Once upon a time there was a pelican and an echidna. What the bleep, I hear you ask. Please read on and you will have the full story, which starts with the need for social support.
In fact, we humans need a variety of support. We are notoriously bad at recognising what it is that we need and even worse in asking for it.
Berkeley University researchers have defined social connection as the feeling that you belong to a group and generally feel close to other people. Scientific evidence strongly suggests that this is a core psychological need, essential to feeling satisfied with your life.
As we celebrate Pesach, we reflect on the Israelites who had to rely upon and support each other as they left slavery for a new life in The Promised Land. This support was not only social connectedness. The young, the elderly, the infirm and the injured required help on a physical and material level. They relied on the fit and healthy for transportation, shelter and the provision of food and water.
So, who provides you with emotional support, by way of encouragement, empathy, kindness and understanding, in the present day? This type of support
is vital for our wellbeing. There may be several people in your day-to-day life who fulfil that need. They are effectively our cheer squad.
Another kind of support is informational. For example, attending a class to learn a language. There may be no emotional connection, but the teacher and other students can provide information that can foster growth. This is one of the reasons why group therapy can be so successful.
Tangible support is a service provided by another person. It is practical and can encourage a sense of belonging and acknowledgment that help is available when needed. Has someone
seen you struggling to open a door when your hands are full of shopping bags and rushed to open it for you? This is an example of tangible support.
What type of support provides you with affirmation and builds your selfesteem? That usually occurs during activities we are engaged in where we feel respected.
It could be a role you hold within your family or in your community. Moses would have received this support from his leadership. This type of support helps us to keep motivated.
As we evolve through our lives, our supports also change. Some of our connections are lifelong, while others
another option for us known as Mechirat Chametz – to what does this refer?
the purification of the soul. In which Egyptian city did Philo live?
may be transitory. It is crucial to have the right people with us at the right times.
It is also important to consider what type of supporter you are and to whom.
At a vulnerable and difficult time in your life, it may be hard to provide support to others. That is also when it can be the most difficult to ask for help.
This brings us back to the pelican and the echidna. At a local wildlife sanctuary some of my hospital patients have been able to engage in an education program. These patients are current and former frontline workers that have found it difficult to connect with others and ask for help.
A metaphor for their own lives is Line. She is a 40-year-old pelican that arrived at the sanctuary some years ago having been injured by fishing line (hence her name). The result of that was an inability to fly. Line has made her home on the lake and is hand fed daily by zookeeper staff, relying on a human support network for her wellbeing.
This is also the case with Turtle, the echidna who was found on his back in a pool of water as an abandoned baby.
My patients can identify with the pelican and the echidna and learn how to lead a different, but still meaningful life, by accepting support.
A support network is vital to ensuring a good quality of life and longevity.
Anne-Marie Elias is a psychologist in clinical practice for 25 years.
Our Festival of Freedom is fast approaching and Rabbi David Freedman has come to the ‘Pesach party’ offering our thousands of readers a quality quiz which attempts to scratch the surface of the length and breadth of his general Passover knowledge!
From Seder night to Jewish history to prayer to practical preparations to Israel and more, we will get the opportunity to look through a Passover prism and learn from each other over Yom Tov. Rabbi Freedman is sure to add to our understanding of this meaningful and pivotal time of year.
So, embark on this journey with family and friends and explore all-thingsPesach courtesy of a rabbi in our midst who cares deeply about so many issues and topics and above all, our Jewish community.
1. Why is the celebration on the first two nights of Pesach called a Seder?
2. Included in a manuscript compiled by the Babylonian sage Saadia Gaon, in the 10th century CE, is the earliest complete version of what?
3. In the lead up to Pesach we are expected to remove all chametz (leaven) from our homes. However, if we own a number of bottles of whiskey for example, the rabbis provided
4. Emanuel Goldenberg played the part of Dathan in the 1956 version of The Ten Commandments. By what adopted stage name was Goldenberg better known?
5. The Egyptians endured ten plagues, one of which was known as ’Locusts’. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a
10. What is the significance of Leil Shimurim?
11. Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrkanus, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarphon spent Pesach night together relating the story of the Exodus. Where did their seder take place?
12. Popular in Jewish communities
16. In ‘Tommy Pickles parts the Red Sea’, which cartoon characters learn about the Passover?
17. Who said, “Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility”?
a) George Orwell
b) Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
c) Sigmund Freud
18. Which New York Jewish all-male a cappella group sang its way through the Passover Story using the music of Les Miserables?
19. Who wrote the controversial 1965 book entitled The Passover Plot?
20. Which Nobel laureate said, “I love Passover because for me it is a cry against indifference, a cry for compassion.”
single swarm of desert locusts covering one square kilometre contains up to how many locusts – 20, 40, 60 or 80 million?
6. Complete the following sequence – Shekalim, Zachor, Parah and ---?
7. Which angel known as the Malach Hamovet is mentioned in the Haggadah?
8. A copy of which famous Haggadah was given to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair by the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina at a special awards ceremony in December 2011?
9. Philo, a Jewish philosopher from the first century CE, wrote that Passover, figuratively speaking, represents
throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East and often served at Sederim in Calcutta, Turkey, Greece, Morocco and Tunisia, what are Huevos Haminados?
13. On April 17, 1506, why were some people arrested for having in their possession, "some lamb and poultry prepared according to Jewish custom; also unleavened bread and bitter herbs”?
14. In 1882, Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin of Jerusalem invited to his seder two English princes, one of whom eventually became which king of England?
15. Which religious group in Israel continues to celebrate Passover each year at Mt Gerizim accompanied by prayers and sacrifices?
21. The prayer known as Yizkor in which we remember the souls of deceased relatives is said on which day of Pesach?
22. John Montagu or Hillel – they are both said to have invented what?
23. What are the five types of grain which, if fermented, become chametz?
24. At the end of the Seder service it is a tradition to say, Leshana Haba’ah Birushalyim – Next Year in Jerusalem –but what would one say if one lives in Jerusalem?
25. True or false: In Israel you can buy Kosher for Pesach ice cream with seasonal flavours such as Charoset or Matzah Crunch.
Good luck. Enjoy. Hopefully, learn something new about your Jewish heritage and tradition.
RABBI DAVID FREEDMAN
JUDAICA QUIZ
With the passing of Chaim Topol, we remember the film that catapulted him to fame. Israeli actor Chaim Topol, famous for playing Tevye on stage and in the film version of Fiddler on the Roof, died on Thursday, March 9th at the age of 87 after battling Alzheimer’s.
Growing up, a surprisingly large amount of what I knew about Judaism came from my favourite movie, Fiddler on the Roof. The musical captures much of the joy of Jewish life and traditions, and gets some key points wrong as well.
Here are a few things Fiddler gets right and two things it gets wrong.
Based on Yiddish stories
The 1964 Broadway musical was based on stories written by the famous Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem. His series of short stories about Tevye the Dairyman introduced readers to Tevye, a father living in a shtetl named Anatevka in an obscure corner of the Russian empire who’s “blessed with five daughters”, as his character says with heavy emphasis in the movie, which came out in 1971. (In the stories, he has seven.)
Tevye’s five daughters
When it comes time to marry, Tevye’s daughters rebel, each pushing the envelope a little farther. Tzeitel, the oldest, refuses to consent to marry the old widower Anatevka’s matchmaker picks out for her, insisting that she marry a young penniless tailor named Motel for love. Tevye relents, concocting a crazy excuse for countenancing the marriage.
Next, his daughter Hodel refuses to marry a religious Jew, choosing instead to follow a young secular Jewish Communist named Perchik to Siberia.
Finally, at the end of the film, the next youngest daughter, Chava, breaks with Jewish tradition completely: she announces she’s marrying Fyedka, a non-Jewish local man. In the Broadway musical and subsequent movie, Tevye agonises, then ultimately gives his blessing to the match, telling the couple “God be with you”. In the original stories, Tevye remains steadfast, refusing to countenance the match. (The original stories are also darker in tone, with his other daughters suffering difficult trials and sad fates.)
Sholem Aleichem was the pen name of Sholem Rabinivitz. Born in 1859 into a middle-class family in the prosperous town of Pereyaslav in the Ukraine, he grew up speaking Hebrew and Russian, as well as Yiddish. He always said he based his Tevye stories on a real-life milkman named Tevye – he once met in a tiny Jewish shtetl – who had a wry way of looking at the world and was committed to his Jewish religion. Sholem Aleichem wrote him as a comic character and envisioned him being portrayed on stage; a 1919 Yiddish play did capture Tevye’s stories to an appreciative Yiddishspeaking audience, followed by a Yiddish movie produced in 1939.
By the time the Broadway musical and Hollywood film came along, the shtetls that Sholem Aleichem had described were long gone. More than six million Jews had been murdered in the Holocaust just a generation before. Sholem Aleichem, like so many other European Jews, had moved to the United States. In the 1960s and 1970s, many American Jews were abandoning the tight-knit bonds that had held them together in immigrant neighbourhoods and were moving to more affluent, spacious suburbs. Fiddler on the Roof came along at a time when nostalgia for the old ways of life was bumping up against the new, secular reality of American Jewish communities.
The musical conveys some of the joy of a traditional Jewish lifestyle. One of my favourite scenes takes place late on Friday afternoon. Tevye’s rounds have taken longer than usual because his horse is lame and he’s had to pull his heavy milk wagon himself. As he approaches his ramshackle home, his
about Jewish topics. “As Abraham said, ‘I am a stranger in a strange land …,’” Tevye confidently intones in one scene, only to be told that it was Moses who said that. “Ah. Well, as King David said, ‘I am slow of speech, and slow of tongue,’” Tevye replies, only to be told that this too was said by Moses. “For a man who was slow of tongue,” Tevye replies testily, “he talked a lot”.
The denizens of Anatevka are steeped in religious discourse, but in the Broadway and movie version there’s never any indication that they take it too seriously. The town’s rabbi is elderly and out of touch, and religious comments are confined to Tevye’s garbled pronouncements. That is a far cry from the way life was in actual shtetls and even different from the Tevye in Sholem Aleichem’s writings. “On the Shabbat, I tell you, I’m a king,” Tevye proclaims in the short story “Tevye Strikes it Rich”, before describing the Jewish books he studies on Shabbat: “The Bible, Psalms, Rashi, Targum, Perek, you-name-it ...” It’s a far cry from the more ignorant Tevye of modern depictions.
The writer Pauline Wengeroff (1833-1916) wrote about her life in the type of closeknit, Yiddish speaking Jewish communities to which Fiddler on the Roof refers. She and her husband were highly educated, fluent in German and Russian, as well as Hebrew and Yiddish. Yet, her husband, like most of the Jews they knew, spent long hours prioritising Jewish study. “My parents were God-fearing, deeply pious and respectable people,” she wrote in her masterful two-volume work “Memoirs of a Grandmother”. “This was the prevalent type among the Jews then, whose aim in life was, above all, the love of God and of family. Most of the day was spent in the study of Talmud and only appointed hours were set aside for business …”
In a real-life shtetl like Anatevka, there would have been much more Jewish learning and a greater familiarity with Jewish books and wisdom.
More than “Tradition”
wife Golde tells him, “Hurry up, it’s nearly the Sabbath!” She’s already dressed in her fine Shabbat dress. Golde looks regal, her dress adorned with a strand of pearls. It’s a realistic scene in Jewish homes across the world each week: as sunset on Friday approaches, Jews don their finest clothes to prepare for a regal meal, as the lady of the home lights Shabbat candles.
Tevye feeds his animals (singing If I Were a Rich Man as he works), then washes up and changes into his Shabbat suit and kippah. He begins reciting prayers under his breath as he enters his home. Usually shabby, tonight it looks beautiful. Typically hard-working and harried, tonight Tevye and his family have time to relax and focus on one another. Tevye and Golde bless their children and Golde makes a blessing over her Shabbat candles. The musical gets the grandeur and holiness of Shabbat right.
Fiddler on the Roof also gets right the tightly knit Jewish communities. A traditional Jewish community fosters a lot of togetherness: men typically pray together three times a day with a minyan; children attend Jewish schools or classes; women get together to study and recite Psalms. That community is evident in the world of Fiddler, where the bonds that unite the dwellers of Anatevka are palpable. Norman Jewison, the non-Jewish director of the film, described sitting next to Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (who grew up in a Yiddish speaking home in Ukraine) at the film’s premiere screening in Israel and watching her wipe away a tear.
Do you love me?
One of my favourite songs in the musical is Do You Love Me?, sung by Tevye and
his wife Golde after their daughter Hodel announces she is marrying a penniless young Jewish Communist named Perchik “for love,” without any involvement from a matchmaker or her family. When Golde objects, Tevye tells her Perchik “is a good man … I like him … And what’s more important, Hodel likes him. Hodel loves him. So, what can we do? It’s a new world. Love.” Tevye starts to get up then suddenly asks Golde if she loves him.
Singing, they describe their own arranged marriage 25 years ago, when their parents told them that, eventually, love would grow. “And now I’m asking, Golde, do you love me?” Tevye sings. In response, Golde describes all the ways they’ve worked together through the decades: she’s milked the family cow, raised their children, cooked and cleaned, and so much more. “If that’s not love, what is?” she concludes.
Tevye – who has slaved away through the years, as well, building their family, gazes at her fondly as they finally realise they’re in love: “It doesn’t change a thing, but even so, after 25 years, it’s nice to know.” This touching song conveys a deep Jewish truth: love grow through giving. The Hebrew word for love, ahavah, has as its root the word hav, “give”. Giving to another person helps us keep their needs and perspective in mind and fosters closeness. When we give to another person, and particularly when we make the series of commitments to our spouses that marriage demands, we begin to foster the deep, abiding love that comes from being true life partners.
Getting Torah right – and wrong
A lot of Fiddler on the Roof’s comedy comes from Tevye’s bumbling through quotes
If there’s any song in Fiddler on the Roof that grates on my nerves, it’s the opening song Tradition! “Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years,” Tevye sings. “Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything – how to eat, how to sleep, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl. This shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition start? I’ll tell you – I don’t know! But it’s a tradition …” Nonsense. A committed Jew like Tevye, who made the time to study Jewish texts, would be familiar with the sources for the Jewish practices he describes: he’d likely spend time studying about them each week. Jews don’t live Jewish lives merely because of “tradition”. On the contrary: they grappled with Jewish texts and eternal questions for most of their lives.
In Sholem Aleichem’s final Tevye story, after the residents of Anatevka have learned they must leave their town, Tevye is philosophical, relying on his deep faith to sustain him. As he packs up to leave, he quotes the Torah and Jewish prayers. He remembers how our ancestor Abraham was commanded by God to leave his family and his land too. Tevya hopes for the coming of the Messiah. And he takes our leave, saying he’s done talking, because now he has to go and be with his children and his grandchildren, who need him.
Like him, they were living a rich Jewish life, not out of tradition, but based on a deeply held commitment to Jewish ideals.
Dr Alt Miller lives with her family in Chicago and has lectured internationally on Jewish topics. Her latest book Portraits of Valor: Heroic Jewish Women You Should Know describes the lives of 40 remarkable women who inhabited different eras and lands, giving a sense of the vast diversity of Jewish experience. It has been praised as inspirational, fascinating, fun and educational.
Since it opened 30 years ago, hundreds of thousands of people from different walks of life have come to the Sydney Jewish Museum. They have borne witness to the testimony of Holocaust survivors, and the many stories of courage, endurance and resilience they reveal.
The Museum’s latest immersive exhibition, Reverberations: A future for memory, shines a light on the humanity and experiences of 43 Holocaust survivors that have shared their stories at the museum in recent years. This is not an exhibition focussed on the events of the Holocaust. Rather, it’s about the people who experienced it and the painful decision they make each time they choose to relive their unimaginable loss for the betterment of humanity.
A high-tech, interactive experience
The exhibition takes you on a journey through a high-definition gallery of recorded footage, where you’ll encounter Holocaust survivors’ thought-provoking answers to questions like:
• Why do survivors choose to share their experiences?
• Is it difficult to talk about what happened to them?
• Can they forgive?
• Was there justice?
• What is the survivors’ responsibility to those who were murdered?
You’ll be able to immerse yourself in conversation with digitised versions of three Holocaust survivors, including the late Eddie Jaku, which use cuttingedge Artificial Intelligence technology to respond directly to any question asked.
You’ll leave having had a glimpse into how future generations will engage with Holocaust survivor testimony, namely when, sadly, there are no more survivors alive to tell their own stories.
“Our community of Holocaust survivors lives with the constant and everlasting trauma of what they went through,” says the exhibition’s Curator Shannon Biederman.
“Telling their stories to visitors, especially children, is often very painful, but survivors choose to endure this pain in the hope that listeners will learn lessons and stand up for peace, kindness and humanity.
“Reverberations showcases some of the innovations we are introducing at the museum to ensure that we can continue to impact future generations with real stories of Holocaust survivors.
“This exhibition will change the way that you think about history.”
The Museum at 148 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst is open every day except Saturday.
To purchase tickets to this remarkable exhibition, visit https://sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au/tickets
Jews celebrate the festival of Pesach to commemorate the liberation of the children of Israel, as commanded by G-d in Exodus.
This year, as we sit down to enjoy our sedorim across the world with our family and friends, for many it will be their first Pesach in Israel as an Oleh Hadash (a new immigrant). When we reflect on the connection between Pesach and UIA, we think about returning to our homeland. This is the essence of UIA’s vital work.
In 2022 alone, UIA supported the aliyah of 75,000 olim from 93 countries. More than 45,000 of these came from Ukraine and Russia, as a result of the war. These are numbers that had not been budgeted for and exceeded expectations. Moving from the emergency rescue phase –which was much of the focus of 2022 – to the long-term integration phase, requires substantial funding to ensure the smooth absorption of these olim. By providing a multitude of absorption services, such as accommodation in absorption centres, Ulpan classes, professional fast tracking and more, UIA can ensure that these new olim become productive and valuable members of Israeli society.
Pesach teaches us not to take our freedom for granted. At this time, it is our mutual responsibility to think of our fellow
Jews. This Pesach, in lieu of gifts, UIA asks you to consider sending a UIA e-card to your family and friends to help support this national priority area and the focus of its 2023 campaign.
As we read in the Haggadah, “b’chol dor v’dor” – in every generation, evil rises up to harm us. This Pesach, each one of us can help support these new olim in their new home – the Promised Land, the State of Israel.
To send a UIA e-card, please visit https://donatenow.uiaaustralia.org.au/ecard or call the UIA office on 9361-4273.
RABBI LEVI WOLFF CHIEF MINISTER THE CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE
With Pesach coming up so soon, I have been thinking about the overarching theme of slavery to freedom and reflecting on the great blessing of the State of Israel. In 1947, David Ben-Gurion appeared before the United Nations Commission to argue for its creation. His remarks focused on the unrelenting drama of Jewish history, with Pesach (and all that it embodies) at its core.
He recounted that more than 300 years prior, a ship called the Mayflower came to the New World and landed at Plymouth Rock – certainly one of the most significant events in the history of England and America. He asked members of the Commission who boasted British heritage if they knew what date the Mayflower had set sail? He then asked their American counterparts if any of them were aware of the chainof-command on board? Did any know about food consumption?
Ben-Gurion paused, their blank looks revealing an inability to respond. He continued and explained that more than 3,300 hundred years ago, long before the Mayflower embarked, the Jews left Egypt. He highlighted that every Jew
David Ben-Gurion’s masterful speech to the U.N repeated many truths enunciated by Moses thousands of years prior. When the Jews stood at the brink of the Exodus, Moses gathered the people and instructed them how best to prepare for the great events ahead. Their journey was commencing and they were embarking on charting their own destiny after hundreds of years of slavery – one of the most epic moments in Jewish history.
knows what day that journey beganthe 15th of Nisan and knows what food was consumed and that in addition, we have continued to eat that same food annually until today. We know who led our people - we know the inside story!
Every year, the Exodus story is retold to our children guaranteeing it will never be forgotten. He concluded with two statements: “This year we are slaves. Next year, free men. This year we are here. Next year in Jerusalem!”
That day at the United Nations, BenGurion’s observation alluded to a deep truth relating to the transmission of Jewish knowledge. The Pesach Seder does not teach in abstraction, rather it allows participants to relive the Exodus. We eat matzah, the unleavened bread the Jews ate in their urgency to leave; taste the bitter herbs of slavery and drink four
There is an anomaly in the mitzvah of matzah that is not always identified. If we cast our minds back to ancient Egypt, the Jewish people were commanded to bring the Paschal lamb on the 14th of Nissan and paint the doorposts of their homes with lamb’s blood.
G-d would then clearly see the blood on each doorpost and have mercy on the Jewish people, resulting in only the firstborn Egyptians to perish. That night, they would have a Seder and eat the Paschal lamb together with bitter herbs and matzah. At midnight, all firstborn Egyptians would be wiped out and the redemption would begin.
So let’s get this straight: on the 14th at night the Israelites ate matzah, maror and the Pesach lamb. The plague of the firstborn was then unleashed. The next morning the Jewish people marched out of Egypt.
What does the Torah then recount? They were rushed out of Egypt with such urgency that they did not have time to allow their bread to rise, instead hurriedly baking the dough into matzah. The Torah continues that this is the reason we eat matzah on seder night, as we were
rushed out of Egypt and had no time to allow it to leaven, and in addition, mercifully, the King of Kings revealed Himself to us and thereby redeemed us.
If this all took place on the morning of the 15th of Nissan after the seder night, why did we eat matzah at that very first seder night in Egypt when the rushing and baking of matzah only happened on the way out of Egypt, the day after the Paschal lamb?
The Kabbalists explain as follows: There were two types of matzah, the matzah before midnight and the matzah after.
cups of the wine of freedom. We also sing Jewish songs and study holy texts, attempting to experience the thoughts and feelings that pervaded the world of our ancestors.
The great message of the Seder is that the only way for Yiddishkeit to pass from one generation to the next, is to live it.
We don’t contemplate creation by studying theoretical physics; we live it by making a blessing over the food we eat and acknowledging G-d as the Creator of all we enjoy.
That is how we transmit the G-dliness of so much around us to our children. We don’t merely study Jewish history. Over our holidays, we re-enact it, making it our own personal, family experience – thus forging the strongest inter-generational bond … linking the past, present and future.
We would expect Moses to speak about liberty and freedom, or perhaps about the Promised Land. He didn’t. Instead, he communicated the importance of parents’ responsibility to pass Judaism on to future generations and advised that this was achieved by instructing children to perform experiential mitzvot. This included the Passover offering and eating Matzah on Pesach, wearing Tefillin on weekdays, lighting Shabbat candles every Friday evening of the year and many more.
Long before the Mayflower set sail, our nation exited Egypt. That anniversary is the first night of Pesach – Seder time! We recite blessings; eat Matzah; taste bitter herbs; study Torah; drink four cups of wine. Hence, the great lesson of the Seder: Judaism is active, not passive.
We are a resilient people. It is now up to us to ensure our Kinderlach not just quietly listen to the story of Pesach but open their arms to actively become involved in the shining light that is Judaism.
Yet, as midnight struck, G-d revealed himself in all His glory. He smote the Egyptians and His light began to shine. As the Torah portion says, “Until the King of Kings revealed himself to them and redeemed them”. The power of Hashem’s energy liberated them and rushed them hastily out of Egypt.
Pre-and-post. The matzah before midnight is the bread of affliction – the bread of slaves.
The oppressed do not get time to bake real bread, they eat matzah. It is the cheapest source of sustenance, easy to store, easy to make. It is a poor person’s bread.
This was the matzah before midnight. When the Jews consumed it, they were reminded of their centuries of slavery. On the eve of redemption they were obliged to remember the suffering they had been through.
In the face of that Divine light, dough could not ferment and develop, it could not become bread per se, it had to turn to matzah. After midnight, “No chametz” was not a symbol of poverty and slavery, but rather a symbol of G-d’s inspired intervention. Therein lies the answer to the initial question posed. Matzah eaten at the Seder on that first Pesach was purely viewed as the bread of affliction and this was the rationale behind why they were commanded to eat it. Yet after midnight, the matzah then morphed into the bread of our redemption as “they were rushed out of Egypt and the bread could not rise.” G-d had revealed Himself to them – with an urgent focus on the Exodus.
Nowadays, when we celebrate at the Seder, we view matzah as a symbol of salvation and G-d’s providence over us. We do not consume it for the original reason our fatigued forefathers ate it on that first Seder. For us, post-Exodus, our reflections encompass the Divine light that radiated from that moment and was gratefully welcomed. Therefore, due to this and this alone, our bread was not able to rise.
To celebrate Seniors’ Week last month, COA Sydney held an Open House with a difference. Instead of just showing off the many services and volunteer programs it offers, COA invited representatives of all the local Jewish organisations working in the aged care space to set up stalls where they could feature their services. The idea was to allow Jewish seniors and their families to see the full continuum of care available to them. More than 150 people attended and spoke with representatives from Jewish House, B’nai B’rith Retirement Villages, Burger Centre, JewishCare, Montefiore and Wolper Jewish Hospital. There were also independent discussion groups for seniors: the monthly JNF Morning Tea at the COA Centre, Sunday Discussions @ Random and University of the Third Age (which presents weekly on Fridays at the COA Centre). Of course, COA activities were also well represented, with separate tables for popular weekly groups knitting, art and bridge.
This event was not just a smorgasbord of information; it was also an opportunity to engage seniors in practical demonstrations of Tai Chi and modified Zumba. There were 30-minute demonstrations per activity and up to 22 people at a time joined in.
Wolper Jewish Hospital also presented its “Move Well” program, which is open to the public and is particularly targeted at seniors wanting to remain healthy while ageing.
No Jewish event is complete without food and the other highlight of the day was lunch, consisting of
samples from COA’s Kosher Meals-on-Wheels menu. People’s faces lit up when they realised these were the same meals they could access through the Meals program. COA saw an increase in orders from the next working day.
COA sincerely thanks all the organisations that were part of the event, along with the volunteers and staff whose diligent work made it possible. It was great to see the genuine comradery between staff from the diverse organisations that serve the same clients in our community. With so many people offering so much, no senior in our community needs to feel isolated, or lack the help they require. They just need to reach out to find all the companionship, activities and services they need to live a full and active life in retirement.
We are hiring an exceptional
Tel Aviv University is the leading university in Israel and one of the world’s best - pursuing solutions to global problems whilst educating Israel’s nest. There will never be a dull moment in this diverse and stimulating role. Make a real di erence while utilising your broad range of skills.
This is a full-time role but part-time will be considered for the right person. Bondi Junction location, great environment, exible working hours and Jewish holidays.
To apply or to request a position description, contact David Solomon on 0418 46 5556 or davidsolomon@aftau.org.au
aftau.asn.au
B’nai B’rith Retirement Villages Limited (BBRV) is Australia’s largest provider of affordable, independent Jewish accommodation
Shabbat and Festival Candle Lighting
Many seniors in our community choose to live in Aged Care facili es, and many of them reside in places which do not iden fy as Jewish.
Since the 1990’s The Hannah Meyer Project has sent COA volunteers into these facili es to prepare for Shabbat and the major fes vals. They make Kiddush and light candles with residents, bringing Yiddishkeit and cultural connec on into their lives, and the sa sfac on that their community remembers them
This is a wonderful volunteer project for families to do together or for individuals who want to give back to their community.
To become part of the project contact COA’s Volunteer Coordinator, Ranmalie, on email r.desilva@coasydney.org or by phone 8367 5031
+ SUNROOM FULLY RENOVATED APARTMENT - $700,000*
Princess Gardens, Rose Bay
1 BED + BALCONY FULLY RENOVATED APARTMENT - $300,000*
ENQUIRIES: Village Manager Richelle 9371 2631 or info@bbrv.org.au
www.bbrv.org.au
Can any of us honestly say that in the past week we sat down for five minutes and thought about how to solve a problem in our lives? Not a metaphorical five minutes. Rather, literally five minutes.
A recent study at the University of Virginia involving hundreds of participants found that most chose to repeatedly give themselves an electric shock, rather than sit and think. All these people had previously said that they would rather pay money than be shocked and yet when they were presented with the alternative of spending time thinking by themselves, they chose self-inflicted pain.
Look around next time you catch public transport or are sitting in a waiting room and watch how many people take their phones out immediately. Spending time with ourselves and thinking shouldn’t be difficult and yet we constantly seek distractions. Many times, we allow others to think for us through rapid-fire news feeds, which give us everyone else's opinions before
we have a chance to form our own. Generally, we are happy to let major issues around us pass by because they are not “technically” our responsibility, or we can’t immediately think of a solution. We are so used to having others think for us – be they marketing gurus, consultants or cognitive specialists – that we have lost the ability to be self-sufficient thinkers. If there is one favour that we should be doing for ourselves today, it is to look at our lives objectively and ask ourselves “are my opinions really my own and am I happy with what is going on around me?”
If the answer to either of these questions is “no”, maybe it is time to find a clock and sit and think for a change.
Often people tell me that they get to Pesach each year and it is the same seder it has been for decades. They are correct, but what changes is us!
Leading up to Passover, I am getting together with people of all ages in the community, in homes, in shuls and in schools to share some fresh ideas for Pesach. It is incumbent upon all of us, as the teachers of our children and ourselves, to think differently. Rather than letting it pass over, let’s make Pesach count and find some time in the days leading up to the festival to think.
education, employment and career, and community development.
In Israel’s 75th year, JNF continues its vital work in growing and nourishing the land and supporting our people through life changing projects.
For 120 years, funds raised through the Blue Box have been instrumental in, amongst other things, the development, strengthening and growing of the Negev.
Pesach is not only about physical liberation and spiritual freedom – it is also a time of hope.
This Passover, with your support, JNF will provide new opportunities to young adults in Be’er Sheva and surrounding areas through the expansion of the Be’er Sheva Youth Centre.
The centre provides services to 8,000 people annually in the areas of higher
Since it was built 20 years ago, there has been incremental growth in the need for the services it provides.
This Pesach, JNF Australia will be renovating and expanding the facility to allow more soldiers, students, job seekers, entrepreneurs, young families and new immigrants the opportunity to dream big and achieve their desired future.
One of the mitzvot of Passover is to make space at your table and in your heart for those in need.
JNF hopes for a brighter future as it continues its important work supporting the growth of the residents in Israel’s South.
For more information about JNF Blue Box campaign, visit jnf.org.au/bluebox
Artist's Impression Current
The Centre provides fundamental services to 8,000 young people annually in the areas of higher education, employment and career and community development
Since it was built 20 years ago, there has been significant growth in demand for Centre’s services
This Pesach, with your help, JNF Australia, will renovate and expand the centre to allow more soldiers, students, job seekers, entrepreneurs, young families and new immigrants an opportunity to dream big and achieve their desired future
The third cohort selected to participate in the JCA Frank Wolf Executive Leadership Development Program started their journey earlier this month.
The program is designed to develop the professionals that work and guide our communal organisations on a dayto-day basis. It gives them a platform on which to build their leadership capacity and a place for them to network amongst their peers. This helps to grow the leadership pool for our local Jewish community.
The course is led by facilitator Dr Ali Walker from the UNSW’s Graduate School of Management and includes modules on:
• Leadership identity;
• Self-leadership;
• Personal leadership signature;
• Leadership models;
• Leadership in action;
• Creating a leadership strategy; and
• The future of not-for-profit leadership, identifying the challenges that participants will face.
“Leadership training is akin to climbing a mountain. Sometimes I feel like a Sherpa, guiding and navigating the journey with participants to successfully summit that mountain,” says Walker.
Established in 2021 by Frank Wolf’s family and professional colleagues from
within the property industry, the program honours the memory of a passionate and dedicated man.
Frank – who passed away in 2018 – was a humble man dedicated to and passionate about our local Jewish community.
His communal career was long and diverse.
In addition to being the President of North Shore Temple Emanuel, he was integral to JCA, involved with and then
chairing committees from Allocations, to Building and Capital and Communal Planning.
“In my journey as a community leader, it was people like Frank that I looked up to, who coupled vision with strategic planning and rational thinking,” says JCA NSW President Ian Sandler. “What I remember most is our regular discussions while in our cars heading to or from our respective homes, when we debated and strategised what the community
needed to do to ensure its continuity and future relevance.”
This year’s program participants include Vanessa Johnston (JCA), Dalit Tendler (JewishCare), Darren Bark (NSW Jewish Board of Deputies), Roslyn Sugarman (Sydney Jewish Museum), Anna Stern (Shalom), Courtney WinterPeters (Stand Up), Katie Brody (Emanuel School), Karen Hirst (Moriah College), Amanda Eisman (Mount Sinai College) and Sabrina Scundurra (Montefiore).
paint align with my spiritual beliefs or what I am inspired by. There is no friction between my beliefs and my artwork.”
Nomi Kaltmann speaks to five Hasidic painters about the relationship between their religious life and their art.
DovBer Naiditch remembers the disappointment he felt when he received a B grade on a philosophy essay he wrote while studying for his Master of Fine Arts at the University of Pittsburgh.
Despite working hard on the piece, he was unaware he had not structured his essay in the classic academic format required for this assignment.
Naiditch approached his teacher to plead his case.“I argued that I structured the essay in a Hasidic way,” he chuckles. The teacher was convinced and upgraded his essay to an A.
Today, Naiditch, 40, and the father of 11, uses his writing talents to produce short stories for children. He has worked as a writer for shows on Netflix and YouTube, including the globally popular Mighty Little Bheem, Netflix’s first animated series from India.
While most stories he writes are not for an exclusively Jewish audience, he says his Hasidic background influences his creative talent. “My own art reflects who I am. I’m a Hasid, so I love little stories that tell big things. As Hasidim, we are always seeking union with God. We seek mysticism. And we try to live above nature. I just make it more magical with my writing.”
Some might think there is a tension between living a religious Jewish life and the free expression of an artist’s life. This tension was captured by US Jewish author Chaim Potok in his best-selling novel My Name Is Asher Lev. The main character is born into a Hasidic family and wants to be an artist, but is unable to reconcile the tension he feels in wanting to freely express himself alongside his upbringing.
However, it need not be that way. Plus61JMedia spoke to five Hasidic artists, some of whom are just starting out, others with decades of experience. Not one regarded their religious life as an obstacle to creating their art.
The majority of the artists are ultraOrthodox Hasidic Jews, a sect of Orthodoxy which believes that all gifts, including creativity, are given in order to elevate a sense of spirituality and godliness in the world.
Yitzchak Moully, a 40-something American/Australian rabbi based in New York, is a conceptual artist whose work explores the intersection of spirituality and the material world. Prior to working fulltime as an artist, he worked as a youth rabbi, until he found himself at a crossroads.
“My art was secondary to my [role as a rabbi], but it was taking all my emotional energy and focus. There was an imbalance. I knew which one was more important … I
was ready to give art up to focus on my [role as a rabbi].”
As part of this process, he sought advice from a trusted mentor. “[My mentor] said: ‘Can you take the gifts that God gave you to impact people?’ When he said that I realised that my contribution to the world is a unique ability to share Torah and [Judaism] through the unique lens that I’ve developed and created.”
Known as the “Pop Art Rabbi”, Moully’s work distils ethereal Hasidic concepts into relatable works of art. He makes his livelihood by selling his art via his website, and through private commissions from buyers around the world.
“In My name is Asher Lev there was a friction between creativity and Judaism. To me, one compliments the other,” he says.
“The truth is, my gift is the art. Someone asked me: ‘As a rabbi are you only allowed to paint Jewish subjects?’ I choose to paint about what I’m passionate about, but for me, thank God, today I am passionate about Judaism.”
DovBer Naiditch echoes this sentiment. “I’ve never felt restricted by my Yiddishkeit
… I am an artist who seeks to explore and create, someone who desires freedom of expression and, in general, I get to do all of those things.”
While Naiditch may occasionally find tension in his work, he does not regard this as a bad thing. “As a writer the first thing you learn is that stories are terrible without tension. You need tension or nothing happens.
“I think the same is true of being an artist. If you’re not struggling with something, it’s just bad art. The question is are you struggling through or struggling against? Struggling through something has always been the most fulfilling form of art for me.”
Miami-based Rivka Krinsky, 36, specialises in oil paintings. Her art often features Hebrew letters and religious motifs, and is popular around the world. “When I first started, it felt scary. Because you don’t want to mess it up. Whenever you paint someone [or something] holy, it’s a big responsibility,” she says.
She does not feel a tension between being Hasidic and an artist, noting, “I paint what I want and usually the things I want to
Canadian-born artist Mendel Treitel lives with his wife and baby in Sydney, where, in addition to working as an artist, he runs adult Jewish education at a large synagogue.
While Treitel has always loved creating art, his Judaism is central to his identity. “I never planned on being an artist. Growing up I was intensely involved in yeshivah. I was passionate and engaged. I would learn a lot [of Torah]. Early mornings and nights,” he says. He only began considering working as an artist in his later years of yeshivah.
“I was a [young man] in Los Angeles [working for two years] in a [Jewish] high school. I would draw these little drawings on paper. The kids would collect the drawings like cards. It was a real shtick among the boys about who could collect the most drawings. I think at that point I still had no plan to become an artist, but I noticed that people were interested in the art I was creating.”
In 2018, Treitel landed an apprenticeship with Michoel Muchnik, a well-known Hasidic artist in New York, where he was able to learn new skills and hone his craft. Unlike Muchnik, whose work primarily reflects Hasidic and Jewish concepts, Treitel’s art does not exclusively focus on Jewish themes, although he knows his upbringing deeply influences his work.
“I wouldn’t say that Hasidic culture … is filtered through my work, but as a religious person and a learner of Hasidic philosophy, together with all other areas of Torah, these influence my perception,” he says. For now, his style certainly resonates, with a recently sold-out show at Sydney’s Lyons Gallery, where many of the buyers were not Jewish.
Hendel Futerfas, a US-born artist living in Melbourne, says: “I am a curious individual and, by their nature, artists are very curious. We express what we see, and we express what we are.” He creates art in a variety of mediums including drawing, painting with oils and acrylics and carving wooden sculptures. “The things we see are the paint we dip into. The people we are, are the tools we bring,” he says.
Like the others, Futerfas does not see an inherent conflict or tension between being a Hasidic artist and artistic freedom.
He does create some Jewish-themed art, though much of his current work does not obviously reflect his Hasidic lifestyle. However, to him these influences are the basis of his creativity.
“Is my work Jewish? Absolutely. I don’t know if you’ll be able see it. Maybe if it’s paired next to something Hasidic it will jump out at you. But I know that I made it and I am religious, and I work hard on my Judaism. So, the work is undoubtably coming from a Hasidic artist.”
Mankind has long sought to understand its history.
One such truth seeker is Professor Yosef Garfinkel, Yigael Yadin Chair in Archaeology of Israel at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the former Head of the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew University.
Having directed excavations in the Judean lowlands (the Shephelah) at the sites of Khirbet Qeiyafa, Tel Lachish and most recently Khirbet al-Ra’I, Yossi is fresh off his recent excavation in January at Lachish, an ancient Canaanite and Israelite city. The three-week dig was organised by Dr Gill Davis and sponsored by the Australian Catholic University and the Roth Family. It included a cohort of 25 Australia archaeology students seeking to uncover the ancient history of the Kingdom of Judah.
Much of the field work Yossi undertakes with his students from Australia and America bi-annually is challenging. “You must examine where to excavate and review previous expeditions and what was learnt. You need to examine the topography and then you can only hope that you chose the right place to excavate,” he says.
Of course, the study of archaeology helps us understand the history of human civilisations and their development. It provides insights into the culture and behaviour of past societies and allows us
to learn from them. Yossi puts it best when he says: “In order to know where you are going, you need to know where you came from.”
He says his mother, he and his son were born in Israel and he wants to understand the history of the land. “One such story that is important to all Jews is that of the Kingdom of Judah. It is one of perseverance and religious devotion in the face of adversity”.
According to the Bible, the Kingdom of Judah was ruled by a succession of kings from the House of David, including Rehoboam, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah. The Kingdom was known for its religious devotion and it was home to the
First Temple in Jerusalem, which was built by King Solomon and served as the central place of worship for the Jewish people.
The Kingdom of Judah faced many challenges, including invasions by foreign powers, such as the Assyrians and Babylonians. In the 1980s, hot debate arose about the early history of the Kingdom and of the first kings: David, Solomon and Rehoboam. One of the most significant archaeological sites associated with the Kingdom is the city of Jerusalem. However, no clear evidence of David, Solomon or Rehoboam had been uncovered in Jerusalem. This is where Professor Garfinkel is focused, that is seeking to find their
footsteps in the Shephelah. Since 2007, Yossi’s excavations have unearthed information about the early history of the Kingdom of Judah at Khirbet Qeiyafa. He and his team are seeking further detail about the Kingdom and the First Temple in Jerusalem.
According to 2 Chronicles 11:5-12, Rehoboam fortified the city of Lachish, so this is where the dig started.
Professor Garfinkel will give an update on his recent excavation when he delivers the annual Sir Asher Joel Oration 2023 at the Sydney Jewish Museum at 6pm on 20th April.
Sydney Jewish Museum, the Australian Catholic University and the Australian Friends of
cordially invite you to attend the
David, Solomon, Rehoboam: the debate on the early kings of Judah
To be delivered by Professor Yosef Garfinkel
Yigael Yadin Chair in Archaeology of Israel at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Professor Garfinkel and his team are currently excavating a historic city, which has given them unique insights that he will share in his address, which promises to be both stimulating and exciting.
Time: 6pm to 7.30pm | Date: Thursday, 20th April |
Venue: Sydney Jewish Museum, 148 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst | Fee: $15
Book here: https://sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au/cart/
Mira (Miriam) Hasofer has been announced as the new College principal. She will start in the role at Moriah next January.
The incumbent, Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler, will remain principal until the end of the 2023 academic year, ahead of making aliyah and joining his family in Israel.
Rabbi Smukler has wholehearted endorsed Mira Hasofer’s appointment .
“Mira epitomises so many of the characteristics of a successful principal for the College. She is articulate in her vision for education and for the College, yet she is humble.
“The entire College community will benefit from the deep collaboration, trust and relationships that she will build with key stakeholders.”
Mrs Hasofer said she was privileged to be joining Moriah College, the school from which she graduated and called home for many years.
“My priorities will include a focus on academic excellence through exceptional secular and Jewish education, and attracting and retaining the most outstanding educators and support staff,” Mrs Hasofer said.
“The role aligns itself with my personal values of chesed, tzedek and derech eretz and an education that draws
on the potential of every student and speaks to their core being.”
College president Stephen Jankelowitz said her appointment comes after a rigorous 12-month global recruitment search supported by external experts.
Mr Jankelowitz said Mrs Hasofer would be the first graduate of Moriah and the first woman to hold the position of College principal.
“An exceptional, inspirational educator and motivational leader, Mira deeply values the pillars and ethos upon which Moriah College stands,” Mr Jankelowitz said.
“She prides herself as a listener, collaborator and creative thinker who has a gift for bringing people together, achieving goals and establishing an environment in which the people around her flourish.”
After graduating from Moriah, Mrs Hasofer served as a Hebrew and Jewish Studies teacher at the College, as well as a madricha for the Year 10 IST program.
In 2001, she moved to Hong Kong, where she spent two decades working in Jewish education, including 11 years as the Head of Hong Kong’s Carmel Elementary School.
Since returning to Sydney with her family in 2021, she has held the position of College Principal and Head of the Junior School at Masada College.
Mrs Hasofer has recently been appointed as chair of the NSW Heads of Jewish Day Schools.
Purim is always a highlight for students at Kesser Torah College.
This year, as usual, activities and events were held on and off campus throughout the chag.
They included students giving out Mishloach Manos and spending time at retirement home Bondi Waters.
Shows staged featured magic, exotic birds and bubbles, there was a ninja course, talent contests, costume parades, barbeques and seven Megillah readings.
Mount Sinai College has announced that Noelene Bellingham will succeed Phil Roberts as principal.
Ms Bellingham, who will join the College ahead of Term 4, has been head of primary at Kesser Torah College, where she has worked for the past seven years.
Before that, she was head of primary at Al Sadiq College between 2008 and 2015. Ms Bellingham said she was excited to be joining Mount Sinai College.
She said she was “looking forward to working with the students, families and educators of our community, as we continue to build on our Jewish heritage.”
Speaking on behalf of the Mount Sinai College Board of Management, president Daryn Saretzki said Ms Bellingham “is an incredible leader and a wonderful fit for our school”.
Also referencing the staff, administration, leadership team, students and parents, Mr Saretzki said: “We are truly fortunate that Noelene will be joining the Mount Sinai family and taking the helm at one of the strongest points in our history.“
Mr Roberts, who has been principal of Kesser Torah College for the past 21 years, will finish up at the end of Term 2.
Between then and when Ms Bellingham joins in September, the College will put in place transitional leadership.
The
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In this Pesach edition, Rebbetzin Chanie Wolff invited her soulful sister, Rebbetzin Sarah Refson, to submit a Passover recipe that consistently wows the crowds in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. And she delivered! As co-Director for the Center for Jewish Life at the Chabad of Charleston, South Carolina, she knows first-hand that it is a truly active Jewish space across all age demographics and yes, locals appreciate a fleishig feast.
Enter: Rabbi Yossi and Sarah Refson.
When the pandemic commenced early 2020, Pesach was fast approaching and the Refsons, along with their team of vivacious volunteers devised novel ways to bring Pesach to the people. We’re talking about the compilation of Pesachto-go boxes replete with separate ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ essential Passover products. Each included a Seder plate, Haggadah, charoset, matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, potato kugel and also this famous brisket –all in need received (that was 1500 briskets delivered pre-Pesach!)
The pandemic has passed but this Passover service continues in South
Carolina to all who require – it is truly uplifting and one thing is a guarantee – all who have tried this brisket say it is succulent and sensational. With that in mind, we thank Rebbetzin Chanie for sharing and appreciate that so many mitzvot are being done behind-the-scenes at The Central Synagogue when it comes to helping our local Sydney community on a daily basis.
Rebbetzin Chanie and her mishpochah can’t wait to welcome so many from their extended Central Family for Second Night Seder – happening so soon! It will undoubtedly be an engaging, authentic and meaningful Seder experience.
In the meanwhile on the home front, give this a try – you will quickly find you will want to make it on repeat throughout the year as Rebbetzin Chanie and her inspirational sister do too!
How many common words of five or more letters can you spell using the letters in the hive?
Every answer must use the centre letter at least once. Letters may be reused in a word.
At least one Jewish word will use all seven letters.
Proper names and hyphenated words are not allowed. Score 1 point for each answer and 3 points for a Jewish word that uses all 7 letters.
Rating: 19 = Good; 23 = Excellent; 28 = Genius
INGREDIENTS
2kg brisket
Olive oil
8 cloves garlic
2 large onions, sliced 280 grams pitted prunes
½ cup Kosher le Pesach tomato ketchup
½ cup Kosher le Pesach brown sugar
½ cup Kosher le Pesach balsamic vinegar
½ cup water
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Rub olive oil into brisket and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
In a food processor, blend all remaining ingredients – onions, garlic, prunes, ketchup, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and water.
Remove brisket from the oven and pour sauce mixture over the entire brisket. Cover tightly with foil. Bake on 105°C for five hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Place in fridge overnight. Slice once completely chilled. Heat sliced brisket in aromatic, tangy sauce and enjoy!
If you have any Pesach-related questions or queries, call The Central Synagogue on 02 9355 4000 or email: central@centralsynagogue.com.au. For more information about The Central Synagogue’s Second Night Seder, visit www.centralsynagogue.com.au.
Yoni Glatt has published more than 1,000 crossword puzzles worldwide, from the LA Times and Boston Globe to The Jerusalem Post. He has also published two Jewish puzzle books: "Kosher Crosswords" and the sequel "More Kosher Crosswords and Word Games".
ANSWERS PAGE 14
Home to some of the world’s most innovative dining, Israel has established itself as one of the culinary capitals. Boasting mouth-wateringly delicacies, the thriving Israeli culinary culture is seeing the opening of new restaurants from the Galilee, down the Mediterranean coastline to Tel Aviv.
At Uri Buri, one of the only restaurants in the ancient port town of Akko, famed Israeli seafood chef Uri Jeremias serves up the finest cuisine that the Mediterranean has to offer. Jeremias employs a mix of Jews and Muslims in his restaurant and hotel (Efendi Hotel).
It is not by chance that the eatery’s reputation as one of the best fish restaurants in the country has spread far and wide. It is now a "must visit" spot for travellers seeking authentic Mediterranean cuisine with an Israeli flair, along with a fine selection of Israeli wines.
At the table of chef Roee Dori, executive chef of Rouge at Pereh Mountain Resort, in northern Israel, vegetables take centre stage. The chef takes the best local produce, dairy and Levantine herbs from the mountainous north to create a delectable, seasonal menu.
That includes trout from the nearby Dan River, homemade gnocchi during summer, artisanal cheese, along with
to a Mediterranean garden. The international cuisine reflects Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern heritage.
Highlight dishes include Jerusalem artichoke served with peanut masala and cilantro chutney, Burmese “mohinga'' soup served with chickpea noodles and vongole gnudi with fresh basil and crab stock.
In the American colony district of Tel Aviv sits The Drisco Hotel’s George & John restaurant. It was awarded the accolade of Israel’s best restaurant and number six best restaurant in the Middle East and North Africa.
Chef Tomer Tal combines flavours and recipes from his Jewish-Moroccan heritage with seasonal products from Carmel Market and fresh seafood from Jaffa Port.
One of the leading young Israeli chefs, Tal uses many cooking techniques, including smoking, grilling and pickling. He incorporates local, indigenous herbs and quality products.
tomatoes and other veggies grown close by.
The chef showcases the abundance and diversity of the Golan Heights, using both contemporary and traditional techniques, to offer patrons an authentic local dining experience.
The star of the show is the restaurant’s taboon, a clay, wood-fired oven, traditionally used for Levantine flatbreads and used at Rouge to roast and smoke vegetables.
1. The word Seder means order. The Seder is a series of prayers and rituals to be undertaken in a set order according to tradition
2. The Haggadah
3. This refers to the Sale of Chametz which can be done only via a contract and sale coordinated by one’s rabbi
4. Edward G. Robinson
5. 80 million
6. Hachodesh – the 4th and final Shabbat of the Arba’ah Parshiyot –the four special Shabbatot preceding Pesach – each with its own distinctive maftir and haftarah
7. The Angel of Death
8. The Sarajevo Haggadah
9. Alexandria
10. Based on Exodus 12:42 – Leil Shimurim (a night of guarding) is said by the sages to refer to first night Pesach each year, when Jews can expect to be protected from harmful elements
11. Bnei Brak
12. A Sephardi dish comprising of slow cooked eggs. The name reflects the eggs' origin in Medieval Spain
13. These were conversos – Jews forced to convert to Christianity during the Spanish Inquisition and they were arrested on suspicion of practicing Jewish rituals
14. George V. Grandson of Queen Victoria and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II
15. The Samaritans
16. Rugrats
17. Sigmund Freud
18. The Maccabeats
19. Hugh Schonfield
20. Elie Wiesel
21. The final day of Pesach (i.e. in Israel
7th day, in Chutz La’aretz 8th day)
22. The sandwich. John Montagu was otherwise known as the 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792). Hillel, according to the Haggadah had the idea of making a sandwich (Korech) of matzah with lamb and bitter herbs
23. Wheat, oats, barley, rye and spelt
24. Leshanah Haba’ah Birushalyim Habnuyah. Next year in Jerusalem
rebuilt
25. True
Jewish word – UPSHEREN. Here is a list of some common words (“yes”, we know there are more words in the dictionary that can work, but these words are common to today’s vernacular) – HUSHER, HUSHERS, HUSHES, PUSHER, PUSHERS, PUSHES, PUSHUP, PUSHUPS, RUSHER,
RUSHERS, RUSHES, SHEEN, SHEEP, SHEER, SHEESH, SHEPS, SHESH, SHUNS, SHUSH, SHUSHER, SHUSHERS, SHUSHES, SPHERE, SPHERES, USHER and USHERS. Questions/comments/compliments, email Yoni at koshercrosswords@gmail. com
Further south, lies R48 Chef’s Table, in Tel Aviv’s new R48 Hotel and Garden, set within a restored 1930’s Bauhaus architecture-style building on Rothschild Boulevard. Having officially opened at the start of this month, the restaurant is led by chef Ohad Solomon. Guests can sample an 11-course tasting menu.
With an interior by French designer Liaigre, the restaurant has only nine tables and provides an intimate ambiance, while providing an outlook
Tel Aviv city is home to three outdoor food markets – Levinsky, Carmel and HaTikva. Local travel company Eager Tourist offers a new chef-led experience, taking guests on a vegan culinary adventure, incorporating two of the three. That includes special tastings and a conversation with one of the leading vegan chefs.
It all goes to show that along with its other cultural and religious drawcards, Israel is a foodies’ delight.
Time is moving at a frantic pace as we reach ever-closer to our meaningful Festival of Freedom. And with that – all-things-kashrut truly comes to the fore as we prepare for this eight-day extravaganza – beginning with Pesach Seder.
There is so much Passover-related news, but before we deep dive into that, The Kashrut Authority is so excited to share that the brand new Oakberry Acai store, located in Rose Bay is now completely KA-certified.
You can now enjoy this sensational South American superfood that is packed with antioxidants, amino acids, essential vitamins, minerals and fibre - a favourite for so many with the delicious Oakberry Bowls & Smoothies. This is a third KA-certified Sydney location, in addition to Bondi Beach and Martin Place and instantly popular – it will give you much needed energy in the lead up to Pesach and well beyond!
The KA is excited to advise that we held a live pre-Pesach Q&A with our respected Rabbinic Administrator, Rav Moshe Gutnick, recently. It was a collaboration with the Kesser Torah College P&F and a successful wine sale was held with other wonderful kosher le Pesach items too. This will be the
it at wholesale prices and then sell on to the community at that wholesale price point, so all can share the bitterness of slavery affordably! You can choose from three bundle options: 100g – $7; 200g – $14 or 400g – $25 of fresh horseradish root.
The KA is so proud to highlight our caterers offering Pesach menus –including Lewis’ Continental Kitchen; L’amour Catering; Millee’s; Soul Gourmet and Sweet Chick – each is varied and unique. Covering the wide arc of sweet, savoury, modern twists and traditional favourites.
In addition, the quality of the premium local beef, lamb and free range chicken breast fillets are outstanding for Pesach, all offered by our local kosher butcher, Village Finest.
first of many live interactions with the community after a significant break due to the pandemic. We can’t wait to host the next one!
In addition, Rav Gutnick is going to be online and accessible via The KA’s Facebook Group ‘The Kashrut Authority of Australia and NZ’ on Tuesday evening, March 28th between 8pm-9pm to answer any questions in real time! Join the daily kosher conversation with almost five thousand kosher friends!
It really is a blessing to have our well known and well-loved Solomon’s Kosher for Passover range in our midst. Did you know Solomon’s have been offering KLP goods to our Sydney Jewish community for over 120 years! There is something so nostalgic and equally comforting about
their presence in our pantries at this time of year.
From varieties of matzah and matzah meal to Superbee honey to desiccated coconut to Verity prunes to condiments such as crushed garlic, chilli, ginger and horseradish all are staples and appreciated! You can find a Solomon’s range of spices at Krinskys and while there, you’ll be amazed at the hundreds of other Kosher for Passover products!
You can order your maror and parsley this year from Adamama Farm, our treasured urban, Jewish educational farm – the first in Australia. Take advantage of this affordable option as Maror is a hot (and hard-to-get) commodity in Sydney right now (excuse the pun). The Adamama team purchase
• Visit KA-certified Oakberry Acai @ 682 New South Head Road, Rose Bay between 7:30am-4:30pm (not Kosher for Pesach).
• Grandma Moses Bakery & Café has new opening times: Monday-Friday + Sunday 7am-2pm.
• Coles Westfield Bondi Junction will be offering Kosher le Pesach fresh salmon and barramundi, skin on and prepacked in store. KLP BBQ chickens will be available Monday April 3rd, Tuesday April 4th and Wednesday April 5th (Erev Pesach).
• Coles St. Ives will be offering KLP fish from Wednesday March 29th until Erev Pesach. In addition, KLP BBQ Chickens can be pre-ordered and will be available on Tuesday April 4th & Wednesday April
5th, Erev Pesach. To order, call Sreuvi Lazarus on 0415 850 245.
• Harris Farm Rose Bay will be offering KLP varieties of fish. For details, please call The Kashrut Authority office on 02 9365 2933.
• The One That Got Away will also be producing fish under The Kashrut Authority supervision, including minced fish, only accept products which have been secured with a Diamond KA Pesach seal.
• Solomon's Kosher for Passover products can be purchased at selected Coles supermarkets, IGA stores, Krinsky's and selected independent stores
• Pick up your hard copy of our KA Pesach Directory at The KA office, 2a/58a Hall Street Bondi Beach (corner of Hall Street and Chambers Ave) or access it via The KA’s website: www.ka.org.au
• Spirit of Bondi's Pomme de Bondi (apple brandy 250ml or 350ml) and Pomme de Nectarine (250ml) are both KA-certified for Passover and available at Kemeny's and Krinsky's
• To order maror or parsley from Adamama, visit https://www.adamama. com.au/shop. There will be two collection points for Adamama: Tuesday April 4th - Randwick Sustainability Hub, 27 Munda Street, Randwick (collect between 3pm-5pm) & Wednesday April 5th Erev Pesach - Mizrachi Synagogue (collect between 9am-10:30am).
• To order Kosher le Pesach beef, lamb and free range chicken breast fillets, visit www.villagefinest.com.au.
• Visit The Nut Shop for Pesach products, 20-26 Allen Street Waterloo. Each KLP
The good news for Pesach keeps coming, The KA advises that The Nut Shop will be carrying a large quantity of KA-certified Kosher le Pesach nut varieties – from ground almonds to raw cashews to macadamias to dry roasted almonds to roasted and salted pistachios and you can even purchase KLP figs! All so popular and will truly add to your Pesach experience.
Our hard copy Pesach Guide 2023 is now available widely around town and can also be picked up at our KA office HQ. Stay tuned for updates via our preferred pathways. Make sure you enjoy a L’Chaim with the exceptional KA-certified Harkham wines.
From our KA Family to yours, we wish you a Happy and Kosher Pesach!
item is clearly marked with our KLP logo. The opening hours will be MondayThursday: 7:30am-4:15pm; Friday: 7:303:30pm. Call ahead to ensure they have exactly what you want on: 02 9319 6574. Please know The Nut Shop appreciates all orders that have been placed and is pleased to have this additional avenue for kosher consumers in the lead up to Pesach.
• Quinoa is only KLP when certified as Kosher for Passover
• The KA advises that a Nespresso milk frother can be used. It must be cleaned thoroughly, remove nozzles from the steamer, replace washers with new washers, reassemble, fill with fresh water and steam right through.
A story about love and courage, Driftwood The Musical is a deeply personal undertaking for its creator and star Tania de Jong AM.
First staged a year ago, it will soon return, with some changes.
The Jewish Report spoke with Tania about the show.
Congratulations on the revival. Why bring it back?
We presented 18 performances in our world premiere Melbourne season last year. The show received standing ovations at every performance and was sold out for the final two weeks, leaving many people disappointed to miss it. So, we wanted to give Melbourne audiences another chance to see the show, as well as introducing it to Sydney audiences.
We also have some big news. We are thrilled to announce the production will head to New York later this year to explore its potential in the heartland of musical theatre.
For those who haven’t yet seen it and for those considering a repeat dose, what can they expect?
Driftwood The Musical tells the inspirational story of the renowned Austrian/Australian sculptor Karl Duldig and his artist inventor wife, Slawa Horowitz-Duldig. It follows their lives in
pre-war Vienna, the family’s narrow escape from Nazi Austria, Slawa’s invention of the foldable umbrella and the incredible chain of events that took place after escaping the Holocaust and rebuilding their careers as artists in Melbourne.
What changes have you made to the script and why did you make them?
We have reworked the production and added some new songs, scenes and surprises. As the show has only had
one season, we decided that a period of creative development would be beneficial to get the work to the next level. Now it has even more tension and light and shade.
Why did you feel compelled to put your family story onto the stage?
The original memoir written by my mother Eva represents so many of our migrant stories of creativity, love, family, adversity, courage, hope, resilience and survival against all odds. My
grandmother, Slawa Horowitz-Duldig, was a brilliant artist, entrepreneur and female pioneer, well ahead of her time. She and my grandfather, Karl, made enormous sacrifices and lost nearly everything. This story reminds us how important it is that we build bridges of understanding, not walls between diverse people and that we must never forget the lessons of history.
How much work has it taken to get to this point? When did you first come up with the idea?
When I first read Mum’s Memoir, titled Driftwood – Escape and Survival through Art, after the book launch in 2017, I could not believe how much of my family story I was unaware of. Being a performer and singer, I felt compelled to share the story with a broader audience via the medium of musical theatre. We then commissioned playwright Jane Bodie and composer Anthony Barnhill. It took five years (including COVID delays) to produce the world premiere season in 2022.
Driftwood The Musical will play at Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne from 3rd to 21st May and at the Glen Street Theatre in Sydney from 24th to 28th May. It will then move to Riverside Parramatta from 31st May until 4th June, before the season ends at the Eternity Playhouse between 7th and 18th June.
You can book tickets at https://driftwoodthemusical.com.au
