a terrible name. I want our son to be named ‘Moshe’ after my grandfather, not Moshe’ after my husband’s grandfather!”

The rabbi asked for a few minutes to think about it. He entered his study and began to meditate.

Shortly afterwards he emerged and said “I have the perfect solution! Tomorrow at the bris you will name your son ‘Moshe’. As to your question about who he’ll be named after, for that we’ll wait till he grows up, and the answer will be determined by the two of you through the manner in which you raise him”.

An enlightening story indeed, but what’s it got to

President of the Rabbinical Council of Australia and New Zealand Rabbi Yaakov Glasman explains the Megillah to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews do with Purim? Everything.

Purim means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Some view Purim as an expression of unadulterated Jewish pride when the Jews tenaciously clung to their faith despite mounting odds against their survival. Others view Purim as a deeply feminine festival after whose heroine the megilah is distinctively named (Megillat Esther, not Megillat Mordechai). For some it’s a festival of shrouded in mystery when G-d concealed His face from His people, whilst for others it’s a festival of unbridled joy and elation for the miracle we experienced on that fateful day in Persia. And of course, for most young children it’s just a reason to dress up and have a party.

Purim indeed has many messages. But there is one in particular that is so critical to contemporary Jewry that it ought to be preached about from every pulpit, taught about in every classroom and reinforced at every Jewish dinner table. It’s the message of Jewish education.

We survived against Haman’s calamitous decree to murder every Jewish man, woman and child in all 127 countries under Ahasuerus’ rule, for one crucial reason: Jewish children. Mordechai had gathered 22,000 Jewish children, whom he educated with the Torah and with whom he prayed for Gd's mercy. He imbued them with such spirit of sacrifice for their Jewish faith that they declared unanimously, "In life or in death we will not part from Mordechai!" It was the Jewish child’s pure and unadulterated recognition of who they are and what they stand for which stood us in good stead against one of the most notorious anti-Semites the world has had the misfortune of knowing.

It wasn’t the sackcloth worn by the people. It wasn’t the fasting and lamenting. It wasn’t the cries and pleas of the Jews of Shushan that elicited G-d’s mercy. It was the Jewish children, so pure in their thoughts, unsullied in their actions and innocent in their very beings. When our children internalize the values of their heritage and become part of the long chain linking them back to Abraham our forefather, we as a people are safe and our continued existence is assured.

But that internalization doesn’t happen by itself. For values to be received they have to be given. For Jewish identity to be absorbed they must be imparted. And who is best place to impart that identity to our children if not those with the greatest influence on them during their formative years? It is true that children are the future of that long and unbroken chain, but it is their parents first and foremost who are charged with the

responsibility (and privilege) of enabling them to become the next link.

Parents can spend a fortune on Jewish education but as research affirms, receiving an education at school must be coupled with further reinforcement from the home if it’s to be internalised. As stated by a renowned Jewish educator – values are not taught, they’re caught.

Of course, the research only confirmed that which we knew instinctively since our inception as a people. The children in the story of Purim caught their Jewish values from Mordechai because he really meant it. He didn’t just say it. He didn’t simply mimic it. He lived it. And that’s why those children were inspired, because kids are far more perceptive than some of us give them credit for.

They know the difference between what we mean, and what we say we mean. So let’s mean it! Purim Sameach!

Purim: Faith & Feast KASHRUT AUTHORITY RABBI GUTNICK Everyone loves noshing on hamantaschen and loosely knows the story of Purim, right?

Back in Ancient Persia, King Achashverosh made a great feast and insisted Queen Vashti appear. Vashti (2000 years ahead of her time,) opted out and attempted to start her own #Me Too movement. No happy ending there.

Enter: Esther who was anointed the new Queen and how thankful we are for that! Without doubt, ultimately, her regal presence and actions saved the Jewish people. But hold the chocolate hamantaschen for one moment: the Jews who indulged at the banquet consumed delicacies that were not kosher and for that transgression, a terrible decree fell upon them. Haman, the King’s vizier, wanted to kill every Jewish man, woman and child. Urgent situation at hand. Mordechai (Esther’s uncle) rallied the masses to return to Hashem, Esther beseeched the King to spare her tribe and … success!

The rest is history - they tried to destroy us, we were victorious, nu, time for a feast?

Not so fast. The Talmud tells us that Achashverosh did, in fact, provide kosher

food – so if that’s the case, what was their crime? The answer is as simple as it is profound. The king’s rationale for throwing this mega-party was to celebrate (by his reckoning,) that the time allowed for the prophecies of rebuilding the Temple had elapsed and therefore, it would never be rebuilt. He knew about Daniel and what happened to his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. He knew that the only threat to his Kingdom would come from the G-d of Israel; his joy was fuelled by his belief that the Jewish dream of returning to the Holy Land had crumbled. Every Jew chose to participate in this obscene celebration ... all except one – Mordechai.

He believed and refused to succumb. The rest of the Jewish leadership called him a troublemaker – on the contrary, he was the hero.

The parallels to our time are impossible to ignore. There are those amongst us who think that the establishment of the State of Israel was the mere product of human intervention (Balfour Declaration and the rest.) Period. It was people with this mode of thinking who devoured the feast, devoid of faith in Hashem.

My allegiance is with Mordechai. The State of Israel is the culmination of 2000

years of Jewish faith and yearning. Faith in the prophecies that foretold a desolate desert turning green at the hands of Jews returning to that land as part of G-d’s promise. I feel awestruck to think of the miracle that occurred when we reclaimed the Temple Mount, 2000 years after the Romans drove us from our land. The Roman Empire, and many others that chose to oppress us are long gone, yet we survive and thrive. Strengthened by the declaration of the leader of the free world,

that Jerusalem is and always will be the eternal capital of the Jewish people.

We stand tall and we stand strong. The State of Israel and our return to it, fulfils G-d’s promise to the Jewish people. We will not participate in any feast that seeks to belittle that miracle or cast doubt on our aspirations and G-d’s hand in IT ALL! The Land of Israel in its entirety is ours and will be so for evermore. We await the Third Temple; may it be speedily built in our days.

Imges: JEMS grandparents hamentashen bake

March 2020

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The Blessing Of Rain SUSAN ZIMMERMAN ‘You lavished a generous rain, O G-d. When Your heritage was weary You established it firmly. (Psalms 68:10). Taken from Perek Shira (the Song of the Universe) translated by Rabbi Nosson Scherman.

The literal meaning of the Hebrew word Megillah is to reveal. In the case of the Jewish festival of Purim, it means, to uncover the deeper metaphysical design beneath the geopolitical surface of events. This type of revelation can be applied to a truth that is hidden within the tragic losses to good people who endure the terrible fires that have been burning in Australia this summer.

Since the fires began, I have checked in with ABC News Breakfast for updates. Like many viewers, I have watched the unfolding catastrophe with a heavy heart, digging deep to donate to the various funds and praying for rain to come to the drought and fire-stricken areas of our sunburnt land. The outpouring of care, lovingkindness and generosity from Australian people and people all around the world has shown unequivocally, that the human race is good.

The footage of hundreds of people escaping the blazes in a large navy ship shocked the watching world. The sky was black, occasionally lit by bursts of red flames rising.

There were no twinkling stars because it was the middle of the day. We heard that many people were rescued by helicopter while some families huddled on the beaches, ready to run into the water if the flames came too close.

Millions of dollars flooded into our land from everywhere but not yet the rain. The Federal Government set aside billions towards a rebuild of all that has been lost.

Vets and volunteers tend to the surviving wild animals. Scenes of our iconic koalas and kangaroos, wrapped in blankets and being fed water in bottles by human guardian angels, warm our hearts. We admire how these guardian angels tend to the burn wounds of farmers’ surviving cattle and sheep and prickly characters, like the Australian spiny anteater.

Our zoos’ animal inhabitants have suddenly grown in size; the newcomers have come to be nursed back to health and then will be returned to the wild. All this belies the fact that so many badly burnt livestock have been mercifully put down causing their owners deep grief and material loss.

The donations continue and people are volunteering to help with the rebuild now.

Young volunteers are rebuilding fences to keep remaining cattle from being lost. Men, women

and children are sorting donations of food and clothing in redistribution centres. These acts of loving kindness grow in number, day by day.

Tragically people have lost their lives. More than a thousand have lost their homes and properties. Countless animals’ lives have been lost, some species, it is feared, into extinction.

Everyone and everything in the fire-ravaged regions have suffered terribly. Away from the fire zones, Sydney has endured smoke haze for months, and Melbourne recently experienced the worst air quality of any city in the world over several days.

ABC News Breakfast catches the moment the rains came in the most beautiful and joyful footage. The torrents of water not only helped put out the fires but brought relief to drought-stricken regions. Two little toddlers from the NSW’s fire zone were pictured in gum boots, jumping into puddles in the surrounding mud. They had probably never seen rain before. Children were skidding along the slippery, watery mud and actually rolling in it. Afterwards a photographer took a photo of these children standing proudly covered in mud. Teenagers devised a new sport: I’d call it mud skiing. Instead of a speed boat they were pulled behind a tractor and instead of skis, they stood on planks of wood. Finally, the viewer was treated to the fantastical sight of baby calves jumping on all four legs, in the water and mud. They, like the toddlers, had not seen rain and muddy puddles before. Their parent cows seemed to be alternatively heads upward basking in the rain on their dusty coats or heads down drinking from the puddles.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, drought, hail and fire compete with manmade political disasters, sudden deadly plagues and terrorism. All good people desire deep in their hearts that the world should become a peaceful place where everyone dwells in safety and security, where natural disasters abate, where love and not hate prevail. We yearn for a time when there will be no more conflict, no more war, no more terrorism, crime or poverty, no more stress or sorrow. We want to live in a world free from pollution, breathing pure air and drinking pure water; where the seas are free from human litter and sea creatures are no longer poisoned by non-biodegradable plastic fragments spilling over from landfill.

We want a world where no species is culled into extinction and neither manmade or natural disasters have destroyed their habitat.

In 1516 Sir Thomas Moore coined a new English word, ‘Utopia’, Greek for ‘not a place’.

Utopia was the word he used as a title for a

book that he wrote about an imaginary island representing the perfect society. People shared a self-contained way of life with a common culture in an idyllic setting. Today there is a great desire among many people for unification, inclusion and equality. However, this paradoxically has sometimes led to an intolerance towards respectful debate and differing outlooks.

But there was no intolerance among Australians over these past few months of all-encompassing fire. We were united, all pulling together, despite all our differences.

Something took precedence, our survival. It is a paradox, indeed, that the best in man seems to surface only during the worst of times.

Australian producer-director Damon Gameau’s documentary called 2040 inspires with a vision that goes far beyond Moore’s imaginary island. He sees a world filled with creative solutions to its environmental, economic and political problems. His seaweed solution for carbon emissions and unpolluting the seas is pure genius. On these issues Gameau has managed to create a template for the future that in many ways parallels Jewish teachings from the Bible. However, the Jewish vision of a perfected world includes something additional: the laws of morality as defined by G-d. Many books of Jewish commentary are written explaining the profound importance of these laws, they encompass every area of human behaviour.

The fires, in all their fury, have revealed an aspect of mankind that has the potential to bring the Jewish vision of a perfected world into reality. We witnessed how people throughout the world moved away from self-interest to offer generous donations to people they had never met, people living the other side of the world.

We are all suddenly united by a shared purpose.

Among people directly affected there is a strong sense of community. People are offering shelter to fire-ravaged families who have lost everything.

Reaching out to strangers, now much-loved friends, and providing them with a home for as long as they need.

Geulah meaning redemption, is a Hebrew word which is created by adding an aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, to another Hebrew word Gola meaning exile.

We first hear about Gola in the Tanach when Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who had destroyed the Holy Jewish Temple, exiled the majority of Jews to Babylon. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory (Sefer Hasichot 5751, vol.

2, p. 520 ff.) explains that the aleph as the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, carries

the numerical value of one. At the Kabbalistic level of biblical interpretation, the letter aleph represents the One, namely G-d, the Creator of the world, the cosmos and the Creator of everything. Paradoxically, eleph, spelled with the same letters as aleph in Hebrew but with one different vowel sound, means a thousand, symbolising the plurality of mankind. The Hebrew word aleph can therefore be seen to represent the Oneness of G-d, the essential unity that lies hidden within the multiplicity of G-d’s creation. By placing the aleph back into the Gola we create Geulah; we return to G-d’s template for a perfect world.

As G-d’s presence is hidden in the Purim story, but we are left in no doubt as to who is pulling the strings, so G-d’s presence is hidden in Moore’s Utopia vision and Gameau’s 2040 vision and in our great fires. The part that makes these and all stories, Purim stories, is the part about G-d being hidden, yet nevertheless working behind the scenes in response to our every thought, speech and action. As we disguise ourselves in costumes during Purim, we reveal some aspect of ourselves through hiding. In a similar way as Jews, we need to reveal G-d’s essence hiding within everything we experience. Let us reveal the silent aleph smiling at us through the wonders of the natural world. Our desire to protect humanity and all the animals from a great fire, our desire for the blessings of rain in right measure have been answered for G-d is whispering his love for us through the rain which He alone has created. We need to pray for this rain to continue.

On Thursday 16 January 2020, the heavens began to open. Rain flooded in parts of Queensland and 50 ml of rain fell in NSW firetorn areas and days later 89 ml of rain arrived in Gippsland, Victoria ending a three-year drought. The rain is continuing to fall but not everywhere; there are stormy aspects to this rain in places and hail as big as golf balls in Canberra. The drought has still to break in parts of NSW that were visited by a monsoon like dust storm. Aspects of the perfect world we seek still need refinement but our prayers for rain and people’s lovingkindness to each other has and will continue to be rewarded.

A Chassidic saying encapsulates it all. ‘Know that what is above comes from you.’

Susan Sara Feiga Zimmerman is the author of two books, ‘Journal of Disability to Ability’ and ‘Like Streams in the Negev’ available at Golds, Jeffreys and The Avenue Bookshop.

Imges: JEMS grandparents hamentashen bake

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March 2020

Tikkun Olam is Judaism envisioning an ideal world. Often translated to mean ‘repair of the world’, and even as social justice,Tikkun Olam underpins our religious way of life and perspective that works towards a time of peace – not just ending war, but a time of prosperity, health and justice for all and a world in which our future generartions can prosper.

The Sustainable Fashionista SHARON FLITMAN

Hey there, fashionista.

You look good. And you like looking good.

Obviously. You’re a fashionista, after all.

But have you ever considered the kind of resources required to make all of those outfits you adore? Or what happens to each natty number once it’s deemed ‘so 2019’?

Frivolous, fast fashion is fun, but it comes at a cost beyond the initial cash that’s splashed at the shop. The environmental impact of clothing turnover is undeniable, and unsustainable.

But it doesn’t have to be. Here are some ideas for creating head-turning, guiltfree get-ups and satisfying your inner fashionista without the planet paying the price.

IDEA 1: THE OP SHOP Op shop shopping is my favourite kind of shopping. It’s basically a win-win way to buy.

The charity wins – as do those they help – because your purchase supports their operation. And you win because you get to satisfy your craving for new stuff with zero associated guilt.

It’s guilt-free because you’re basically giving to charity. It’s guilt-free because

nothing new needs to be made in order for you to have your new thing. And it’s guiltfree because the amount of money you’re likely to drop is a lot less than what you might spend on a single ‘new shop’ item.

Personally, I adore op-shopping because you just never know what treasures you might unearth. I routinely discover top brands with sub $10 price tags, or funky bits and bobs that wouldn’t be out of place at an artisan craft market (but for 1/50th the price). Plus, the turnover tends to be higher than a standard store, making for interesting browsing all year round!

IDEA 2: THE CLOTHES SWAP This is a super fun way to breathe new life into an old closetful of clothes. It’s a great excuse to get together with friends and get rid of old pieces that have been gathering dust since they were last cracked out 4 years ago. And it’s basically like shopping – but without needing to shell out a cent.

For the uninitiated, a clothes swap goes something like this: Step 1. Link up with a group of friends or acquaintances of approximately the same size and shape.

Step 2. Encourage everyone to cull and collect clothes they no longer wear from their wardrobes.

Step 3. Pick a place to meet – preferably a house with easy access to tea and a decent cheese platter.

Step 4. Take it in turns to show your unwanted items to the rest of the crew.

Step 5. If someone likes the look of a given piece, they can claim it.

Voila! Everyone leaves with a belly full of cheese, and a brand spanking new wardrobe to wear. No dosh leaves your pocket, and no new demands are placed on the planet’s finite resources.

IDEA 3: WHY BUY WHEN YOU CAN RENT? For the socially active fashionista, there always seems to be another ‘special’ occasion that feels like it demands a ‘special’ once-off outfit. But acquiring a new ensemble to wear only once – time and time again – quickly becomes a bit much.

Enter the rent-a-rig industry. In recent years, stacks of stores have sprung up specifically to hire out outfits for single use. Now, you can have a new-for-you outfit for every event, without needing to clog up your closet with garb you’ll never wear again. And no precious resources need to be expended to feed your infashion-tuation.

IDEA 4: THE MIX ‘N’ MATCH When it comes to fashion, there are also ways to satisfy our need for newness without always acquiring new things.

Finding new ways to wear, combine or use existing items can be a surprisingly effective way of satiating our natural human lust for novelty.

Do you always play it safe by wearing a black shirt with that yellow skirt? Try

rocking it with your red top instead.

Used to wearing jeans the conventional way? Roll them up and transform them into ¾ pants for something new.

Alternatively, simply consider purchasing more classic, timeless pieces that can be dressed up or down with an assortment of scarves and accessories.

BAM – you have a completely new look without any new stuff. Indeed, without even leaving your room! And once you start looking, you’ll find almost endless opportunities for reimagining your existing wardrobe.

So fashionista, never fear. Yes – you have an ethical obligation to do your bit. And no – hitting the stores every other week to acquire new apparel is not the way to satisfy it.

But you need not sacrifice your style to be an enviro-warrior.

Sharon is a self-professed 'greenie'.

Brought up in secular humanist Jewish household, she has always believed in the power of each individual's actions in affecting the collective health of the planet.

Based in Melbourne, by day Sharon works as a Speech Pathologist in adult community rehabilitation. By night she learns Auslan, volunteers with people with disabilities through Inclusion Melbourne, and dabbles in freelance writing/blogging, song writing, painting

March 2020

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The truth about fat: the good, the bad and the misunderstood…

ME NUTRITION MONIQUE ETKIND Consuming fat in your daily diet has always been a topic for discussion, as many people are very confused as to which fats are good for you and what the differences between the fats are. In current times there has been a trend towards higher fat diets and although I don’t believe in these, I do believe fat is an important element to a healthy and sustainable diet.

Dietary fats can be separated into two classes: saturated and unsaturated.

Saturated fats are viewed as the harmful ones as they can cause a rise in cholesterol and may lead to blockages in your arteries.

They are generally animal based (meat, chicken, full cream dairy, eggs) with the exception of coconut oils. This is why there has been a trend towards a more plantbased diet for people who are at risk of heart disease. As I tell my healthy clients regularly, consumption of small amounts of saturated fats are not an issue. Eating red meat a couple times a week, cooking with coconut oil in limited amounts or having a full cream coffee now and then should not cause heart problems. Many of my clients question me on why I do not use coconut oils since it has a higher smoking point and is less carcinogenic than my preferred olive oil. My answer to this is always the same….

Using large quantities of coconut- based

products can lead to high cholesterol as seen in many of my clients. When using olive oil, for dressing or cooking, I generally don’t cook above 180 degrees so to me this is the healthier product.

Unsaturated fats are plant based (avocados, olive oil, nuts) with the exception of fish (salmon, tuna). They help to lower cholesterol and have protective factors over the heart. I encourage my clients to replace their saturated fats with these healthier fats and not to remove their fat intake altogether as fat is important for essential body functions. It’s also important to remember one should not replace their saturated fats with more carbohydrates as this too can increase your heart disease risk.

My take home message for you all is to get your main nutrition from healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and lean proteins such as fish and skinless poultry.

Following a more balanced diet will help to keep your heart and the rest of you healthy.

Monique is a Sydney based Dietitian (APD) and nutritionist, who believes one should eat everything in moderation.

She runs a private practice in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. All her plans are individually based to ensure that they attend to the nutritional needs of both adults and children, by facilitating the processes of fat loss and management of related medical diseases.

Contact us:

0435 845 004 439-441 Old South Head Rd Rose Bay NSW 2029 Australia - Sydney

JIU-JITSU FOR BEGINNERS TO ADVANCED Learn the Alliance BJJ method

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lifestyle

Red Flags For Post Natal Depression

THE SLEEP COACH CHERYL FINGLESON

Adjusting to parenthood is tough going and it's natural for parents - both mums and dads - to feel overwhelmed by their new normal.

When the baby blues last longer than a few weeks or so, it's important to consider whether post-natal depression or anxiety has set in. PND develops between one month and a year after having a baby and affects around one in seven women and 5% of new dads.

Friends are often the first to notice when something's wrong. Here are some tell tale signs to look out for if you're worried someone you know is struggling.

1. Withdrawing from contact and within social situations. People with PND often describe feeling as though they're in a bubble and feeling removed or separate from other people, even in company. Your friend might not be returning phone-calls or seem reluctant to meet up or socialise.

2. Tearfulness, irritability or sadness.

Your friend might feel overwhelmed by things that never used to bother her. She might cry frequently or seem sad and upset. Alternatively she might appear emotionless and flat.

3. Anxiety. Your friend might feel intense or fleeting feelings of panic and worry. She might appear overly anxious about her baby's health, safety or behaviour, events, people or places.

4. Change in appetite. Has your friend lost a lot of weight? Has her appetite changed - is she eating more or less than usual?

5. Is your friend always hyper-critical of herself and her abilities? Loss of confidence is common in early parenthood, but feeling constantly worthless and useless also takes hold in PND sufferers.

6. Women suffering from post-natal depression and anxiety often find themselves no longer enjoying or finding pleasure in things they used to.

7. Of course every parent suffers from exhaustion, but if your friend's tiredness levels seem excessive, or they're sleeping more or less than usual - despite what their baby's doing - then this can be a warning sign.

8. Panic attacks. This can include having moments when your friend's heart races, has palpitations, breathlessness, shaking or feeling 'detached'.

9. Does your friend fear being alone with her baby? Does she say or feel

she's not the best person to look after her baby? These feelings of inadequacy can escalate in some cases When a woman is suffering from post-natal psychosis she may become convinced she - or someone else - will harm her baby if left alone.

10. Inability to focus, remember or concentrate. Again, all signs of early parenthood, but if you sense your friend is suffering these to an extreme extent it could be a sign of depression which fogs the brain.

11. Risk taking behaviour. Is your friend drinking heavily or taking prescription or illegal drugs? She may be self-harming or hurting herself in other ways. All these are serious warning signs that something is wrong.

What can you do to help?

- Talk to your friend. Open up the conversation so she knows you're available to confide in.

- Text your friend - it will mean a lot that you're thinking of her.

- Encourage your friend to seek help.

- Provide emotional and practical support.

- Support her recovery.

- Drop off food, take her children or baby out for a bit to give her a break.

- Take her out - a change of scenery can be an enormous comfort.

PANDA supports women, men and families affected by depression and anxiety in pregnancy and early parenthood. Call, 1300 726 306 Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Cheryl Zzz For more sleep tips and advice, please visit: www.cherylthesleepcoach.com.au Please like our facebook page: www. facebook.com/thesleepcoach Cheryl Fingleson is a paediatric sleep consultant. As a mother of two, she knows only too well the feelings of agony and desperation & depression when you have a child that struggles to settle and sleep.

She doesn’t believe in leaving babies or children to cry it out, nor in the practices of controlled crying. Her gentle approach is to empower parents with the right tools and techniques to teach their babies and children to go to sleep calmly, happily and independently.

CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES DATE

LIGHT

END

CANDLES Friday, Mar 27, 2020

6:39 pm

7:32 pm

Friday, Apr 3, 2020

6:29 pm

7:23 pm

Wednesday, Apr 8, 2020

5:23 pm

Thursday, Apr 9, 2020

6:17 pm

Friday, Apr 10, 2020

5:20 pm

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020

5:15 pm

Wednesday, Apr 15, 2020

6:09 pm

6:14 pm 6:08 pm

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SO EXPLOSIVE

AARON DAVID MILLER

is above all a matter of faith, of belief and of religion. The notion that the three Abrahamic faiths -- Islam, Christianity and Judaism -share common values concerning peace, Even back in the days when you could still social justice and humanity may well be use the term “peace process” true. But that has never with a straight been the case when face, the odds of solving the Jerusalem issue it comes to this city.

History is filled with were already pretty long.

Then, I would have claims, conquests, crusades, occupations, put those odds a bit north massacres and violence of impossible and in the name of a little south ofI 14, 5774 Things hopeless. possessing Jerusalem, are even 2014 / Adar not sharing it. worse now.

Friday, 14 February And nowhere has the religious complexity FREE VOL. 1 I remember day eight of the Jerusalem issue of the Camp David been clearer than summit in July 2000, when on the question of who discussion turned controls and what to Jerusalem. That day, will happen to the Haram it was clear to me al-Sharif (Noble that as far Camp David Enclosure) and Har was concerned, it Habayit (Temple was game over. There Mount). That platform, were some intriguing situated within the moves on Israel’s part, walls of Jerusalem’s Old but nothing that could City, is in essence a have settled the issue. physical manifestation Indeed, Ehud Barak, of overlapping sacred but globally, too; and as Yasser Arafat and Bill the last few months space.

Clinton could have but not always a result suggest, it is also fallen into the yawning of the perception a matter of security Atop activities gaps that separated sits the goldened Dome among Palestinians Tu B’Shevat of the Rock, fraught and framed now Israelis and Palestinians that including Israel is trying aNSW by an intimacy of Boardcentury Islamic seventh on this issue and to change the activities, shrine built by by the killing reflected in the never have been heard status of some slayings of Israeli and aspect of the Caliph Abd al-Malik from again. a project initiated Jerusalem. The and that houses the Palestinian teens this Fast forward a decade reason for this latest past summer and of round foundation and a half, and stone, a massive rock that figures of tensions, violence of Deputies. last week’s savage Palestinian being a part not much has changed. and ourselves on Jerusalem is still attack on a a perfect is prominently in Jewish and Islamic pride bloodletting report but synagogue in west Jerusalem. tradition. storm of We weAnd insoluble we it now seems factors that include on which news’ butand nearby there’s a site of the more explosive sense of isolationtheand communities even greater news is good then ever.inSoa what don’t pretend frustration on theandsignificance is it about Jerusalem/ that They say ‘no -- the al-Aqsa mosque part of the Palestinians be everywhere We believe PROXIMITY CAN BE started Yerushalayim/al-Quds we can’t of East Jerusalem by Caliph Abd lot DEADLY. that makes it so think differently. there is a al-Malik in the seventh who don’t have the know everything.

Ben Franklin quipped that community potentiallyitcontentious to benefit of the social century.bravery, to the will proximity breeds and deadly? thriving Jewish services and economic Quran, it is reputed a story of dedication, According children, and contempt, Three things stand out: and that sharing If there’s advantages of towhich too. In this regard, be theinspires ascension point where Israelis in the west; Israel’s of good news; even further. the Prophet achievement, Jerusalem is unique in or to effort that it is one of the Mohammed expand also leadership our community inspire others. rose to heaven on his Jewish their communities and strengthen it will only places where Israelis growing Night IT’S A PERFECT STORM OF been chances are and Palestinians Jerusalem; in East Journey. a vibrant and Below you, presence COMPLEXITY. (the you’ve the platform are the remains Sydney has connected Hamas’ efforts to know. vast majority who aren’t Similarly, if Jerusalem us are is a microcosm of almost Arab citizens the flames; forgotten Let us incite and fan of both temples, which housed or Jewish but few of or all of Israel) mix and the grim the the community issues in the Israeli-Palestinian bureaucracy, every day and have realization relationships that over by the Ark of theIf Covenant there’s and the Holy almost future seems immediate packed conflict unrestricted of Holies. know. almost walked certain to be more access to one another. beyond our into While letofus The one small place that is participate. area is so the It is a the same. With marked stunning by the system, in which we by a big to a sector of sensitive to Jews that they the Israel-Gaza testament to the pragmatism be well war sub-groups were until or enjoined not campaign a over enable us history. It combines territory (who self-interest and the next round, ourto set foot on the Mount cause, throw internet a and and will the should of control West often Israelis and Palestinians Bank relatively out of fear that they could the news we areland in the east and west, not you think we -- as quiet, it’s Jerusalem be treading on that citizens’, well as the imbalance And if you community to mention that has emergedlet know. ground. the four quarters -of power -- that the as us sacred informed ‘global Jewish, city has remained the epicenter of unrest. what is happening or want to weight behind, unaware ofMuslim, Armenian, as quiet and functional down Christian -- of the It is quite completely some advice extraordinary that despite as old it has these many few Ithouses living a city). involves have a solution, years given such passions incidents community political identity (conflicting Telling of violence -- October important an to someone OVERLAPPING to bridge!). and politics.

1990, SACRED claims to the city as a your voice over the add SPACE. September 1996, September to change capital); it is driven by Things in Jerusalem would (never mind 2000 and of But it should be no us know. course one way letenough be bad (see below) involving surprise that given if stories isreligion and children what’s and debate, transpired in recent not just Jews, those shuls the perfect each other’s year --begins storm were driven weeks politics and passions Muslims and Christians new by attend different that the themselves thatmembers As the only Jerusalem area has not been a proximity as well as nationalist Report, in the Middle East, has often become scene of this. alike are opening a bloodywhen and political and strengthen flash point, often conflict.

Sydney Jewish adults the and and But that inaugural enlighten was not to be. Jerusalemchapter of learning Continued on page In compiling of schools. create a newspaper 34 from this, our • Connect, Page 20

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Sydney Jewish Report Disclaimer: Except where expressly stated otherwise, content in The Sydney Jewish Report is provided as general informations only. The articles in this paper have been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content here are presented solely by the author, and The Jewish Report assumes no responsibility for them. It is not intended as advice and must not be relied upon as such. You should make your own inquiries and take independent advice tailored to your specific circumstances prior to making any decisions. We do not make any representation or warranty that any material in the papers will be reliable, accurate or complete, nor do we accept any responsibility arising in any way from errors or omissions. We will not be liable for loss resulting from any action or decision by you in reliance on the material in the papers. By reading the papers, you acknowledge that we are not responsible for, and accept no liability in relation to, any reader’s use of, access to or conduct in connection with the papers in any circumstance. Photographs submitted by individuals or organisations are assumed to be their property and are therefore not otherwise credited. All articles in this paper have received the expressed consent of the author to publish in this paper.

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March 2020

lifestyle

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Coronavirus and the Biblical Quarantine WWW.AISH.COM RABBI BENJAMIN BLECH Public health officials around the world are desperately trying to cope with the spread of the coronavirus. There is growing fear that a global pandemic may be impossible to stop. So far, this respiratory illness has infected more than 75,000 people and killed at least 2000 to the best of our knowledge.

Cruise ships, unwitting tourists, travellers and others are slowly transmitting this angel of death to destinations far from its Chinese source.

Modern medicine, with all of its miracles, is stymied. There is no cure. The best and only solution for now is quarantine. Those suspected of being carriers need to be isolated. Contact with the infected is simply too dangerous.

There is a biblical parallel of quarantine that Jewish scholars viewed from a moral perspective.

The book of Leviticus describes the metzora, a person afflicted with tzara'at, a disease commonly mistranslated as leprosy. In fact, the disease is a spiritual malady, primarily caused by speaking slander about others.

The metzora is someone who was, in Hebrew, motzi ra - an originator of evil talk, and he was to be quarantined, sent outside of the camp, sparing the community from his ability to infect others with his destructive gossip.

Thus, the biblical quarantine was intended not to isolate a carrier of physical disease but rather of moral turpitude.

While we hope to find a cure for the

coronavirus, let us derive an ethical lesson from the ongoing misfortune. Everyone acknowledges the obvious: we dare not allow the healthy to be exposed to those who can harm them.

Isn’t this the most fundamental truth about human relationships?

Friends are assuredly good for you.

In recent years, scientific research has suggested that people who have strong friendships experience less stress, they recover more quickly from heart attacks and they are likely to live longer than the friendless. They are even less susceptible to the common cold, studies show.

But not all friends have such a salutary effect. Some lie, insult and betray. Some are overly needy. Some give too much advice. Psychologists and sociologists are now calling attention to the negative health effects of bad friends.

Do not underestimate the warning of King Solomon in his book of Proverbs: “He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

One of the saddest illustrations of this truth is found in II Samuel 13. King David's son, Amnon, was struggling with sinful thoughts and lusts in his heart. He powerfully desired

a forbidden physical relationship with his half-sister, Tamar. Amnon knew his desires were wrong and he could not bring himself to commit such wickedness.

Then five little words changed everything: “But Amnon had a friend.”

Amnon’s friend, Jonadab, was also his cousin. Jonadab devised a plan for Amnon to fulfill his lusts. Amnon got what he thought he wanted. Shortly thereafter he lost everything he had. He ruined Tamar’s life. He created division and heartache in his family. And two years later, he was murdered by his brother, Absalom.

Friends can enrich our lives. They can also destroy them. ''The wrong kind of friendship is often very painful,'' wrote Dr. Harriet Lerner, a psychologist and the author of ''The Dance of Connection.''

Perhaps the most important way in which we can help direct the path of our children’s lives is by constantly reminding them how important it is for them to not only have good friends, but friends who are good. It's a lesson we all need to take to heart. Some people need to be quarantined before they get a chance to infect us with their diseased values.

Rabbi Benjamin Blech is a Professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, and lecturer. He is the author of 19 highly acclaimed books with combined sales of over a half million copies, A much sought after speaker, he is available as scholar in residence in your community.

What You Can’t See Can Hurt You THE INVISIBLE MAN (MA) ALEX FIRST

Leigh Whannell has breathed fresh, contemporary air into a century-old story and distinguished himself in the process.

I am delighted to be able to say he has crafted a highly creative new Australian movie (it was shot here), set in America, using an ostensibly Australian cast (admittedly with overseas leads).

The Invisible Man was first a book

by HG Wells, published in 1897. It was subsequently (1933) turned into a film starring Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart.

Both the book and the movie focused on a scientist who loses control.

Whannell’s film also concerns a man who has invented a cloak of invisibility, but the concentration is squarely on a woman in an abusive relationship who can’t escape his reach even when she escapes from him.

Trapped in a violent, controlling union with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale) has plotted for some time to leave him.

She chooses to do so in the middle of the night, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer), who has no idea what has been going on.

Kass seeks refuge with a childhood friend James (Aldis Hodge – Straight

Outta Compton) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid).

Still jittery as heck, Kass is reluctant to leave James’ home to even collect the mail.

Then comes the news that her abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) has died and left her a fortune.

She rests easily for a moment, but quickly comes to realise that nothing is what it purports to be.

Suddenly more than one life is on the line.

No question the story is fanciful and pushes believability, but it is also highly

engaging and entertaining, with thrills aplenty.

We keep waiting for something to happen ... and when it does, something more ... and then still more.

Indeed, when incidents occur the film often surprises and sometimes shocks.

Moss is excellent in the lead role – her expressions and demeanour consistent with a woman who is traumatised and terrorised.

The score by Benjamin Wallfisch is exceptional – adding much fear and anticipation to a rich screenplay.

The cinematography by Stefan Duscio

(Judy & Punch) is another feature, with the camera often capturing blank space where The Invisible Man may be lurking.

The movie is the mark of a writer and director (Whannell) who is familiar with the horror medium and is well and truly in control – more than that ... at the top of his game.

Rated MA, The Invisible Man scores an 8 out of 10.

To read all Alex First’s film and theatre reviews, go to www.itellyouwhatithink.com Alex can be heard each Sunday at 11.05am on J-AIR 87.8FM or streaming at j-air.com.au on an hour-long program dedicated to film and theatre.

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March 2020

Putting A Stop To Domestic Violence!

SOUTH CAULFIELD SHULE, MELBOURNE RABBI DANIEL RABIN This month we celebrate Purim. It is supposed to be a joyous time. The Talmud relates “Mishenichnas Adar Marbim B’Simcha-When the month of Adar enters we should increase in our joy”.

The question which has been plaguing my mind from a few days before we celebrated Rosh Chodesh Adar was the question of how are we supposed to live up to this expectation of the Talmud?

How can we increase in our joy when a mother and her three beautiful children, Hannah, Aaliyah(6) Laianah (4) and Trey (3) were murdered by their father and her estranged husband just a few weeks ago?

How can we as a community rejoice for Purim at a time like this??

The story stunned the nation. Rightly so.

Seeing the innocent faces of the children is heartbreaking and it is incumbent on each of us to ask the question and grapple with ways to put a stop to this?!

Sadly and tragically, it is not an isolated incident. I continue to see media posts from advocacy groups such as Impact for Women which report every day on the murder, violence and abuse that is inflicted against women and children by men and most often by their partners or husbands.

The statistics are frightening too.

And let us not for one second believe that this doesn’t exist within every single community. It does. Our Jewish community included.

And let us not for one second believe that it’s only an issue if there is actual physical violence. There are numerous UNACCEPTABLE behaviours, including; intimidation, verbal, physical, financial, emotional and sexual abuse and let’s not forget Gett refusal. When a man believes he is entitled to control his partner, that is abuse!

And let’s not for one second believe that women are always believed or assisted went they reach out for help.

I personally remember receiving a

call from a young mother who described her terrible circumstances of living in an abusive relationship (emotional abuse at that stage). She did not know where to turn. She was extremely worried about the safety of her children and what they were witnessing on a regular basis. To add to the dire predicament, she had spoken to her own parents and some friends and they told her to work it out and “deal with it”!

Yes, you read that correctly, they told her to “deal with it!”

I was fortunate to be able to provide some referrals and she managed to get help. But this is not an isolated story. I have no doubt that my colleagues and others are dealing with similar issues on a daily basis! More alarmingly the outcome is not always as successful as this particular case.

So what do we do? I think the most important things we can do, is to not say “I can’t help”, “ It’s s not my problem”, “the government is working on it” or “let the

rabbis deal with it”. Each of us can play a role and it is irrelevant how big or small that role might be. Every piece is required to solve this puzzle.

There are indeed many approaches and angles we can take to face this crisis. One such tool is to continue to break the stigma on this issue as well as to recognize the issue starts with the language and attitude we as a society accept.

Not too long ago I posted on social media that I was using the StairMaster at the gym one morning when a guy approached me and asked why I was using a “girls machine”. He said I should rather be doing some ‘real stuff’! There was also major concern I raised after I had broken my arm some months ago and received a few comments like “I can see you’ve taught your wife a lesson” or “ did you break it hitting your wife because she wasn’t behaving?”

It begins by eradicating these warped and dangerous comments and beliefs and teaching our sons that being ‘a man’

holds a different meaning to its current definition.We need to educate our society that girls and women should be able to live free from the threat of violence, abuse, intimidation or control and enjoy this freedom in the home, workplace and community.

Someone remarked that I write a lot on this subject. I replied that I will continue to do so until there is no longer a need.

It will indeed be difficult to rejoice this Purim. But I honestly believe we need to use the opportunity to work together to achieve the change required. Educate yourself and others. Speak out. Talk about it. Offer help or respond when some reaches out. Take the matter seriously!

As we make more and more inroads it will of course benefit the women of our society but men too will benefit. They will experience better relationships with their partners and enjoy an increased emotional connection to themselves and the ones they love!

For your FREE electronic copy of the Sydney Jewish Report register at www.thejewishreport.com.au www.cherylthesleepcoach.com.au

March 2020

Ocean Pash

BY JOANNE FEDLER

‘Your mother and I worry about how far out you swim.’ My father’s voice got serious. He tends to hold the phone so that instead of his face, I’m looking up at the ceiling, or at his nostril. He still hasn’t got this whole look at the phone screen while you’re WhatsApping routine down. But I’m not complaining. This time last year he almost died. I’m happy to see his nasal or ear hairs while we speak.

‘What about the sharks?’ he asked. ‘Why aren’t you scared?’

It’s a fair enough question, and one I am probably just about ready to answer.

It’s (almost to the day) a year ago since I prolapsed a disc in my back. I had just arrived in South Africa, rushed to the hospital where my dad was in ICU, tentacled to too many machines. And as I left that ward, my disc popped. For the next eight weeks, I couldn’t stand or walk.

Finally, back in Sydney, I started walking in an ocean bath to get some movement back.

That became a few gentle laps of swimming, which took me out into the bay, and finally into open water. To where the sharks are.

‘Dad,’ I said, ‘of course I’m scared.’

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It would be foolish to swim out into the vast expanse of the ocean and not be conscious of the fact that I am in shark territory – not to mention in the neighbourhood of jimbles, blue-bottles, manta-rays, octopus and jellyfish.

How do I explain this to my father?

I have lived most of my life in a state of fear, saying NO because of what might happen when I am out of my comfort zone.

I’ve avoided experiences because of my fear of failure; my anxiety; my lack of trust in my body. I still cannot ride a bicycle. I have a weak back. Physical strength is something of a mystery to me. As is a sense of safety. I think all women feel this way to some extent.

But I swore, when I was flat on my back this time last year – that I would never again take my mobility or my body for granted. I would no longer live my life as fear’s bitch.

The Finnish have the concept of Sisu – which is the art of doing difficult things.

It is often spoken of in the context of ice swimming and translates as grit, fortitude or perseverance – or ‘not taking the easy way out.’ Doing uncomfortable things creates a certain resilience and tenacity. It turns a flabby consciousness into a sharp tool we can draw on to overcome challenging experiences. It allows us to tap into mental strength beyond the limits of what we think we have in reserve. It takes us to the edges of our own tolerance, discomfort, and

courage.

If we’re always only doing the things that feel easy to us, how will we grow? Growth is always about stretching ourselves outside the choreography of previous situations. My friend Faith laughed at me the other day when she heard I’d done a 4km ocean swim: ‘Jo, you’re so extreme.’ But you know, until I stepped out of the water that day, I didn’t know if I could swim 4km in rough seas. I went in, as Zed encouraged me, ‘trusting my training,’ but unsure of whether the ocean would co-operate and let me finish.

I come to the water as a visitor. I behave as a guest. I stand at the edge and I ask permission to enter. I wait for an answer.

Some days, I feel the answer is ‘no.’ Then, I go for a paddle in an ocean bath. If the answer is yes, I ask for safe passage. Only then, do I head in.

When I am back on land, I’m aware it’s only by the grace of the ocean. I never take for granted that it’s something I’m owed, or I can rely on.

This relationship is teaching me to trust the water, and that in turn is helping me to meet parts of myself I’ve never met – I’m obsessed with the parts of my brain that are just sitting dormant in my cranium and how to unlock them. How might we evolve as a human species if we all used more than just fractions of our brain power and imagination? (If I hadn’t become an author, I’d love to have been a neuroscientist).

So, yes, perhaps I am always looking for places I haven’t been to. I’m always wondering what else there is – not just out there in the world but inside me. Some people take this literally and travel. But we don’t have to fly to new places to encounter ourselves afresh. We can simply know what we’re afraid of, and venture into its waters.

I don’t expect to ever not fear sharks. That would be to misunderstand who and where I am.

But the truth is that I am more scared of human beings. I’m more afraid of Trump,

Boris Johnson, Scott Morrison, and the cruelty and idiocy of ignorant, greedy people, the lack of compassion and disregard for nature than I am of a shark looking for its next meal.

I am more afraid of the world in which the oceans become sharkless because of our brutality and violation of the laws of nature.

An ocean that is icy cold and full of sharks is a healthy one. That’s the ocean I want to swim in. That’s the ocean I pray for every day.

It is also statistically unlikely that I will ever become shark bait. It’s far more probable that I will get hit by a car or struck down by one of the many somaterric diseases that our pollution of the planet has made an almost inevitable fate for many of us.

And, I would rather be swimming in an ocean with sharks than flat on my back with a prolapsed disc.

So, what can I tell my dad?

Dad, I want to know myself in the light of experiences I have not yet had. It’s why I wanted a natural childbirth (how much pain could I tolerate without drugs? Never got to find out – had to have Caesareans).

It’s why I did the 4 km instead of the 2 km swim. I want to know what my own personal thresholds are. It feels like a good practice.

Because someday everything that is comfortable and familiar will be taken from me – including you. And when that time comes, I want to be a good practitioner of discomfort. Pain is a good teacher. Grief, of course is the best teacher of all. While I’m lucky enough to be pain-free and skirting the edges of grief, I go to the ocean and I ask the sharks to be my guides.

Joanne Fedler is an internationally bestselling author of 10 books, writing mentor and publisher. She runs writing retreats all over the world and has three signature online writing courses for aspiring authors.

Creating a Personal Learning Centre for your child WWW.PARENTINGIDEAS.COM.AU

BY MICHAEL GROSE ‘Schools work hard to reinforce in students that learning doesn’t end at the school gate.

In fact, the notion of continuous learning is one of the greatest gifts a child can receive as it sets them on the road to a lifetime of learning and self-improvement.

A practical way parents can develop a continuous learning mindset in their child is by establishing a Personal Learning Centre at home, and it’s easier than you might think.

Location carries memory If you’ve ever established a dedicated children’s play space in your home then you’ll know how powerful location can be for shaping attitudes and behaviour. Your children will have learned to associate play with those designated areas – as location consistently carries memory of use. The same principle applies when you establish a personal learning centre – your child will associate learning with that designated space, which is reinforced every time they spend time there.

It’s more than a workspace At the moment, your children may use a desk or kitchen table that doubles as a workspace for homework, projects or completing other formal school tasks. This workspace probably doesn’t necessarily promote deep or pleasurable learning. It enables kids to get their schoolwork done.

A Personal Learning Centre is part library,

part research centre, part entertainment area and part creative space. It’s a place that a child chooses to retreat to for fun and informal learning, a place to find answers to those quirky questions such as “why do my fingers go wrinkly in the bath?”, a place to go to read more about their favourite band/hobby/sport; a place where learning, curiosity and comfort come together. More importantly, a Personal Learning Centre helps promote the concept of lifelong learning to children, which is a wonderful mindset to develop.

Features of a Personal Learning Centre A Personal Learning Centre can be established anywhere in a house or apartment, including in a child’s bedroom or any quiet space. It can have some or all of the following features: • Comfortable place for reading – bean bag, couch or chair • A bookshelf with a variety of fiction and non-fiction books • A digital screen (portable or fixed) for research • Materials for writing, recording and note taking • Digital device equipped with age- appropriate apps and programs that enable learning, research and content creation • A place for a water bottle or jug of water Table or desk and suitable lighting What’s in a name?

A quick glance at the list above may have you thinking that a Personal Learning

Centre is basically a desk with a few fancy gadgets attached. On one level this is correct however there are three advantages a Personal Learning Centre has over a simple work space or desk.

First, the name says it all. A Personal Learning Centre is a place children can go to learn, not necessarily to work. In the past educators have managed to make learning seem very unattractive for kids by using terms such as ‘homework’, ‘work tasks’, ‘projects’ to describe the learning they are to undertake at home. Some rephrasing is desperately needed if we are to engage kids to see themselves as continuous learners and not continuous workers.

Second, the nature of a Personal Learning Centre implies that it’s something to build upon rather than a finite entity. You can start a Personal Learning Centre very simply by establishing a bookshelf and some comfortable chairs, and build from there.

Third, a Personal Learning Centre is a concept that your child can take into adulthood that’s easily adapted to suit any situation. When I travel, my Personal Learning Centre consists of a phone, a book and any comfortable couch or chair I can find. It’s the idea rather than the furniture and physical setting where the learning magic lays.

Getting started is easy Start by setting up your own Personal Learning Centre. If you think this is a strange idea then there’s no point introducing it to kids. It just won’t wash, as your heart won’t be in it. Set aside a space for your own learning

– a chair in another room with a few books, a space to go to read the newspaper; or a quiet place to look up recipes on YouTube.

Start small and gradually build from there.

If you feel comfortable so far congratulate yourself for taking concrete steps down a lifelong learner path.

The next step is introduce the idea to your child. This shouldn’t be a difficult idea to sell, particularly if you provide some new writing implements and perhaps a comfortable chair or beanbag for their new Personal Learning Centre.

Timing makes a big difference to how ideas are received so going back to school is the ideal time to present this new idea to your kids as they tend to be more open to change at this time. Also, for kids going back to school, a Personal Learning Centre maybe a whole lot cooler than returning to the same old work desk for the first assignment for the year.

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sports

Jiu Jitsu Alliance THE ALLIANCE

Jiu Jitsu black belt fighter, Marc Resnik, has joined the ALLIANCE SYDNEY JIU JITSU academy in Rose Bay, since moving into the area. Marc has become a regular attendee at shacharit and ma’ariv services at Kehillat Kadimah, and afterwards, heads off to the Rose Bay Jiu Jitsu Academy for either early morning or evening training.

Marc is one of a handful of Australian Jewish Jiu Jitsu fighters that has a black belt in this martial art and brings along his speciality technique of Jiu Jitsu choke submissions.

He has recently been invited by the head coach of the Israeli Jiu Jitsu national team to train with him and the Israeli team in May this year, at their academy in Netanya. This is both a great

privilege and opportunity.

Marc has trained in Jiu Jitsu for 17 years under the guidance of Professor Liam Resnekov, founder and head Jiu Jitsu coach at VT1 Academy in Chatswood, one of Australia’s top teaching academies.

Liam is a 2nd Dan black belt receiving this from the legendary Gracie family. Marc

also regularly trained with Australian UFC fighter Richy Walsh III and has also trained in Edged Weapon Fighting and Defence under the tutelage of renowned Australasian expert, Raymond Floro.

The ALLIANCE Rose Bay Jiu Jitsu academy was founded by Adam Childs, a black belt under Alliance head coach Professor Fabio Gurgel. Adam is the only non-native South American to teach at the prestigious Alliance headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil – the birthplace of BJJ. In 2011 he moved there and joined team Alliance. During his years of study at Alliance, Adam received exclusive mentorship from Professor Gurgel himself and regularly trained with former and current IBJJF World Champion’s Michael Langhi, Bernardo Faria, Leo Nogueira, Gabi Garcia and UFC fighter Sergio

March 2020

Moraes to name a few.

Adam is a top respected Jiu Jitsu fighter, who regularly competes and reached the podium on numerous occasions in Brazil, Canada, USA and Australia, and has brought his success and skill set to focus on teaching in Rose Bay. His Academy caters for kids, teenagers and adults, and already they have taken top medals in recent competitions.

Marc is the co-founder of a Group of private day hospitals, specialising in Ophthalmology, Ear Nose & Throat surgery, and Oral Maxillofacial surgery.

Concurrently, the Group also play a major role in assisting patients in 3rd world countries unable to access or afford this type of surgery. Marc also has a keen interest and is involved in Jewish projects both in Australia and overseas.

Maccabiah 2021 Planning In Full Swing MACCABIAH 2021 Preparations for Maccabiah 2021 are in full swing as the entire Senior Leadership Team for Australia’s delegation came together for a weekend of team building and planning ahead of next year’s Games.

The experienced 18-person management group has been working to build Australia’s Maccabiah team since last year, but the retreat provided an opportunity to workshop and agree on the leadership team’s key values and vision.

Transparency and a commitment to work as a collective team were two principles that were adopted to ensure the management team will function effectively and efficiently to provide athletes the best possible experience at Maccabiah 2021.

While the management team has collectively participated in over 50 Maccabiot, there is also an emphasis on the continuity and succession planning of leadership as well as the injection of fresh energy and ideas, which is reflected by the

several members of the group who will be attending their first Maccabiah Games.

The beginnings of this culture of trust throughout the team was reached

To help achieve this, a mentorship

through a series of leadership workshops

structure is in place to facilitate the

facilitated by former Maccabiah athlete

exchange

and leadership consultant, Allan Priess.

of

information

between

experienced and new members of the

The group was also provided valuable

team so that the benefits of existing

insight into what the Maccabiah experience

Maccabiah knowledge is passed on.

is like from the athletes’ perspectives after

hearing from Australia’s inspirational 2019 Pan American Games captain, Barry Carp.

Nominations to participate as an athlete (which close on April 30, 2020) have been strong and over 70 quality coaches and team managers have already been appointed for Maccabiah 2021.

Head of Delegation, Barry Smorgon, said, “I am delighted at the positive attitude and the collective view taken by every member of the Maccabiah 2021 Leadership Team.

We are all aligned with our objective of achieving the best possible outcome for the athletes."

"There is great energy amongst the team and I’m looking forward to working alongside such a passionate group of people.”

To nominate to be an athlete or express your interest in joining the media or medical teams, visit the Maccabiah website.

Athletes from Western Australia interested in Maccabiah 2021 are encouraged to attend the Information Session running on 8th March. To register, please visit Event Information.

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