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Fostering a closer Jewish community

VOL. 44 Friday, 22 March 2019 / 15 Adar II, 5779

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STANDING OVATION AT UIA EVENT

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community

March 2019

Milestone Event Draws High Praise from Federal Treasurer JEWISH CARE VICTORIA Jewish Care Victoria has marked the halfway point in construction of The Hannah & Daryl Cohen Family Building with a special event on 1 March.

Federal Treasurer, The Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP, was guest speaker.

Politicians from all levels of government attended, including Frank McGuire MP representing The Hon. Daniel Andrews MP. Senator for Victoria, James Paterson; Nina Taylor MP, Member for Southern Metropolitan Region; Josh Burns, Labor candidate for the seat of Macnamara; Kate Ashmor, Liberal candidate for the seat of Macnamara; David Southwick MP, Member for Caulfield, and Dick Gross, Mayor of the City of Port Philip were also in attendance.

The Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP emphasised the importance of Jewish Care and The Hannah & Daryl Cohen Family Building in supporting the ageing community.

“Today is a milestone for Jewish Care,” said Mr. Frydenberg. “The fact that this building is the contemporary vision of the original founders of Jewish Care is very special. A nine-storey building, seven of which are devoted to homes for senior citizens and the other two storeys for other essential services is a really modern vision for a communal organisation such as Jewish Care.”

President of Jewish Care Mike Debinski thanked all donors and supporters for “helping to realise this dream for our community. By supporting this and our other Capital Campaign projects, you are part of something truly historic and instrumental in shaping the future care of our community.”

Acknowledged at the event were Hannah Cohen and her daughters, Karen Gutman, Lorelle Krulis, Tania Smorgon and Donna Cohen who, in 2016, made what is believed to be the single-largest donation in the history of the Victorian Jewish community, gifting $5 million towards construction of the building.

In naming the building, Jewish Care hopes to honour the late Daryl Cohen’s legacy of positively contributing to the Victorian Jewish community.

Presenting Mrs. Cohen with the firstcut model of the building as a token of appreciation, Susie Ivany, Co-Chair of Jewish Care’s Capital Campaign Committee said, “You have truly enabled our dream, the dream of better serving and supporting the Victorian Jewish community for future generations, to become a reality.”

Due for completion in December 2019, The Hannah & Daryl Cohen Family Building is being built as part of Jewish Care’s ‘Growing. For our Community.’ Capital Campaign. The largest and most ambitious of the six developments, the $90 million, leading-edge building will feature seven levels of residential aged care and an additional two levels of essential community services.

To date, the incredible generosity of the Victorian Jewish community has helped to raise just under $24 million of a $30 million target towards the historic suite of six projects.

For more information about The Hannah & Daryl Cohen Family Building, please contact Orlee Schneeweiss on oscheeweiss@jewishcare.org.au or 8517 5647.

Lorelle Krulis, Donna Cohen, The Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP, Hannah Cohen and Tania Smorgon. Absent: Karen Gutman

Artist Impression of The Hannah & Daryl Cohen Family Building

The Deep Down Freshness

CAULFIELD HEBREW CONGREGATION RABBI RALPH GENENDE OAM

We lead such busy and noisy lives; always on the go, places to get to, things to do and never enough time in the day...

And as we move from appointments to commitments we’re constantly assailed by sounds. There goes your phone at any time, any place. You’ve got a message, a reminder, a call or a calendar update. It doesn’t respect shules or schools, family or funeral. I’m tempted to nail on the Shule door a new thesis of faith: “When you enter this shule, it may be possible that you hear the “call of God”.

However it is unlikely that He will call you on your mobile. Thank you for turning off your phones. If you want to talk to God, enter, choose a quiet place and talk to Him. If you want to see Him, send Him a text while driving.”

It seems there are no more quiet spaces just sounds intruding into every corner of our lives, every cranny of our souls. Once you could retreat into the country for peace; now the drone of the bees has been replaced by the whine of a pesky drone. In the most remote wilderness a satellite watches you, a phone calls out to you, Netflix beckons you…

I’m no Amish (in fact I’m quite heimish); I’m no rejectionist of progress (in reality without my Apple I’m a mess). But I do worry that all that ceaseless activity and sound is eroding something deep and important. That we’re losing touch with ourselves, that our souls are being dulled, our spirituality diminished.

Spending ten days on a remote farming

station in the South Island of New Zealand, brought this to me with force and clarity.

Finally I have the time and headspace to just be, to sink into the endlessness of the horizon and the moment. When I look up, it’s into the arms of the South Island’s majestic snow-capped alpine mountain range; Mt Cook rising with an exquisite yet forbidding grace. On my left, soft hills and cattle lowing, on my right the original homestead nestled in a glorious garden of large oaks, native trees and streams. Later we drive into the wild hills in a 4WD; not a soul in sight just wild deer and frantic rabbits, impossible tracks meander over treacherous heights.

Here you can hear the voices of the rivers, trees and wind. Here you can ‘daven’ with an awesome conviction - You understand what moved David to call out: “Let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord’’ (Psalm 98). Here you hear and see a wild swarm of bees making their way to a new home; it’s a scary yet an excitingly evocative frisson. And above hawks circle elegantly and lazily in the cool breezes and rivulets of air; a few wild ducks aren’t so dignified as they noisily skim across lake and river. The great religious poet, Gerard Hopkins no doubt inspired by Israel’s psalmist writes: The world is charged with the grandeur of God… Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil…

And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

On a solitary bike ride beside huge paddocks of cows, I get to think about the awful damage these calm, ruminating beasts are causing to our environment. Of course it’s us and all we are doing to the earth including our appetite for beef that is the greatest menace to our planet. A Japanese study showed that producing a kilogram of beef leads to the emission of greenhouse gases with a global warming potential equivalent to 36.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) not to mention the release of fertilising compounds. In other words, a kilogram of beef is responsible for the equivalent of the amount of CO2 emitted by the average European car every 250 kilometres, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days (New Scientist magazine, 18 July 2007).

I wonder if Hopkins were around today if he would still be as convinced that we are not eroding that pristine core of our earth, that deep down freshness…This isn’t just a trendy lefty impulse but a fundamental principle of the Torah-it calls on us to take care of the earth we have been entrusted with; as in the first chapters of Genesis, Adam is called on to work the earth and to GUARD and protect it.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has put it bluntly that we can no longer ignore the massive negative impact that our global industrial society is having on the ecosystems of the earth.

Our unbounded use of fossil fuels to fuel our energy-intensive lifestyles is causing global climate change. “An international consensus of scientists predicts more intense and destructive storms, floods,

and droughts resulting from these humaninduced changes in the atmosphere. If we do not take action now, we risk the very survival of civilisation as we know it.”

The Midrash says that God showed Adam around the Garden of Eden and said, “Look at my works! See how beautiful they are – how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.”

Outside the window of our farm bedroom there’s a beautiful bush of lush lavender and around it the constant movement of busy bees (they produce a delectable honey too).

They remind me that nature is not benign, it has its sting but is also sweet and full of energy. The drone of these creature are good sounds and as refreshing as the sonorous silence of God’s distant places of wild beauty. They remind us just how much power and strength we can draw from the natural world. The Pulitzer Prize winning American poet, Mary Oliver, who died recently, phrased it beautifully when she penned one of her many nature poems: Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

Let’s be sure to protect these places, our places, and curb our appetite to sear and blear.

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community

March 2019

A Standing Ovation For The Former Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom UIA CARLI DVASH

A record 1,400 unwavering supporters of the People of Israel gathered at the United Israel Appeal 2019 Gala Dinner on Tuesday 26 February at Palladium at Crown. This was the largest kosher function ever held at this venue, and it was truly a privilege to be in a room filled with such ruach and support for UIA’s work for the People of Israel.

The evening celebrated the UIA family and as such, the proceedings were led by two of the Women’s Division Co-chairs Amanda Jolson and Ashleigh Pyke as well as UIA Executive member Jeremy Samuel.

The evening was infused with the “Israeli flavour” from the menu and Israeli beverages, to the edible centrepieces celebrating the fruits of Israel, to the melodies of Ilan Kidron and of course to the stories and messages from our speakers.

Keynote speaker The Right Honourable David Cameron, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010-2016) enthralled the audience with his staunch support for the State of Israel stating, “I am a Zionist, I am a friend of Israel.”

His address covered a variety of topics, not only his support for Israel, but also his involvement in creating a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in the UK and his grave concerns over the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and further afield, as well as openly saluting the generosity and strength of the Melbourne Jewish Community.

Guests also heard from UIA success story and Net@ Graduate Nataly Zagaya who shared her story of her parents Aliyah from Ethiopia as part of Operation Moses, being born in a UIA supported absorption centre and also participating in UIA’s flagship project Net@ which turns high risk into high tech for those living in the periphery.

As the world’s leading fundraising arm for the People of Israel, funds raised through this event will be directed towards our outcome driven programs to strengthen, empower and nurture Israel’s most needy and vulnerable populations; Olim, youth-atrisk, lone soldiers and the elderly.

UIA Victoria President Hayley Southwick applauded the community’s support stating, “after 15 months in this role, and 12 years at UIA, I look around the room and see over 1,400 partners here for the People of Israel. I am humbled by your

warmth. I am humbled by your presence.

I am humbled by your generosity.” She further commented that, “by being here, you show your support for Keren Hayesod – UIA - the world’s leading fundraising organisation for the People of Israel.”

The event was a wonderful affirmation of the solidarity, generosity and warmth of the Melbourne Jewish community.

We thank all our patrons, sponsors, volunteers and the CSG for the hard work for this event.

It’s where I...

belong

For the People of Israel

YOUR CHANCE TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

E P U S

Y A D R SUN

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10A M –4 P M ISRAEL NEEDS YOU! To volunteer or donate, contact UIA on 1300 ISRAEL (1300 477 235)

Discover King David Book a Discovery Tour:

www.kds.vic.edu.au or email admissions@kds.vic.edu.au

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community

March 2019

Shabbat the Diller Teen Fellows Way THE ZIONIST FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA HAYLEY HADASSIN The first weekend in March saw the Melbourne Diller Teen Fellows embark on their Leadership Shabbaton. Diller Teen Fellows is a world renowned leadership development program that creates an international network of Jewish teenagers to serve as effective leaders. It is an initiative that the Zionist Federation of Australia is proud to manage in Australia The Diller Teen Fellows program includes workshops, retreats and an international program in Israel for the 20 participants from Melbourne who are partnered with contemporaries from our partner community in the Golan.

The leadership Shabbaton is a flagship component of the Diller year that requires the fellows to create and plan their entire Shabbaton; including all logistics and programming. It is an opportunity for the fellows to put into practice the theory and skills they developed during the program.

Despite being one of the hottest March weekends on record, it did not stop the fellows from giving it their all. Ariella Franks, Year 10, Liebler Yavneh School said: ”There was a mutual understanding that everyone had to pitch in and teamwork was required and the cohort became even more united in the process”.

Junior Counsellors are alumni of the program and they were invaluable in the running of the Shabbaton. Junior Counsellor

Ella Benary-Belfer, Year 12, from King David School said: - \”Getting to mentor and guide our fellows through their own selfmanagement process and watching them successfully run an incredible Shabbaton made me as a Junior Counsellor very proud and excited for the rest of our Diller experience together”.

Tari Miller, year 10, from Leibler Yavneh College said: - “We bonded with each other while tie dying t-shirts, listening to music

and spending every moment of our free time together as we went through the journey of creating and running the Shabbaton ourselves meanwhile incorporating the themes of diversity and controversy into our educational programs.”

The fellows are now in preparations for the visiting Delegation of Golan teens in April.

The Diller Teen Fellows program was established in San Francisco in 1997 by the Helen Diller Family Foundation. Since

then, the program has expanded to include 32 participating communities across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia, South America, UK and Israel.

If you are interested in the Diller program for Cohort 5, commencing August 2019, please contact dillertf@zfa.com.au.

We are currently recruiting for the next Diller Coordinator - if you think you would suit this position contact dillertf@zfa.com.au for Job Description.

Businesses with the Expertise for Giving STAND UP JACQUI DUBS Over the last 12 months, a growing number of Jewish community business owners have given their time and expertise to empower people from vulnerable Victorian communities through Stand Up’s programs. These generous people often go unacknowledged beyond the usual heartfelt thank you card, despite the great impact they make.

It is common for year 10 students from marginalized communities to find it hard to secure work experience positions. Children from emerging refugee communities often lack established professional networks and business connections, and end up relying on positions in fast food chains unrelated to their true career aspirations. When approached by Stand Up, David Burstyner of Adler Burstyner Lawyers readily agreed to provide a work experience placement for Aza, a year 10 student from Braybrook Secondary College and part of Stand Up’s iCan program for Sudanese secondary students. Aza hopes to become a lawyer one day and relished the opportunity to see the workings of a real law firm. “Aza was a delight to have around” said David.

“I appreciate the opportunity to help out for such a great cause. These days you unfortunately don’t need to get beyond the first page of the newspaper to see why it’s so important that you’re providing bright futures for those who had a more difficult introduction to the world”.

Danny Stuk, a lawyer with Tennis

less fortunate positions”, explains Gary

Australia, also provided a rare opportunity

Samowitz, Stand Up CEO. “These actions

for Sabir, a year 10 Sudanese student

are a real life expression of our shared

from Lyndale Secondary College. This

values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the

placement was perfect for Sabir, who

world), Tzedek (justice) and Chessed

hopes to undertake a law degree and

(kindness). By celebrating their amazing

eventually specialize in sports law. “I’d like

contributions, we also hope that other

to thank every business that is providing

businesses will get in touch with Stand Up

greater access to health, education and

to support those in need”.

employment opportunities for those in

Lina, a student at Braybrook Secondary

College who hopes to become a doctor or nurse one day, was thankful to secure work experience with Motti Blum from Real Response first aid. \”I really enjoyed my work experience”, said Lina. ”It made me want to get into the medical field even more than before. It was a first taste of feeling empowered through teaching people and helping others”.

Motti has also since given free first aid training to over 30 refugee women from Stand Up’s Sudanese Women’s Group in Dandenong.

There are also many health practitioners and business owners who are choosing to contribute in unique ways to empower others. Dr Zelman Lew, from the Armadale Dental Group, has been generously providing dental check ups for two Sudanese students every month. We are also grateful to a Jewish community orthodontist (who prefers to remain anonymous), who has donated an orthodontic bursary to cover 5 Sudanese youth over the last 4 years. Late last year, The Art Factory also hosted a bespoke mosaic-making workshop for a group of Victorian Aboriginal Elders and Mt Scopus students, via Stand Up’s Aboriginal Partnerships Programs.

Please contact Lisa Buchner at Stand Up (tel: 9500 2206, email: lisa@ standup.org.au) if your business would like to host a work experience student, or provide another form of assistance.

March 2019

community

Australian foreign aid and terrorism AJA

In the 2017-18 financial year Australia contributed approximately $43.8 million to the ‘Palestinian Territories’. How was this money used?

The world is becoming more aware that Palestinian Authority’s objectives include providing incentive payments to terrorists who injure and kill innocent Israeli civilians.

In the event that the terrorist is caught and convicted, there is a sliding scale based on the length of the jail term – the more serious the terror crime, the more money paid.

Alternatively, if the terrorist dies during his/ her act of terror or is subsequently killed by the Israeli Defense Force, police or by an armed civilian, then there is the Palestinian Authority Martyrs’ Fund to pay a lifetime benefit to families of dead terrorists.

The programs have been labelled as “Pay for Slay” by critics. Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority announced in early 2018 that it would increase payments under these programs for terrorism from US$350 million in 2017 to US$403 million in 2018!

At the instigation of the Australian Jewish Association, a comprehensive campaign was initiated to expose the misuse of our foreign aid and to advocate for change. The campaign included print media, television, and radio; various Australian politicians were also approached in order to raise this issue in parliament, primarily the Senate, with a view to having Australia cease its contributions for

this purpose.

Then-Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was also approached and asked to review the Australian Government’s policy of sending money to the Palestinian Authority. In July 2018, as a result of the concerted efforts by

the AJA, Australia cut its $10million of direct aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Ms Bishop said funding was cut after writing to the Palestinian Authority in May 2018 seeking assurance that Australian funding was not going to Palestinian

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criminals. When such assurances were not forthcoming, Australia decided to direct its funds through the United Nations humanitarian programs instead.

AJA president Dr David Adler was instrumental in driving this campaign to have the funding which rewards terror curtailed.

This did not simply happen on its own and much work went on ‘behind the scenes’ over many months to ensure that various politicians were fully briefed on the details and that the issue was repeatedly raised in Parliament.

David has presented details of this work to large audiences at various venues in Sydney as well as at the Gold Coast Hebrew Congregation. Each time, his presentation has been met with vigorous applause and support for what he has achieved.

Dr David Adler is delivering this presentation in Melbourne at the Goldhirsch Hall (1A A’Beckett St, St Kilda East) on Sunday night, 31st March 2019 at 7.30pm.

The presentation outlines the effort that went in to ensure that Israel gets the support it truly deserves in a hostile world. David will also highlight the problem of UNRWA in inciting terrorism particularly in its schools “education”. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity for audience questions and discussion.

Make a point of attending – you won’t be disappointed! For further information, please contact AJA Director Alan Freedman at alan@nothingleft.com.au

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community

March 2019

Mosaic United and Jewish Agency Launch Global Jewish Service Initiative for Millennials ‘Shalom corps’ aims to make Jewish service experiences more attractive and accessible to young Jewish women and men, rebrand social action as a core Jewish value.

MOSAIC UNITED Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog: “This is a program that will enable expression of the Jewish value of ‘Tikkun Olam’ and will connect the young generation from around the globe to their Jewish identity and to Israel.”

(JERUSALEM, Israel – February 26, 2019) During the closing plenary of the Jewish Agency for Israel’s annual Board of Governors meeting in Jerusalem, Isaac Herzog, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, and Rabbi Benji Levy, CEO of Mosaic United (mosaicunited.org), a partnership between the State of Israel and the global Jewish community, announced the launch of ‘Shalom Corps,’ a joint initiative that aims to dramatically increase the number of young Jews from around the world engaging in meaningful, ethical and sustainable service experiences that also provide opportunities for the exploration of Jewish identity.

Leveraging the Jewish Agency’s expertise, global reach and longstanding mission to connect Jews around the world to their Jewish identity and Israel, Mosaic United’s commitment to addressing the numerous wide-ranging approaches for Jewish engagement, and the support of Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and

international stakeholders, Shalom Corps will make existing Jewish service experiences more attractive and accessible to Jewish millennials while also strengthening, optimizing and broadening their reach and incorporating Jewish service learning and Israel engagement authentically within the volunteer programming.

“Our humanity is inextricably linked to our identity and our deeds, so it is through giving to others in times of need that we can truly explore who we are as individuals and as Jews. Through the development of Shalom Corps, we will create a movement that heals the fractured world around us while simultaneously investing in our greatest asset: our Jewish youth,” said Mosaic United CEO Rabbi Benji Levy. “Shalom Corps will make meaningful service learning opportunities accessible to more young Jews than ever before, empower the incredible organizations working in this space to do even more, and change the way we all think about Jewish values and the endless good that our young people can unleash in this world.”

Recent data reveals that while 72% of Jewish millennials around the world are committed to volunteer work and actively seek out service experiences, only 18% choose to give back through Jewish

organizations, as most don’t see their Jewish identities as particularly relevant to their lives. As an added challenge, even the most impactful Jewish service programs have funding and capacity issues, with some programs limiting acceptance and others struggling to cover the cost of recruitment efforts. Mosaic United and the Jewish Agency believe that Shalom Corps can shift the numbers, grow the field and rebrand social action as a core Jewish value and expression.

“We are bringing a new message to young Jews in Israel and the Diaspora. The Jewish Agency, together with Mosaic United, an initiative of the Ministry of Diaspora, will enable expression of the wonderful Jewish value of ‘Tikkun Olam’ in communities in need throughout the world,” said Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog. “While serving as ambassadors of our people in these communities, the thousands of young Jews set to participate in this program will also be strengthening their own Jewish identity and connection to Israel. I’m grateful to Mosaic United CEO Rabbi Benji Levy and Chairman Gary Torgow for the tremendous cooperation in bringing about this initiative that promotes Jewish values and helps connect young Jews to Israel at this time of crisis in our relationship.”

Shalom Corps will launch in cooperation with OLAM – a platform promoting global Jewish service and international development – whose experience and expertise has, and will continue, to deeply influence the design of this initiative. The initiative will proudly partner with IsraAid, an Israel-based humanitarian aid agency that responds to emergency crises and engages in international development around the world. Shalom Corps will provide immersive Jewish volunteer organizations with recruitment and marketing resources, purimal resources and Senior Jewish Educators, professional training, research and best practices, funding to help grow their numbers and increase affordability of their service experiences, alumni engagement resources and more.

Shalom Corps will begin accepting grant applications from volunteer service providers this summer and will kick-start its field building, strategy and planning, and marketing later this year. The first local service pilot program is set to launch later this year in Toronto, Canada, in partnership with the UJA of Greater Toronto, and a special project with IsraAid that aims to unite volunteer responders from Israel and the Diaspora to provide disaster relief will be piloted within the first year of operation.

Shaare Zedek: Your Generosity is Saving Lives AUSTRALIAN FRIENDS OF SHAARE ZEDEK INC MIRIAM PACANOWSKI The recent fundraising project conducted by the Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc is having tangible benefits for both the community in Australia and Israel.

During last year’s campaign, funds raised by the Australian community purchased a gene sequencer at Shaare Zedek Medical Centre Jerusalem in memory of the late Ron Tatarka.

Ron was a true visionary who supported many important communal causes. His family members have continued their involvement with Shaare Zedek.

Their generosity and that of their family and friends have been a real tribute to his memory and are continuing to have a powerful effect on the healthy future of our community both here and in Israel.

Sara Tatarka and her daughter Dina recently toured the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Genetics Laboratory as part of a group hosted by clinical geneticist and Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc Deputy Chair Prof Agnes Bankier OAM. During their tour, they saw the gene sequencer at the RCH and heard about the latest developments in gene therapy.

Professor Martin Delatycki described scenarios where a patient can have a disease and be hospitalised in Intensive Care. Diseases that in the past were a mystery can now be identified within days

Dr Damien Bruno, Dina and Sarah Tatarka, Prof Martin Delatycki, Prof Agnes Bankier OAM at the Victorian Clinical Genetics Services Laboratory. Genetic Therapy is transforming medicine. using gene sequencing and targeted therapies can be prescribed.

The lifesaving effects of gene sequencing and therapy are transforming the delivery of medical care.

Shaare Zedek plays an important role in this medical revolution. As Jerusalem’s most central hospital treating hundreds of thousands of patients year after year, it has a database that has serious ramifications for specific ethnic communities around the world.

Genetic studies at the hospital are directly applicable to our local Jewish community.

Shaare Zedek’s Medical Genetics Unit is actively involved with studies surrounding

the increased risk of certain cancers in people who carry the BRCA 1 and 2 genetic mutations.

Based on these studies, the AFSZ is currently working to support JeneScreen. com.au, a research project conducted by Prof Martin Delatycki offering free genetic testing for BRCA mutations to the Jewish community in Melbourne and Sydney.

This year, the Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek will build on these important advances. Innovations invariably raise new challenges and Shaare Zedek has always operated within a framework of Jewish medical ethics.

Prof Rabbi Avraham Steinberg will visit

Australia as a guest of the AFSZ. Prof Rabbi Steinberg is the Director of Medical Ethics at Shaare Zedek. He will deliver the opening address of the 11th Bioethics Conference at the Royal Children’s Hospital later this year.

Prof Agnes Bankier OAM says, “We would like to thank the Tatarka family and the wider Australian community for their wonderful support of this outstanding project.

“By helping Shaare Zedek in its crucial role, you are furthering our understanding of disease, helping to save lives in Israel as well as having a real effect on the health and wellbeing of our local community.” www.shaarezedek.org.au facebook.com/shaarezedek

March 2019

7

community

Danby Slams Burnside For Using Nazi Analogy

MICHAEL DANBY MP

Michael Danby has slammed new Green Party Candidate, Julian Burnside, for his quoting of Nazi official, Herman Goering, using an analogy in an attempt to smear Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“This is a highly offensive comparison and even more so, in the context that Burnside used the quote in his preparation to announce his candidacy against the sitting member for Kooyong, who is the son of a Holocaust survivor,” Danby said.

Mr Danby had previously called on Prime Minister Abbott to apologise when he used a Goebbels comparison in Parliament and PM Abbott had apologised.

“Burnside, using a Nazi analogy to attack Government, is in bad taste and pathetic judgement on his part,” Danby added.

“Remember the Green Party has voted against every Australian law since 9/11 passed by both sides in Federal Parliament, in the Senate where support of the Labor Opposition is essential for the passage of counter terror laws”, said Mr Danby.

In addition, Burnside recently joined the hard line Pro Palestinian APAN network in a speech denouncing Israel.

Burnside has said in a speech to APAN last year: “It sounds pathetic: I just did not know.

I did not realise what was being done to Palestinians I was vaguely aware of troubles in Israel, of course.

Palestinian children are grossly mistreated, despite the provisions of various international human rights conventions to which Israel is a party…..”

“Anyone who criticises Israel’s conduct can expect a fierce response. John Lyons writes about it. Anthony Loewenstein has experienced it, and so have I”

I was vaguely aware of reports of Palestinian youths causing trouble, throwing stones at Israeli settlers. I was vaguely aware that Israelis who were attacked would fight back. And of course, like most people, I was aware that the State of Israel was established as a homeland for the Jews who are one of the most persecuted races in all of history.

But I did not realise how shockingly the

human rights of Palestinians are being violated.

It is 69 years since al – Nabka: when more than 800, 000 Palestinians were driven out of their homes; 500 villages were destroyed: 15 000 Palestinians were killed. ….

“As it turns out, the rights of Palestinians have been comprehensively trashed…..

The abuses of the human rights of Palestinians are getting worse. In particular,

Michael Danby said that Burnside’s views are very typical of the uninformed Greens Party.

“Burnside has never condemned Hamas for throwing gay Palestinians off roofs.

Strangely, Burnside’s published the following on his own blog: “In 2010 Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman said that Allah will give gay people diseases that they have never experienced before”…If you speak to a doctor, he’ll tell you the most terrifying diseases come from what? From sexual activities …or also homosexuality that is spreading all these diseases…..What Sheikh Shady said appears to have medical support.”

Burnside has said nothing about the failure of the Palestinian Authority or Hamas to conduct elections.

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas are 12 years into a 4 year term.

Nor has Mr Burnside even criticized the Palestinian authority for spending 1/3 of its budget on salaries for terrorists and their families who have murdered Israelis This is widely known as the Palestinian “Pay for Slay” incentives.

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purim

March 2019

Purim in the Community

The megillah reading, mishloach manot and more Jewish communities around the world celebrate Purim as a holiday of feasting and gladness, gift-giving and tzedakah (charity), revelry and imbibing. It is one of the most popular Jewish holidays for families and children. The celebration of Purim is based on the story found in the biblical Book of Esther. A tractate of the Mishnah (and hence the Talmud) is devoted to it as well. Purim is a time when Jewish communities, like the community in the Book of Esther, become particularly aware of the fragility and even the danger of living in the Diaspora, as a people “scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples” (Esther 3:8).

The Megillah Reading

The primary communal observance connected to Purim is the mitzvah (commandment) of reading the Book of Esther, called the Megillah (the scroll). It is supposed to be read in the synagogue with a minyan present. The scroll is read twice, once in the evening after the Amidah of Ma’ariv and once after the Torah service during Shaharit. The Megillah is in the form of a parchment scroll, handwritten like a Torah.

The Book of Esther has a special cantillation used only for that book, and the reading is preceded by three blessings.

During the reading, it is customary for the congregation to drown out the name

of Haman by making noise, usually using a special noisemaker called a gragger, whenever the reader utters the villain’s name.

Another custom is to read the verses listing the ten sons of Haman (found in chapter 9) in one breath. One theory regarding the significance of this practice says that it is done to symbolize how the brothers all died together, while a second theory suggests that we should not draw out the reading of the names so as not to gloat over their fate.

Traditionally, an additional Torah reading, in addition to the weekly reading, is inserted on the Sabbath preceding Purim.

Called Shabbat Zachor (the Sabbath of Remembrance), the additional reading is one of the four special parashiyyot leading up to Pesach (Passover). This excerpt from the Book of Deuteronomy (25:17-19) discusses the battle with Amalek. Jewish tradition views Amalek as the ancestor and in some ways the precursor of Haman. Both sought to annihilate the Jewish people, and both were thwarted in their plans.

Besides the reading of the Megillah, the only liturgical additions for the day of Purim are the addition of the Purim Al Hanissim (“for the miracles”) both in the Amidah Prayer and in the Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals). There are a number of explanations for why Hallel (Psalms of Praise) is not recited on Purim as it is on other joyous holidays. Among them is the

theory that on Purim, unlike on Passover or Hanukkah, the redemption is not complete.

On Passover and Hanukkah, the Jews are completely delivered from a foreign king, while on Purim the Jews are still subjects of Ahasuerus. The reading of the Megillah is seen to achieve the same purpose as Hallel.

Also, Hallel is generally not said for events that took place outside the land of Israel.

Fast of Esther

Another traditional feature of Purim observance is the Fast of Esther (Ta’anit Esther). It is one of the four statutory public fasts in the Jewish calendar. All of these other fasts are connected with tragic events related to the destruction of Jerusalem or to the loss of the Jewish state. The fast of the 13th of Adar, the day preceding Purim, is related rather to the threat to destroy the Jewish people. When Mordecai told Esther about Haman’s plan to kill all the Jews, she asked him to proclaim a three-day fast. It is in commemoration of this that some Jews still fast on this day.

There is another unique feature to communal Purim observance. Purim is celebrated in most of the world on the 14th of Adar. However, in Jerusalem it is observed on the 15th of Adar, because of the interpretation of Esther 9:18-19, “But the Jews that were in Shushan assembled together on the 13th day thereof, and on the

14th thereof; and on the 15th day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. Therefore do the Jews of the villages, that dwell in the unwalled towns, make the 14th day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and feasting.” The sages concluded that Purim was celebrated on the 15th of Adar, as in Shushan, in cities that had been walled since the days of Joshua.

In a leap year, when there is the additional month of Adar II, it is traditional to do everything that must be done in Adar during the first Adar. Purim is the exception to this rule and is celebrated during the second Adar.

Mishloach Manot

On Purim the Megillah mandates that we give gifts to friends (mishloach manot), usually of food, and to the poor (matanot l’evyonim). It is a tradition for congregations to collect money in memory of the half shekel collected in ancient days for the upkeep of the Temple. Purim is a time for carnivals and parties and masquerades. Most Jewish congregations hold special carnivals for children, and children dress in costumes that commemorate the various characters of the Purim story. They perform humorous plays called Purim shpiels, which more often than not mock both the characters in the story and leaders in the Jewish community.

Why Do Jews Send Mishloach Manot on Purim?

RABBI SHMUEL HERZFELD The ninth chapter of the Book of Esther states (verse 19): “Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the 14th day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and feasting, a holiday, and of sending portions to one another ( mishloach manot). From this historical event our rabbis teach that the Jewish people must send gifts of food to each other on the holiday of Purim. However, the question arises: What is the ultimate purpose of these gifts? One approach sees the mitzvah of mishloach manot as counteracting the accusations of Haman. Haman accused the Jews of being “a scattered, and divided nation.” Thus, the Jewish people send gifts to each other in order to show that they are not divided, but rather are united. (Following this mitzvah can be understood as a positive reinterpretation of midah ke-neged midah — measure for measure.) The mishloach manot bring peace and harmony to an at times divisive and fractured Jewish community..

This explains why some maintain that one may fulfill the mitzvah of mishloach manot by sending not food, but words of Torah. Since the purpose of this mitzvah is to unite the Jewish people, one can fulfill the mitzvah with anything that achieves this goal. And what better method is there of achieving harmony amongst fellow Jews than by sharing words of Torah? (See Rabbi Yonah Metzger, Mi-Yam Ha-Halakhah, sec. 113.)

Ensuring Everyone Has a Festive Meal A second explanation for the mitzvah appears in the Terumat Ha-Deshen (sec.

111) of Rabbi Israel Isserlein (15th century, Vienna), who writes: “It appears that the reason for this mitzvah is so that everyone can fulfill the mitzvah of eating a proper, festive meal on Purim.” In other words, the mitzvah intends to guarantee that rich and poor alike are provided for at the Purim meal. (It may also be taken as a symbol that both Jewish rich and poor. should recognize the universal aspect of redemption from the physical extinction of the entire nation).

This second approach raises another

question. Indeed, there is already another mitzvah that assures that the poor are provided for on Purim, i.e. the mitzvah of mattanot le-evyonim (sending gifts to the poor). Why, then, is there a need for a second mitzvah of mishloach manot? So some suggest that the mitzvah of mishloach manot actually derives from the mitzvah of giving gifts to the poor on Purim. However, due to concern that the poor would feel ashamed that only they did not have sufficient means to provide for the Purim meal, the rabbis decreed that not only the poor, but all people should send and receive gifts on the holiday of Purim.

Thus, we see that the mitzvah of mishloach manot has two main functions — to instill harmony and love in the Jewish people, and to remind ourselves that as we celebrate the holiday of Purim, we can not forget about the needs of the less fortunate in our community.

Reprinted with permission of the author, whose website can be visited at www. rabbishmuel.com.

March 2019

9

purim

Things You Didn’t Know About Purim MJL With costumes, spiels and lots of drinking, Purim, which in 2018 starts at sundown on Wednesday, Feb. 28, is one of Judaism’s most raucous holidays. You might know about beautiful Esther thwarting evil Haman’s plans, the custom of getting drunk and what hamantaschen are. But we’re guessing there’s a few things about this holiday that might surprise you.

1. Esther was a vegetarian (or at least a flexitarian).

According to midrash, while Queen Esther lived in the court of King Ahasuerus, she followed a vegetarian diet consisting largely of legumes so that she would not break the laws of kashrut. For this reason, there is a tradition of eating beans and peas on Purim.

(After all, you’ll need something healthy after all the booze and hamantaschen.)

2. You’re supposed to find a go-between to deliver your mishloach manot, the gift baskets traditionally exchanged with friends and family on Purim.

The verse in the Book of Esther about Mishloach Manot stipulates that we should send gifts to one another, not just give gifts to one another. As a result, it’s better to send your packets of goodies to a friend via a messenger, than to just give them outright.

Anyone can act as a go-between, so feel free to recruit the postal service or even that nice guy in the elevator to help you deliver your gifts.

3. The Book of Esther is the only biblical book that does not include God’s name.

The Book of Esther also makes no references to the Temple, to prayer, or to Jewish practices such as kashrut [keeping kosher].

4.

Hamantaschen might have been designed to symbolize Haman’s hat — or his ears or pockets. Or something a little more womanly.

Some say these cookies represent Haman’s ears (the Hebrew name for them, oznei Haman, means just this), and refer to a custom of cutting off a criminal’s ears before his execution. Another theory is that the three corners represent the three patriarchs whose power weakened Haman and gave strength to Esther to save the Jews. Yet another theory: Because the German word tasche means “pouch” or “pocket,” the cookies could signify Haman’s pockets and

the money he offered the king for permission to kill the Jews.

5. In 1945, a group of American GI’s held belated Purim services inside Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels’ confiscated castle.

According to JTA coverage at the time, the Jewish chaplain “carefully arranged the candles over a swastika-bedecked bookcase in Goebbels’ main dining room,” and Jewish soldiers explained to their Christian comrades in attendance “about Haman and why it was so fitting that Purim services should be held in a castle belonging to Goebbels.”

6. The Book of Esther, which many scholars theorize is fictional, may be an adaptation of a Babylonian story. Some scholars argue that the Book of Esther adapted stories about these pagan gods — Marduk becoming Mordecai and Ishtar

transformed to Esther — to reflect the realities of its own Jewish authors in exile 7. The Jewish calendar has a regular leap year with two months of Adar (but only one Purim, which falls during the second Adar).

To ensure that the holidays remain in their mandated seasons, the Jewish calendar was ingeniously adjusted to accommodate the 11-day difference between the lunar and solar years. In the 4th century C.E., Hillel scheduled an extra month at the end of the biblical year, as necessary. The biblical year begins in spring with Nissan (Exodus 12:12) and ends with Adar. Hillel, in conjunction with the Sanhedrin (Jewish supreme court) chose to repeat Adar (Adar I and Adar II) every 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th year over a 19-year period.

8. Purim is celebrated one day later inside walled cities than it is everywhere else.

The Book of Esther differentiates between Jews who lived and fought their enemies for two days within the walled, capital city of Shushan and those who lived in unwalled towns, where only one day was needed to subdue the enemy. The Rabbis determined we should make that same distinction when memorializing the event. Accordingly, if a person lives in a city that has been walled since the days of Joshua (circa 1250 B.C.E.), as Shushan was, Purim is celebrated on the fifteenth of the month of Adar, a day referred to as “Shushan Purim.”

Vashti and Esther: A Feminist Perspective

BY WENDY AMSELLEM

Although Vashti and Esther never meet, the relationship between them is integral to understanding the events of the Book of Esther. Vashti disappears by the end of the first chapter, but she casts a long shadow over the rest of the book.

As we encounter Vashti in chapter one, we learn the following about her: She is beautiful and headstrong. She throws a good party.

She refuses to have her appearances before the king regulated solely by his desires.

For this last offense, Vashti pays dearly, losing her crown and incurring perpetual banishment from the king’s presence. At the close of chapter one it is clear that a woman in Ahasuerus’s court would do well to be dutiful and to come before the king as he commands.

The essentiality of female obedience is further confirmed by the final verse of the chapter in which a missive is sent to all of Ahasuerus’s subjects reminding them in no uncertain terms that “every man must rule in his household.”

By contrast, Esther is presented at first as the perfect foil to Vashti. Whereas Vashti was willful and independent, Esther is passive and submissive. The reflexive use of the Hebrew word “LaKaKH” is constantly applied to her.

She is “taken” in by Mordechai as a foster daughter, “taken” to the king’s harem, and “taken” before the king. She does not reveal her identity at the palace, “for Mordechai had commanded her not to tell.” She requests nothing at the harem, only accepting whatever Hagai, the king’s eunuch, chooses to give her.

Even after she is crowned queen, we are told that Esther continues to obey the commands of Mordechai as she had done under his care.

It is no surprise that Ahasuerus loves Esther.

She is the model of docility, an exact antidote to Vashti.

Esther understands very well her role as Ahasuerus’s queen. When Mordechai commands her to appear before the king and intercede on behalf of the Jews, Esther responds that everyone knows that those who appear before the king unbidden are condemned to die. She has learned from her predecessor’s fate that the queen’s job is to come when she is called. Mordechai insists to Esther that it is her responsibility to plead for her nation.

This is a moment of crisis for Esther. She is caught between conflicting obediences to her foster father and husband. In addition, to come before the king unsummoned is an abnegation of her role as Vashti’s replacement. She was chosen to be queen since she represented the antithesis of Vashti’s persona. Esther’s position, her identity and quite possibly her

life are all closely tied to her obedience to the king.

In this moment of fate, Esther looks into her mirror and discovers that she does not look quite so different from Vashti after all. She takes matters into her own hands and stands up to both sources of authority.

Esther assumes control of Mordechai’s plan, changing and amending as she sees fit. Like Vashti, she will appear before the king only when she decides that the time is right–in this case after three days of fasting. Instead of following Mordechai’s suggestion and simply making her petition, she will throw a series of parties as Vashti did. In order to succeed, Esther realizes that she must take on aspects of the repudiated former queen.

Of course, we do not actually know why Vashti refused to appear before the King.

It could have been out of modesty as the Midrash in Esther Rabbah suggests. Or

as the Babylonian Talmud describes, she may simply have been unhappy with her appearance that day (a sudden case of leprosy according to Rabbi Yossi bar Chanina or the surprise sprouting of a tail according to a beraita). Perhaps she was being capricious.

Perhaps she was a proto-feminist fighting for a sense of independent integrity. In any event, Vashti’s disobedience brings her career to an abrupt end and her fate is quite deliberately meant to serve as an object lesson to women everywhere.

As Esther marshals her strength to save her nation, she must revisit the experiences of her shunned predecessor and learn from them. Esther is more calculated, more subtle, (more divinely inspired) and ultimately far more successful than Vashti. Yet, in order to triumph, Esther must confront the image of Vashti and incorporate (or perhaps discover) the attributes of Vashti in herself.

As Orthodox feminists, we are constantly confronted with taboo images of dangerous women from whom we are told to distance ourselves. A is too radical, B has gone too far, C has made too many enemies. We struggle to draw our borders, to be open and yet traditional, free and yet constrained within halacha.

Purim is a holiday in which we explore and challenge our boundaries. We dress up as other people. Some of us drink to the point where differences become blurred. In the spirit of this holiday and following the legacy of our ancestor Esther, I encourage us to reexamine whom we emulate and from whom we shy away. We may discover as Esther did that we are not so different from those whom we fear and that the most important lessons can be learned from the unlikeliest of teachers.

10

education

March 2019

The King David School’s co-curricular programs THE KING DAVID SCHOOL

The King David School recognises it is our responsibility to educate the whole child and as such, the School has a very comprehensive co-curricular program to broaden students’ learning experience.

Co-curricular offerings include before and after school sports, lunch time activities, participation in inter-school sporting competitions and extensive performing arts programs, all offering students an avenue for self-expression.

These rich holistic learning opportunities - in conjunction with King David’s academic curriculum - provide a broad educational model that extends students to ensure they develop habits that will see them enjoying a well-rounded life.

Most of these co-curricular activities are offered at no additional charge to families.

• students across the School can choose from a range of before school sports, with cricket, swimming, basketball and soccer offered in the first semester at the Junior School while a fitness club with a trained gym instructor is offered before and after school as well as at lunch time in the Senior School.

• students with an interest in performing arts can participate in a number of choral and orchestral ensembles that meet weekly to rehearse for the many performance opportunities available.

• mindfulness classes are offered regularly for all Senior School students and there are yoga classes for students in Years 6-8.

• a study club, home learning Science

club and a maths boost club offer students additional support with their learning in a fun team environment.

• Science and technology clubs cater for those students with a keen interest in these areas.

• a broad selection of lunchtime activity clubs includes poetry and debating, collaborative games and art and drawing in the Junior School and philosophy, advanced dungeons and dragons and debating in the Senior School.

For a detailed review of all the cocurricular activities offered at The King David School, please visit our website and select the Co-curricular Information tab: https://www.kds.vic.edu.au/pages/ourpublications/information-handbooks/

Children’s Moral Development PHIL ROBERTS A woman was on her deathbed. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a chemist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the chemist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to produce. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $1,000 which is half of what it cost. He told the chemist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later.

But the chemist said: “No, I discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it.” So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man’s laboratory to steal the drug for his wife. Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not? This very famous moral dilemma above (derived from moral philosopher Lawrence Kohlberg) will be responded to in different ways depending on the stage of the child/young person in his/her moral development. These stages of moral development have always captivated my interest and it is really very endearing to hear kids justify their stance. (I do wonder whether we can unintentionally hinder moral development through a neglect in

conversation). From a theoretical point of view, it is not important in the tale above what the child thinks that Heinz should do. Kohlberg’s theory holds that the justification the child offers is what is significant, the form of their response.

Below are some of many examples of possible arguments that belong to the six stages: Level 1 (Pre-Conventional) 1.

Obedience and punishment orientation (How can I avoid punishment?)

2. Self-interest orientation (What’s in it for me?) (Paying for a benefit) Level 2 (Conventional) 3. Interpersonal accord and conformity (Social norms) (The good boy/girl attitude) 4.

Authority and social-order maintaining orientation (Law and order morality) Level 3 (Post-Conventional) 5. Social contract orientation 6. Universal ethical principles (Principled conscience) The understanding gained in each stage is retained in later stages, but may be regarded by those in later stages as simplistic.

You can have a lot of fun asking kids these questions. A five year old will typically say (at stage 1) that Heinz should not steal the medicine because he will consequently be put in prison which will mean he is a bad person. Or: Heinz should steal the medicine because it is only worth $200 and not how much the chemist wanted for

it; Heinz had even offered to pay for it and was not stealing anything else.

A more sophisticated response (at the higher 6 end) would be more typically that Heinz should steal the medicine, because saving a human life is a more fundamental value than the property rights of another person. Or: Heinz should not steal the medicine, because others may need the medicine just as badly, and their lives are equally significant.

However, have we anchored generations to a more juvenile level of moral development? I often wonder whether the portrayal of moral issues through entertainment and social media has shaped this negatively coupled with a decline in reading books. It is my view that whilst families still represent the main channels through which moral development is transmitted, schools play a significant role. I don’t see Jewish education as simply (or only) about the transmission of knowledge and facts but about challenging kids to develop their moral character through rituals, readings and good discussion.

Governments historically have provided check lists of what constitutes moral values. However, that’s like mandating patriotism – it’s so elusive and impossible to achieve.

The focus must always shift from the pretence of teaching moral values (character education) to assisting or supporting the moral development of

children. Character education seeks to cultivate good character as the true aim of education whereas Kohlberg’s moral education focuses on promoting the development of children’s moral judgment. Kohlberg believed that the aim of moral education was to stimulate students’

development

of

moral

judgment. Kohlberg criticized traditional ‘character education’, which only focused on training of good ‘habits’ of honesty, responsibility, etc., through example, reward,

or

dilemma

punishment. discussions

Kohlberg’s encouraged

students toward a higher stage of moral reasoning through peer discussion and the interactive exchange of ideas. This is what happens in English (when studying novels) and Jewish Studies.

It is my view that Jewish education does this well. There is much more inherent debate and even polemic that characterises our schools as places of moral judgement. A Rabbi’s talk, parables, the table conversations and fabled stories guide a Jewish child’s conscience.

Our

kids

are

exposed

to moral challenges and dimensions that enrich their moral judgement and development but I also believe we need to be aware of how easily this can be undermined by fatuous shows which intentionally revel in idiocy.

March 2019

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education

Enrichment at Scopus MOUNT SCOPUS COLLEGE

Photography, Lego, mindful art, chess, 20/20 cricket, garden club, bike riding, robotics, scooter riding, water polo, sewing, Maths masters, Minecraft, ukulele, sustainability club, early morning swimming, the list is endless and there truly is something for everyone on Mount Scopus College’s long list of enrichment activities.

Primary students at all campuses choose to take part in lunchtime enrichment activities, enabling them to get together with like minds, often from different year levels, and share their passion or try new experiences. Enrichment activities are run by classroom teachers, specialist teachers and sometimes outside experts, ensuring a full range of fun and stimulating activities.

Whether it’s planting, cultivating and harvesting fruits, vegetables and herbs, and caring for the chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs in garden club, or building, designing and collaborating in Lego club, students gain important life skills along the way.

Eco Warriors meet weekly to improve recycling on their campus and cooking club sees students bake goodies to sell at tuckshop the next day as a way of raising funds for important causes.

Our Year 3 digital leaders volunteer their time to ensure their peers are great digital citizens, while ball games, drama and library sessions appeal to students keen to get involved in many different ways.

Certain enrichment activities operate at an entry level, where students learn the basics, like ukulele where basic songs are taught, or water polo where the rules and game play are explained. Others offer students a chance to extend their skills in areas like 20/20 cricket, indoor basketball and bike riding.

Some lunchtime activities offer a chance to relax with a book, board game or mindful art project. Others impart skills which could potentially lead to part time jobs, like Be a DJ where students learn how to mix dance music and control the equalizer system, or photography club where students plan, create and edit portrait and landscape images.

Students keen to give back to their peers can be found in breakfast club once a week, cooking and creating delicious meals for the hungry swimmers at early morning swimming.

Secondary students can get involved in a range of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) enrichment activities, including: Robotics club, an external bridge building competition, solar vehicle challenge, Maths games days, programming competitions and the Da Vinci Decathlon academic competition across 10 disciplines.

Students can also take part in external Girls in STEM events like Go Girl and Go for IT. All this is in addition to the wonderful array of sporting, performing arts, visual arts, community service and Jewish life extracurricular activities on offer.

While learning certainly takes place in the classroom, the most surprising learning often happens beyond the classroom walls, where students’ develop new interests and often find their passion.

And it’s not only students who have the opportunity to try something new. Our parent education evenings and Israel Uncovered adult education course, together with Grandparents Club and Old Collegian events give all members of the Scopus family the opportunity to hear and learn from a diverse range of presenters, many experts in their field. As a member of the Scopus family, you really are Connected for Life. www.scopus.vic.edu.au

Mount Scopus students enjoying bike riding at lunchtime

Mount Scopus students learning new skills during lunchtime Photography enrichment

Hebrew – A New Beginning North African Rhythms At Glen Eira College usher in Adar Sheini

UJEB AND GLEN EIRA COLLEGE

UJEB and Glen Eira College (GEC) are proud to announce that in 2020, the school will again be offering Hebrew as part of the school’s language program.

Since 2012, GEC has been the only Victorian Government school offering Hebrew language studies within the curriculum. In 2019, the school had to cut the subject due to staffing issues.

Over the past few months, UJEB met with the college and other stakeholders to work towards a solution. The very positive outcome of these discussions is that in 2020, Hebrew will again be offered as an elective in Year 7, subject to staffing and enrolments.

As this cohort progresses, the subject will grow to include other year levels.

Principal Sheereen Kindler said that “UJEB is working in partnership with the College to meet the needs of the community and to support families who want to access Hebrew language in a public school. I really am delighted to have UJEBs support in staffing and curriculum development moving forward.”

Member for Caulfield, David Southwick, is also supportive. “With a growing number of Jewish students attending Glen Eira College, it’s important to develop a strong Hebrew program to provide real choice for our students at public schools … UJEB’s role going forward will ensure our community will have a quality program, that will compliment other cultural activities at the school, to help

LEIBLER YAVNEH COLLEGE CHAIM COWEN

a(L to R): Itzik Sztokman, UJEB Executive Principal, Sheereen Kindler, Glen Eira College Principal and David Southwick MP, Member for Caulfield. students flourish,” he said.

To ensure that current GEC students don’t miss out, UJEB is starting a new after school program covering Israeli language and culture in term 2, 2019. This will include basic Hebrew and popular teenage topics such as food and music. It will complement the longstanding weekly J-Lunch sessions at the school.

GEC are running their Languages Open Day on 30th April and Open Night on 1st May, 2019. UJEB Principal Itzik Sztokman will be on hand at both of these events to talk with parents.

Tefilla is one of the most challenging aspects of Jewish education. I have met countless educational leaders who feel that they are failing in their quest to engage young people in daily, traditional, prayer. Some advocate for its removal from the compulsory school day, others propose to change the traditional model, and some simply turn a blind eye to their student’s disengagement during tefilla.

This year, we have taken a step further in bolstering our tefilla program, with the introduction of “The Soul-Full Project.” As the title implies, this initiative is one in which we aim to further imbue the culture at Yavneh with the soulful attributes that are the hallmarks of meaningful

prayer. Introspection, even-keeledness, appreciation of the abstract, mindfulness, conscious spirituality and familiarity with the Divine are all qualities which emerge from (and lead to) tefilla done properly.

Yet these traits need careful and focused cultivation if they are to emerge.

Cultural shifts do not happen overnight, and we are aware that the mission we are embarking upon is one which requires consistency and perseverance. It may be far easier to absorb knowledge than it is to transform one’s behaviours, however the challenge is well worth its rewards.

Reflecting on the experience, students were enthused by a quite out-of-theordinary school experience – a miniature concert, all their own. A start to the month of Adar Sheini that truly encapsulates the spirit of joy.

12

schools/shul

March 2019

Introducing Zusha! Caulfied Shule continuing the teenage journey after Bar Mitzvah CAULFIELD SHULE SAMMY BRYGEL CAULFIELD SHULE YOUTH DIRECTOR Launched in October 2018, ‘Zusha’ is a postBar Mitzvah group for 13-16 year old boys to learn, socialise and hang out at Caulfield Shule.

We are beyond thrilled to have 20 members of Zusha, all from a wide variety of schools.

Meeting weekly on a Thursday night, the boys have their own apartment space within the Caulfield Shule complex. The night begins with an educational program. For example, some of the programs in 2018 included a crash course in Jewish history and the history of the Beit Hamikdash, a discussion of the role of women in Judaism with Rabbi Ralph and a crash course in the Israeli political parties.

Following the educational component, the boys are provided with a free kosher dinner from their favourite take-away restaurants and then encouraged to stay and chill, with PlayStation 4, table tennis and a foosball table proving big hits! Some boys even come and do their homework at Zusha!

We also run a weekly Shabbat sushi and shiur for the boys at 10.30am on Shabbat mornings and this year we are planning to begin a monthly Friday night youth service lead by the Zusha boys.

While our Bar Mitzvah program is very successful at Caulfield Shule, like many shules, we struggle to attract boys after their Bar Mitzvah journey is complete. Zusha provides a post-Bar Mitzvah framework for teenage boys to continue their development as young Jews in the world, forming meaningful friendships and ultimately empowering the next generation of leaders in the community and at Caulfield Shule. It should also be noted that Zusha is free

The Zusha boys of charge and all boys are welcome, including those who are not members at Caulfield Shule.

Planning is already underway for the launch of ‘Zohar’ – our inaugral post Bat-Mitzvah teenage girl program that will be based on the Zusha model.

Moving to our Bar Mitzvah program; our new intake of Barmi boys at Caulfield Shule are thoroughly enjoying the Caulfield Shule Bar Mitzvah program in 2019.

As we know, a Bar Mitzvah is so much more than a few hours in Shule, a big party and some presents. The Caulfield Shule Bar Mitzvah program seeks to view a Bar Mitzvah as a journey-like process wherein Jewish identity and connection to our amazing community is developed.

The Bar Mitzvah program focuses on a number of key areas. Judaism, community, Israel, adulthood and social action form the basis of our aim to enable the boys to become

Shule Engages Young Adults ST KILDA HEBREW CONGREGATION St Kilda Shule has announced its latest initiative to engage young adults in the Jewish community in addition to the numerous initiatives it has already undertaken.

The Shule recently hosted at the Spot On kosher restaurant the first of a series of young adult dinners which cater specifically for Jewish singles looking to meet new people in the community. This initiative, the brainchild of Shule CEO Rabbi Ronnie Figdor and his wife Eve, was aimed towards singles aged 25-35 and was highly successful. The dinner was heavily subsidised by the Shule whose Board is focused on engaging young adults and creating a greater sense of connection to the community.

This dinner series is part of a multi-pronged approach of young adult engagement.

Rabbi Yaakov Glasman regularly works with university-aged students and young marrieds, and seeks to further this

engagement with strong backing by the Shule’s board.

“The Board gets it” Rabbi Glasman said, “they are very switched on and understand the need to invest in opportunities to connect with the younger members of our community who live within an assimilated society”.

“We are extremely fortunate to have a strong Rabbinic and Board relationship in which our values and objectives are clearly aligned, and we all feel that young adult engagement is one value that should be high on our list of priorities, as it should for all Shules”, Rabbi Glasman said.

Young Shule board member Sam Kagan initiated another event in March for the 18-35 age groups with a panel discussion on dealing with methods to overcome depression, addiction and marginalisation, issues which can affect the younger demographic. This event seeks to offer practical guidance and support within a Jewish framework.

L-R: Rabbi Yaakov Glasman, Andrew Chrapot, Rozanna Nazar, Mel Farrugia and Samuel Unger

committed and knowledgeable members of our community. We run weekly sessions throughout the school year, which provide the tools and skills in a fun and informal learning environment.

In 2019 we are very excited for our completely new social action component in Term 4. We are thrilled to be partnering with both ‘Thirteen’ and ‘Stand Up’ who will be designing and facilitating some new sessions for our boys and their parents. We will also be hosting our own sessions, for example, with our Darchei Shalom ‘Soup and Chat’ Social Action Group.

Throughout the year we focus on what it means to “become an adult” both religiously and also in terms of responsibility to our community. For example, the boys have interactive sessions with volunteers from CSG and Hatzola where they are able to understand the sacrifices that people make for others in the community.

Another focus of the Bar Mitzvah program is looking at what Judaism, Torah and mitzvot can teach us and why having a better understanding of Jewish practices makes a difference. The boys attend a joint session with Rabbi Genende, Rabbi Kennard and the Bat Mitzvah girls, addressing the question of ‘Just exactly what is a Bar or Bat Mitzvah?’

Further, Rabbi Genende takes a leading role in guiding the boys through the moral and ethical challenges of being a young Jew today, with the boys having their own Q&A with Rabbi Genende, as well as a few sessions devoted to contemporary halachic issues.

A highlight for both parents and their boys was a special session with artist Victor Majzner and Rabbi Genende, where the boys delved into their creative sides and created artwork connected to the meaning of their Bar Mitzvah parashah. Sofer Rabbi Eli Gutnick conducts a hands-on and interactive session with the boys and their fathers, explaining the laws surrounding the preparation of Tefillin and Torah scrolls.

As you can see, our Bar Mitzvah program at Caulfield Shule is comprehensive and offers something for all boys. We are so excited to have ‘Zusha’ as a form of ‘graduation’ for the boys where they are able to remain connected to both Caulfield Shule and their Jewish identity.

Stay tuned for more exciting news about our youth at Caulfield Shule!

If you have any questions or wish to enquire about the Zusha Youth Group or the Caulfield Shule Bar Mitzvah Program please contact Sammy Brygel Email: sbrygel@hotmail.com Mob 0466 873 557

Federal Minister for Education Spends a Morning At YBR YESHIVAH - BETH RIVKAH COLLEGES

Yeshivah – Beth Rivkah Colleges (YBR) was pleased to host the Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan MP, along with Senator James Paterson, Kate Ashmore (Liberal for Macnamara), State Member for Caulfield David Southwick MP, Glen Eira Mayor Jamie Hyams, as well as Principals, Presidents and lay leaders from schools in the Macnamara Electorate on Wednesday 27th February.

The Minister briefed the group on the Liberal Party’s commitment to support ‘parent choice’ in schooling with updated funding arrangements.

This was followed by a robust and animated question and answer session.

The Minister and dignitaries toured the

school and were visibly impressed by our strong Jewish values and progressive educational offerings.

Student representatives from the Beth Rivkah VCE Political Studies class challenged the Minister with issues at the forefront of their minds that related to the Australian Educational landscape.

They made a real ‘Kiddush Hashem’ – favourable impression of our school student body.

Principal of Yeshivah – Beth Rivkah Colleges, Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler commented “The Minister’s visit was a fabulous opportunity to interact with all echelons of Government in relation to maintaining and enhancing educational opportunities for our children and our communities.”

March 2019

schools / shul

Bialik College’s Entrepreneurship Week Program prepares students for jobs of the future theme. Entrepreneurship Week has been a welcome addition to a curriculum already full with upskilling students in real-world teachings and preparing students for life.

BIALIK COLLEGE In an Australian first, Bialik College has partnered with LUNA Startup Studio and UHG (Unified Healthcare Group) to develop Entrepreneurship Week – a program that inspires, empowers and excites students as they consider their future endeavours through the lens of entrepreneurship.

During the week-long program, the Year 9 students from Bialik College make their own way around the innovation hub of Richmond and Cremorne, using public transport. They engage with CEO guest speakers, interview successful entrepreneurs and pitch their own ideas to respected figures in the business world.

“We are preparing children for a workforce and for jobs that do not yet exist, explains Bialik College’s Principal Jeremy StoweLinder. “The 21st century skillset is a very different one to the siloed careers of yesteryear so entrepreneurship is a perfect vehicle for that.”

The program’s structure means that rather than a flash-in-the-pan speaker or workshop, students have an intensive experience that immerses them in the entrepreneurship and tech world in a way that connects with their curricular experiences. Principal StoweLindner says, “We engage with world-class companies from Uber Eats to venture capitalists Rampersand, from Catch of the Day to MYOB. Students spend half their time

delving into the world of these innovators, and half the time developing ideas of their own, culminating in a 90-second digitally interactive Shark Tank-style pitch in a public forum to a CEO judging panel.

The Principal has praised the input from Bialik’s Entrepreneurship Week partners LUNA Startup Studio and UHG, “The brilliance of LUNA’s Founder and CEO Ronen Heine and UHG Managing Director Brandon Carp in formulating and implementing a genuine program preparing our young citizens for a different future cannot be underestimated.”

From the Skills Program in Primary, to the Build-a-Business and Entrepreneurship electives in the Secondary school, Bialik students learn skills for life. All of our students go to China with a focus on commerce, manufacturing and technology and then on to Israel with an Innovations

Premier Daniel Andrews Opens New Wing Of Sholem Aleichem College SHOLEM ALEICHEM COLLEGE Sholem Aleichem College was delighted to host Victorian Premier, The Honourable Daniel Andrews, to officially open the College’s new Kronhill Pletka Wing on Wednesday 27th February. The Premier was joined by The Honourable Philip Dalidakis and The Honourable Nina Taylor, Members of the Legislative Council, the Mayor of Glen Eira Jamie Hyams, members of the College Board and Governors, Past founders of the college and many other distinguished guests.

Sholem Aleichem College has experienced unprecedented levels of growth in the last few years. The Kronhill Pletka Wing provides students with a range of resources to enhance their education.

It also ensures Sholem Aleichem College remains at the forefront of Jewish primary school education in Australia. The new building boasts state-of-the-art facilities including new classrooms, an art room, a resource hub for staff and the much lauded Maker Space learning centre dedicated to creative endeavours in science, technology and the arts. The College also has a brand new playground, designed with input from all key stakeholders, including the students.

In her welcoming remarks, College Principal Helen Greenberg spoke of how ‘wonderful it is to see the pure joy and delight on the faces of our children as they

use the new facilities, their excitement as they explore the playground, and their clearly visible eagerness to learn explore and discover new things within the four walls of this magnificent area.’ She thanked all involved in the project for the ‘Enormous amount of hard work, sacrifice and commitment by so many people’ that helped turn the vison of the new wing into a reality. Premier Andrews spoke glowingly of Sholem and its commitment to continuing the rich traditions and history of the Yiddish culture upon which it is based, and of the pride the school can take in its commitment to the growth, development and academic excellence of its students. The Premier then moved on to plant an olive tree as a permanent feature of the college grounds.

The olive tree symbolises many values that have become a part of Jewish life such as peace, friendship, permanence, growth and light, and has been an important symbol within our culture throughout history.

The Premier’s visit concluded with a tour of the Kronhill Pletka Wing, including some impromptu questions from Grade 4 students, and a delightful morning tea full of Jewish culinary favourites including brisket, bagels and babka!

The day was indeed a momentous one in Sholem’s history and the college looks forward to welcoming the Premier again in the future.

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schools / shuls

March 2019

Letter of Retirement as Rabbi of ARK Centre Dear friends, After immense self-reflection and considerable discussion, I have decided to retire as the rabbi of Ark Centre. The reasons are varied and I’d like to share some of my thoughts and feelings at this time.

Human beings, like the rest of the biological world, find change quite challenging. And this is generally a good thing. If, with every gust of wind, we were to change our course we would go nowhere. But at the same time the engine of evolution, biological as well as cultural, is in fact mutation.

My personal narrative is that I have undergone two such transformations thus far in my life. The first was at the age of 24. I had been recently ordained as a rabbi and, following a series of events that served to expand my experiences, I discovered the only thing I knew was that I didn’t really know much at all. After studying Judaism intensely, and exclusively, from morning until night for well over a decade I came to a conclusion that I needed to expand my learning.

I became a mutant in an exciting new world where I discovered philosophy, history, literature, anthropology, and archaeology, which literally changed my life. Over a relatively short space of time, I learned for the first time what it meant to be spiritually connected through nature when spending a week alone camping in the Otways, David Attenborough opened the

world of biology to me, Jacob Bronowski enlightened me as to the project of science and knowledge and Bob Marley and the Blues Brothers introduced me to the world of music beyond Jewish religious songs.

Life could have continued rather happily in that ongoing discovery. But just as I was about to get comfortable in the lush tropical rainforest outside Cardwell, a second transformation occurred. Out of the blue I was asked to an interview for a job I hadn’t applied for nor knew existed. And so 10 years ago I met with the leadership from an emerging kehilah, Ark Centre.

I had not, during my decade of selfdiscovery, entertained the idea of becoming a congregational rabbi. But here I found a community of people who wanted authentic Judaism for the modern setting. This was a small group of people who wanted to connect with their spiritual heritage in a Modern Orthodox setting, in a way that was meaningful and relevant to them.

Needless to say, it held a great appeal for me to preach a message of intellectual honesty and spiritual liberation within the framework of Orthodox Judaism.

I quickly discovered that I am not alone in my philosophical musings and the ensuing ride has been tremendous. A decade ago when I started at Ark Centre a dozen or so people would converge weekly in a little room they rented at the local Jewish school.

Almost immediately, we moved into a

cosy house in Lovell St, that became my home, and the infant community began to blossom. People who had never in their lives gone to Shule on a Friday night were now coming weekly and bringing their children of all ages. There was a real buzz. And at every opportunity, there was music and food.

It was also in Lovell Street that the love of my life Lisa came to a Friday night dinner on New Year’s Eve 2011. And now, with our two boys in tow, it’s clear to see the years at Lovell were indeed very productive.

Eventually, we ran into the problem which was our blessing. We outgrew the space. We became semi-nomadic setting ourselves up in a private house in East Hawthorn while a more permanent home was sought. Before long, in 2014, we moved into an old warehouse in Cato St. that was fitted out to be the premises we now all know as the Ark Centre home.

There is indeed a lot to be collectively proud of. Over the past several years as the Rabbi of Ark Centre we have successfully challenged the status quo, we have engaged young and old alike with a refreshing approach to connecting with Judaism. We have done our best to listen to what today’s Modern Orthodox community seek and deliver to that.

And, at the same time, to listen to what isn’t working, and what we know doesn’t engage the next generation who, as many have written about, are seeking alternate ways and means to find connection. We haven’t compromised on authenticity, halachah or tradition. We have raised questions that are relevant to the community at large, forged relationships with like-minded colleagues at home and abroad and have established a home for people who were looking for something different. That’s not to say that any of our original intentions have been entirely fulfilled but rather, that we can be proud of the conversations we have started and the many changes we have brought about.

Over the past 10 years in this role I have seen an enormous amount. Much of it has enriched my soul, some of it has challenged me to my core. And now, I find myself ready for the next change.

Which brings me to the third transformation I am in the midst of undergoing and the reason for this open letter to our community. I have decided, as I stated right at the beginning, to retire from being the rabbi at Ark Centre. I feel very positive about all those who have benefitted from the change that I brought about, but I am ready for a new challenge.

Though I am retiring as the rabbi of Ark Centre, I am not leaving the Ark community. I will continue to be employed at Ark Centre in a part time capacity as Music Director which will see me doing what I love most - connecting spiritually through Jewish song.

It has been a true honour and pleasure to have led the Ark community as your Rabbi. It is with a full heart I pass the mantle to Rabbi Gabi and Rebbetzin Mushka who represent the finest aspects of their titles. Their warmth, intelligence, humility, energy, ideas and genuine care, leave me completely assured that the Ark community will continue to thrive as a centre leading the community in a way that is relevant now and into the future.

Like the first time I changed course I feel the time is right to spread my metaphorical wings and open my mind to more of what the world has to offer. Like the second transformation I am excited with all the great opportunities life will present when there is space made to do so.

I love you, my community, and I look forward to celebrating many happy times together in the future.

Rabbi Shneur Rabbi Shneur will continue in his full time role until May 31 2019 and will commence his Part Time role as Music Director on June 1 2019.

The largest Mezuza scroll in Australia

Rabbi Eli Gutnick Sofer of Melbourne with the ARK Centre Beni Mitzvah program, showing off the largest Mezuza scroll in Australia.

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new zealand

March 2019

Press Conference from our Prime Minister The Hon. Scott Morrison MP TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE PRIME MINISTER: Australia and New Zealand are not just allies, we’re not just partners, we are family. As family members with our New Zealand cousins, today we grieve, we are shocked, we are appalled, we are outraged and we stand here and condemn absolutely the attack that occurred today by an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist that has taken the lives, stolen the lives, in a vicious, murderous attack, that has claimed so many New Zealanders.

This attack reminds us of the evil that is ever-present and would seek to strike out at any time. I particularly want to convey my heartfelt sympathies not only to all New Zealand people, as I’m sure all Australians would join me in doing, but I particularly want to express my sincere prayers and thoughts for those New Zealanders and indeed Australians of Islamic faith today, who have been the subject of this vicious and callous right-wing extremist attack.

The New Zealand authorities are conducting that investigation and I have just concluded a briefing with our own authorities and agencies here. It is for New Zealand, who are obviously leading the investigation, to be able to confirm details of any individuals and certainly the number of casualties. I will leave it to them to make those announcements.

I have already been in contact with Prime Minister Ardern. She is obviously caught up in many briefings today. She described it as their darkest day and I agree with her absolutely. Australian authorities have already put in place all the necessary responses and precautions that are necessary here in Australia. Our agencies are working closely with New Zealand authorities and have prepared other capacities to be stood up to support New Zealand as and when requested.

I can confirm that the individual who was taken into custody, I have been advised, is an Australian-born citizen and obviously that element of the investigation Australian authorities are involved in. They will be proceeding with their investigation, which has already been stood up, involving all the relevant agencies.

We will keep Australians safe in every way possible we can. We will work with our partners in the region, our family in the region in New Zealand, to do everything we can

to support them to keep their people safe as well. But right now there is a numbness.

There is just a still shock that has laid upon us all, as we thought would be unthinkable in a place like Christchurch. But it has happened and it is such a sad and devastating reminder of the evil that can be ever-present around us.

Happy to take a couple of questions, but in terms of the details of the investigations they are properly addressed by the New Zealand authorities. We are obviously being kept abreast of developments in those investigations, but I want to assure all Australians that the immediate responses that are required to ensure the security and safety of Australians, have already been actioned.

Our authorities are working together - ASIO, the AFP, State police - to ensure that those arrangements are in place. I have also contacted the Leader of the Opposition. He has been offered a full briefing on these matters and I’m sure as we just discussed, he would join me in the sentiments I have expressed.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister was the Australian man already known to authorities?

PRIME MINISTER: The information I have available to me at the moment is that he was not.

JOURNALIST: Does it concern you that a man who was not known to authorities is

www.cherylthesleepcoach.com.au

capable of something like this?

PRIME MINISTER: It concerns me that this horrific and appalling attack was capable of any human being. But sadly it is and in the quietest of places. That’s why we take the steps we do. That’s why we put in place the capacities that we have to seek to try to keep Australian safe and work with our partners and allies and family across the ditch and within the region to keep their citizens safe as well. It is a truly saddening day.

JOURNALIST: What else do we know, what else do we know about the man, what else can you divulge?

PRIME MINISTER: At this stage I’m not in a position to be able to communicate anything further about this individual, other than to say that he is an Australian-born citizen.

That obviously leads to an Australian -based investigation and all of our inquiries here will be absolutely shared and communicated with New Zealand authorities.

JOURNALIST: Is there an elevated level of risk to Australian Muslims?

PRIME MINISTER: That decision has not been taken and Australia’s settings have not been altered. But I can confirm that Australian authorities and police have been working closely together at a State level and at the Commonwealth level to ensure that an inappropriate response and upgrade to ensure Australians’ safety has already been

actioned.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] greater vigilance at mosques, would that be sound advice or not?

PRIME MINISTER: I think that is a responsible action. I do know that in New Zealand some more specific warnings have been provided as you would expect. But here, I think obviously people should act with caution, but police around the country have all been advised and are being updated on these events and they will be taking the necessary precautions.

But this should always be the case, Australians should always be alert, they should always be aware. These horrible and sickening events in New Zealand are just a terrible reminder of the need for that and there are people who live in our community who hold some appalling, disgusting and abhorrent views that have nothing to do with our way of life and our values. It’s important that we assist our authorities at all times to ensure that they’re best placed to be able to understand where that threat exists.

Terrorism, as we’ve seen today, can be visited upon anyone, anywhere and it is not unique to one particular world view. In this case, as I said, it was a radical, violent, right wing extremist terrorist who has done this and I am appalled and sickened.

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new zealand

March 2019

New Zealand Jews ‘sickened’ by mosque shootings that killed 49 CNAAN LIPHSHIZ (JTA) — Jewish groups from New Zealand and beyond expressed their horror at the slaying of at least 49 people at two mosques in Christchurch last Friday.

The New Zealand Jewish Council is ”sickened and devastated” by the attacks, in which at least one armed individual killed dozens of people by shooting them at close distance with a semi-automatic rifle. Footage of the carnage, which the killer filmed and streamed live, shows victims huddling and moaning as the killer fires into the crowd.

“We offer our full assistance and support to the Muslim community and stand united with it against the scourge of terrorism and racism, which we must do all we can to banish from New Zealand,” Stephen Goodman, the president of The New Zealand Jewish Council told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Statements of support also came from the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, the Rabbinical Council of Australia and New Zealand and other leading organizations in New Zealand.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder expressed “horror and revulsion” at the attacks in a statement.

Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old fitness trainer from Australia, was charged with murder in connection with the shootings.

He had in the past described himself as a “regular white man, from a regular family.”

Two other men and one woman are also in custody.

Police also found multiple explosive devices in a car belonging to one of the suspects, the BBC reported.

People attend a funeral ceremony in absentia for the victims of twin terror attacks on New Zealand mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 15, 2019. (Omer Urer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) The attack, which came around the time people were attending the mosques for Friday prayers, was the deadliest in the nation’s history.

U.S. politicians on Twitter drew comparisons between the mosque massacre and last October’s deadly shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed by a gunman who had ranted against Jews and immigration.

“Charleston, Pittsburgh, and now Christchurch,” tweeted Sen. Elizbath Warren (D-Mass.), a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. “Everyone should

Message from ACT Chabad CHABAD ACT RABBI SHMUELI FELDMAN “We are deeply pained by the senseless acts of hate and murder that took place today at Mosques in Christchurch. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and friends in the Muslim community and beyond.

An attack at a place of worship, indiscriminately targetting civilians, is just pure evil and an affront to all those who cherish life and freedom.

Whilst we are shocked and shaken by everything that has happened, we are also grateful to the NZ police and all of the first responders for their heroic efforts.

The grand Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, taught of the need to turn tears into action.

I ask all Synagogues, especially

throughout Australia and New Zealand, to dedicate prayers this Shabbat for the healing of the victims in this heinous attack.

As we will continue to pray for the speedy recoveries of the many victims and their families, let us take courage from the age-old Jewish adage “a little bit of light will dispel a great deal of darkness”. It is an indisputable reality: when light and goodness encounter darkness and hate, light and goodness will -without fail- prevail Lastly, across the globe, people of all faith and persuasions, let us join together, in ensuring that the lives of the victims live on. We do this by continuing the unity being displayed in fighting hate and by the enormous outpouring of love and prayer, in our own homes, respective places of worship and communities and, indeed, in the world at large.

A message of support to our neighbours in Christchurch ZIONIST FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA Friday, 15 March 2019 Tonight around our Shabbat tables, please spare a thought to our neighbours in Christchurch, New Zealand.

45 innocent worshippers. Gone.

As Jews we know all too well what it is like to live in fear. The Tree of Life

massacre in Pittsburgh is still fresh in our minds.

We demanded action then and we demand action now.

The Jewish community stands with the Muslim community in this shocking act of terror and racially motivated hate crime.

May their memories be a blessing.

Shabbat Shalom.

have the right to worship without fear, and an attack on a place of worship is terrorism perpetrated against all of us. My heart goes out to the people of New Zealand today.”

“Pittsburgh, Charleston, Quebec, New Zealand — no one should have to fear going to their place of worship,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “The hate that has fueled these horrific and cowardly acts MUST be called out. CA stands with New Zealand and Muslims everywhere.

Within hours of news of the killings, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh set up a New Zealand Attack Emergency

Relief fund to support the Muslim community there. The federation said it is in the process of identifying an international partner for distributing the donations.

President Donald Trump also offered his condolences.

“My warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the Mosques. 49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!” he tweeted.

New Zealand killer says his model was Oswald Mosley, Nazi-allied British fascist RON KAMPEAS

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Australian charged with participating in the killing 49 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques said his main inspiration was Oswald Mosley, the British fascist anti-Semite who was close to the Nazis.

Brenton Tarrant, 28, posted a 73-page manifesto on social media before the attacks Friday in Christchurch. His overriding motive in carrying out the massacre is to remove non-Europeans from European lands. “I mostly agree with Sir Oswald Mosley’s views and consider myself an Eco-fascist by nature,” he writes.

Mosley, an anti-Semite who led a fascist movement and who sought to reconcile Britain and Nazi Germany before the war, was interned by the British during much of the war.

Tarrant, an Australian, denies being an anti-Semite so long as Jews live in Israel.

“A jew living in israel is no enemy of mine, so long as they do not seek to subvert or harm my people,” he writes. A similar view of Jews was held by Anders Behring Breivik, the white supremacist who killed 77 young people in Norway in 2011 and whom Tarrant names as a role model.

“The invaders must be removed from European soil, regardless of where they came from. Roma, African, Indian, Turkish, Semitic or other,” Tarrant writes.

At least three other people have been

LONDON, ENGLAND - People hold up signs with the words ‘This will not divide us’ as they attend a vigil at the East London Mosque for the victims of the New Zealand mosque attacks on March 15, 2019 (Jack Taylor/Getty Images) detained in relation to the attacks.

Jewish groups, including the AntiDefamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, identified the attack as part of a growing threat from white supremacists.

“This attack underscores a trend that ADL has been tracking: that modern white supremacy is an international threat that knows no borders, being exported and globalized like never before,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.

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new zealand/lifestyle

March 2019

Peace torch NEJC S. STERN

Rabbi Menachem Sabbach, rabbi of the North Eastern Jewish Centre and associate Dayan of the Melbourne Beth Din, delivered a message of peace in the presence of faith- leaders and MP’s at the International Home Peace Run, which took place early this month.

The event was hosted by the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run which promotes international friendship and took place in Federation Square.

The aim of the torch run is to promote understanding and the harmonious relationship between the peoples of all nations, faiths and cultures.

The team of international runners carried a torch as a symbol of friendship

commencing its Australian journey in Brisbane on 12 February, following an inland route through central NSW, the ACT and Victoria and finishing in Melbourne on 1 March. The Peace Run has thus far taken place in more than 100 countries.

Rabbi Sabbach culminated his remarks with the traditional Jewish song “Ose Shalom”. The strong crowd joined in by clapping to the beat and a strong sense of collective unison was felt by all.

Following the event, Rabbi Sabbach noted “I am privileged to represent Judaism and proud to stand with fellow faith leaders for the International Peace Run in Melbourne’s CBD. Now more than ever, it is critical for faith leaders to unite in peace notwithstanding our differences and various religious

PESACH

EDITION Pesach is almost here and The Jewish Report will be publishing our Pesach edition on 11 April 2019 Don’t miss this opportunity to send a Yom Tov greeting to the community or advertise what your business or

Contact Stacey on 0416 353 086 or by email stacey@melbournejewishreport.com Release date 11 April (material due date 1 April) themelbourne

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beliefs.

Regardless of our backgrounds or traditions, ultimately, it is my fundamental belief that compassion—the natural capacity of the human heart to feel for another human being, constitutes a basic aspect of our nature, equally shared by all human beings irrespective of our beliefs.

Each religion is like a different ‘path’ up the mountain. Each path travelled is different and may require unique climbing skills but eventually we all reach the top of the mountain.”

Before the event began, Amad Kazi (UMMA Mosque, Doncaster), took a selfie with Rabbi Sabbach and posted on Facebook.

He captioned the picture “at the end of the day, we are all brothers”.

Jewish community launches campaign to support Christchurch NSW JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES The Jewish community of NSW has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Muslim community of Christchurch. The target is $108,000, which is divisible by 18, given that the number 18 denotes “life” in the Hebrew language.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies has launched the campaign with a donation of $1800.

Statement from NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Lesli Berger and CEO Vic Alhadeff: “The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies stands in solidarity with the Muslim communities of Christchurch, New Zealand and Sydney in condemning this act of wanton slaughter. The massacre occurred at a time when people were at their most vulnerable - at prayer in a house of worship - and all humanity is profoundly the poorer today.

We remember the attacks on the mosque in Quebec, on the synagogue in Pittsburgh, on the church in Charleston. An attack on one faith is an attack on us all. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this terrible massacre, as well as to our Muslim friends and colleagues, and pray for an end to racism, bigotry and terrorism.”

The crowdfunding website is: https://www. gofundme.com/christchurch-appealnsw-jewish-board-of-deputies Lebanese Muslim Association Australian Muslim Women’s Association Australian National Imams Council

Esther: The extraordinary true story of the First Fleet girl who became First Lady of the colony JESSICA NORTH The little-known rags to riches love story of a convict girl who arrived in Australia on the First Fleet. Much like another, better-known colonial woman, Elizabeth Macarthur, Esther successfully managed her husband’s property and became a significant figure in the new colony.

Esther only just escaped the hangman in London. Aged 16, she stood trial at the Old Bailey for stealing 24 yards of black silk lace. Her sentence was transportation to the other side of the world.

She embarked on the perilous journey on the First Fleet as a convict, with no idea of what lay ahead. Once on shore, she became the servant and, in time, the lover of the dashing young first lieutenant George Johnston. But life in the fledgling colony could be gruelling, with starvation looming and lashings for convicts who stepped out of line.

Esther was one of the first Jewish women to arrive in the new land. Through her we meet some of the key people who helped shape the nation. Her life is an extraordinary rags-to-riches story.

As leader of the Rum Rebellion against Governor Bligh, George Johnston

became Lieutenant-Governor of NSW, making Esther First Lady of the colony, a remarkable rise in society for a former convict.

‘North skilfully weaves together one woman’s fascinating saga with an equally fascinating history of the early colonial period of Australia. The resulting true story is sometimes as strange and thrilling as a fairytale.’ - Lee Kofman, author of The Dangerous Bride

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lifestyle

Is There Really Such A Thing As Baby Brain?

THE SLEEP COACH CHERYL FINGLESON “Baby brain”, the mental fog many women say they experience during pregnancy and shortly after childbirth, is a genuine, measurable ph en o m en o n , according to a recent Australian study by Deakin University. This found overall cognitive functioning was poorer in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women.

A similar study conducted by Leiden University in the Netherlands focused on the post-birth phase, and found that the volume of grey matter decreases in certain areas of a women’s brain after she’s been pregnant, and those changes last for around two years after she has given birth.

Many pregnant women and new mothers are familiar with the symptoms of baby brain, like forgetting appointments or constantly losing small items, struggling with memory tasks and zoning out of conversations.

Medical experts attribute ‘baby brain’ to the chemical changes in the body during pregnancy and childbirth, I believe that sleep, or lack thereof, is a significant contributor too.

“Doctors will say that pregnant women have grey matter reduction because they’re recruiting those areas to the critical tasks of child rearing, bonding, and social cognition”.

There is no doubt that expanding bellies, hormonal changes and the arrival of an infant also play a critical role in a woman’s sleep, and changes in sleep patterns are known to impact memory, motor skills, cognition and wellness.

After birth, responding to the round-theclock demands of an infant naturally causes mayhem to the adult sleep cycle. The effect of this fragmented sleep experience goes beyond a tired body, but also impacts how you think and cope. I constantly explain to my clients “With this kind of sleep deprivation, you’re not just shortchanged on deep sleep; you’re also getting less dream sleep, which affects new parents more than they might realize”.

“Dreams play a surprisingly important role in our ability to think clearly. During Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the brain sorts memories and processes the day’s events.

Lack of REM sleep almost certainly causes memory lapses and makes the day’s tasks more difficult, leaving you feeling scattered, forgetful and foggy.” For new mums, this makes a range of daily activities problematic - from staying on top of the household bills to summoning the patience to deal with a cranky toddler.

For many women the ‘baby fog’ is just something else to adjust to during the maelstrom of new parenting, but there are a few valuable tips that might help reclaim at least some of your pre-baby clarity: • Sleep when you can. Over a short period of sleep deprivation, it’s possible to compensate for some of what you’ve missed. When you nap, your brain will make up both deep and REM sleep. Sleeping a bit more on the weekends – about two or three hours -- can be beneficial. But don’t let a little extra dozing turn into a sleep binge. Overdosing on sleep can start a whole new cycle of deprivation, because then you won’t be tired at bedtime.

• Trade the middle-of-the-night feedings.

If its practical, rotate feeds or nights with your partner. Breastfeeding mothers might consider pumping milk so Dad can take care of at least one night time feed with a bottle.

• Turn down the monitor. Babies are active sleepers. You don’t need to respond to every restless or noisy whimper from the nursery, and its best not to create any expectation that you always will. Put your baby to bed while he or she is still awake, try not to use nursing or rocking strategies to settle them every time they wake. It may take a few nights to implement these changes, but your sleep and your brain will thank you for it in the long run.

• It is imperative that pregnant women, new mothers and everyone around them gets the right amount of sleep. Sleep is vital for overall function, development, health and happiness.

I always advise my clients’ to take control of their sleep routine regardless of their circumstances. It’s not worth deferring, as sleep loss and poor routine has been proven to have a significant impact on all of our wellbeing. 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!

Enjoy your precious babies!

Cheryl The Sleep Coach Zzz For more sleep tips and advice, please visit www.cherylthesleepcoach.com.au, and like the facebook page.

Cheryl Fingleson is a paediatric sleep consultant. As a mother of two, she very well knows 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 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.

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lifestyle

March 2019

JEWISHLearning QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

Why Do Different Cities Celebrate Purim on Different Days?

Shushan Purim is the day when residents of walled cities, like Jerusalem, observe the holiday.

WORD OF THE MONTH Spiel (ּ‫)שפיל‬ Pronounced SHPEEL, this Yiddish word literally means “play” or “game” and refers both to an extravagant or funny story and to a humorous performance on the holiday of Purim The Purim Spiel

RABBI PAUL STEINBERG Among all the Jewish holidays,Purim has the singular distinction of having its date determined by whether or not a person lives in a city surrounded by a wall. The distinction is derived from a passage in the Megillah (Book of Esther): “But the Jews in Shushan mustered on both the 13th and 14th days and so rested on the 15th and made it a day of feasting and merrymaking. That is why village Jews who live in unwalled towns observe the 14th day of the month Adar and make it a day merrymaking and feasting and as a holiday and an occasion for sending gifts to one another.”

-Esther 9:18-9 Who Celebrates What and When?

The story differentiates between Jews who lived and fought their enemies for two days within the walled, capital city of Shushan and those who lived in unwalled towns, where only one day was needed to subdue the enemy. The Rabbis determined we should make that same distinction when memorializing the event. Accordingly, if a person lives in a city that has been walled since the days of Joshua (circa 1250 B.C.E.), as Shushan was, Purim is celebrated on the fifteenth of the month of Adar, a day referred to as “Shushan Purim.”

Those who live in unwalled cities celebrate on the 14th, the day referred to as just “Purim.” The sages considered making Shushan Purim conditional on whether a city was walled from the time of Ahasuerus; but they did not wish to honor a Persian city over one in the Land of Israel, given that Israel was in ruins at the time of the Purim miracle.

Joshua was chosen because, in the Book of Exodus, he is the general who begins the effort to annihilate the descendants of Haman’s ancestor, Amalek.

In addition, the time of Joshua is related to the Israelite conquest of the Land of Israel, the memory of which reinforces Purim’s theme of Jewish victory. For Jews who have been living in the Diaspora, the observance of Shushan Purim is not even a consideration, because we know of no cities in these countries that were walled 3,000 years ago. Anyone visiting Jersualem, though, should be prepared to celebrate a joyous Shushan Purim.

Leap of the Seasons Besides knowing whether or not we are

celebrating Purim in a walled city, we need to know whether or not we are experiencing a leap year according to the Hebrew calendar.

The Jewish calendar, unlike the secular (Gregorian) calendar, follows the lunar cycle rather than the solar. In a 12-month year, the solar calendar has 365 and one-half days, while the lunar calendar has 354 and onethird days (more than 11 days shorter).

The particular dilemma about this discrepancy is that the holidays are bound to their respective seasons. According to biblical statute.” Passover must occur in spring, Shavuot in summer, and Sukkotin fall. The 11-day difference, if not accounted for, would cause these holidays to fall 11 days earlier each succeeding year.

Eventually, they would occur in the opposite season.

To ensure that the holidays remain in their mandated seasons, the Jewish calendar was ingeniously adjusted to accommodate the 11-day difference between the lunar and solar years. In the 4th century C.E., Hillel II scheduled an extra month at the end of the biblical year, as necessary. The biblical year begins in spring with Nissan (Exodus 12:12) and ends with Adar. Hillel II, in conjunction with the Sanhedrin (Jewish supreme court) chose to repeat Adar (Adar I and Adar II) every 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th year over a 19-year period.

This method accommodates the 207-day discrepancy that adds up between the lunar and solar calendar every 19 years. In seven out of every 19 years, a “leap month” of Adar II is included in the Jewish calendar.

When a leap year occurs, Purim is celebrated in Adar II. Because both Purim and Passover recount a deliverance of the Jewish people, the Talmud sees the seasonal bond between the two holidays and notes that it must be preserved.

Consequently, the tradition concludes that Adar II is the “main” Adar, wherein we observe yahrzeits (anniversaries of deaths) and celebrate bar and bat mitzvahs (commandments related to birthdays. Yet many of the observances associated with the traditional joy of Adar are practiced in Adar I as well, to uphold the Rabbinic principle that forbids “postponing fulfillment of precepts.” There is even a Purim Katan (“little Purim”) observed on the 14th and 15th of Adar 1, making these days on which things denoted as mournful, such as fasting and eulogizing, are prohibited.

Spiel is a Yiddish word meaning a “play” or “skit.” A Purim spiel is actually a dramatic presentation of the events outlined in the Book of Esther. Featuring the main characters, such as King Ahasuerus, Mordecai, Esther, and the wicked Haman, the Purim spiel was a folk-inspired custom providing an opportunity for crowds to cheer the heroes (Mordecai and Esther) and boo the villains (Haman). It is a staple of many modern synagogue Purim celebrations for children to attend the ritual chanting of the Book of Esther and Purim carnivals dressed in costumes depicting these main characters.

Often, a synagogue religious school will hold a costume contest and organize a parade of all the costumed children.

While it is traditional to masquerade as characters from the story of Esther, many Jewish families celebrate Purim as an alternative to Halloween, with children dressing in non-traditional costumes and masks. There is no “right” or “wrong” costume for Purim.

Many synagogues hold special family or children’s services on Purim, or make a point of including families in the chanting of the Book of Esther so that the children will be able to not only attend in costume, but shake their noisemakers and contribute to the merriment through making lots of noise. In fact, a growing custom is to hold an arts-and-crafts session for the children in advance of the Purim festivities so that children can make their own graggers and masks to wear.

Purim shpiels have evolved over time into the presentation of humorous skits not just about the story of Purim, but also about leaders and well-known people in the community. In synagogues, members may write and act in funny skits gently mocking the rabbis, cantor, president, and other people. In Jewish

religious day schools, no teacher ever escapes the mocking attention of their students in such Purim shpiels.

Purim spiels also include popular songs sung with new, creative funny lyrics lampooning community leaders.

Some congregations go to elaborate lengths in producing spiels, sometimes writing mini-musical plays, or with some people renting expensive outrageous costumes. It is also traditional for religious leaders to deliver “Purim Torahs,” which are farcical, sometimes nonsensical, sermons about ridiculous topics. Often, the synagogue bulletin for Purim will be a special joke edition with many funny, ludicrous articles.

Blowing Off Steam Dr. Jeffrey Rubenstein, a professor of religion at New York University writes that Purim is a holiday characterized by “liminality,” that is, a day in which traditional social boundaries and rules of etiquette are deliberately blurred.

Purim is a day for a community to “blow off steam” by celebrating this ancient escape from destruction.

Therefore, it is a day of topsy-turvy antics, especially in the Purim shpiel.

In addition to drinking more alcohol than usual, well-respected leaders are lampooned, children dress up as adults and, especially in Israel, men often dress up as women and vice versa. It is a day in which society as we know it is turned upside down.

But the celebrations of Purim are ultimately for a religious purpose — to celebrate the unseen presence of God who saved the Jewish community in Persia thousands of years ago. While Purim shpiels and graggers may seem to diminish the spiritual importance of the holiday, they are part of an ongoing celebration of good over evil, and a festival celebrating God’s presence in Jewish history.

20

lifestyle

March 2019

A View from the Bridge, at Southbank Theatre A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE ALEX FIRST Dread is palpable throughout Arthur Miller’s drama A View from the Bridge, which features seven actors and one old wooden chair and holds you transfixed for two hours without interval.

The timeframe is 1950s America and the place an Italian-American neighbourhood near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

Eddie Carbone (Steve Bastoni) is a conscientious dockworker, who along with his wife Beatrice (Daniela Farinacci), has nurtured and raised their orphaned niece Catherine (Zoe Terakes) over whom Eddie, in particular, has been very protective.

Now 17, Catherine – or Katie as she is also known – is ready to spread her wings, but Eddie is not ready to let her go.

Things come to a head with the arrival of two of Beatrice’s Sicilian relatives, Marco (Damian Walsh-Howling) and his younger brother Rodolpho (Andrew Coshan).

With economic conditions so unfavourable in Italy, they enter the USA illegally.

Married with three sickly children, Marco intends to stay in the country working for a few years, all the while sending back money to his immediate family, before heading back home.

With no commitments, Rodolpho though would like nothing more than to make the US his permanent home … and live the American dream.

They are both put up by Eddie and Beatrice.

Catherine takes an immediate shine to Rodolpho – who also happens to sing and possess a fine sense of humour – and he to her, much to Eddie’s disquiet.

Eddie quickly makes his dislike for Rodolpho known and, not surprisingly, for any union between he and Katie.

But there is much more here than first

meets the eye … and before A View from the Bridge ends, there will be a great deal of ugliness as a family is torn apart.

The narrator is Alfieri (Marco Chiappi), who was raised in Italy but is now working as an American lawyer and represents the bridge between the two cultures.

Arthur Miller’s masterpiece – one of his four most celebrated plays – remains just as powerful in this new production directed

by Iain Sinclair as when it first opened on Broadway in 1955.

Miller said that he heard the basic account that developed into the plot of A View from

the Bridge from a lawyer who worked with longshoremen, who related it to him as a true story.

As a member of the audience, you know very early on that this can’t end well and then it is a question of how the guillotine will fall.

Circumstances build and build to a combustion point.

Steve Bastoni is superb as the powder keg, namely the tightly wound central character around whom the action unfolds.

Eddie holds a dark, unspeakable secret.

Polished too is Daniela Farinacci as his dutiful wife, but one who has a keen understanding of just what is going on, however try as she does she can’t seem to talk her husband down from the precipice.

Zoe Terakes is compelling as the at first naïve Katie, who grows up mighty fast – she has to – before our very eyes, as her uncle turns from hero to villain.

The power in A View from the Bridge is in the words, but undoubtedly also in these performances.

The minimalist staging against a black backdrop is most effective in conveying the horrors of the situation at hand.

This is an electric, not to be missed production playing at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner until 18th April, 2019.

I saw the first preview performance.

Meeting Your Match ARBUS & WEST ALEX FIRST Talented photographer Diane Arbus (Diane Glenn) meets actress, singer, writer and sex symbol Mae West (Melita Jurisic complete with distinctive sultry voice) when West is past her prime (she was 71 and Arbus 41) and throws her off her game.

That in a nutshell is what the new play Arbus & West is all about … and captivating it is too.

Known for her lighthearted and bawdy double entendres and breezy sexual independence, West’s entertainment career spanned seven decades.

In Arbus, she well and truly meets her match.

As revealed in the play, West lives alone with a housekeeper and attendant (Jennifer Vuletic) at her beck and call.

While she has bedded many men, none of them are ever allowed to stay over.

She also has a soft spot for clairvoyants and had a terrible experience as a young girl, which never left her and rears its ugly head again upon seeing Arbus.

Arbus is determined to capture the real Mae West, not the posed mannequin.

If the fact that Arbus is a female

photographer isn’t off-putting enough for West when Arbus arrives at West’s pristine LA apartment in 1964 to take snaps of her, then surely the candour of Arbus’ questioning most certainly is.

It appears that West is challenged like never before.

Her housekeeper doesn’t like it one little bit, but West goes from indignant to intrigued and

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the shoot – which lasts for hours – goes on, Arbus determined to get to the photographic truth.

We learn about Arbus too and that her life is far from a bed of roses, but her passion for photography and what is revealed by it is telling.

Let’s face it, West and Arbus’ ideologies clashed drastically, and it was from their meeting that playwright Stephen Sewell drew inspiration.

As Sarah Corridon writes in the program notes for Arbus & West, “Crossing boundaries was at the core of both West and Arbus’ endeavours. West was famous for the way she was seen, while Arbus was famous for what she saw.”

The interplay between the women (and that includes attendant Ruby) is at times bitchy, at other times downright sinister, on occasions revelatory and most certainly mysterious.

All three women are skillfully realised – all at times formidable in their own ways.

I was particularly taken by the seemingly effortless portrayal by Diane Glenn of a character who appeared comfortable in her own skin, Diane Arbus.

Melita Jurisic frequently brought peals of laughter from the audience for her wisecracks as the potty-mouthed West.

Jennifer Vuletic as West’s housekeeper and confidante straddled that fine line between being exasperated by West and highly protective of her and her legacy.

The play calls into question what is artifice and where does the public’s right to know start and end when it comes to celebrity?

I was engaged and entertained throughout.

Director Sarah Goodes has done a great job bringing to life a fictitious account of the behind the scenes encounter between two trailblazing women who had different views of the world.

So has the set and costume designer Renee Mulder, in contrasting the attire worn

by West and Arbus – provocative and slinky versus androgynous.

So too in her creation of an elegant period set, compete with crystal chandelier, couch, chair, ottoman, coffee table, standing lamp, nude statue, phones and large mirrored cupboard door hiding a few secrets of its own.

The world premiere of Arbus & West is at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, until 30th March, 2019.

I saw the first preview performance of the play.

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