DREAMING OF THE NEW HAKOAH

AROUND THE

COMMUNITY Dreaming of the new Hakoah

JESSICA MENDOZA-ROTH

In 2006, I was privileged to visit the Jewish Community Centre in Mexico City as part of the AUJS Leadership Development Program. It was so impressive to walk into the Deportivo Centre and witness such a bustling hub for Jewish communal life. I saw the tremendous benefits of a physical Jewish community centre: a huge range of after school activities for kids, exciting young adult programming, endless sport options, a massive gym and groups of bridge-playing retirees. It truly felt like a buzzing intergenerational community in action. When they asked me about a similar centre in Sydney, I shared the remarkable history of the Hakoah Club at its former home on Hall Street, Bondi, but it didn’t quite compare.

The model of Jewish Community Centres (JCCs) – a safe and secure central hub from which Jewish life can flourish – has become a cornerstone of many Jewish communities around the world. There are currently hundreds of JCCs worldwide keenly focused on enriching Jewish life through health, fitness, culture, arts and innovative engagement programs, while being inclusive and welcoming, free from particular ideologies or religious streams.

When I heard about the vision for the future of Hakoah at a presentation in late 2019, I was delighted that we could potentially have our own JCC in Sydney. In normal (non-COVID) times, my husband and I drive our son to soccer in one part of Sydney and our daughter to ballet in another. What will we do when child #3 arrives?! As many working parents of young children will appreciate, there is currently no central place for Jewish school holiday day camps for young children. Imagine if in one day they could do morning gymnastics and art, have Israeli food for lunch and play soccer and swim in the afternoon. I could see the potential for Hakoah – a single destination where my kids could do their activities, while my husband and I go to the gym and have coffee with friends. Hakoah in Hebrew means the strength, and I believe that this project is going to strengthen our community and strengthen Jewish identity for generations to come.

I joined the Hakoah Club board almost 18 months ago and it has been a privilege to work closely with such dedicated and talented volunteers and a small group of committed staff to help bring this bold project to life. We have received judgment from the Land and Environment Court endorsing the final Development Consent and conditions enabling us to proceed with construction of the new Hakoah Club.

We have never been closer to making the dream of a Sydney JCC a reality. We have received commitments from more than 185 major donors in the Jewish community, as well as a generous government grant. Our $65 million target is within reach once we complete major donor commitments and the community buys membership. We have developed a business model that does not require Hakoah to ask donors for more philanthropy. In addition to community and social returns, the business model is forecast to generate a surplus that will be reinvested to support vibrant Jewish community life. We have selected a preferred builder who will be officially engaged soon. Arnold Bloch Leibler has been generously supporting the project pro bono on a range of legal matters. We have set up a new, not-for-profit, so we can own the land and keep it in the Jewish community in perpetuity. We have been working collaboratively with a number of community organisations to ensure that Hakoah will have a range of high-quality mission-driven programming. Hakoah intends to provide a platform and venue for existing community organisations to utilise, and we invite you to join us to discuss how you might want to use the wide range of spaces and facilities at White City.

We have been operating diligently behind the scenes, while other organisations –working on the front line of this pandemic – have raised much needed funds. Until we received development consent and were confident in our ability to deliver this remarkable project, we held off on marketing it to the Jewish community. Now that we have satisfied this important condition, we have launched our new website – www.hakoah.com. au – and are sharing our vision with the entire community. In order to break ground, we need the community to show that it wants the project by joining as members. Discounted pre-opening family memberships – starting at $360 for the first year – are now available. There are a range of membership options to suit everyone.

I invite you to join with me in dreaming of the day after this pandemic. That will be a day when our kids can go back to school, when we can hug our parents and grandparents again, when we can do a workout at the gym and sit down at a cafe without any worry or restriction. As we all now know, and will never take for granted again, enjoying life together in person is so much more meaningful than waving to a grid of faces on Zoom.

The recent lockdown has made me realise that community – connection, belonging, a support network and meaningful experiences with those we love – is more important than ever. These are the values that underpin Hakoah at White City and what drive me to be a proud supporter of this project.

Imagine a vibrant communal home where we can all be together in person, doing things that we love, with the people whom we love. I also look forward to many international guests visiting Sydney and making sure that Hakoah is their first stop for all things regarding Jewish culture, art, sport, food and fun.

While coming together with our loved ones and community is not possible right now, dreaming about it is. We are an amazing community and we can make the bold vision of Hakoah at White City a reality. The start of construction is within sight.

To stay updated about Hakoah and learn more about our pre-opening and Foundation membership options, visit www.hakoah.com.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @hakoahclub.

Jessica Mendoza-Roth is a Director of the Hakoah Club, Sydney Jewish Community Centre and the Founder and Director of the Social Impact Hub.

GIFT a Hakoah membership TODAY

We’re ready to start building. But first we need you to join. Buy a family membership from just $360. Because life’s better together. Call 1300 425 624 or visit hakoah.com.au

AROUND THE COMMUNITY

YERACHMIEL ISACOWITZ

Spirituality is energy conversion. For example, someone who has a thirst for blood in their nature should direct that into being a shochet (kosher slaughterer) or mohel (circumciser). Let’s explore this further.

The Midrash says that when Moshe went up to receive the Torah, he was confronted by the ministering angels incensed by his presence in their domain. Hashem said: “He has come to receive the Torah.” The angels responded: “How can You give this creature of flesh and blood Your treasure that You created before the world”. They were ready to destroy Moshe.

Hashem said: “Answer them.” Moshe responded: “What is written in this book? Do not murder. Do you have the inclination to murder? Do not steal. Do you have a desire to steal? Keep the Shabbos. Do you need a day of rest?” And so it goes. Eventually the angels capitulated and revealed to him the secrets of the universe.

By answering two questions on this Midrash, we can understand how the spiritual conversion works. The angels surely knew what was written in the Torah, so what did Moshe reveal to them? What was so convincing about Moshe’s argument that caused the angels to resile from their position?

Let me explain through an analogy. A digital designer receives an invitation from the CEO of Adobe to receive a complimentary version of the Creative Suite. He arrives and is ushered into the conference room with the CEO sitting at the head of a large table. Around it are multiple software engineers looking at the designer with disdain.

They start by quizzing the CEO: “What is this interloper doing amongst us Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates?” He answers: “He is here to receive the latest Creative Suite.” In an incredulous tone they verbally attack the CEO: “What? You’re going to give this Jewel of software engineering to an art school graduate who doesn’t know the first line of code?”

The CEO invites the designer to respond, which he does. “What does this package contain? Illustrator. Do you guys do digital illustration? Photoshop. Do you do image manipulation? InDesign. Do you do page layout? This is what I do. This program is created for me, the end user. You guys are just working for me.” They take on board what the digital designer has said, capitulate and as a sign of respect reveal keyboard shortcuts.

What were the engineers thinking in the first instance and what changed their opinion?

At first, they were simply relating to the package from an engineering perspective. They designed that. As such they were quite correct. The Adobe Creative Suite is, indeed, an engineering marvel and does not belong in the realm of visual art. But then the designer came along and highlighted to them the ultimate purpose of the package that had developed.

This not only gave them a different perspective of the software, but also led to the realisation that the greatness of their work goes beyond the genius of coding to affect a universe of visual aesthetics.

So it was with the angels. They were looking at the spiritual content of Torah and that belongs in the higher realms and has little to do with the physical world. But, when Moshe revealed that its ultimate purpose is the application of the law in just that world, they understood it in a different framework.

Spiritual energy conversion

Yerachmiel Isacowitz is an Australianbased Jewish education specialist. Email: risacowitz@optusnet.com.au World Wide Web: torahconcepts.com Facebook: The Mem Channel

COA’s sustainable power source

COA SYDNEY

COA has exciting news – it has just gone sustainable! That’s right, COA is getting solar panels on the roof, thanks to the volunteers, donors and grants that made it happen. There is so much in the news these days about being environmentally friendly and using sustainable energy, but the truth for COA is that it has been sustainable for 40 years. That is not referring to the power from the wind or sun, rather about the power that sustains COA as an organisation. It comes from the hundreds of volunteers who deliver the vast majority of COA’s services.

You might be a COA volunteer yourself but, if not, you almost certainly know one … or several. COA volunteers come from all walks of life, from kindy kids to active retirees in their golden years. You might see them visiting elderly families, friends, or neighbours or you might notice them driving with a COA Kosher Meals on Wheels’ sign in their rear windows.

There is no COA program or service that volunteers don’t help make a reality. Parents and grandparents bring children along to help deliver Kosher Meals on Wheels. Community members ride along as helpers during bus outings, dance to live music in the Krygier Centre and even help prepare meals. Volunteers also assist in the office, from folding and mailing newsletters to sitting on committees.

COA volunteers go above and beyond in their love of Sydney’s Jewish seniors. Did you know the COA Fresh program is receiving donations from Patrick’s on Bellevue thanks to a volunteer who couldn’t stop raving to it about the amazing service he helps deliver? When one program was in danger of ceasing due to a sudden end to funding, another volunteer asked someone he knew for help … and now that critical program can continue to function thanks to generous donations. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Becoming a volunteer is also a great way to enjoy your golden years. COA can help you live your dreams. If you have thought about being the coordinator of a book club or running a kaluki group, COA can help make it happen. Whether it is making phone calls to keep the lonely company or organising stimulating discussion groups, there really is an opportunity for everyone to volunteer and make this world, and our community, an even more wonderful place.

Contact COA on 9389-0035 or s.peirson@coasydney.org to find out more!

CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES

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