the Sydney jewish report - November edition 2019

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Fostering a closer Jewish community

VOL. 67 Friday, 8 Nov 2019 /10 Chesvan, 5780

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SHARK TANK IS BACK

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THE SHABBAT PROJECT

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SIMCHA SUPPLEMENT PAGE 17

simcha!

A KETUBAH FROM TODAY,TOMORROW,FOREVER. PHOTO: BLUMENTHAL PHOTOGRAPHY

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE PAGE 23

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November 2019

Uncle Michael Welsh Bridges Cultures of Remembrance SYDNEY JEWISH MUSEUM Every year, in the lead up to Rosh Hashana, the Sydney Jewish Museum holds its Reading of the Names commemoration, in which people who have dedicated plaques in the Sanctum of Remembrance are invited to read aloud the names of their loved ones who have been honoured. Those honoured include victims of the Holocaust, survivors who are no longer with us, and those Righteous Among the Nations who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust.

This year’s ceremony, held on 8 September, included a different perspective on commemorating individuals by remembering and transcribing their names. Uncle Michael Welsh, a survivor of the Stolen Generations, spoke about Aboriginal experiences of loss and how there are many linkages between Jewish and Aboriginal rituals of commemoration.

Uncle Michael was taken from his family at the age of eight and spent five years in the Kinchela Boys Home, where he was known as number 36. He spoke about how through the stripping of Aboriginal children’s names, the genocide attempted to deny connections between individuals and their communities. He said: “The loss of humanity that one experiences when they are given numbers or when their name is forcibly changed in order to deny their identity is something the

Kinchela Boys Home memorial tablecloth

Jewish community is all too familiar with.

Like so many Holocaust survivors, my Kinchela Boys Home brothers and I will never forget our numbers. They will stay with us until we die as a record of what these policies tried to do to us. Reclaiming our names, reconnects us back to our

family, our people and our countries.”

In 2011, at one of the Kinchela Boys Home gatherings, the group decided to find a way to recognise and identify their peers whose lives were lost in the injustice they endured. Uncle Michael explained how they landed on a way to inscribe

those victims’ names: “We ended up taking a tablecloth and we invited everyone to come up and write the names of the brothers who were no longer with us. And then on a separate tablecloth, we wrote the names of all of us who are still alive, carrying forward our fight for justice.

Naming and remembering those no longer with us will ensure these people are not lost to us and to the future. These people were our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents, great-grandparents, greatgreat grandparents, friends, advocates, supporters. Their names and their stories will continue to be the truth tellers that will guide us toward intergenerational healing. This will be an intergenerational healing not only in our families but in our communities and across communities.”

Uncle Michael opened up connections between the two cultures that may not have been known by those at the Reading of the Names commemoration. Seeing the Kinchela Boys Home’s memorial tablecloth reminds the Jewish community of the importance of honouring the names of those who have died to keep their memories alive.

If you would like to find out how to honour a loved one in the Sanctum of Remembrance, please contact Rita Prager on 02 9360 7999 or rprager@sjm.com.au

Bargain Bazaar Opens Sydney Pop-Up B'NAI B'RITH B’nai B’rith Sydney’s op shop, Bargain Bazaar, has opened a pop-up shop for used furniture in Surry Hills Shopping Village.

Across the road from the regular shop, the shopping centre is due for redevelopment next year. For now, the Bargain Bazaar’s large cache of donated furniture and decorative objects will have a home to showcase its wares.

“We obviously get a higher return for furniture than other items, so I expect we will have more to donate to both local and Jewish charities” said manager Robert

Kohn.

“We are able to accept more items than we have in the past.

“When people downsize and declutter, they like to donate good quality, superfluous items to us especially as we arrange pick up of the goods.

“At the same time, we will have more space for clothing, electricals and knick knacks in our main store” said Kohn.

The shops are staffed by volunteers and operate 6 days a week, SundayFriday.

To donate used items, contact: Robert Kohn, Shop Manager and Director 0413 676 963

November 2019

community

Jeremy will restore your faith in millennials JCA If anyone out there despairs about the priorities of millennials, Jeremy Grunfeld (26) will restore faith in the next generation of leaders. At JCA Jumpstart’s first Shark Tank event in 2016, Jeremy’s company, InsideSherpa, won the people’s choice award and $5K in funding. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of success for this sociallyminded entrepreneur. This year, Jeremy is donating the money back to Jumpstart to help others realise their dreams.

InsideSherpa’s vision was to democratise access to career opportunities for people around the globe through virtual internships.

Over the last four years the company has grown to a team of over 15, distributed across Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Phoenix and London. They’ve taken on more than $2m in venture capital funding (including investment from Y-Combinator, one of Silicon Valley's most respected investment firms). Their corporate partners have grown to include KPMG, Deloitte, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ and MinterEllison, soon to be joined by the likes of JPMorgan, Accenture, BCG, General Electric and many more with whom they have launched virtual work experience and internship programs that are completely free and open access. If you’re an orange picker is Afghanistan or a famer in India you can log onto InsideSherpa and gain real, practical experience and insight into what different careers look like. Their community of students is growing by more than 2,000 each week, all of whom are upskilling by participating in the free skillbuilding programs on InsideSherpa’s site.

Jeremey realised how fortunate he was to

be part of the generous Jewish community where fellow Moriah alumni and Maccabi friends always on hand for a coffee or a phone call with advice and insight that helped him transition from university to the workforce. Jeremy recalls “After every single conversation I would ask myself 'what on earth would I do without the Jewish community?' I couldn't find a good answer to that question and that seemed very unfair, so we went ahead and built one.”

According to Jeremy, the impact of the $5K that InsideSherpa received from JCA’s Jumpstart Shark Tank event “can never be overstated. It meant so much because at the time, we had these giant dreams of helping students around the world, but were still building a foundation to start from. The immediate impact of the prize was that it helped us to believe.”

Pitching to the Sharks also helped to prepare Jeremy and his colleagues when it came to one the crucial components for any start-up – applying for venture capital funding, which has enabled InsideSherpa to continue reach more and more students across the globe.

Asked what advice he would give to other social start-ups, Jeremy said, “Never forget why you're doing this and who you're trying to help.” With people like Jeremy Grunfeld out there, the future is looking bright.

Jumpstart’s next Shark Tank event is being held on Wednesday 27 November with $60K up for grabs for the successful pitches - visit www.jca.org.au/jumpstart/ shark-tank/ for more information.

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November 2019

JCA launches a brand new report on Australia’s Jewish community JCA

Do you know how many Jewish babies are born in a year? Which suburb has the largest Jewish population? What the most common Jewish occupation is? Or, how Jewish household income compares to the rest of the population?

You’ll find the answers in a new special report just launched by JCA – The Jewish Population of Australia: Key Findings from

the 2016 Census. Authored by Dr. David Graham with Leon Narunsky, it provides rich insights into the geography, demography, economics and national origins of the Australian Jewish community. It also examines the make-up of Jewish families and households, and covers topics like intermarriage.

Commenting on the census – which was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2016 at a cost of $500 million

– Dr. Graham said, “I have often described the census, and the religion question in particular, as a gift to the Jewish community.

Its sheer breadth is unparalleled by any single survey or other data gathering exercise and it is simply not possible to obtain the kind of data a census delivers in any other way.”

Building on previous research undertaken

by JCA – including the landmark Gen 17 Report – the census analysis helps provide a clear picture of the community and trends

over time. “Accurate information is critical for the community,” said Alain Hasson, JCA Acting CEO. “Our local community organisations rely on this information for planning purposes and we encourage all of them – not just the 23 members of JCA – to download the report from our website.”

The Jewish Population of Australia: Key Findings from the 2016 Census can be downloaded from www.jca.org.au/ publication.

Australia’s total Jewish population was estimated to be 117,903 in 2016 and constituted 0.5% of the national population

Compared with the general Australian

The number of Jewish immigrants arriving in Australia has declined by 30% over the last 10 years

Of the 18,000 Jewish children attending primary and secondary schools in Australia, 50% attend Jewish schools

population, Jews were more likely to live in couple families, and less likely to live in single parent families

For what was probably the first time, Hebrew became the most common non - English language spoken in Jewish homes (10,707 speakers), now surpassing Russian (9,496 speakers) It is generally considered that a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is ‘replacement-level’.

In 2016 the Jewish fertility rate was 1.9 in 2016, i.e. below replacement level

In 2016 the Jewish median personal annual income was 43% higher than in the general population ($49,200 v $34,400);

Australia has the ninth largest Jewish population in the world Jews have an older age structure than the general population. In all age groups from age 60 and above, there were proportionately more Jews than was generally the case

Jews were more than twice as likely to live in apartments than the general population and far less likely to live in separate, ‘ standalone’ homes

Whilst historically an immigrant community, a majority (53%) of Australia’s Jewish population was native-born in 2016

Jews who rented were more than twice as likely to pay $450 per week or more in rent ($1,950 per month) than the general population (53% v 24%)

community

November 2019

Join Us at UIA’s 2020 Campaign Launch UIA United Israel Appeal NSW is excited to launch its 2020 Campaign at the organisation’s AGM in the Eastern Suburbs on 18 November and North Shore Briefing on 19 November with guest speakers Sam Grundwerg - World Chairman Keren Hayesod-UIA and Amira Ahronoviz - CEO & Director General of the Jewish Agency.

The events will launch the extra-special Campaign for UIA, as 2020 marks 100 years of the organisation’s support for the People of Israel. The centennial will be celebrated throughout the year; from the main Campaign events to many more exciting gatherings and initiatives planned for all ages.

From 2016 to 2018, Grundwerg served as Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles.

Prior to this, he was Director General in Israel for the World Jewish Congress, an international organisation representing Jewish communities in over 100 countries.

At the WJC Grundwerg advanced the overall mission to strengthen and support Jewish communities around the world, as well as the State of Israel and the Jewish People.

Ahronoviz has been working at The Jewish Agency for over 22 years in various roles. This year, she was appointed the first ever female CEO and Director General. As an outcome of her vast research, Ahronoviz and The Jewish Agency team are currently developing Crowd.IL, a digital platform that would both address economic gaps in Israeli society and advance The Jewish Agency’s strategic goal

of connecting world Jewry to Israel.

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Campaign at the Eastern Suburbs and North Shore events, the 2019 Campaign results will be presented. These events will also mark the conclusion of Adi Gefen Adler’s term as Shaliach at UIA NSW. “This has been another exceptional year for UIA NSW and our mission to strengthen and empower the People of Israel. As we move in to our centennial year of providing our community’s most critical bridge to the State and People of Israel, we encourage the community to attend these events and hear from outstanding speakers. We will also announce our spectacular line up of speakers for next year’s Gala events,” UIA CEO Yair Miller OAM said.

2020 Campaign Launch AGM - Eastern Suburbs: Monday 18 November at 7.30pm North Shore Briefing: Tuesday 19 November at 7.30pm (Sam Grundwerg only) Light refreshments will be served.

No charge, no appeal.

RSVP by 11 November (both events) To RSVP and for venue information, contact UIA NSW on 9361 4273, info@uiansw.org.au or visit uiaaustralia.org.au/our-events/nsw

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November 2019

The Shabbat Project is a global, grassroots movement that’s united 1,000,000+ Jews around the magic of Shabbat.

This year on the 15th & 16th November 2019, the Sydney Jewish community will join 1,000,000 Jews from around the world in celebrating Shabbat.

In 2018, The Shabbat Project brought together over 101 countries; 1,516 cities and 1 million participants. In Sydney, our community achieved a record year with 125+ events and more than 13,000 participants.

Come join us and experience the magic of our community uniting irrespective of backgrounds and levels of observance, to celebrate the immersive, inspiring and rejuvenating experience of Shabbat.

Get Ready for some HUGE Shabbat Project Events SHABBAT PROJECT The Shabbat Project is fast approaching and there is a myriad events to help you Experience Shabbat your way.

Kiaora Lane, Double Bay will be transformed into an Israeli Shuk on Thursday 14 November, 3-7 pm. The event, organised by The Shabbat Project and UIA, will be bursting with the best kosher food that Sydney has to offer including delicious, ready-to-cook and ready-made Shabbat meals. The first of its kind in Sydney, the Shabbat Shuk will tantilise the senses and bring the community together in an extraordinary, one-stop shopping experience in the lead up to the Shabbat Project.

Challah and pastries, fish, chicken, meat, salads and fresh produce will entice shoppers, with a decadent array of desserts

and alcohol topping off the gourmet experience. For those feeling peckish, light meal options to eat on the run will be available too. The buzz of the Shuk will be complemented by live music, food tastings and an interactive kids’ activity zone.

“Our community loves a good fress and one of best ways to get our community together is through food,” says Danny Sekers, Chairman, The Shabbat Project.

“This unique experience will bring the vibe of Machane Yehuda to Sydney in a whole new way.”

As the sun goes down, the party will just be getting started at The Golden Sheaf’s ‘Bazaar Bar’ – a kosher pop-up bar that will continue late into the night. Harkham wines will also be available to purchase and enjoy with your Shabbat meal.

A curated selection of gourmet food

offerings will be available from kosher favourites like Woolworths, Pita Mix, Amaze in Taste, Jesse’s, Millee’s Deli, The One that Got Away, Naked Foods, Ben & Jerry’s and more.

The Shabbat Shuk will be open from 3-7pm on Thursday 14 November and. The Golden Sheaf’s Bazaar Bar Pop up will be run from 3pm till late. Entry is free but people are asked to register shabbatproject.org.au/ shuk.

If you’re looking for something for little ones, Rebecca Schoffer, American singersongwriter and rocker of Jewish family music is visiting Australia for the first time for a Young Families Shabbat Concert. She will lead an interactive, and fun concert at Central Synogogue on Friday 15 November at 5pm to welcome Shabbat with the kids.

Bookings can be made at shalom.edu.au.

While Havdallah marks the end of Shabbat, we want to keep the party going with a rocking concert featuring the internationally acclaimed Moshav Band.

The concert will start after Havdallah at 9:10 at Dover Heights Shule on Saturday 16 November. The concert is a collaboration between JNF, Dover Heights Shule, The Central Synagogue, Moriah College, Kesser Torah & Sincopa bringing together a massive party to end Shabbat on the Shabbat Project weekend on a high note. With food and drinks available for purchase, it’s set to be the ultimate night out. Book your place at www.jnf.org.au/moshav.

You can find a full listing of events at shabbatproject.org.au. With challah bakes, Shabbat dinners, lunches, services and more, find your thing and join us – Experience Shabbat!

Shabbat always sounded to me to be something full of prohibitions. Nothing can be done.

After I had experienced it, I realised that this was the only time I was allowed to be quiet with myself, with my family. There was no housework. It was an experience that is hard to describe.

No one made us keep Shabbat, it flowed automatically. My daughters wait the whole year for this Shabbat.

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November 2019

SHABBAT: REAL TIME SANDY LEVENSTEIN United IsrA small voice from behind me made me jump. For two reasons.

Two, I had watched the movie ‘It’ a few days before; this needs no further explanation.

“But it’s Shabbos,” came the little voice as he saw my incriminating fingers leave the light switch.

I am in Israel for a few months, staying with family near Tel Aviv.

“Don’t tell your mom,” escaped my mouth.

Followed by: “No, no, tell her… never keep anything from your parents.”

My, oh my, I was really digging myself a hole.

Here is the thing, and the little ones know it: “Sandy is different from us.”

But, what if we’re not all that different?

"For me, Shabbat is an awareness of being present; a reminder, not just to be where I am, but to really swim in every moment."

My grandfather, a strong man with a deep sense of Jewish identity, retained his connection to Judaism throughout his life.

Every action of his, no matter how seemingly insignificant, was measured against Jewish ethics and ideals. And he was filled with

a love for his brethren, no matter their background or beliefs. Conflict among his people would unsettle him deeply. He would simply say: “We are all Jews.” I loved it when he said this.

Some of my grandfather’s Jewish pride evidently filtered through to my father, who loves his Judaism almost as much as he loves his children. He sent me to a Jewish high school, which equipped me with an understanding of Judaism. He also ingrained in me my own unique sense of Jewish identity. Being Jewish is very much a part of who I am. And, while I don’t often keep Shabbat myself, the Jewish day of rest has always held a particularly special place in my heart.

The last Shabbat I kept, the little ones and I were playing in the park. My phone was nowhere near. No meetings. I wasn’t ruled by time. I had nowhere to be. I am only too aware of how quickly life is speeding by. I see the importance of moving forward, but I can’t say I don’t miss a world where I don’t check my phone throughout the day. Where I can just sit on a park bench and chat to a stranger, without wanting anything from him.

Conversation for the sake of conversation.

Shabbat is the time for that conversation.

Time outside of day-to-day life. It’s about disconnecting from everything that isn’t human, not just technology. It’s about giving time, real time, to ourselves and to those around us. Time is the greatest gift anyone can give us. When I was in the park with the kids, I was there, really there. And this, for me, is what Shabbat is – an awareness of being present; a reminder, not just to be where I am, but to really swim in every moment.

"The angels are welcomed, wine is spilled over into the bigger cup, and challah is broken" Maybe not all Jews keep Shabbat, but I think most of us recognize its beauty and importance. There are so many things that bind us together: our history, our culture, our collective experience. But Shabbat seems to me to be the core of Judaism, the one thing we can truly all relate and connect to.

It’s no accident that even for those who don’t celebrate Shabbat in strict accordance with its precepts, it is nevertheless seen as a day of family togetherness.

On Shabbat, the connection I feel to our Jewish family across the world is really amazing. And it’s not just my own immediate family. There is something comforting, something connecting, knowing that on this day, nearly every Jewish person is acknowledging the Shabbat in some way.

Like my grandfather used to say, we’re all Jewish. We’re all family, and Shabbat brings us together as one.

That feeling is real. Yet nothing can stand in for the bond I feel with my own family over Shabbat… ...I’m at my dad’s house, a weekly gathering – my two brothers, my dad and I. We do see each other throughout the week, but not usually all together, so Shabbat is special.

The angels are welcomed, wine is spilled over into the bigger cup, and challah is broken. We eat, always starting with soup, creatures of habit that we are. We end off the night with a game, or three, of Rummy.

Winnie the Pooh says: “Today is my favorite day.” Shabbat is mine.

Sandy Levenstein is a copywriter and journalist based in Johannesburg.

Practice makes perfect GAYLE APFEL I first realised I had a problem about two years ago, when my third son was born. His older brothers are twins, and people often commented that twins are a handful. They certainly are. But, if twins are a handful, with three I just don’t have enough hands. That’s when I understood that I needed help.

The problem with perfectionism is that it comes from the illusion of control. When I think I’m in control, there’s no reason why things shouldn’t be perfect, and if they’re not, it must be that I’m not trying hard enough. If something is not the way I want it to be, I can just make it better using my control of my world.

This illusion was deepened with my first children. I figured: these people came from me. They basically are me. If there’s anyone I can control, it must be my own kids.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for that illusion to shatter.

Rashi, the great Biblical commentator,

talks about Eve’s punishment, the pain of rearing children. He doesn’t say it refers to the physical pain of childbirth, but rather the emotional pain of raising an independent person.

Whatever preconceived expectations you might have for your children, they will always surprise you.

They might even disappoint you. And the perfectionist in you can throw its own temper tantrum at the proof that you really aren’t in control.

So I had to lose the perfectionist.

It’s hard work, letting go of the illusion of control. It’s a delicate dance between setting limits and allowing space. I have to learn how to build appropriate boundaries for my children to thrive within, without crushing their individuality by control.

Here’s an example. It’s late Friday afternoon, and we have a crowd coming for dinner. The table is set, the children have bathed and are ready for shul, and I am wearing my Shabbat best. Everything is ready, and there is perfect calm as I light my

Shabbat candles to usher in this holy space in time.

Or rather: the remains of the children’s supper are spread all over the kitchen floor, the two-year-old has helpfully rearranged all the cutlery on the table, and I’m chasing after scattering children, still in my dressing gown, trying to get them to put their shoes on. But Shabbat is still coming. Even if I can’t have perfect calm around me, I can be calm inside as I light my candles. Because it’s okay if the table isn’t perfect. And it’s okay if there’s a mess in the kitchen. But it’s not okay if I don’t light Shabbat candles because I’m trying to get everything else perfect.

Of course, the challenge is not to go to the other extreme. Mess on the floor is okay, for a while, but cleaning up is also important.

That’s not perfectionism, that’s just basic life skills. But, if my focus is on the mess – if I insist on there being none – then the mess becomes about me. It feels like a deliberate insult to my sense of perfection. So when I focus instead on my children, and we sing

the “clean-up song”, and have a race to see who can get the most lego pieces into the box, then it’s about learning. And growing.

And becoming.

It’s not just my children who learn important life-skills, then; I too learn something invaluable – to guide instead of control, to accept imperfections while encouraging growth. And I remember that, just as I cannot control my children, I really can’t control any aspect of my surroundings. All I can control is myself – my responses – and my belief that G-d has everything under control. And then I take a step in my journey to beat perfectionism.

Gayle Apfel is a data analyst at Acceleration. She holds a degree in maths and physics, and a master’s degree in maths, from the University of Cape Town. She spent a year at Neve Yerushalayim Seminary, in Jerusalem, and is the mother of three boys.

There was no competition – everyone was a part of The Shabbat Project.

This was something that’s larger than any individual or any individual organisation. At our final meeting, I took a moment to look around the room at the diversity of our committee members and I got goosebumps.

November 2019

community

“That’s The Best Holiday I Have Ever Had!” TRUE NORTH The TRUE NORTH offers adventure-cruises all-around the magnificent Australian coastline and, in the stunning waters of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

An adventure on the TRUE NORTH is one of Australia’s most desired holidays.

Your taste for adventure and our carefully crafted sailing schedule will ensure every destination is at its stunning best! Regardless of whether you are witnessing breathtaking majesty in the Kimberley, being humbled by the overwhelming hospitality of the South Pacific or, kicking up your heels in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, you will be in the right place at the right time and, you will quickly discover why our guests consistently remark “that’s the best holiday I have ever had”.

Extended periods at sea are specifically excluded and activity-based itineraries provide ultimate opportunity for guests to experience the destination. Daily activities can include walks, fishing, snorkelling, diving, picnics, natural history and cultural events.

The TRUE NORTH is purpose built to access wilderness areas - bigger ships cannot go where we go! Multiple adventure boats take guests away in small groups to experience wilderness up-close and the luxury of numerous tenders also means that guests have greater opportunity to do "what they want, when they want"! And, to add another dimension to adventure, most cruise options feature an onboard helicopter.

The TRUE NORTH is an Australian registered ship and is not required to exit territorial waters during Australian voyages – every day onboard the TRUE NORTH is an activity day!

The TRUE NORTH also features the

ultimate in comfort and style. Spacious cabins offer modern decor, en-suites and satellite telephones. Guest numbers are limited to 36 and an Australian crew of 22 uniquely chaperones every experience.

The platform for dining on-board the TRUE NORTH is sustainable, organic and very modern Australian cuisine.

The ship’s menus are also destination inspired and feature the very best of locally sourced ingredients.

Signature dishes might include the revered barramundi – perhaps caught by your own hand that very day, plump black-lip oysters that you no doubt helped to prize from the rock while at the same time sipping on an essential glass of champagne, mud crabs cooked on the beach at sunset and, Spanish mackerel served as sashimi in the ship’s lounge.

Hometown highlights can include delicious mangrove jack and finger-mark bream, seasonal yellow-fin tuna and Yeeda Estate beef. The TRUE NORTH’S ‘heli-picnics’ are an unforgettable way to enjoy the quintessential Aussie barbeque featuring a wide variety of seafood cooked alongside your private waterfall in the wild. Destinations include the Kimberley – a panorama of rugged mountains, spectacular gorges and majestic waterfalls; the still-wild coast of Western Australia featuring the intriguing Abrolhos Islands, world-famous Ningaloo Reef, fishing paradise at the Montebello Islands and, the pristine Rowley Shoals; the dragons on Komodo; the breathtaking islands of the Raja Ampat; the whale sharks of Cenderawasih Bay; the mighty Sepik River and the un-spoilt islands of Papua New Guinea; mysterious Bougainville; beautiful Sydney Harbour and, a seafood safari around the delightful Eyre Peninsular!

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AI Innovation at Shaare Zedek AUSTRALIAN FRIENDS OF SHAARE ZEDEK INC MIRIAM PACANOWSKI

What happens when Artificial Intelligence is used in medical applications?

What benefits can be achieved by analysing the massive amount of data collected by hospitals?

Can we use Artificial Intelligence to find a cure for cancer?

How can the questions that you ask Dr Google help improve our society’s health?

While the Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc. were busy raising funds in support of the hospital throughout their Annual Giving Day on 15th September, Shaare Zedek Medical Centre Jerusalem was hosting an innovative meetup in collaboration with JerusaML, an organisation which brings together experts from both industry and academy in the fields of Data Science, Machine Learning and Deep Learning.

The meetup, hosted by Shaare Zedek, featured talks by two of the leading researchers in the field, Dr. Elad Yom-Tov, a Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and a visiting Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management at the Technion, and Mr. Yuval Globerson, Director of Research and Development at BrainQ. Dr Elad Yom-Tov’s lecture was entitled “How can Internet data inform and improve medicine?”

He focused on the fact that many people turn to the Internet when they have a medical

Shaare Zedek Director General Prof Ofer Merin with Yossi Gottesman, of Shaare Zedek at the JerusaML meetup which explored innovative approaches to the use of Artificial Intelligence in medicine. concern. The data people generate when searching for information, as well as during other activities, creates new ways to learn about and influence human health.

This is especially true when you consider that the questions you ask Dr Google are a more sensitive indicator than that attainable from traditional sources, when the required data is prone to reporting or association

bias, or when most activity happens online.

Dr Yom-Tov presented some of the opportunities that Internet data offer medical research through three examples. He showed how search engine queries can be used to screen for serious diseases and discussed the algorithmic challenges posed by such analysis, which is based on anonymized data.

November 2019

He also demonstrated how the anxiety of users can be assessed and what this tells us about people seeking information on suicide.

Dr Yom-Tov presented his work which assessed the benefits of childhood flu vaccines, a policy which has now been adopted in Israel.

Mr Yuval Globerson then spoke about using machine learning to cure brain disorders. His company has developed a therapeutic medical device for neurological disorders like stroke, where the treatment parameters are chosen using the patient's brainwaves and Machine Learning tools.

This innovative meetup was held in collaboration with Shaare Zedek Scientific which is responsible for research and development collaborations between Shaare Zedek and the industry, including implementing new technologies in the field of digital health and providing access to medical data through Shaare Zedek\'s Innovation Center.

Chairman of the Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc, Dr Allan Garfield says, “The JerusaML meetup is yet another example of the world leading approach that Shaare Zedek represents.

“We are proud to support Shaare Zedek’s innovative and crucial work in the centre of Jerusalem. We aim to bring the best of medical discovery emerging from Jerusalem to our local community and to continue to contribute in significant ways to the prevention and treatment of disease both in Israel and around the world.” www.shaarezedek.org.au

Museum Volunteer Brings Early Holocaust Testimony To Life SYDNEY JEWISH MUSEUM For eight years, the Sydney Jewish Museum held a diary in its collection which proved difficult to translate from Hungarian to English because of the complexity of the language and handwriting that its writer, Rabbi Andrew Kampfner, used. For years, this diary lay quietly in the Museum’s archives. Until, in 2017, when Susan Kadar began volunteering for the curatorial department.

Susan, who was born in Hungary and grew up as a child of a Holocaust survivor father, took on the task of translating Kampfner’s diary to later reveal compelling insights into the experiences of wartime and post-war Europe. Susan captured the distinct voice

of Kampfner through her work, bringing the words of his very early testimony to life. This record, being amongst some of the first personal accounts immediately after World War II, tell of the very fresh memories of traumatic experiences of arrest and deportation to Auschwitz, tattooing and slave labour, a death march and liberation.

Susan’s expertise and commitment to revealing this early Holocaust testimony was recognised recently at the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards, when she was awarded both Senior and Overall Volunteer of the Year for the North Shore Region.

The Sydney Jewish Museum is proud to congratulate Susan on this achievement and would like to thank her for her invaluable commitment.

Mayor Pam Palmer – Municipality of Lane Cove, Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney – City of Willoughby Council, Senior and Overall Volunteer of the Year for the North Shore Region Susan Kadar from St Ives who volunteers with The Sydney Jewish Museum Susan winner and Mayor Jennifer Anderson, Ku-ring-gai Council.

November 2019

community

11

Taking the initiative: What I learnt about Jewish-Aboriginal partnerships STAND UP ALON GLICKMAN Before leaving for the Derech Eretz program (or DE for short) I quite literally had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that I’d be going to northern NSW for one week as part of a Jewish-Aboriginal partnership program, and all that I knew about where I was going was from what I had read about the communities a few weeks before I arrived.

Within the span of the week I was in rural NSW, my perspective on not only about what it means to be a Jew, but also what it means to be a Jew in Australia, enhanced dramatically. Coming from Melbourne, I find that education on Aboriginal life and culture is limited, and without the desire to learn about it yourself, you’d most likely remain fairly uneducated on Aboriginal history and current affairs.

However, after I was in Boggabilla and Toomelah (the two towns where we spent most of our time), it became clear to me the importance of taking initiative and learning more about First Nations Peoples and their culture.

I was with a group of five other volunteers and two leaders, and my first impression of the communities we spent time with was their warm and welcoming nature. We were lucky enough to be in the communities during NAIDOC week, and while I’ll never forget the food or the festivities that were attached to the celebrations that we were a part of, I’ll

A visit from Aunty Madge - an Elder from Toomelah Zina, Yvie, Aunty Madge, Alon.

Back: Eden, Chava, Hannah, Sarah also always remember the conscious effort of the Gomeroi people (the traditional owners of the land we were on) to make sure we felt welcomed on their land. This encapsulates what the term ‘partnership’ means for me, as we were there primarily for the children of the community during their school holidays, yet we also received so much in return from the local people. This came in the forms of cultural enrichment, vital education on major issues facing First Nations Peoples,

and what I find most important, a mutual relationship continuing to be built between the Jewish community and the Gomeroi people.

From visiting the Myall Creek memorial site during our drive to Boggabilla, to learning about the dark mission days of Toomelah, the DE program served as a reminder of the gloomier similarities of Jewish and Aboriginal histories. However, our week in the communities reinforced that the positive

partnership we have with the Gomeroi people holds us all in good stead, and the reciprocal bond we share has not only vastly benefitted young Jewish adults, but also the community members in Boggabilla and Toomelah. Even from brief conversations with Elders, the sense of resilience and family that the Gomeroi people hold speaks volumes of the strength of the communities.

It’s difficult to briefly and concisely summarise why I’d recommend this program to a prospective volunteer. Perhaps what I enjoyed the most about Derech Eretz was the versatility of the activities and experiences that come with it.

From the fun, easy going activities at NAIDOC week and spending time with the kids on a daily basis, there was also plenty of time to indulge in the much more intellectual and cultural component that Derech Eretz has to offer.

The program was balanced in such a way that you felt that you had done so much learning and experienced so many new things, whilst also building so many relationships with people from the communities.

It has left me with a want to not only remain culturally informed, but also stay active in celebrating the wonderful culture First Nations Peoples wish to share with us, and the lessons and wisdoms that they impart on the land we are on.

To find out more, visit www.standup.org.au/derecheretz/

12

community

November 2019

Shalom Gamarada taps the philanthropic trend of Giving Circles SHALOM GAMARADA Shalom Gamarada is an Indigenous Residential Scholarship Program based at Shalom College that is now in its 15th year.

50 students have graduated through the program. This is a remarkable achievement as each of these graduates (amongst whom 24 are doctors) will make a significant impact through their professional expertise, cultural insight and role modelling. With an annual pass rate of 90% Gamarada students surpass other non-indigenous university students.

Giving an Indigenous student access to a University education is life changing for the individual and also beneficial in the creation of a more equitable society. Shalom Gamarada is so grateful to its individual donors who sustain it. But fundraising is always challenging as donors have so many pulls on their discretionary income.

Given this, there is a clear philanthropic trend that has evolved over the last decade that is making a significant difference to the fundraising strategies of many charities.

That is the emergence of Giving Circles.

This is a form of participatory philanthropy where groups of individuals donate their own money or time to a pooled fund, decide together which charity to donate these funds to and in doing so seek to increase their awareness of and engagement in the issues covered by the charity.

In 2018 , in an article in Fundraising and Philanthropy magazine it cited that “Research published in Australia in 2017 suggests that participating in collective giving has the potential to substantially grow philanthropy and build stronger communities in Australia.” This is certainly holding true for

Shalom Gamarada.

Presently, there are two Giving Circles that each sponsor a full residential scholarship.

There are also two next generation Giving Circles that have contributed to the establishment of the Shalom Gamarada Emergency Fund which will provide emergency accommodation for a student in need. The benefits of this type of philanthropy are significant – donors can maximise their impact and the organisation can nurture multiple donors at once who can become more invested in the work of the organisation over time while still making a tangible and significant contribution.

Gina Cohen, ED of Shalom Gamarada said “Many of our donors have said how inspiring it is to be part of a Giving Circle, which gives them the opportunity to give so consciously and to feel part of something so impactful”.

The students who benefit from the donations of these Giving Circles are going to make great contributions to our society.

One example is Bridget Cama, who spent 3 years at Shalom College as part of the Gamarada Program and graduated at the end of 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts/Law. She said “The Gamarada Program provided me with stability and a community in my move from Lithgow to Sydney to study law at UNSW. The scholarship was a major factor in the success of my studies. It is my goal to become a highly skilled lawyer which will allow me to give back to community in a meaningful way”.

If you are interested in joining a Giving Circle on behalf of Shalom Gamarada, please contact Gina Cohen on gina@shalomgamarada.org

Group of Shalom Gamarada students on their graduation day at UNSW

$5.7 Million To Protect Annual Jewish Schools Chanukah And Institutions Luncheon Concert OFFICE OF DAVE SHARMA MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR WENTWORTH

Monday 23rd December 2019 at 12 noon National Council of Jewish Women’s Fanny Reading Hall

111 Queen St, Woollahra NSW 2025 Join COA & JNF for our Annual Chanukah Luncheon Together we will light the first candle on our Chanukiah, enjoy live entertainment, dancing, raffles, and a delicious three course catered lunch.

Enquiries & Booking: Please contact COA on 9389 0035, email operations@coasydney.org , or come and see us at the COA Krygier Activity Centre, 25 Rowe St, Woollahra

and

Partnering for our Community

Federal Member for Wentworth, Dave Sharma MP, welcomed the announcement of $5.7 million for Jewish schools and religious institutions to bolster safety and security within the Wentworth community.

The Australian Government has allocated $41.9 million under Round 4 of the Safer Communities Fund to enhance security at schools, places of religious worship and community organisations which work with children vulnerable to harassment or violence stemming from racial or religious intolerance.

“Ensuring Australians can practice their faith and traditions in peace and safety, without harassment or intimidation, is a core Australian value and one of the most important duties of any government,” Mr Sharma said.

Grants will be used to install CCTV cameras, fencing and bollards, lighting, swipe access controlled entrance and exits, as well as train and hire armed security guards.

“The last several months have seen disturbing outbreaks of antisemitism, both here in Wentworth and bullying incidents in

two Melbourne schools.”

“The Jewish community is an integral part of what makes the fabric of Australia so strong and rich, and this sort of intolerance has no place in Australia,” said Mr Sharma Twelve Jewish schools and religious organisations in Wentworth have been successful in their grant applications: • Yeshiva College Bondi - $450,000 • Emanuel Woollahra Preschool - $450,000 • Emanuel School - $450,000 • Moriah College (six locations) - $1,350,000 • Mount Zion War Memorial Kindergarten $286,230 • Sydney Chevra Kadisha Synagogue $440,758 • Bondi Mizrachi Synagogue - $450,000 • Adath Yisroel Congregation - $251,890 • Jewish House - $362,725 • BINA Jewish Wisdom - $411,097 • The Central Synagogue - $419,572 • Dover Heights Shule - $403,571 “I will continue to be a steadfast supporter of the Jewish community and Jewish life in Australia, including protecting the community from threats and supporting institutions which foster Jewish communal life,” Mr Sharma said.

To find out more about the Safer Communities Fund, please visit https:// www.business.gov.au/assistance/safercommunities-fund-round-4 for more information.

November 2019

13

community

MH Formal Dinner with Dr Rob Silberstein

MANDELBAUM HOUSE HALEY SOUSA (MANDELBAUM RESIDENT)

On 17 October 2019 Mandelbaum House welcomed Dr. Rob Silberstein as a guest lecturer to our monthly formal dinner. Dr. Silberstein has faced many obstacles that the majority of us have not even considered when embarking on our anticipated careers.

As he shared the challenges he had faced, he told us that one of the biggest obstacles were the attitudes of those people who put limits on what they believed he was capable of achieving.

The evening began with a captivating piano performance by Daniel, a Mandelbaum resident from Mexico studying abroad in Australia. The microphone was then handed to one of the Mandelbaum residents Lily, who is from London. She introduced Dr. Silberstein and warmly welcomed him into our home.

Dr. Silberstein holds many degrees including, Bachelor of Medicine (MB, Bachelor of Surgery (BS), Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons I), Master of Health Law (MHL), Master of Industrial Property (MIP), Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (Grad Dip (Legal Practice). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Patent Trade Marks Attorney, a Registered Australian Patent Attorney, a Registered New Zealand Patent Attorney, a Registered Australian Trade Marks Attorney, a Registered non practising Medical Practitioner and a Registered Solicitor NSW. Undoubtedly, Dr. Silberstein is a well rounded, successful, and an inspirational

individual. But his success did not come easy.

Born with Arthrogryposis multiplex congenital (a joint and muscular) disability, Dr. Silberstein has had to overcome many obstacles that most people never had to face. Dr. Silberstein took us on his path to success by starting from the beginning. It was a time when children with disabilities were segregated from mainstream schooling. His mother, who understood that he was a gifted child, had an extremely tough time trying to find a normal school that would accept

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him. He distinctly remembers countless school administrations telling his mother, in more acceptable terms ‘you are insane and should have your head examined’. Dr. Silberstein was five-years-old at the time, and in his words, “very impressionable”. He did not let these impressions dictate his life, even when he described them as trying to determine his fate.

Dr. Silberstein went on to talk about his journey in the medical field. An academic advisor at one of the universities he applied to called Dr. Silberstein to his office and

spent two hours trying to deter him away from studying medicine. Despite his academic success in medical school, the medical board did everything in their power to prohibit Dr. Silberstein from practising medicine.

While he has full sensation in his limbs, Dr. Silberstein does not have much anti-gravity movement of his hands. In Medical school, his fascilitator, a registered nurse, raised his hand to the required spot in order to make diagnoses which (for a student), were extremely good. Yet, in the final analysis, the Medical Board used his disability against him, not wanting to accept his achievement of being the very first person to complete Medicine with a disability.

After many attempts of trying to obtain permission to become an Intern in a hospital, Dr. Silberstein ultimately decided to go to law school. From there, he has successfully worked as a law practitioner and continues to defy the odds he was given. In 2014 Silberstein & Associates boutique law firm was established and for the third consecutive year is a finalist in the Boutique Firm of Year and Managing Partner of the Year categories. This year they also received a nomination for Wellness Initiative of the Year.

Dr. Silberstein closed his lecture with the line “I make my own life for myself,” and I think this is a line we can all take with us, whoever we are, wherever we go.

MANDELBAUM HOUSE is the Jewish Residential college at the University of Sydney. Applications for 2020 accommodation is now open.

14

international

November 2019

A gift may well be bribery if you’re the prime minister ALON TAL Arnon Milchan (left) and Benjamin Netanyahu at a press conference in the Knesset on March 28, 2005. (Flash90/File)

These are especially demanding days for Israel’s attorney general, Avichai Mandleblit and his legal team from the State Attorney’s office as they review the many arguments presented by the prime minister’s attorneys, and decide whether to indict Benjamin Netanyahu on three separate counts of corruption and

misuse

of

power.

Netanyahu

continues to claim that “there will be nothing because there was nothing.”

Yet, anyone who read the detailed, 45page report prepared by the attorney general prior to the hearing understands that there appears to be very much indeed – and that much of it was illegal.

How can we reconcile the disconnect between the obdurate position taken by the prime minister and the litany of to understand (and empirically show)

attributes great importance to the quality

and those which appear to them to be

One compelling explanation can be

the motives behind human behavior.

of honesty. Indeed, acting honestly,

gleaned from the research of Dan Ariely

In his best-selling book Predictably

typically leaves people with a positive

only trivial indiscretions. This distinction

and his many publications. Professor

Irrational, Ariely dedicates an entire

feeling.

Ariely is an international expert on

chapter to reasons why so many people

Ariely’s explanation is associated

behavioral economics and in general

engage in dishonest behavior, when,

with the distinction that people make

an academic with an uncanny ability

in innumerable surveys, the public

between meaningful, major offences

details which have come to light?

is apparently germane in understanding the dissonance behind the prime CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

Angela Merkel deserved the WJC Award and here’s why RONALD S. LAUDER On October 24, I was strongly criticized for the fact that the World Jewish Congress gave its highest honor, the Theodor

Herzl

award,

to

German

Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Although Mrs. Merkel has been strong in her defense of the Jewish people, some have suggested she wasn’t worthy of the award because, among other reasons, antisemitism is on the rise in Germany and throughout Europe, and her measures have not been strong enough to stop it.

Mrs. Merkel has, indeed, been strong in our defense. She has been, at times, a lone voice among European leaders defending Israel. She has followed in the traditions of previous chancellors, starting with Konrad Adenauer, to defend the Jewish people – and she has been one of the strongest voices against antisemitism.

Granted, she has not been perfect, although I don’t know any leaders that

German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a joint news conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (not pictured) at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, October 2, 2019. (photo credit: MICHELE TANTUSSI/REUTERS)

I just wish those critical of me would

Congress, which showed that:

more loyal to Israel than to Germany.

would fall into that category. That is why

have listened to what I said to Chancellor

• More than a quarter of all Germans

• And, in the country that is historically

I believe it was necessary and right to

Merkel in Munich on October 28. If they

– 27% – hold strong, negative views of

responsible for the Holocaust, 41% of

encourage her, along with other German

had, they would have heard me tell the

Jewish people.

all Germans believe Jews talk too much

politicians, to take stronger steps in this

chancellor the results of a new poll,

• Almost half – 48% – believe the old

regard.

commissioned by the World Jewish

canard of dual loyalty, saying Jews are

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

15

international

November 2019

Angela Merkel deserved the WJC Award and here’s why FROM PAGE 14

2. There must also be Increased and

gate and I spoke with Mr. Remis. What

the facts. And, sadly, it is too prevalent

substantial penalties for anyone who

I reminded Chancellor Merkel and the

within our people and throughout our

about what is, perhaps, the greatest

commits an antisemitic attack.

entire audience was that it is completely

history to fight amongst each ourselves.

crime in history.

Why was it important to hear?

Because in the audience, some of the most influential Germans in the country heard me say: “This is not a survey from 1929 or 1939. It is a survey conducted here, in Germany, weeks ago in 2019.”

I told them that “this is not a Jewish problem, it’s a German problem.”

I then repeated the points of an oped that I published in one of the leading German newspapers two days earlier, which stated that: 1. There must now be police protection for all synagogues and Jewish schools in Germany.

3. Hate speech of any kind must be forbidden.

policeman standing guard in front of that

4. All German political parties must expel any members that engage in antisemitism. neo-Nazi ideology must be outlawed.

Did this have an impact? Two days Germany

synagogue on Yom Kippur.

I think it was important for the chancellor to hear these things first

5. Any political party that espouses a

later,

unacceptable that there was not one

tightened

its

laws

against online hate speech.

other with respect.

On the recent holiday of Simhat Torah, Jews ended our reading of the scrolls

Remis was educated and trained in one

with congregations throughout the world

of the programs funded by the Ronald

standing and saying in unison: “Chazak

S. Lauder Foundation.

… Chazak … v’nitchazak.”

On Yom Kippur, a gunman tried to

criticized for the 40,000 students that

enter a synagogue in Halle, Germany,

have received a Jewish education in

but because of a locked gate and the

Lauder schools throughout Central and

bravery of one congregant – Yossel

Eastern Europe, along with the Jewish

Remis – he was unable to get in.

communities that have now taken root

Instead, he shot and killed two innocent

around those schools?

My point here is that it is much too easy

I went to Halle last week. I saw the

believe we should always treat each

hand – and, for that matter, that Yossel

I wonder – would I would be

passersby.

Disadgreements will arise, but I

to criticize anyone without waiting for all

Have strength … Have strength … and have strength in each other.”

I believe we can still find wisdom and guidance in our lives through the Torah – and we should never forget that we are stronger as one people, united and focused on the very real problems that confront us.

A gift may well be bribery if you’re the prime minister FROM PAGE 14

minister’s position. Ariely argues that only after we violate a significant, societal norm does the “superego” (that Freudian synonym for human conscience) signal us that we have done something wrong.

Ariely writes: “The problem is that our internal honesty monitor is active when we contemplate big transgressions, like grabbing an entire box of pens from the conference hall. For the little transgressions, like taking a single pen or two pens, we don’t even consider how these actions would reflect on our honesty and so our superego stays asleep.”

Ariely

conducted

a

range

of

experiments that assessed how the public classifies

honest

behavior.

In other words, when behavior is

even though it would be completely

from movie producer Arnon Milchan

not considered to be an indisputable,

inappropriate to stand up at the

and

socially prohibited transgression, then

end of the meal — and exclaim that

Packer. From the couple’s subjective

the conscience ceases to drive how

you want to pay $200 for such a

perspective,

we act and equations of “cost-benefit”

sumptuous dinner. At the same time,

have been entirely social, even if the

take over. For instance, in these cases

it is perfectly acceptable to bring a gift

aggregate value of the gifts exceeded

when people believe that they will not

to the meal of equal or greater value

be caught taking something, and the

as a token of appreciation. The offer

a million shekels – unquestionably a

profits outweigh the losses — in their

of a cash payment is inappropriate

less than systematic calculations, they

in this case, because it relates to the

will go ahead and take it — even if

meal as a commercial situation when

formally it that is against the law. In the

it is generally recognized as a context

case of Prime Minister Netanyahu, this

which is social.

sort of thinking appear to have led to acts of bribery and corruption.

When the prime minister sought gifts from “friends” or elicits positive press

The definition of “bribery” under

coverage in return for assistance —

Israeli law is very broad. Section 293

he apparently sensed that he was

of Israel’s Penal Code holds that it

operating in a social/political context —

makes no difference if the bribe was

and did not understand that it actually

money or the equivalent of money —

held financial/commercial meaning.

or alternatively: a service or a benefit.

Many

other

people

living

their

Moreover, the law reads: “There is no

everyday lives in our modern society

significance if it was for actively doing

are probably inclined to agree and see

— or from ceasing to do, slowing,

hesitate to take a cans of cola that

nothing unfitting about manipulations

giving

to receive gifts or positive press

Ariely left there, even as it was clear

discriminating negatively.”

In one of them, students at an MIT dorm with a public refrigerator did not

preferential

treatment

or

coverage — unless perhaps there is

Australian

billionaire,

the

James

dynamics

may

commercially relevant sum. According to the evidence which has been accrued by the Israeli police, there appears to have been reciprocation: promoting a law to grant Milchan tax exemptions as a returning Israeli citizen; asking American authorities to help him resolve a visa problem and promotion of other commercial enterprises.

It is quite possible that Netanyahu also believed that he was conducting a legitimate, friendly social exchange — when he suggested marketing assistance to a newspaper owner in return for positive coverage. The problem is that in these cases, Israeli criminal law does not differentiate between

commercial

and

social

that the cans did not belong to them.

Another insight of Ariely is particularly

money exchanged. Indeed, there are

By way of contrast, when in lieu of the

relevant. Ariely distinguishes between

probably instances where such quid-

contexts. From the law’s perspective:

sodas, Ariely left a plate with dollar

contexts which are either commercial

pro-quos are the norm in commercial

corruption

bills on it, the students’ response

or social. In his view, the distinction

interactions. But this is simply not the

unacceptable, and it is illegal.

was entirely different. It seems that

completely defines what is acceptable

case in the public sphere.

removing the cash from the refrigerator

behavior at a given time.

was

perceived

categorically

is

corruption;

it

is

In the 1000 file, for example,

Professor Alon Tal, is the chair of

Netanyahu and his wife regularly

the Tel Aviv University Department of Public Policy and a veteran

as

One example he gives in his book

stealing — and for days the bills were

involves a holiday dinner with one’s

received

left untouched.

mother-in-law. Ariely explains that

champagne, cigars and even jewelry

gifts

of

expensive

environmental activist.

16

international

November 2019

Aliyah’ seems to be the hardest word RUTHIE BLUM At its three-day board of governors meeting in Jerusalem this week, the Jewish Agency for Israel, which recently turned 90, revealed a new plan of action. Addressing the Jewish leaders who convened in the Israeli capital on Sunday, Jewish Agency chairman Isaac Herzog announced that the organization, which “founded the State of Israel and brought 3 million Jews on aliyah,” is now “refining our strategic mission for the coming decade, based on the challenges Jews are facing today.”

Herzog, who kicked off the event with a ceremony to honor and mourn the victims of last year’s attack on the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 Jews dead and six others wounded— explained the mission as one aiming to “provide concrete solutions to the greatest challenges facing the Jewish people at this time: mending the rifts among our people, building a two-way bridge between Israel and world Jewry, encouraging aliyah and providing security for Jews around the world.”

The only thing really new in this mission lies in its reduced emphasis on immigration to Israel. When it was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency’s main raison d’être was aliyah, absorption and the building of communities in the Jewish state.

This subtle yet significant gradual shift in the perception and description of the Jewish Agency’s job has coincided with the evolution of the concept of “Zionism.”

Once considered to be the ideological basis for Jews striving to live in their ancestral homeland-turned-state, it now is a general term denoting anything from a strong love or political backing for Israel to the wishywashy, often veiled anti-Israel claim that it has a “right to exist.” As long as it behaves itself, of course.

Long gone are the days when legendary Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir was able to cause Diaspora Jews ill ease—even outright guilt—for remaining in their comfort zone abroad. Passed, too, is the time when Israelis were viewed as traitors for moving to greener pastures in America and Europe, and referred to as such by the likes of late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Ironically, this move away from shaming Jews for not settling or staying in Israel to embracing and strengthening Jewish life in the Diaspora began to take place alongside the re-emergence of anti-Semitism worldwide. Yes, as radical Islamism started to spread from the Middle East to the West, the classical Jew-hatred that had crawled

Some 300 new immigrants from France arrive on a special “Aliyah Flight”" organized by the Jewish Agency, at Ben-Gurion International Airport in central Israel on July 23, 2018. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90. under a rock of taboo in Europe after the Holocaust came out of the closet.

Both such forms of anti-Semitism seemed to skip over the United States, however. Until recently, that is, when it began to emerge in previously unheard of places, among them on college campuses and even in the halls of U.S. Congress.

Strikingly, whenever a pubic Israeli figure responds to the above by urging Jews to “come home,” or even suggesting that they might, he is chastised for it.

Take Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for instance. In the wake of the 2015 attacks on the Hyper Casher market in Paris, which accompanied the slaughter of cartoonists at the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, Netanyahu was slammed for telling French Jews that those wishing to immigrate to Israel would be “welcomed with open arms.”

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin criticized Netanyahu’s perfectly appropriate statement on the grounds that aliyah should be undertaken for Zionist reasons, not out of the fear of anti-Semitism.

Really? Wasn’t the State of Israel founded to provide refuge to Jews in their historical homeland? To serve as the venue for the “ingathering of exiles”?

Apparently not, according to European Jewish Association director Rabbi Menachem Margolin.

Incensed by Netanyahu’s statement, Margolin said that

Israel shouldn’t call on Jews to make aliyah when they are victimized by anti-Semitism, but rather must “employ very diplomatic and informational means at its disposal to strengthen the safety of Jewish life in Europe.”

Netanyahu was bashed again for appealing to European Jews to make aliyah after the shooting to death of two people in Copenhagen, including a guard at a Jewish Community Center protecting the entrance to a bat mitzvah party.

That was four years ago. Last year, following the massacre of Jewish worshippers in Pittsburgh, former Israeli Opposition leader Avi Gabbay came under similar fire for calling on American Jews to “immigrate more and more to Israel, because this is their home.”

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States and Knesset member Michael Oren responded by tweeting that Gabbay “said things that should not be said. … Through his words, he adds insult to injury. The call to U.S. Jewry … deeply hurts their feelings and reduces their desire for aliyah. Gabbay does not understand anything about Israel’s relationship with the Diaspora.”

It is totally understandable for Jews to consider relocation to Israel a nonstarter, even those who occasionally toy with or fantasize about the prospect. Once a person has built a life somewhere, whether or not he

or she was born in that place, the prospect of picking up and starting over can be daunting to the point of virtually impossible. Strikes against embarking on such a momentous move include scant career options, a lack of language fluency, adjusting children to a new education system and the difficulty of leaving parents and circles of friends behind.

Indeed, in the absence of the level of affluence that affords flights back and forth to visit loved ones, along with other financial or emotional expenses involved in uprooting one’s entire ecosystem, aliyah can be more terrifying than keeping a low profile as a Jew elsewhere. This doesn’t make it any less ridiculous and appalling for Jews to be insulted when offered a haven in the Jewish state, however.

That the Jewish Agency is altering its course somewhat may be unavoidable, particularly in a world that deems causing “offense” to someone practically worthy of the electric chair. But if Herzog imagines that the kind of Israel-Diaspora unity he has in mind will put even the slightest dent in the deep political/ideological rifts at the heart of the divide, he has another think coming.

Ruthie Blum is an Israel-based journalist and author of “To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama, and the ‘Arab Spring.’ ”

Bernie Sanders doesn’t get it MICHAEL BOYDEN Bernie Sanders, described as a presidential hopeful, spoke at the annual J Street national conference this week and is reported as proposing that some of the military aid currently being given to Israel by the United States be rechanneled to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.

As he put it, “My solution is, to Israel, if you want military aid, you’re going to have to fundamentally change your relationship to the people of Gaza…. I would say that some of the $3.8 billion should go right now to humanitarian aid in Gaza”. What about the people of Gaza fundamentally changing their relationship to Israel, or is that asking too much?

The unstated premise that lies behind

Sanders’ populist remarks is that Israel is responsible for the wretched plight of Gaza’s Palestinians and should, therefore, be punished by reducing military aid that is used to defend her against Iran and her proxies, such as the Hamas leadership in Gaza, who are committed to wiping the Jewish State off the map. Hamas’ Charter affirmed in 1988, that Hamas was founded to liberate Palestine, including modern-day Israel, from Israeli occupation and to establish an Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

While some claim that Hamas has abandoned its Charter, Mahmoud al-Zahar, co-founder of Hamas and a member of the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, has stated categorically that “Our ultimate plan is [to have] Palestine in its entirety. I say this

loud and clear so that nobody will accuse me of employing political tactics. We will not recognize the Israeli enemy”.

Israel’s late, renowned author, Amoz Oz, who led Israel’s left-wing peace camp for decades, was quoted as saying: “I have been a man of compromise all my life … but even a man of compromise cannot approach Hamas and say: ‘Maybe we meet halfway and Israel only exists on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays'”. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and Bernie Sanders proposes channeling American aid to Gaza!

Where does he condition support for Gaza upon Hamas’ recognizing the State of Israel, holding democratic elections, granting full and equal rights to all Palestinians and ceasing its belligerence towards Israel?

None of that is there, because the

Palestinians are in his view the innocent and wretched victims of Israeli aggression and bear no responsibility for their condition.

It is that misguided view that has enabled the Palestinians to continue to bemoan the injustice that they suffer while refusing to sit down with Israel and hammer out an agreement that could one day lead to a twostate solution.

Rabbi Boyden was educated and received his rabbinical ordination in London, England. Having served as the rabbi of Cheshire Reform Congregation for thirteen years, he made aliyah with his family in 1985. He has established Reform congregations in Ra'anana and Hod Hasharon and previously served as director of the Israel Reform Movement's Beit Din.

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When a love for art is the canvas for the art of love TODAY, TOMORROW, FOREVER Ryan Abramowitz is a painter, poet and romantic at heart. He draws on all these colours of his being through the Ketubot he creates, and in his endeavour to bring meaning and magic to express love stories.

The Jewish proverb “only love gives us a taste of eternity” textures the philosophy of Ryan’s Ketubah business ‘Today Tomorrow Forever’.

Ryan strives to champion eternal love by creating artworks that are celebrated today, admired tomorrow and treasured forever.

After being asked to paint a Ketubah for a close friend back in 2015, Ryan’s own love affair for creating unique artworks for Simchas truly blossomed (like the peonies he adores to paint).

4 years and over 100 pieces later, Ryan's artworks traverse a wide range of aesthetic styles and technologies, for example embroidery on linen, gilded gold leaf and laser cutting. A variety of artistic approaches can be used to suit the composition and the

Photo: Beny Sahar

couple for whom it is painted. Some Ketubot feature landscape imagery (think the old city of Jerusalem, Sydney Harbour or Table Mountain), and others crown floral, animal or historical motifs. While some couples prefer a more neutral and contemporary piece with abstracted undertones and textured brush strokes, others opt for symbols and colours that have visual reference to their relationship. All tastes can be catered for as Ryan is always innovating and expanding, searching for new ways to realise the dreams of his clients.

Today Tomorrow Forever offers both Predesigned and Bespoke Ketubot services.

When selecting a Predesigned piece access to a wide range of artworks is available there are currently more than 20 options to choose from. These are all customizable with the option of individualised text and hand painted initials, as well as other details for a personalized touch.

Amongst the Predesigned gallery, these designs include biblical references, botanical illustrations, Jewish festivals, as well as a

rich palette of romantic, nature and oceanic scenes. On the other hand, a bespoke Ketubah is a partnership that results in the depiction of a couple’s unique narrative.

After listening to shared memories and how the couple fell in love, Ryan helps to create a philosophical and artistic expression of their love story. As time is required to converse and create the perfect bespoke Ketubah, arrangements must be made at least four months prior to the wedding to begin this process. On the other hand, Predesigned Ketubot may be organised up to a month beforehand, and are therefore suitable for last minute orders.

The commissioned artwork can also be infused into other aspects of the wedding.

Visual elements in the Ketubah can be iterated and incorporated into the Thank You cards, invitations, Birkat HaMazon booklets or even the pouch holding the glass which is smashed under the Chuppah. One bride even printed a flower from her Ketubah on the desert cookies! Ryan has also painted many Birkat HaBayit which make for

Photo: Tristan Cardew - The Bow Photograpy

perfect wedding presents, commissioned by the couple’s family and friends. In many cases, marrying couples have opted to get a Birkat HaBayit which either matches or complements their Ketubah so they can be displayed together.

As an artist and as a hopeless romantic, Ryan feels that he is charged with a great honour when given the opportunity to create a Ketubah. Today Tomorrow Forever is the ultimate marriage of his own love for visual storytelling, Jewish traditions and artistic passion. Ryan’s Ketubot have given ceremony to weddings all over the world; from the Caribbean to Cape Town, and from Byron Bay to Brooklyn. His artworks have been printed in calendars and machzorim, and grace on the walls of synagogues, as well as the homes newly wedded couples and families. Like a love that is timeless, Ryan strives to create something that is as eternal as the love it represents - Today Tomorrow Forever.

Ryan’s Ketubot can be viewed https://todaytomorrowforever.com.au/

Photo: Sterwart Leishman

Today Tomorrow Forever Ketubot Invitations Benching cards Blessings / Brachot Smash Glass Pouches Art for all Simchas

For inquiries contact Ryan

0432 343 974 www.instagram.com/ttfcreations www.todaytomorrowforever.com.au ttfcreations@gmail.com

Creating artwork celebrating weddings, simchas & momentous life occasions cherished today tomorrow & forever

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November 2019

Everybody Loves a Wedding

BY MINA ESTHER GORDON When two people have found each other and two halves of one soul are reunited, their family and friends want to rejoice with them, to express gratitude to G-d , to celebrate their future together with joy and hope.

But what happens when organizing that special day becomes overwhelming? The basic costs are straining the budget, the family is under pressure, and the couple starts to associate their wedding with stress.

Can there be a way to keep costs down and make the to-do list more manageable, reduce the burden before it bears down on the whole family, yet ensure the Chatan and the Kallah a truly beautiful wedding?

This is the vision which led to the creation of the Oliver/Cylich Community Simcha Gemach. The goal of the Gemach is to provide an extensive range of items required at the time of the Simcha, with the aim of relieving the financial pressure that often accompanies the planning of a wedding.

The founder, Mrs. Zipporah Oliver O.A.M. describes her dream which has thus far materialised into a one-stop Simcha

Gemach. There, one can find exquisite bridal gowns, headpieces, veils, petticoats, and yes, even white shoes for the bride. There are gowns for family, children and friends, outfits for Sheva Brochos, Bar-mitzvahs or other celebrations. Jewellery and hats are also available. All items are available for loan for a nominal donation. But that is not all!

The Gemach also supplies elegant centrepieces for the tables with many options for various combinations. A wide range of ‘shtick’ is available too, as are other wedding necessities, such as the Kallah chair, glass candleholders and a chuppah.

For those who are making a D.I.Y. Simcha, the Oliver/Cylich Simcha Gemach offers such amenities as tables, chairs, serving dishes, vases, cake platters, cupcake stands and much more.

The Gemach had its beginnings in 1994, when Zipporah and Kasriel Oliver’s youngest son, Rafael Dovid A”H. passed away. They wanted to perpetuate his memory in a way that would bring joy and support to others.

Not wasting any time, they started with a special chair for the Kallah, props for

Image: Brian Kellogg Photography

wedding ‘shtick’ and a stock of elegant table centrepieces.

With the passing of her mother, Raizel Cylich A”H, two years later, Zipporah took on to open a gown Gemach in her merit. As the two Gemachs grew, they merged to become one multifaceted Simcha Centre dedicated to providing practical help to one and all in a dignified manner. It is a true Gemilas Chessed, in that it is available to all; one does not have to be financially challenged to benefit, nor does one need to belong to a particular shul or school.

The Simcha Gemach has been housed at various places over the past twenty five years of its existence. Once again the Gemach needs to soon vacate its present (temporary) location.

Without proper premises, it is impossible to provide the wonderful services that this Gemach can offer. It is vital that a space for the Oliver/Cylich Community Simcha Gemach be found. We cannot allow such a valuable asset to the community to flounder, G-d forbid. The Mitzvah of Hachnossat Kallah, assisting a bride brings reward both in this world and in the World to Come. By

Image: Modwedding via Pinterest

Add a Touch of UIA to Your Simcha UIA

Are you visiting Israel soon for a simcha - a wedding, birthday, bar/bar mitzvah, anniversary?

If it’s a yes, why not consider adding a UIA Israel experience to your journey?

We can coordinate various experiences for you and your guests - whether it’s your family or friends, including our ‘UIA For a Day’ program and Israel missions.

On UIA for a Day, you will have the opportunity to see and experience directly the various projects that UIA supports throughout Israel. Spend time at our Youth Villages interacting with at-risk children who receive help from mentors serving as role models and confidants; to bridge educational, social and cultural gaps. Meet the new Olim who are being integrated into their new home and society, or the Masa program participants learning about permaculture and sustainable living on an eco-educational farm. UIA for a Day is a rare and rewarding opportunity that regular tourists to Israel aren’t able to experience!

We can also arrange a tailored mission for you and your guests. UIA’s missions give you a first-hand look at Israel in an unprecedented way, provide

unique insights into its complex political and security situation; and provide the opportunity to visit historical and cultural sites. Highlights of the tours include: • First-class accommodation, transport and most meals • Discussions with prominent Israelis representing a range of opinions including parliamentarians, journalists and high-ranking military and security advisors • Tours of historical sites such as the Old City of Jerusalem, Masada and many more with superb guides • Visits to various UIA projects such as Net@ and Youth Futures, where participants can gain an understanding of the significance of the funds raised in Australia UIA is holding the following Missions in 2020: Yom Ha’atzmaut: 28 April - 7 May Bar/Bat Mitzvah: 30 June - 7 July Golden Age: 20 - 29 October For more information about UIA For a Day or UIA’s Israel missions, contact us at missions@uiansw.org.au, 9361 4273 or visit uiaaustralia.org.au For updates on UIA’s upcoming Israel Missions, follow UIA Australia on Facebook at facebook.com/uiaaus

assisting the Oliver/Cylich Simcha Gemach, you can gain that merit countless times over.

At the end of your Simcha, consider donating your gowns, dresses, and table pieces to the Gemach to help support a fellow Jew in making his or her Simcha.

We hope to find a suitable premises for this worthy purpose.

It would be ideal if a permanent solution was developed; a place large enough to house and display the stock efficiently and aesthetically. If anyone can help find such a place, even temporarily, in a location that’s readily accessible to the Jewish community, or wants to be involved in some practical way please contact: Zipporah Oliver O.A.M. at O438 345 770 or email people@zoliver. com.au Mina Esther Gordon grew up in Chicago, but lives now in Australia with her husband and children. She has been teaching Torah classes to young adults and women for over thirty years and is a well published author.

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Bnei Mitzvah Action Projects STAND UP

Young people have the power to create positive social change. The next Malala or Greta could be growing up in Caulfield or Bondi right now. That’s why non-profit organisation, Stand Up, is dedicated to educating the next generation of Jewish change agents and leaders to think about social responsibility.

The Bnei Mitzvah year is a pivotal time in a young person’s life when they begin to examine the social justice aspects of Jewish life, and explore the values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), Tzedakah (Justice) and Chessed (kindness). They consider how they might actualise these concepts as they reach young adulthood.

Stand Up believes that young people can achieve great things. So they have designed Stand Up And Be Counted (ABC) as a fun and interactive social justice Bnei Mitzvah program, which motivates 11 – 13 year olds to take action to create a better future. Run by a team of passionate and experienced educators, the program sparks participants’ interest to explore and address contemporary social challenges, such as poverty, reconciliation, homelessness and the treatment of refugees – through a uniquely Jewish lens.

Stand Up ABC also equips participants with the skills to create and deliver their own social justice ‘Action Project’. This community-focused experience adds a memorable and meaningful element to a child’s Bnei Mitzvah year, alongside a strong sense of personal pride and achievement. In addition, kids have the opportunity to hone their organisational leadership and public speaking skills in the process.

Here are Stand Up ABC’s tips for creating a successful Bnei Mitzvah Action Project: Tip 1: Your child should choose a social justice issue that resonates with them personally. If they select a cause close to their hearts they will be more motivated to see their project through to the end. For example, one Bar Mitzvah boy presented an oral account of his grandfather’s Holocaust survival story in front of his school class.

His project encouraged greater awareness amongst non-Jewish youth about the experiences of war survivors and refugees.

Tip 2: Encourage your child to include their own interests, talents and skills as an integral part of their project. One Stand Up ABC participant hosted an art exhibition where she sold her drawings, and another completed a 4km swim-a-thon to raise donations for charity.

Tip 3: Involve your child’s family, friends,

schools and broader networks so their Action Project can have maximium impact.

One Bat Mitzvah girl wanted to share her love of music with kids who couldn’t afford to purchase musical instruments. She hosted a violin concert for her family, friends and classmates and also set up an online charity fundraising page for people who couldn’t attend the concert in person. Her efforts helped provide musical instruments to Sudanese families through Stand Up’s refugee empowerment programs and as well as other charities.

Tip 4: Taking positive action doesn’t always have to involve raising donations.

There are many creative ways to help others. One patient Bat Mitzvah girl grew her hair over a one-year period. When it reached the required length, she cut her long hair and donated it to a charity that supports people who have lost their hair as a result of cancer and other medical conditions.

Tip 5: Encourage your child to have fun with their action project. This will help them stay focused on the project and enjoy the whole experience. Two Stand Up ABC graduates teamed up to create a ‘Pets in the Park’ family day to raise money for an animal welfare organisation. The event they designed featured funny activities including a dog and owner look a-like competition.

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Every Stand Up ABC participant who completes an Action Project is also eligible to win the Gandel Young Leader Award, an annual prize awarded to two outstanding program participants in Victoria and NSW. Jenna Rock, the 2019 NSW award winner shares her advice for kids creating their own simcha Action Project: “Choose a project that you’re passionate about. If it’s something you care about, you’ll stick with it and do some good”.

About Stand Up: Stand Up is a Jewish non-profit dedicated to working with disadvantaged communities in Australia and inspiring the next generation of Jewish change makers and community leaders. Stand Up works to empower Sudanese refugee women and families and runs a range of leadership and development programs for Aboriginal youth. Stand Up has also built a vibrant social justice education department that runs innovative programs for the Jewish community, including the Stand Up ABC Bnei Mitzvah program in Melbourne and Sydney.

To register your child for Stand Up ABC in Melbourne and Sydney visit: Standup. org.au/abc or call (03) 9500 2206 To set up a Simcha Giving donation page visit: StandUp.org.au/donate or call (03) 9500 2206.

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November 2019

What to Expect at an Upsherin NECHAMA GOLDING So, you have been invited to an upsherin (upshernish). What exactly is an upshernish, and what do you need to know to attend?

The word upshern or upshernish means “hair-cutting” in Yiddish. It is an age-old custom to allow a little boy’s hair to grow untouched until he’s three years old, and on his third Jewish birthday, to invite friends and community members to a festive haircutting ceremony. In Hebrew it’s called a chalakah.

As in one sense an upshernish is a glorified child’s birthday party, there will often be kid-friendly food and activities (such as face paint, balloons, or a craft table) as well as adult refreshments on offer. But this is a celebration for everyone to attend, with or without a little cupcake enthusiast in tow.

What is Being Celebrated, Exactly?

For the first three years of life, the child was a baby—a receiver, not yet ready to give. At the age of three, his development takes a leap. He is now ready to actively participate in the process of his education.

The world will soon begin to benefit from the mitzvot—the good deeds—he will perform.

The haircut is significant, and not just because he will look very different afterwards—whereas before he was a longhaired tot, whose hair his mother lovingly tended and who was perhaps sometimes even mistaken for a little girl, he will now be transformed a short-haired little boy. The chapter of his babyhood is closing.

But there is more to this haircut than that.

While all the rest of his hair will be cut short, the child’s peyot (biblically mandated side locks) will be left intact—this is his initiation

Image: Eliau Piha Photography via Pinterest

into the mitzvah of peyot. From this point on, he will also be taught to wear a kippah and tzitzit (four-cornered fringed garment), and he will be increasingly expected to do other mitzvot as well.

The child is not only making a leap from baby to little boy—he is making a leap from baby to proud Jewish boy. This is a transition that is relevant to the entire community, and that becomes more meaningful with the presence of every additional guest.

What to Expect?

An upsherin is traditionally a modest

event. While it is usually held at home or in a local synagogue, there is plenty of variation (a barbecue in the park, for example). Light refreshments or hors d’oeuvres, buffet style, are the standard fare.

There will usually be lots of mingling and munching time both before and after the ceremony. The details of the hair-cutting ceremony itself are not set in stone. Unlike many Jewish events, there are no Hebrew words involved, as the upshernish is a valued tradition rather than a halachicallymandated event.

What to Wear?

Whatever you would wear to any community event will likely be right for an upshernish. Men are encouraged to wear a kippah (a baseball cap can do in a pinch) and women will probably feel most comfortable in a modest dress or modest skirt and top.

What to Bring?

A gift is appropriate. While this can be any gift appropriate for a three-year-old boy, if it has Jewish value, all the better.

Examples include a Jewish puzzle, a collection of Jewish-themed stickers, or an age-appropriate Jewish book. You can also give a gift certificate to a Jewish book store.

If you don’t have a Jewish store nearby, you can order just about anything online these days.

The Ceremony: At some point during the party, someone, usually a family member, will take the stage to welcome everyone to the party and speak a few words of Torah.

The lad, dressed in tzitzit and kipah, will be brought to sit in a chair that may be raised and specially decorated. The honor of cutting the first lock is often reserved for a grandfather or other special guest. All other guests are then invited to approach and cut off a snippet of the little boy’s hair.

In Chabad communities, a charity box will often be put near where the boy is sitting.

Guests are invited to give coins to the little boy to put in the box. Coins may be provided for anyone who does not happen to have small change handy. This is a way of signify that this party is about an increase in mitzvot, and is also something that may engage the newly-minted three-year-old.

Bar and Bat Mitzvah – A Special Celebration RABBI YEHUDAH PRERO

According to Jewish law, children are not obligated to keep the Mitzvos, the commandments. The time during the early years of a person’s life is a training period, where they learn about the Mitzvos and how to keep them properly. A woman becomes obligated to keep the Mitzvos (Bas Mitzvah) at the age of 12. A man becomes obligated to keep the Mitzvos (Bar Mitzvah) at the age of 13. We usually mark the reaching of this important milestone in a person’s life with celebration.

The interesting thing about reaching the age of Bar and Bas Mitzvah is that we don’t find any explicit commandment in the Torah to celebrate the occasion. The Chasam Sofer poses this question in his commentary in Parshas Vayechi. He compares this glaring omission to another omission that we find in the Torah. When one would look to see why we celebrate the holiday of Shavuos, one would find that the Torah makes no association between Shavuos and the giving of the Torah (see I:24).

Shavuos is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, and it seems fitting that we celebrate this anniversary on Shavuos. Yet, the Torah mentions the bringing of Bikkurim (the first fruits of the harvest) as a reason for celebration. Why does the Torah not mention any celebration of the anniversary of the giving of the Torah?

The Chasam Sofer, when answering his question, sets out some elementary facts. The people brought the first fruits to Jerusalem at the time of Shavuos, with great fanfare. The Sefer HaChinuch tells us why we have the commandment to set aside the first fruit. Until the time that the crops begin to grow, a farmer may be very worried about

the success of his crops. His livelihood depends on these fruits, and waiting to see if they will grow and produce can be nervewracking. However, once the fruits have started to grow, and the farmer sees that his work is literally bearing fruits, the farmer is overjoyed. He knows that his work was not for naught and that he will have an income this year. It is precisely at a time like this that a farmer needs to remember who made his crops successful: Hashem. At the height of his joy, the farmer sets aside the first fruits of his labor upon the command of Hashem.

This way, the farmer displays that he is thankful for all the help and the blessings Hashem has bestowed upon him. In this instance, the farmer needs a reminder of how and why he was blessed.

When it comes to the giving of the Torah, we should not need any commandment or any set celebration to remind us of how lucky we are to have the Torah. We should be inspired on our own to be thankful to Hashem for giving us this present, every day. If Hashem had given us a directive to celebrate the anniversary of our receiving the Torah, it would make the celebration obligatory, as everything else in the Torah. We would be celebrating not necessarily because we truly feel happiness and appreciation for the Torah, but because Hashem told us that we should celebrate. This is not how Hashem wants us to celebrate our receiving of the Torah. Therefore, the Chasam Sofer says, the bringing of the Bikkurim is connected with the bringing of the Torah. Hashem made the time of bringing the Bikkurim, a time of natural joy for the farmer, and a time in which the farmer remembers Hashem, at the same time as the anniversary of receiving the Torah. The joy and thanks that come naturally from bringing Bikkurim

should cause a spark to be ignited within us, so that we, on our own, express the same joy and thanks for receiving the Torah.

It is, perhaps, for this reason, that no commandments to celebrate becoming a Bar or Bas Mitzvah appears in the Torah. Upon becoming adults, young people have the yoke of Torah placed upon their shoulders.

While it is indeed a time when one might be a bit frightened by the burden he or she is starting to bear, one should nevertheless be overjoyed by the fact that now he or she has the opportunity to do Mitzvos and fulfill the command of Hashem. This happiness has to be natural: the youth has to feel it on his own. An artificial happiness, brought on by an obligatory celebration of the fact, is not needed nor desired. The young man or woman at the time of the Bar or Bas Mitzvah has to realize how lucky he or she is to now have received the Torah and to be thankful to Hashem for this gift. This realization has to arise without any stimuli. It has to be self motivated and sincere. It is for this reason that the Torah contains no commandments to celebrate becoming a Bar or Bas Mitzvah.

It is interesting that the Klei Yakar comments that the commandment which best characterizes what the Bar or Bas Mitzvah is going through is that of Bikkurrim. The young boy or girl has grown from an infant, totally dependent on his parents, to a young man or woman, who is now responsible for all 613 Mitzvos. Like the crops, he has been showered with attention and many sleepless hours have been spent worrying about the success of the object of the labor. At the time the child is beginning to blossom, beginning to bear fruit, the child, like the first fruits, is to be in essence set aside to Hashem – he now begins his life adhering to all that the Torah dictates.

From this comparison, we see two lessons. The Bar or Bas Mitzvah, while possibly feeling nervous about reading the Torah or giving a speech, looks forward to this milestone with great anticipation. The family of the young adult plans the Simcha, the celebration, hoping that all can share in their time of joy. There is a natural Simcha experienced upon a young person becoming a Bar or Bas Mitzvah. This natural Simcha, like the Simcha of Bikkurim, is supposed to carry over and inspire the new adult to be happy and give thanks that he has now personally received the Torah.

Furthermore, just as by Bikkurim, the Bar or Bas Mitzvah is a time for reflection for all who were involved with the youth, helping them be what they are today. Much work goes into raising a child. One can have much “nachas,” satisfaction, from a child. Parents must realize how much Hakaras haTov, appreciation and thanks, one has to have to Hashem for His hand in Chinuch HaBanim, child rearing.

The message to the young person at the time of this special occasion is straightforward: Now is a time when you should be very happy because you have now just received the Torah. G-d gave it to you as a gift, and you should realize how precious this gift is, and therefore be thankful for getting it. You also have to appreciate all the work that went into bringing you to this occasion, and the time, effort, and money, that your parents spent to assure that you would reach your potential, and to assure that your Bar or Bas Mitzvah would be a time of Simcha, a Simcha that all would feel and that would inspire all.

November 2019

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BALLOONS

INVITATION

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How about Pesach in Rhodes 2020 KOSHER TRAVELLERS Following on our Pesach extravaganza in Croatia, and basking in the success of the incredible logistics involved in getting supplies to our island in the sun, Mali Losinj, a few hours out of Zagreb, we are now proud to launch our next year’s program to take place in Rhodes, an island on the magnificent Aegean coast.

This will take place in spring, neither too hot nor cold and not over run with tourists.

The 5star Elysium resort will house the event and will offer true hospitality, elegance and Pesadiche meals you never thought possible, all prepared by our specialty international chefs.

Join in the daily prayers in the shul, shiurim by world renowned scholars in residence including Rabbi Laibl Wolf, meet

in the lounge for drinks and socializing in the evenings.

Tour on a range of daily excursions or merely stay poolside either indoor heated pool or the outdoor lagoon pool and beach, or work out at the gym. The choice is yours, go at your own pace as you are there to relax and enjoy.

You can have a Private or a communal Seder, if you choose, led by an international Chazan. All rooms face the sea, some with spa and some with connecting doors ideal for the kids. Limited suites also available.

Just have fun with or without family, meet like-minded people from all over the world who become lifelong friends.

You owe it to yourself.

Reserve your place on this historic island now: Contact: Errol Rink 0421003303 or +61421003303

21 years and still going strong FIVE STONES NONI ILIC Doesn’t time fly? It’s now 21 years since kosher wine production commenced at Beckett’s Flat in Margaret River, with the Five Stones label being introduced in 2007.

The wines produced are varietals that have been proven in the famous Margaret River appellation - premium Margaret River wine with the bonus of Kosher certification by Kosher Australia.

Not only are these premium wines, but

they are also very competitively priced.

Did you know that there are currently 9 wines in the range – white, red, pink and sparkling. Check them out on the Five Stones website www.kosherwine. com.au.

Private customers are invited to join the K4KosherKlub.

Membership is free and offers a discount when purchasing a case of 12 bottles of wine, and free delivery.

Members can also purchase wines from the range that are not available in retail outlets.

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November 2019

To bee or not to bee PLANTING SEEDS A number of Jewish organizations are participating in an initiative that has Sydney 'buzzing'.

The 'B & B' Highway Sydney has joined cities such as Oslo and Vancouver this year with its airborne pollinator pathway that is helping to redress the alarming decline in bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators.

Unlike overseas initiatives however, that just focus on bees, the Sydney B & B Highway aims to help a vast range of pollinators.

And the launch this week in Sydney's Wentworth electorate, saw Emanuel synagogue and Moriah College featuring as two of the six host sites for the 'Wentworth B & B Highway'.

With ‘B & B’s’ – Bed and Breakfasts for Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Bats and Biodiversity – located across Sydney, our endangered pollinators are being helped through the B & B Highway’s garden corridors and much needed urban habitat.

The initiative is steered by the not-forprofit organisation Planting Seeds (formerly known as FoodFaith).

The launch this week took place at Woollahra’s Emanuel synagogue with students from Moriah College joining Emanuel pre-schoolers in making insect hotels and learning about strategies for assisting our pollinators.

Member for Wentworth Dave Sharma spoke with Planting Seed’s founder, Judy Friedlander, and Emanuel synagogue’s Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins and St Columba’s

Uniting Church’s Rev Brian Jago provided blessings connected to the new gardens and native stingless beehives.

The Wentworth B & B Highway is the recipient of the first grant awarded to the initiative. The six gardens and native stingless beehives or insect hotels have been created thanks to a Federal government’s Stronger Communities Grant.

The six Wentworth host sites are Woollahra’s Emanuel Synagogue, Moriah College, Bondi Beach’s St Anne’s Catholic Church, Woollahra’s Uniting Church in partnership with the Woollahra fire station, Community Housing in Bondi

Beach, and Bondi Junction’s The Junction Neighbourhood Centre. The Waverley Men’s Shed helped with the construction of the native stingless beehives, and Bunnings Randwick and Randwick City Council’s Community Nursery with garden supplies.

Other Sydney areas that have received funding for the B & B Highway include Lane Cove, Liverpool, Ryde and Randwick.

There will be at least 30 hosts sites in Sydney by March 2020.

The involvement of the NSW Department of Education, which is helping to develop curriculum to provide resources and support for school children engaging with the B & B

gardens in their schools will ensure that the B & B Highway translates to knowledge and action.

Also being developed – a citizen science app called Pollinator P.I. – Private Investigator – so that school children can upload pollinator images and data from their phones or tablets to contribute to a national biobank database.

Judy Friedlander, who is also a PhD candidate in sustainability, spoke of the dire situation around insect, bird and other pollinator declines and the implications for food supply, other species and soil and water.

But there is hope and strategic action that we can provide through city pollinating gardens and the right habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, bats and other biodiversity, she said.

Said Judy Friedlander: ‘The amazing response to the B & B Highway – the fact that it is buzzing – hard to avoid the puns – is that it is an environmental initiative that is positive, hands on and can scale. We are joining the dots.

‘We are linking people and pollinators and when we plant a B & B garden and install a stingless hive or insect hotel, we are contributing to a huge city-wide highway and corridors for pollinators.

‘We are greening our city and making it a sanctuary for people and pollinators.’

For more information and to help ‘join the dots’: www.ps.org.au

Rock and Water: New Program at Masada College Senior School MASADA COLLEGE NATALIE BATKOV

FROM ELC TO YEAR 12

Offer your children an exceptional education today which will give them the EDGE they need for tomorrow

ELC-Yr 12 College Campus: 9-15 Link Road, St Ives To enrol email enrolments@staff.masada.nsw.edu.au or call 9449 3744

At Masada College, we are always looking for new and exciting methods of engaging, teaching and connecting with our students. So when I recently heard about the Rock and Water program, I was intrigued to learn about it and how this could enable and educate our students.

Essentially, The Rock and Water symbolism is the backbone of this program, which aims to teach people how to communicate with each other, be respectful, gain self-control, be centered and self-aware. Rock stands for strength.

I can stand up for myself, I know what is right and wrong, I am responsible, I am resilient, I know where I am going and I can make my own choices. Water stands for peace, friendship and flexibility. I listen to others, I am respectful. It’s the combination of these qualities that builds the skills in our students that they will need to be able to face the challenges of adolescence and eventually adulthood.

Since learning about these skills and techniques, we’ve gone on to launch this program with Year 9, separating the boys and girls into two groups to work through these practically-based activities with our staff as facilitators. The program is an

excellent tool to support young people in finding their grounding, learning how to centre themselves and how to manage themselves in social settings.

We cover a range of topics through these physical activities but also discussion points that address the key take-home messages. We are excited to be able to roll out this program to our year 7 and 8 students in 2020 and we know the students will love the program as much as we do.

It’s just another way we strive to give our students an exceptional education today which will give them the EDGE they need for tomorrow.

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schools and shuls

November 2019

Let’s Help Our Children Find Their Journey

BJE

BJE (The NSW Board of Jewish Education) recently celebrated its 110th anniversary with 110 BJE students, alumni, teachers and friends. The celebration was a fitting tribute to an organisation that has a long and successful history of providing formal and informal Jewish education to Jewish students in non-Jewish day schools across NSW. Over the past 110 years, BJE has been instrumental in supporting generations of Jewish students to understand and engage with their Jewish heritage and culture, and to be confident about who they are and where they belong.

As BJE alumni and current BJE Madrich, Simon Spiro, states: “BJE has played a significant role in my life since Kindergarten, having attended SRE, Hebrew and additional Jewish Studies classes.

After finishing High School, I joined the BJE High School ‘Madrich body’ and have remained so for the past 6 years. During this time, I have been a Madrich on Weekend Escape Camps and Leadership Seminars as well as a Madrich and Camp Head at some of the Breakout Retreat Camps.

These camps have allowed me to build connections with a range of students and run fun and exciting programs in the same way I remember my Madrichim doing for me.

The most rewarding part of my time with BJE has been helping to guide these students towards connecting with their Judaism.

Alexandria Park students Lucas Peake, Matthew Peake, Elijah Lees, Tiana Moses For these students, who like me, were not connected to their Judaism, BJE has given them a pathway to feel a connection to the community. If it wasn’t for BJE, I don’t know how different my life would be today.”

BJE’s mission is simple but profoundly important: to provide NSW Jewish students in non-Jewish primary and high schools with an inspiring, meaningful and inclusive BJE Jewish Journey that is anchored in developing Jewish friendship networks, preparing for the rite of

passage to Jewish adulthood, connecting with Israel, and fostering leadership skills based on Jewish values.

BJE believes that children can best grow and achieve their own potential when they are confident and aware about who they are and where they belong. BJE believes in a child’s right to experience and engage with their heritage and culture.

BJE’s vision is to ensure that all Jewish children have a clear sense of belonging

and purpose, to reach their full potential and have a positive impact on the world.

BJE will continue to enable Jewish students in non-Jewish day schools to discover, embrace and explore their Jewish identity and knowledge, expand their circle of Jewish friends and ultimately give back to the Jewish and broader Australian communities.With your help, we’ll be able to ensure the positive impact of the Jewish Journey for generations to come.

Gaining Perspective GLOBAL AMBASSADOR, MORIAH COLLEGE & CEO, MOSAIC UNITED RABBI BENJI LEVY ‘God said to Abram, “go for yourself from your land, your birthplace and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.’

These words are among the most consequential in the history of mankind. With this summoning of one man, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, were set in motion. In return for his journey into the unknown and allegiance to the One God, Abraham was promised fame, fortune and the blessing to be the father of a great nation with many descendants. With such guarantees from God Himself, ‘Abraham went as God had commanded him…’ However, immediately upon arrival to the destination that would assure his destiny, ‘there was a famine in the land’ and Abraham was forced to descend to Egypt. As the story unfolds, he encounters challenges with his wife Sarah, with his cousin Lot, and despairs in his lack of progeny. What happened to all that that God promised Abraham?

Many people join religion in search for instant benefit – they feel that they did their part, and God should reciprocate. They are attracted by the religious charisma of spiritual satisfaction, communal cohesion and a sense of purpose. Seeing others who appear to have achieved these feats, they believe that in return for rejuvenating their religious

practice they receive them instantaneously.

Yet this is rarely attained and when it is, it’s often of a temporary nature before hurdles are presented. Abraham too must have been excited by the allure of God’s blessings. As the first initiate into monotheism and the prototype for the future, following his trials and tribulations he seemed to be somewhat sceptical, ‘what can you give me seeing that I am childless?’ God then: ‘took him outside and said, “gaze towards the heavens and count the stars…”’ Since the Torah never mentioned that he was inside per se and the language of gazing suggests viewing from above, the midrash posits that God took Abraham out of the world to gaze upon the stars. When Abraham complained as to the lack of God’s promise, God was suggesting that he should figuratively step out of his immediate reality and gain some perspective.

Just as the stars and world seem almost insignificantly small from this distanced standpoint, one’s immediate situation can be viewed in a similar light, implying there is more to life then the moment or phase we are in right now.

Immediately following this lesson in perspective, Abraham again asked, ‘how shall I know that I am to inherit it [the land]?’ Perhaps Abraham as an individual was worrying about his descendants of the Abrahamic faith. Thus God asks him to perform a strange ritual, forging a covenant and providing a prophecy of Egyptian servitude and subsequent freedom for his offspring. Essentially, God seemed to be suggesting that the Jewish people will go through troubles and triumphs, but their relationship as a people, beyond individuals, is not contractual; it is covenantal. Whereas

a human contract can be revoked if one party does not uphold its side, the biblical covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants as the Jewish people is irrevocable and eternal. Hereto God was extending the lesson beyond immediate perspective to historical perspective.

With the incredible advancement of technology, we live in a microwave generation whereby at the click of a button, within seconds we can gain access to or create many things that in the past would take extended periods of time. This instant gratification has opened many doors of convenience, but closed traditional doors of patience and perspective. As Abraham took his first religious step forward, he too expected that which God promised. Yet whilst this expectation was for automatic delivery God was teaching him and all of his descendants that real gain can take time. We should thus deal with each challenge as it presents itself rather than expecting immediate results. From this perspective, religion can infuse meaning without its adherents misleading themselves.

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.

November 2019

schools and shuls

Mount Sinai College celebrates Sukkot

Moriah College celebrates Sukkot

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lifestyle

The finer points of sleep THE SLEEP COACH CHERYL FINGLESON As the business and distraction of modern life and parenting intensifies, it is good to be reminded of the value of sleep and its allencompassing role in supporting wellness, development and health. Whether you are nurturing a newborn or wrangling an adolescent, its critical to consider whether he or she is getting enough of the right quality sleep, and to be reminded of why this is so fundamental.

Newborns can require up to 17 hours of sleep a day, a toddler between 10 and 14, a primary school child between 8 and 12 hours and an adolescent around 10 hours sleep a night. Every individual will have slightly varying sleep needs, but without exception all will benefit from a solid sleep routine, a clean and quiet place to sleep, a nutritious diet and learned relaxation techniques.

I always stress the need to start with a consistent and predicable bed routine to parents who are looking to address sleep issues. Its impossible to underestimate how important this is. It allows little people to know what’s coming next, that sleep time is near and it helps them to unwind. Avoiding over-stimulating activities right before bed is crucial, as is keeping the child’s room dark, having clean natural linens and a safe comforting sleep environment.

Most of the growing babies and children do takes place during the sleep phase.

Sleep impacts young people’s mental and physical development, comprehension, memory, alertness and wellbeing. Rested children are more alert and happier, they are more even-tempered and they have stronger immune systems.

The sleeping brain produces a growth hormone, which is vital in stimulating muscles, organs, blood and bones.

Research shows that growth can be slowed or even stunted if a child does not get sufficient sleep.

Some children’s sleep is affected by nightmares, which can be disruptive. In most cases though, it’s a temporary phase. Parents need to remain patient and comforting, stay with their child for a short while until the fear passes, and to remind them that the dream is not real. Repetitive, soothing verbal prompts such as ‘I’m here, its just a dream, its not real, I won’t leave you’ can be helpful, as well as offering a comfort item like a toy or a blanket, leaving the bedroom door slightly ajar and a night

light on, as well as producing a hastily relabeled bottle of ‘anti-nightmare spray’ (a water diffuser with glitter in it) which can do wonders.

When it comes to teenagers, sleep can be just as much of an issue for families, but without the placebo of a magical spray to fix it. Few Australian adolescents get the ten hours of sleep optimal for their age.

The plethora of personal electronics hasn't been helping this crisis, with teachers reporting many high school students as severely sleep-deprived, with a significant impact on their school performance and general wellness.

Just like with babies, I recommend turning your teen's bedroom into a quiet place, devoid of technology. Adopt a policy of handing these in at a certain time each evening, and retreating to a cool quiet room with blackout blinds if needed.

Teenagers may benefit from a hot bath/ shower before bed, essential oils, learned meditation techniques (there’s an app for that!), sleeping on natural linens or cotton as well as a caffeine-free diet. In the mornings, open their curtains to allow natural light into the room. This provides vital cues for the brain to begin the circadian rhythms of waking appropriately.

It is imperative that babies, children and teenagers all get the right amount of sleep.

Sleep is vital for growth, development, health and happiness. I always advise my clients’ to take control of their children’s sleep routine regardless of their age or circumstances. It’s not worth deferring, as sleep loss and poor routine has been proven to have significant impacts on the wellbeing of these precious young people.

There are plenty of tools available to improve sleep and settling. And if parents can’t do it alone, there is professional help on hand too. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Sleep is our golden key to health.

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 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

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CANDLES

Friday, Nov 8, 2019

7:11 pm

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Friday, Nov 15, 2019

7:18 pm

8:18 pm

Friday, Nov 22, 2019

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Friday, Nov 29, 2019

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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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at any one of the following outlets: COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS B’nai B’rith Retirement Village The Burger Centre COA Sydney JCA JEM’S Jewishcare Kashrut Authority KM Cares NSW Jewish War Memorial Centre NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Our Big Kitchen Print 35 Shop Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish House House United Israel Appeal WIZO Wolper Hospital Ku Ring Gai council RETAIL OUTLETS Bianca’s Grub Store Coles Eastgate Coles - Lindfield Coles- Rose Bay Coles - Westfield, Bondi Junction Cruises and honeymoons – Bondi Junction Gaslight Pharmacy- Rose Bay The Bagel Co Golds Bookshop Krinskys Kosher supermarket Lewis Continental Kitchen Medani Bakery Pita Mix

Romeos Supa IGA - St Ives Savion Savta – Bondi Junction Stanley St Cafe Eden Café Stanley Street Butcher Plaster Master Fun Waverley Library SCHOOLS Clyde Street Day Care Coogee Preschool Emanuel School Ganeinu Long Day Care & Preschool Hug-A-Bub - Bondi Hug-A-Bub - Rose Bay Kesser Torah College Masada College Mount Sinai College Moriah College SYNAGOGUES Central Synagogue Chabad House of the North Shore Cremorne Synagogue Dover Heights Synagogue Jewish Learning Centre (JLC) Kehillat Kadimah Kehillat Masada Synagogue Maroubra Synagogue Mizrachi Synagogue North Shore Synagogue North Shore Temple Emanuel Ohr Hatzafon Sephardi Synagogue

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lifestyle

November 2019

TGIM or TGIS

CAULFIELD HEBREW CONGREGATION RABBI RALPH GENENDE OAM

How tired are you? Well if you look at the stats more than half of us are tired most of the time and the rest of us are just worn out, burnt out, fatigued and fed up. Not just parents with young kids and they’ve just identified a new condition called parental burn-out exhaustion.

We’re all running ragged and so many of us just can’t switch off and relax… We’re working crazy hours in a 24/7 society and even when taking time-out there’s a constant stream of emails and Netflix, text messages, that relentless ping for our attention.

There’s an epidemic of insomnia and sleep deprivation. Our own Parliament set up an enquiry a year ago into Sleep Health Awareness because billions of dollars are being lost from inadequate sleep.

Exhaustion is simply bad for us – it affects our physical health and emotional wellbeing, as well as our capacity for sound decisionmaking. It’s killing us but we don’t talk about it most of the time because it seems “wussy”, a source of shame, often for fear of losing our edge or our job. It’s been called the last taboo. Dr Nick Read wrote a great book about it called ‘Sick & Tired (of being Sick & Tired’). And he puts the blame on our consumer culture and our social media age.

In N.Y, the so-called WeWork headquarters have got neon signs telling you to “Hustle harder” and the murals on the wall cry out T.G.I.M (Thank God It’s Monday). It’s all about “rise and grind” and “Don’t stop when you’re tired – stop when you’re done”. Performative workaholism is the millennial mantra. Elon Musk boasts that nobody changed the world in 40 hours a week. The correct number, he says, is about 80 sustained and peaking at about 100…

As a formally unrepentant workaholic, I’ve now got an admission to make to my family that they were right. It’s not heroic to live on 5-6 hours sleep. In this season of confession, I must say.Chatati For the sin of not sleeping enough; for the error of courting fatigue.

Tiredness not only kills us physically but is also at the heart of our spiritual malaise. How can you face a fresh new year if you’re feeling burn-out and jaded? How can you get high on the High Holidays if you’re feeling so low, so depleted? How can you take time out and celebrate on Sukkot and Simchat Torah if you’re under the pump?

And I’m confessing today, not just because all the studies and stats are telling us that the more rest you get, the more years you add to your life, but also because I now think it’s a mitzvah to have a good shloof and not only

on a Shabbos afternoon.

This hasn’t come easy – after all I’m a shtikel Litvak and had it drummed into me at yeshiva, that to sleep is to waste time ;you should be learning Torah. And the Vilna Gaon, hero of Lithuanian Jewry got by on just 2 hours a night and a couple of power-naps.

My hero, Rambam, Maimonides, tells of his punishing work schedule and how he didn’t get a chance to sleep for more than a few hours and an occasional cat -nap. But now I know better. The Gaon was either an angel or an insomniac and probably both. The Rambam didn’t have a choice and anyway both these individuals were one of a kind, one of a generation – sui generis.

I’ve got a sound source to back me up: The very first reference in the Torah to someone being sick and tired isn’t Abraham or Moses but the cunning and devious hunter, Esau.

Coming in from the chase, a hectic day in his office, he is weary to the bone.

(Esau came in from the field and he was bushed – Genesis 25:29) And he turns to his Master-Chef twin brother, Jacob, who has been cooking up a storm called ‘Lentil as Anything” and shouts out: “Give me some of that red stuff, feed me, pour it down my throat because I’m finished, depleted and exhausted”. (Ibid:30) He wanted to eat without delay so he sells his birthright, his future for a pot of soup saying – I’m literally dead tired (Ibid:32) or about to die, what do I care about a birthright?

Esau’s over-tiredness was due to his life as a hunter, but also possibly as a result of his dissolute lifestyle. He felt drained and made bad decisions because he was so focused on the now, instant gratification, immediate satisfaction. He wanted to eat and he wanted to eat now; he didn’t

care to delay his gratification for a future spiritual promise and illusory birthright. His philosophy was Epicurean and in many ways so contemporary: Death is always around the corner and especially if you live in a dangerous world, so why wait when you can indulge and enjoy right away? Hence his words: “Look I am going to die, so what use to me is a birthright” (Ibid 25:32). His behaviour is symptomatic of our fatigued and consumer-driven society: we are how we feel and what we consume. And as Freud reminded us civilisation is determined by delayed gratification ..

Jacob, by contrast, is consumed by a dream and a vision. According to the Midrash he’s also tired but he’s worn-out because he’s been over-studying, sitting in the tents late into the night to learn Torah. Jacob is also tired but from over-study; he stays up late at night to learn Torah. He may be weary, but he is clear and focused on the future, he takes the long view. He puts principle before pleasure, mind before might ,how before now - he is representative of Judaism’s long-term gaze.

In an age of 24/7 it’s a reminder of where we place our priorities and that the tiredness, the that comes from staying up late to improve yourself, look after your baby, help another, or complete a meaningful project is ultimately a deeply satisfying weariness. As Markus Zusak puts it those are moments of “perfect tiredness”. The fatigue the ayef anochi that comes from trying to keep up with others, escape anxiety, check your e-mails or watch another episode of Shtisel or Stranger Things, is ultimately debilitating.

Our relentless, competitive, sleepless society makes talking about tiredness difficult. After all, if everyone’s tired what make

you so special? Yet we need to talk about slowing down, knowing our limits, leaving time for our closest relationships, taking control. Hudson points out modern life is exhausting because we often feel compelled to live by its standards, even though we have a choice to live otherwise. This has long been recognised and promoted by the Torah and Jewish wisdom: we have a choice – we can decide how to use our precious time. It’s encapsulated in the phrase “choose life”, it’s embodied in the observance of Shabbat, it’s energised by taking time every day to pray.

And yes, this difficult thing called Tefillah or prayer is good for your heart. It enhances and is in turn improved by meditation and yoga.

Tefillah stops you in your tracks, no matter how busy you are- it makes you pause – and that’s also why we should have an embargo on mobile phones in our shules at all times (and am speaking to myself too) and not just Shabbat and Yom Tov. So our old masters, the rabbis, were onto something special and significant when they told us that the best cure for burn-out is to burn with passion, to be interested in something beyond yourself, to always have something to aspire to. If I had to distil their antidote to wisdom in just to two words, I would say they’re limud learning and chesed kindness. Learning is internal – inner – directed. Kindness is outer-directed.

Learning keeps my mind agile and nimble, creative and alive. Kindness frees me from the prison of ego and narcissism.

And you want to know what these two activities have in common: they’re both impelled and empowered by curiosity. The older I become, the more I’m convinced what keeps me fresh and hopeful, energised and engaged is a sense of curiosity. If you’re inquisitive about the world and the people around you, you will always be capable of hope, capable of renewing yourself, freeing yourself from the tyranny of routine, the debilitating grasp of depression, the servitude of selfishness. It’s the underlying principle of teshuvah itself for what is repentance if not the ability to ask how can I change my life, how can I do things differently, how can I find a new way of doing the same old thing?

So this year I’m going to sleep more, I’m going to strive for more balance, learn more, reach out more. The only things I’m going to be sick and tired of are racism and bigotry, antisemitism and climate destruction, sexism and abuse.

I’m going to sleep better, learn more, pray harder, hustle for charity, rise and grind for a better community, thank God for every day and proudly say TGIF –Thank God it’s Shabbat!

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28

lifestyle

November 2019

FROM THE ARMCHAIR OF...

Recovering from an eating disorder in a Western culture ARMCHAIR PSYCOLOGY AMANDA GORDON We have a problem in our culture today. The idealisation of “thin”, the idea that women (and men) should be judged by their size and shape. In order to decide whether I am thin enough, I have to view my body as if it is an object and then evaluate it. My body is no longer me and I am no longer my body. It is distinct from me and yet under my control. If I am good enough, I will manage my body and keep it in shape (and very thin). If I work hard enough, reduce my calorie intake enough, I will force my body into the shape and size that is ideal in our culture.

When my body does not conform to my ideal of thinness, it must be my fault, so I just have to work harder at it. If I don’t then I am not worthy.

When you think about it, when that sort of thinking happens, anorexia nervosa, that is the starved body with the starving brain’s response, is almost inevitable in our culture.

So many women (and men) play into the messaging that prevails, that somehow life is better for thin people and that they deserve the good life because they are thin (and beautiful).

We all need to challenge this linking of thinness with beauty and goodness. We need to replace our commentary towards each other _ “Don’t you look fabulous! Have you lost weight?”, “Have you seen how such and such has lost (or put on) weight?”, or other messages that link weight loss with health.

Just be pleased to see your friend, rather

than be pleased to see them “looking good”.

Bodies (especially women’s bodies) change over time. It is important to always feel good in your body. Your body is you, and just trying to force it into shape is to deny that connection.

If you recognise yourself or someone you know in this story, have problems feeling good enough and are working to change your feelings about yourself by changing your body, you should seek professional help before your starving brain confuses you and makes you respond to yourself and others in ways that are unusual or unhelpful for you and your relationships.

The new Medicare items mean that people with diagnosed Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorders and some other eating disorders can get the help that they need, using a team approach of dieticians, GPs and Psychologists to reconnect with their

bodies and change their thinking.

Amanda Gordon is a psychologist and the Clinical Director of Armchair Psychology, based in Edgecliff, Sydney.

Prominent Lawyer and Activist Releases Poetry Book on Society, Politics, Religion and Life Stewart Levitt, best known for his work as a lawyer successfully fighting public causes against banks and governments for the underdog, whether Indigenous outliers or down-at-the heel farmers, has released an anthology of poems titled ‘Too Soon to be Late’.

Drawing on his liberal values, Jewish heritage and experience as an Australian lawyer, the 184-page compilation has been written by Stewart over twenty years.

The content explores themes associated with his career, including social activism, politics and human rights, as well as his personal experiences related to his closeknit family and travels around the globe, to every continent except Antarctica.

Many of the high impact poems carry strong messages of outrage, love or disdain and often exhort readers to locate their better selves.

Geoff Todd – who was this year made a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service as a visual artist and sculptor – and artist, Alan Duffy, both

provided the evocative imagery, adding an extra visual dimension.

The release of ‘Too Soon to be Late’ is timed to coincide with the launch of a biennial poetry prize for poems on political, social or personal themes of particular relevance to Indigenous Australians or Torres Straight Islanders.

The award will be called “Levitt Indigenous Poetry Prize” (L.I.P.P.) and will see the top three poems receive a share of $20,000.

The 100-150 best entries will be selected by a panel of expert judges from across the country, and included in a biennial anthology called the “L.I.P.P Edition”, published by Saray Publishing, with net profits to go to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Contestants need not be Indigenous or Torres Strait Islanders. Stewart and his wife Odelia, hope that the Biennial Poetry Prize will help to channel emotion, eloquently and constructively and engage white and black Australians in focusing on Indigenous issues in literature.

Details for submissions will be released by the end of November, 2019.

Stewart Levitt comments, “‘Too Soon To Be Late’ is my way of explaining myself and providing a cue for others to stand up and be counted”.

Pre-release testimonials include: “These pages document the interior life of a man who, it must be said, has come wonderfully to personify Sydney’s grit and colour. A villain’s advocate and a crusader for the innocent, Stewart Levitt has embraced every one of life’s contradictions.” Linton Besser – acclaimed author.

“Such an utterly unusual book deserves rapid recognition, not just for its inspired use of language and images but because it states truths that our whole planet’s populace ought to be anxious to hear.” Giles Auty – author and artist.

For more information, and to purchase a copy of Too Soon to be Late, please visit: https://www.toosoontobelate.com/

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