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VOL. 75 Tuesday, 20 April, 2021 / 39 Iyyar 5781
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Fostering a closer Jewish community
THE MAN WHO CHANGED FASHION SCENE
TRIBUTE TO
ISI LEIBLER
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LAG B’OMER
AND ITS PARADOXES
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HAMILTON
MUSICAL GENIUS
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Celebrating the Centenary of Isaac (Daddy) Ochberg LYNNE MICHEL WITH THANKS TO DAVID KAPLAN
It is said in the Talmud that “He who has saved one life it is as though he has saved the entire world”. Today there are many thousands of Jews around the entire world – with some in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth – who are only alive today because of one man – Isaac Ochberg.
This year marks the centenary of the heroic rescue by Isaac Ochberg of close to 200 Jewish children left orphaned in the wake of the Russian Revolution in Eastern Europe. The diseases they faced weren’t coronavirus, but typhoid and smallpox and worst of all, the seemingly incurable malady of antisemitism. Pogroms were rife in 1921. It was hunting season, and the prey was Jews, with the most vulnerable being Jewish orphans. Jews smuggled letters of their plight out of this region that was experiencing a cataclysmic clash between the Red and White armies. One such letter reached Isaac Ochberg, a Jewish Ukranian-born businessman in Cape Town. It inspired him to take on the cause of saving as many Jewish orphans as possible, bringing them to safety in South Africa. On 14 March 1921, at his own expense, Ochberg left for London on his dangerous mission to rescue Jewish children. Almost miraculously, he returned to Cape Town on 21 September 1921, on the Edinburgh
Castle, with close to 200 Jewish children. Reporting on his progress during the rescue, Ochberg wrote to an awaiting Jewish community in South Africa, “I have been through almost every village in the Polish Ukraine and Galacia, and am now well acquainted with the places where there is extreme suffering. I have succeeded in collecting the necessary number of children, and I can safely say that the generosity displayed by South African Jewry in making this mission possible means nothing less than
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saving their lives. They would surely have died of starvation, disease, or been lost to our nation for other reasons.” Today, there are some 4,000 Jews who are alive because of “Daddy Ochberg”, descendants of the Ochberg orphans - living in South Africa, Australia, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Israel. To honour and celebrate this centenary year of Isaac Ochberg’s lifesaving journey, plans are underway to mount an event later in 2021 – in Sydney and possibly the rest of Australia. If you are keen to participate, are able to help in any way with planning this event or would like to attend, we invite descendants and friends of Ochberg orphans to be in touch directly with Lynne (Ruch) Michel (lynnebmichel@gmail.com), Brian Fine (briancfine@gmail.com) or Michael Fisher (mikefisher9000@gmail.com). To join our Facebook group, please go to: Ochberg Orphans Descendants and Friends
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Tribute to Isi Leibler SUZANNE D. RUTLAND, OAM The passing of Isi Leibler, a giant in his generation, leaves a significant gap in the Jewish world. I have just returned from his funeral in Jerusalem where Rabbi Shlomo Riskin paid tribute to his life and legacy. He described Isi as an ‘exemplary Jewish leader’ whose impact on the world scene was highly significant. Isi was born in Antwerp in 1934. His father Abraham (Roman) Leibler had moved with his parents from a small shtetl in Poland to Antwerp in the period and the family went into the diamond business. Due to the foresight of his mother, Rachel, the family found a safe haven on Australian shores in 1939. There were commonalities in our family stories, as mine parallels his. Isi’s experiences as a ‘reffo’ Jewish schoolboy growing up in Melbourne, combined with his parents’ deep involvement in Mizrachi religious Zionism, was to shape his life’s endeavours. I too felt the impact of having ‘refugee’ background, even though my late mother always insisted they were not refugees. My older brother suffered from the name ‘Marcel’, quickly changed to Max. Yet, the only reason why my parents left Antwerp and a most successful diamond business was because of Hitler. This common background, with the passing of our fathers in the 1950s, helped me to understand Isi’s family story. After completing his Honours year in political science at the University of Melbourne, Isi went to Israel to study Hebrew with the aim of becoming an Israeli diplomat, but that was not to be. In 1957 his father died and his mother, Rachel, insisted that he not return home for his father’s funeral but that he had to go straight to Antwerp to learn the diamond trade. As his children stressed during the funeral, that was the turning point in his life. He returned to Melbourne, worked to rebuild his father’s business and in 1958 married Naomi Porush, who became his life partner for 62 years. Then, in 1965, he went into the travel business to help Holocaust survivor, Bono Wiener, and within a couple of years he had built the business
from a small, one-man, suburban office into a major company with its office in the city. The foundations of what became Jetset were laid through Isi’s vision and understanding of the need for group travel, maximising opportunities to assist the ‘New Australians’, the Greeks, Italians and British, to visit ‘home’. However, Isi’s business career was only a stepping-stone to enable him to follow his real passion – to work for the people of Israel and the Jewish world. There are so many facets to his life that in this short piece I can only touch on a few aspects. One of his major involvements was the campaign for Soviet Jewry which started already in the late 1950s and to which he was to dedicate three decades of his life. Isi was a fighter all his life – from his response to antisemitism in his government high school, through to his battles with Qantas, to what might be called one of the great battles of his life with the World Jewish Congress. Isi was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in. In 1966, he stood up to Dr Nahum Goldmann, as Isi described him ‘the King of the Jews’ in Brussels, accusing Goldmann of stadlanus, because he was advocating secret diplomacy with the Soviets rather than public demonstrations against their persecution of Jews. Here was this young 32-year-old upstate from Downunder – what I call the Edge of the Diaspora – standing up and attacking the most senior leader of the Jewish Diaspora. Isi’s ability to build close friendships with key figures – and that particularly applied to both Bob Hawke of the Labor Party and Malcolm Fraser of the Liberal Party – was important with all his activities. He played a key role in Asia with both China and India recognising Israel in 1992. Central to his Asian success, was the support he gained from the Australian Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans, who instructed the Australian ambassadors to provide access to Isi with every Asian country he was trying to influence, both in terms of supporting the recission of UNGA Resolution 3379, Zionism = Racism and also either in recognising Israel, as with China and India, or strengthening ties with Israel, as with Japan.
THE FUTURE OF OUR PEOPLE IN ISRAEL IS PARAMOUNT!
Keep the torch alight ……… Join UIA’s local and global family of donors who, beyond their lifetime, have committed to ensure Israel’s future Your legacy gift will bolster UIA’s major projects and reward you with a wonderful feeling of achievement and immense pride
For information contact Michael Jackson Director, UIA Gifts and Bequests 02 9361 4273 michael.jackson@uiansw.org.au
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Isi continued to fight for justice and human rights, whether it was to free Soviet Jews so that they could live a Jewish life in Israel, or against corruption in high places. At the same time, his commitment to Israel was total. As Rabbi Riskin said at his funeral, despite his key leadership positions and status in Australia, he left there ‘without batting an eyelash’ because he believed that ‘the future of the Jewish people lay in the State of Israel’. At the funeral, both Rabbi Riskin and all his four children who spoke – Tamara, Romy, Gary and Jonathan – stressed that his family was the centrepiece of Isi’s life. All his children made Aliyah and in the final years of his life he was surrounded but his loving family – with 17 grandchildren who loved their ‘papa’, and more and more great grandchildren. In his hesped, Rabbi Riskin said that Isi was a true Jewish leader ‘not only because of his battles but also because of his magnificent private library. He knew immediately where every book was. He not only collected the Jewish books; he studied them’. It was his love of books and his amazing documentary collection that I was given access to twenty years ago. I call this a treasure trove for an historian which has enabled me to be enthralled and to learn so much. When he was in Jerusalem in 1957, after completing Honours in Political Science at the University of Melbourne, Isi wrote to his parents that he would begin salivating from excitement whenever he passed a bookshop. Then he had to check what he could spend with his parents, but later with his business success, he could buy whatever he wanted and until the last days he was still asking for books to be ordered. I have been the beneficiary of Isi’s passion for the written word! Working in his archive and private library since 2000, I have been extremely privileged, and I feel so honoured and moved that I was able to write his biography, Lone Voice: the wars of Isi Leibler. My goal was to chart his life’s journey and his rich and manifold contributions to so many aspects of Jewish life. I have tried to ensure that his legacy will not be forgotten. Orginally published: J-Wire on 16 April 2021
BE A VOICE
for respect for empathy for their memory to live forever. In April we commemorate Yom Hashoah, the remembrance day for victims of the Holocaust. Honouring a loved one with a plaque in the Sanctum of Remembrance ensures their memory lives on forever alongside the names of other Holocaust victims, survivors and Righteous Among the Nations. To visit the Sanctum or for details on dedicating a plaque, please contact Rita Prager on plaques@sjm.com.au 0416252526 or 02 9360 7999.
The passing of Isi Leibler, a giant in his generation, leaves a significant gap in the Jewish world.
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JCA supporting urban farming in our community JCA
Covid-19 saw Adamama and the team pivoting not only to adjust but also to help our local community.
Did you know that we have an urban farm in the heart of our local Jewish community? Soil was first turned on this fertile ground in 2019 at White City after Shalom (a JCA member organisation) endorsed this initiative - the brainchild of Mitch Burnie – the program manager that runs programs and services for Adamama. He spent some months training at Adamah Community Supported Agriculture in Connecticut. The program for adults in their 20s & 30s integrates organic agriculture, farm-to-table living, Jewish learning, community building, social justice and spiritual practice. Mitch is passionate about the connection between spirituality, food and Jewish values that he calls Agricultural Judaism and how it connects people. Farming the land started with getting people to come and help through working bees – people learned new skills – how to successfully plant vegetables, herbs and fruit – they came with their children. Covid-19 saw Adamama and the team pivoting not only to adjust but also to help our local community. Fresh
fruit and vegetables that had been harvested were distributed to people who needed it. In addition, other organisations came with their clients and students to learn about farming and sustainability. To date, approximately 2,200 have visited the farm, 550 students from various schools have benefitted from educational programs, 60 varieties of vegetables have been grown and billions of organisms have been
composted. Adamama now also boasts a greenhouse and beehives. Thanks to your support - JCA is proud to support Adamama through Shalom. Together we are connecting families, students and our community to their Jewish identity with the land and traditions that go back thousands of years. For more information visit https://www. shalom.edu.au/adamama-farm/
Olim Numbers Continue to Soar During Pandemic UIA The United Israel Appeal’s programs have proven for over 100 years to be effective in meeting the challenges and national priorities of Israel. Keren Hayesod-UIA’s ability to evolve and respond to the hurdles that the People of Israel have faced and continue to face during the global pandemic has been unwavering, despite the uncertainty that this new reality has brought. Despite hardships that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented, Aliyah
continues to soar. Contrary to expectations, the spark that ignited dreams of starting a life in Israel has now become a burning flame, as Olim make Aliyah by the thousands. According to reports, Aliyah applications from North America doubled in 2020 and the number of North American Olim who have landed in Israel is up by 30% over the first three months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. Aliyah from Argentina also increased by 26% in 2020 compared to the previous year. Also, with the recent change in Israeli
regulation which now permits foreign nationals who have been vaccinated against or recently recovered from COVID-19, to visit first-degree family members living in Israel, these numbers are likely to increase exponentially as more obstacles on the path to Aliyah are removed. Despite these unusual times, what can be expected is UIA’s commitment to helping every Jew come home without delay. The Aliyah process currently requires more intensive care and funding, particularly due to the quarantine and
absorption process, as well as increase in flight costs. However, with motivation, determination and the community’s continued support, nothing stands in the way of ensuring that every Jewish person can make Aliyah their reality. UIA is proud to continue to stand with Israel and support the People of Israel – now more than ever during the devastating pandemic. To support the People of Israel through UIA, please contact 9361 4273, info@ uiansw.org.au or visit uiaaustralia.org.au
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The Independence of Interdependence RABBI DR. BENJI LEVY Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day) is unparalleled in the annals of history, constituting a remarkable demonstration of the eternal uniqueness of the Jewish nation and our centrality within world history. The root of the word Atzmaut first appears in Genesis, during which G-d fashions the world’s first two human beings and they become aware of each other’s existence for the very first time: And the man said ‘this one is bone of my bone [etzem me’atzmai] and flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called woman, for from man she is taken.’ Therefore, a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh. (Genesis, 2:23-24) These two verses tell a very curious, even paradoxical story. On the one hand, it is the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, each of whom is endowed with their own individual personhood. Yet, at this moment of initial independence, Adam recognizes that they are of the same flesh and bone, and that his duty requires him to ‘cling to his wife’. These two human beings understand their independent individuality, yet, at the very same moment, also intuit the urgent, primal need for relationships and
interdependence. What causes Adam and Eve to forgo their individual independence in favor of marriage? While the survival of every being is dependent on something or someone else, the greatest expression of independence is the choice of who and what we want to depend on. This act of free will is manifest in who we choose as a partner in marriage. Here it becomes clear that instead of being ‘in’ ‘dependence’, to be independent is to choose the right people on whom to depend. This tension lies at the heart of the Hebrew term Atzmaut. The definition of independence is as true for the nation as it is for the individual. For one glorious moment in 1948, the Jewish nation declared national self-determination, permanently closing the disastrous chapter of Jewish powerlessness. While remembering when we were strangers in these different times, no longer would Jewish blood be considered ‘cheap’, and no longer would Jews across the world depend upon the precarious benevolence of other host nations. While this is of course an incredible, miraculous achievement, it is but the beginning of an entirely new set of challenges. Now that we are autonomous, what kind of country will
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COMMUNITY the State of Israel become? Who shall be our friends? For which principles shall we fight? Achieving independence means summoning the strength to fully face up to the challenges of interdependence, to recognize our role within the international web of relationships. In taking note of the element of strength reflected by the root itzum or otzmah within the word atzmaut we reach a deeper understanding of the true essence of independence. It is up to us to take the raw materials represented by the blended root meanings of the Hebrew term atzmaut – bone, essence, core, strength, force – and fashion them together in a harmonious independent society worthy of the Jewish nation. Through doing so, we can transform the State of Israel into a model of goodness and justice for the entire world. It is this vision, this striving towards ethical excellence that is truly worthy of the eternal people, that underlies the unmistakable joy and exuberance that is expressed far and wide on Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Day of Independence. Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy is the Co-Founder of Israel Impact Partners, working with philanthropists to optimize and scale-up impact in the non-profit sector. He was previously the CEO of Mosaic United and Dean of Moriah College.
While the survival of every being is dependent on something or someone else, the greatest expression of independence is the choice of who and what we want to depend on.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS & MANAGERS Buddies ELC operates 2 culturally Jewish Long Day Care and Kindergarten centres in Melbourne with another due to open late 2022. We are independent of local Jewish schools and synagogues and place a strong emphasis on meeting the needs of the local community many of whom are recent immigrants. Each family’s background and linguistic diversity is embraced, with Jewish culture and Hebrew embedded into our various programs. Our educators are committed and supported to ongoing learning and professional development and are respected for their individual strengths and abilities. We are looking for a number of new team members to meet our current and future needs. The ideal applicant must have previous experience in the long day
care sector and possess the following skills. • Experience in providing quality educational programs with the expectation of achieving positive outcomes for children • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to enhance team member and parent relationships. • A commitment to best practice • A good understanding of the National Quality Framework and the Assessment and Rating process. • A Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care at a minimum • Hebrew speaking an advantage • A commitment to ongoing professional development and personal growth • A desire to have a positive impact on the various stakeholders in the local community
Please forward expressions of interest to ginarosenberg1405@gmail.com or if you have any queries call Gina on 0419893438
www.buddies.net.au
143 Jasper Road, Bentleigh • Ph: 9557 8772 181 Grange Road, Glenhuntly • Ph: 9563 6581
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The wonder that is Israel BOAZ BISMUTH
Political chaos and social tensions aside, anyone who is willing to examine the success of the project called the State of Israel from a broad historical perspective, must admit that is it a resounding success.
Anyone who is willing to look up for a moment from the hardships of politics and the coronavirus, and examine the success of the project called the State of Israel from a broad historical perspective, knows that it deserves to be crowned a resounding success. Anyone who prefers – and there are quite a few recently – to assess the state of the nation based on the media headlines will soon find themselves longing for the Stone Age. It seems that complaining is very fashionable these days in the political-media sphere. I'm not the first one to say this, and it has been written before – our national sport is grumbling. But we have recently made it into an art form. We are champions at painting everything in bleak shades of failure and omission; every mishap is seen as a "crisis"; any frustration intensifies into an "outcry," and we are convinced that every difficulty is the "end of the Third Temple." True, the never-ending election cycle creates a sense that everything is stuck, and that the chosen people has become the choosing people. It's exhausting and discouraging. After all, what did we ask for? A functioning government and leaders willing to work together for the public after four elections? Not to
mention the coronavirus that wreaked havoc on us, leaving us stifled and with a heavy heart and creating a persistent feeling of helplessness. Leading Western countries, the kind that we have always been told to look to so we could learn how to "properly" run a country, impose further lockdowns and look at us with envy over our vaccination campaign and our joyous return to the spring routine. Still, we cannot say the pandemic is behind us – not medically, not economically, not educationally, and maybe not even socially. Still, the past year's challenges and difficulties aside, some proportion is in order. The Israeli government, rattled by political chaos and consecutive elections campaigns, has been able to mount the most impressive immunization drive, and even with COVID-19 holding it back, our leadership is able to bring about four peace agreements and, according to some reports and speculations, is also able to show our neighbors and the whole world that we know and intend to defend ourselves. So maybe – just maybe – not everything is so awful. With respect to proportions, historical ones also – I think of the things that previous generations have faced: existential and bloody wars, terrible waves of terror, periods of austerity, and
economic crises. Each generation has its burden to bear. I'm not sure I would rush to trade places. They keep telling us – it was different back then. There was solidarity, brotherhood, a sense of joint destiny, and a shared objective. That is both true and untrue. I remember myself as a child, watching with excitement Israel's military parade on its 25th birthday. I remember how proud my parents were. There were those who came to the parade on foot and those who parked not far from it, having driven a fancy American car (those were the days when only the few could afford to own a car, and American cars particularly were considered a luxury). It's not that there were no social tensions, and it's not that inequality was less troubling. But when it came to the state, there was indeed a sense of partnership: the state was ours – all of us – equally. Who then thought in terms of "they stole my country" or "give me back the old and beautiful Israel"? And it's also true that with a red party card you "belonged" a little more and you had a few more friends in the right places, but my parents, who preferred Menachem Begin, didn't feel for a moment that they CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Originally published: www.israelhayom.com
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Israel's election aftermath: The good, the bad and the ugly AARON DAVID MILLER
The results of Israel's fourth election in a little more than two years looks very much like the wash, rinse and repeat cycle of the previous three. Nonetheless, this was not a repeat of the last three elections. This round produced results that may well carry longer-term consequences for Israeli politics. With apologies to Clint Eastwood, Sergio Leone and his spaghetti Westerns, let's call them the good, the bad and the ugly. The Good Perhaps the most intriguing development of this fourth round, particularly for those who believe in the importance of strengthening Israeli democracy and integrating Israel's Arab citizens (21% of the population) into the body politic, was the performance of the United Arab List -- one of the two parties representing Israel's Arab citizens. A small conservative Islamic party that broke away from the larger Joint Arab List, the United Arab List led by Mansour Abbas has publicly stated its
willingness to join either a government headed by Netanyahu or his opponents. Indeed, Mansour believes that Israeli Arabs can best advance their community's interests and wield real influence from inside, rather than outside the government. Abbas's four seats at least on paper put him in the position of kingmaker, and he seems willing and able to trade that support if he gets commitments on issues vitally important for his community -namely stopping the surge of crime and violence in the Arab community and more resources for economic and social development. Indeed, Netanyahu, after exploiting some Jewish Israelis' fear of the Arabs in previous elections, cynically courted Abbas in this campaign to hedge his bets. And Yair Lapid's heading of the second largest party and with hopes to assemble a coalition to turn Netanyahu out of power has already met with Abbas about joining a government. All of this constitutes something of a revolution in Israeli politics. No Israeli government has ever included an Arab party in a coalition. And
There was much excitement this week when Tony, our security guard came to call me from the office to say that Anthony Wiggle was at the gate. Anthony, one of the original Wiggles was a teacher here over 30 years ago and in fact was working at the preschool the year the Wiggles band was formed. They did a test run on the children attending EWP (which was then called Tempe Emanuel Woollahra kindergarten). In 2018 I had desperately tried to invite Anthony as a guest to the opening of our newly renovated preschool, but every time I approached his manager, I was told he was not available. This week when Tony ( our security guard ) came to call me to say we have a “wiggle” at the gate, I immediately realised this was a surprise pop in and it was quite an ecstatic moment for all the children and educators. Anthony was driving to the airport via Woollahra and he randomly decided to make a sudden and very surprising visit to his old stomping ground….. No doubt I negotiated with him to promise to return to the preschool to do a long-awaited show. However, this sweet story does not end here….. Natalie Adler, our Cubs class teacher was in the preschool at the very time Anthony wiggle was here around 30 years ago and she immediately went home to dig up her photo of that very experience with the Wiggles way way back then.. NOW
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no leader of an Arab party has ever seemed more eager to put aside ideological concerns, accept joining together with Jewish Zionist parties in exchange for a clear list of demands to benefit his community. Both Netanyahu and his main opponent Lapid might actually agree to accept Abbas into their governments; but the putative rightwing parties among their respective allies likely won't. To quote Anshel Pfeffer, senior columnist for Haaretz, it may be too early for this "taboo to be broken" but it's closer than ever. And that is good news for realizing Israel's promise as an inclusive democracy. The Bad The bad news, of course, is that Israel again seems stuck in kind of a doom loop of perpetual dysfunction -- with a real possibility of a fifth election in September. Repeated elections waste time and resources. Israel is operating off a budget passed in 2019; planning at various ministries, including the CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Blue wiggle visits Emanuel Woollahra Preschool EMANUEL WOLLAHRA PRESCHOOL
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The explanation of why Israel may well be headed for a fifth election is a complex one.
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Prince Philip’s Mother Saved Jews during the Holocaust ADAM ROSS
Husband to the Queen for 74 years, Prince Philip was deeply proud of his mother, Princess Alice of Greece who was recognized as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.
"I suspect that it never occurred to her that her action was in any way special," Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, once said about his mother, Princess Alice of Greece, who rescued a family of Jews during the Shoah. "She was a person with deep religious faith and she would have considered it to be a totally human action to fellow human beings in distress." Prince Philip died on Friday, aged 99, he had been married to Queen Elizabeth for 74 years. Princess Alice Born at Windsor Castle in 1885, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Alice was diagnosed with deafness at a young age and by the age of eight had learned to lip read fluently. Known for her sensitivity to others, enhanced by her own disability, she was married to Prince Andrew of the Greek-Danish Royal family. During the Second World War, the southern part of Greece was occupied from 1941, with the north also occupied from 1943. The Nazis began deporting Jews from the south to death camps in Poland in 1942. Haimaki Cohen had been a Jewish member of the Greek parliament and was known to Princess Alice. He died in 1943, having fled to the north of the country. His wife Rachel and her family were hidden by a three sisters on the outskirts of Athens, but had to flee Princess Alice who had been assisting the
Swedish and Swiss Red Cross to help care for refugees, heard of the Cohen’s plight and opened the doors of the palace to them. Three of Rachel’s grown up children succeeded in escaping Greece, reaching Egypt via Turkey, while Princess Alice sheltered Rachel Cohen and her daughter Tilde in a third-floor apartment in the palace. The Cohens remained in the palace for 13 months, with the princess regularly visiting and talking at length with Rachel, also assigning the family two Greeks who helped the family keep in contact with the outside world. It was this communication which helped Rachel discover that one of her sons had not been able to reach Egypt. He was also brought to the palace joining his mother and sister. Helping a Jewish family came with great risks, especially for Princess Alice, since three of her four daughters had married German princes, who were serving as SS officers. Suspicions of her loyalty were rife, since Philip, her only son had much earlier enlisted to the British Royal navy at aged 18 where he served throughout the war with distinction. At one point Gestapo officials visited her Athens home and were suspicious of who was living upstairs. The princess played up her deafness, pretending not to comprehend their questioning and claiming simply that a nanny lived with her. The vast majority of Greece’s approximately 80,000 Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. Princess Alice established a convent in Athens dedicated to helping the needy. Following a coup in the country, she returned to Great Britain to be near to her son and his wife the Queen, whom she lived with at Buckingham Palace, dedicating herself solely to helping the disadvantaged and needy. Shortly before her death in 1969, Alice requested to be buried in Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. She died without any possessions having given everything she owned away. 19 years later in 1988, in accordance with her wishes, her body was flown to Israel and placed in the crypt in the Garden of Mount Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. In 1990, the Cohen family formally applied for Princess Alice to be recognized as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, and in 1994 Prince Philip made a private visit to
Israel to plant a tree in his mother’s memory. He was a guest of the President of Israel, Ezer Weitzman, visited his mother’s tomb and spent time speaking with the Cohen family and their descendants who owed their lives to his mother’s kindness. Speaking at the ceremony Philip said his mother had acted purely out of faith and conscience. “For years, we did not know, and, as far as we know, she also never mentioned to anyone, that she had given refuge to the Cohen family.” Princess Alice's tree at the Avenue for the Righteous of the Nations at Yad Vashem Prince Philip also added his own recollection of Nazi antisemitism while studying at a boarding school as a 12-yearold boy, in the town of Salem in Southern Germany as Hitler rose to power. The school had been owned by one of his brothers-inlaw. “It was the custom of the school to appoint a senior boy to look after the new arrivals. I was unaware of it at the time, but it so happened that our 'Helper', as he was called, was of Jewish origin. One night he was over-powered in his bed and had all his hair cut off. You can imagine what an effect this had on us junior boys. Nothing could have given us a clearer indication of the meaning of persecution." Phillip had played cricket for his school in England, and still owned his cricket cap which he offered to the Jewish boy to cover his shame. “I was pleased to see that he wore it.” In 2018, Prince Philip’s grandson, Prince William, currently second in line to the throne, visited Israel on the first official state visit, paying his respects at his great grandmother’s tomb and also meeting Evy Cohen, a granddaughter of Rachel Cohen, along with her little cousin Philippe. Evy Cohen said, “It was very moving, for all sides. Prince William was very proud to know that his great-grandmother had saved our whole family.” Philippe told the prince, “We all owe our existence to the courage of Princess Alice. Her attitude was extraordinary, and what she did was absolutely extraordinary. She was very courageous and risked her own life to take in a family in need.” Originally published: www.aish.com
The good, the bad and the ugly ... FROM PAGE 7
Defense Ministry, is impossible amid this kind of uncertainty. And while Netanyahu's government certainly delivered on vaccines, Israel went through several chaotic lockdowns, lost more than 6,000 dead as a result of opening up too fast and in the process strained the government's credibility. Indeed, it's no coincidence that Netanyahu's Likud party lost six seats in last week's election. The explanation of why Israel may well be headed for a fifth election is a complex one. Part of the reason is surely tied to an electoral system based on proportional representation rather than direct election of a prime minister. This gives advantage to smaller parties who end up being coalition makers or breakers.
Then, there's the reality that Israel remains a deeply divided country and society, with cleavages over how to deal with the Palestinian issue; between conceptions of a secular or religious state; and divisions over the importance of Israel as a democratic or Jewish state and the value of an independent judiciary. It's tempting to see this election like the last as a referendum on Netanyahu. But that masks the genuine deep divisions that polarize the country. Finally, there's the matter of Netanyahu's indictments and pending trial for alleged bribery, breach of trust and fraud -- despite him maintaining his innocence. The best chance of beating these charges is for Netanyahu to remain Prime Minister and seek to create a narrow rightwing government that might pass legislation to delay or cancel the legal case against him. At a minimum, he must prevent
others from forming a government. Indeed, another election allows him to remain in place as Prime Minister until the next election and holds open the possibility he'll get his narrow government next time around. And the Ugly The ugly in this election is depressingly clear. A small bloc of parties -- Religious Zionism -- midwifed by Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to increase the odds of his forming a narrow right-wing government -- gained six seats and will be sworn in and seated in the Knesset next week. That bloc includes a Noam party, which advocates for anti-gay policies, and two other right-wing elements -one of which, Jewish Power, is led by a disciple of the extremist Meir Kahane and openly calls for the expulsion of Arabs deemed "disloyal." Should Netanyahu succeed in forming his narrow coalition, Religious
Zionism would be very much a part by legitimizing overt racism; shamefully reflecting the darkest side of Israeli politics; and further undermining Israel's democracy. Courtesy of Netanyahu's machinations, this extremist bloc will hang like an albatross around Israel's neck. So, is Israel headed for yet another election? It's impossible to say right now. After having consulted with all parties next week, the president of Israel will designate the candidate who seems to have the best chance of forming a government. We are most likely in for a prolonged period of coalition negotiations, deal-making and horse trading to see whether Netanyahu or his putative opposition can put together a coalition. If not, in the words of an Israeli columnist reflecting the spirit of the Passover season, a fifth election -sadly for most Israelis -- looms like the 11th plague.
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Israel is in a hurry RABBI DR. EFFIE KLEINBERG I finally cracked the code, or at the very least some of the enigma of life in Israel. A question that has been nagging at me ever since I first visited here was: Why are Israelis in such a hurry? Whether they are driving on the road, shopping at the grocery store, on the phone in conversation, or even most recently, administering Covid-19 vaccines, Israelis seem to always be living life in the fast lane. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said back in December of 2020 that Israel would be the first country to come out of the Covid-19 crisis. Only a few months later, Israel is now marking their 73rd Independence Day and Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Actions of Terrorism with public ceremonies of mourning and gatherings of celebration. One year ago, both of these days were marked by people staying indoors and muted public celebrations. Part of this is surely tied to the intensity of life in Israel which includes army service and a precarious security situation, but I think we can peel away some of these layers and reach into the core of what is really happening here. Here’s what I got to: On May 10, 1948, Golda Meir, then serving as the head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency travelled to Amman, Transjordan for a secret meeting with King Abdullah I. Disguised as an Arab woman, Meir urged the king not to join the other Arab nations in attacking Israel when Independence was to be declared. Abdullah requested that Israel not be in such a rush to declare independence, to which Meir famously responded, “We
have been waiting for 2,000 years. Is that hurrying?” It was with Golda Meir’s response and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s declaration of Israel’s independence four days later on May 14, 1948 that gave birth to a ‘culture of hurry’ that every tourist and citizen experiences when the walk the streets of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. Israel is in a hurry. But I actually believe this culture of being in a hurry is part of the DNA of the Jewish people. In some texts of the Passover Haggadah, the introductory words to the entire narrative section where we retell the story of the Exodus read: bivhilu yatzanu mimitzrayim– we left Egypt in a rush. And for the real Passover detectives among us, you will recall that we describe how the Jewish people were hurried out of Egypt on that fateful night, when we barely had enough time to pack our bags, tie our shoes, and prepare food rations. From that moment on came the annual ritual of eating matzah on Passover, the bread that was baked in a rush as we were chased out of the collapsing and crumbling empire of Egypt. To be in a hurry is to live life with urgency, and it is this urgency that defines Jewish living and perhaps is the secret to the ‘culture of hurry’ that one experiences while visiting or living in Israel. Jews pray daily for the coming of Mashiach with the words: Ani Ma’amin Be’Emunah Sheleima, B’viyat HaMashiach– I believe with full conviction in the coming of Mashiach. The next part is the key: V’af al pi sheyitmameyha, im kol zeh achakeh lo– And even though he may tarry, despite this I will await his arrival. This prayer is not mere lip service to help keep our spirits up and infuse optimism in
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times of darkness. It is undeniable that generations of Jews have told stories of individuals who sung and repeated these words in the bleakest of times throughout Jewish history, but there is another point here that is part of the second half of the prayer. A Jew is meant to live with the belief that history can unfold and change in a moments notice, even if it takes thousands of years, we still wait, because we have seen our hopes and dreams all but vanish only to then reappear in the blink of an eye so many times in the past, we anticipate this reality in the future as well. At the same time, the Jewish people did not just wait in the past and we will not wait in the present or future either. With the charge of Golda Meir, we are in a hurry. To declare independence, to build a flourishing economy and country, to bring Jews home from the four corners of the earth, and to share our know-how, values, and innovations with others to make this a safer and more stable world to live in– Israel is in a hurry. So next time you visit Israel (hopefully soon!) and experience the hustle and bustle of a Friday afternoon at Mahane Yehuda or the whirring traffic on Rothschild Boulevard, appreciate the ‘culture of hurry’, a beautiful reflection of the urgency of the people and State of Israel. In Israel, life is lived with urgency because there is so much to do, and no, we will not apologize for being in such a rush! The world has benefited from this frenetic culture and will continue to do so as long as the Jewish people continue to believe and live with urgency with hopes for a better and greater tomorrow for all of humanity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rabbi Dr. Effie Kleinberg serves as Senior Educator and Program Director at Forum for Jewish Leadership, JRoots, and the Netzach Leadership Instituteorganizations focused on developing the next generation of ambitious future Jewish leaders around the globe and Holocaust education. Rabbi Kleinberg holds semicha and a doctorate from Yeshiva University and worked as a Jewish educator in North America before making aliyah. He currently resides with his family in Ra’anana, Israel.
Happy 73rd Birthday Israel!
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Jewish Immigrants who changed Australia’s fashion scene DEBORAH KATZ
It is estimated that only 255,500 Hungarian Jews survived. One of them was Gyula Hietner, the founder one of the most famous fashion houses in the world, John J Hilton.
The Jewish population of Europe in 1939 was 9.5 million. Hungary was part of Central Europe and became an ally of Nazi Germany in November 1940. By that stage, it was the last remaining European country to perform acts of mass murder on its Jewish population of 825,000. The ‘final solution’ began in Hungary on 19 March 1944 when Adolf Eichman arrived in Budapest to organize the deportation of Jews to concentration camps. It took approximately eight weeks (15 May – 9 July 1944) for 147 trains to deport 434,000 Hungarian Jews, mainly to Auschwitz. On 9 July 1944, the trains were stopped from transporting Jews after two Slovakians escaped from Auschwitz and compiled a report called the VrbaWetzler (The Auschwitz Report) which described in detail the gassing of Jews in concentration camps. But by this stage, most of Hungary’s Jews living in the countryside had been deported. It is estimated that only 255,500 Hungarian Jews survived. One of them was Gyula Hietner, the founder one of the most famous fashion houses in the world, John J Hilton. “My father, Gyula Heitner was born in 1912 and was the youngest of five children of Paula and David Heitner
who lived in Ersekukva, a railroad town 80 kilometres east of Bratislava and part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.” son Jeffrey Hilton told the Jewish Report. “Following the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919, Ersekukva became part of the new State of Czechoslovakia and was known as Nove Zamky. Like his family and most of the residents of his town, my father spoke neither Czech nor Slovak. Hungarian was his first language, but he was also fluent in German and Yiddish. When Czechoslovakia was carved up by the Germans in 1938 and 1939, Nove Zamky, in its southernmost
area became part of the expanded Hungary. My father spent his childhood and teenage years maintaining a delicate balance between filial duty and sporting interests. His parents required him to pursue an orthodox Jewish life and help manage the family department store in the town, while he nursed a passion for soccer and tennis. On finishing school, he played semi-professional football in Budapest for three years, while also working as a supervisor in a children’s wear factory. When his father became ill, he returned to manage the family business.” From early 1939, after the introduction of racial laws, Hungary prohibited Jewish men from serving in their regular armed forces. Instead, Jewish males, including academics, aged between 20-48 were enlisted into forced labour battalions. Their ‘task masters’ were members of the Hungarian Arrow Cross fascist antiSemitic political party. Those drafted were stationed all over Hungary including the Eastern Front of Ukraine. They were treated cruelly and brutally and were subjected to extreme cold. They received no uniforms, very little food or shelter and no medical supplied. Their commanders made them work in mine quarries, construction and building military fortifications, clear CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
The wonder that is Israel FROM PAGE 6
were cut off from events, joys and the national experience. The latter, I feel, has been somewhat eroded. No – I'm not questioning anyone's patriotism or love of country. We all – Right and Left, secular and religious, First Israel and Second Israel, Jews and Arabs – we all care about this country equally. But there is a sense that we feel it's ours on a limited basis. Perhaps it is the political thriller that refuses to end or the fact that personal politics takes precedence over ideology. Perhaps it's just an impression that is amplified due to the culture of social media, with its virulence and aggression. A feeling that if "our" side doesn't run the show, then it is no longer "the same country." A feeling that "they have taken over" and that "my country has changed its nature"; that if we do not lead then we are less proud of the country, the state, the people. And that is, perhaps, more than any exaggerated myth about "racism" and "apartheid," something we should strive to correct before it becomes a rift. Bring back the sense of belonging and partnership that transcend all controversy and rivalries. If my great-grandfather knew what kind of trouble our generation would encounter he would surely think we were kidding. Even if he would have imagined that his country would have the kind
of intelligence and military capabilities to cause power outages thousands of miles away, that it would be the "startup nation" and technological power, that it would solve the water crisis and be close to energy independence, and that it would forge warm alliances with other
nations in the region, becoming a light onto the nations in the time of global crisis – he would be afraid to express it out loud lest he be hospitalized in a mental health ward. So for my great-grandfather, and his friends and contemporaries, and for
the generation that will one day call us "our ancestors," let us insist on sparing no effort so that all of us – each and every one of us – continue to be proud of being Israeli and proud of our Israel. We have all the reasons in the world. happy Independence Day.
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Commemoration and Consolation COA SYDNEY Annually on Yom Hashoah, COA Sydney brings together survivors and community members gather to light candles and recall loved ones lost in the Holocaust. This year the commemoration focused on the plight of Russian Jewry in 1941, as the Nazi forces and their allies invaded in June ’41 and started a wholesale slaughter which proved to be the first strike of the notorious “Final Solution”. Sadly, until recently, the impacts of the Holocaust on Russian Jews hasn’t been much discussed, which is why both the Jewish Board of Deputies and COA Sydney chose to emphasize their experience this year. This year COA invited Russian members and friends to join the commemoration, to light candles, and find comfort in the warm hug of the COA family. Staff and members from the Burger Centre and Jewish Care staff and new CEO Gary Groves, also attended, helping to make this the largest attendance at a COA event since pre-COVID days. Attendees were honoured with a brief address by State representative for Vaucluse the Hon. Gabrielle Upton MP, who praised the resilience and togetherness of the Jewish community and vowed to continue helping with funding for improvements and expansion where possible. Waverley Councilor Leon Goltsman then gave our
keynote address drawing from his own family experience. Cr Goltsman is the son of Russian immigrants who came to Australia after WWII, and he spoke of their pain as the family lives they knew and loved were ravaged, but ultimately how they triumphed and created new lives for themselves in a new country, in a place of freedom. After a Russian-themed luncheon COA members stayed to enjoy the haunting strains of Sasha Pak, a favorite entertainer amongst the Russian community, and an encore performance of Hebrew songs from COA’s resident cantorial singer, COA social worker Mordechai Levin. This event brought up a lot of emotions for people, as attendees spoke of their family histories, finding consolation in their shared experience.
One Russian senior was very grateful for the opportunity to light a memorial candle for her brother lost to the Nazis; as she told a staff members through her tears that it was the first time she was ever asked to do so. Yom HaShoah is a day all of us wish never existed. We wish there were never a reason to meet and recall these heartbreaking tales, but it is our duty remember – they tried to snuff us out, but we did the very thing that would enrage them most, we survived, we thrived, we continue as a religion, as a people, as a force for peace, and a light unto the nations. To join in upcoming events, commemorations, and activities at COA Sydney please call 93890035 or email coa@coasydney.org
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This year COA invited Russian members and friends to join the commemoration, to light candles, and find comfort in the warm hug of the COA family.
Health Innovations Pandemic Frontline MIRIAM PACANOWSKI A recent article in the Jerusalem Post by leading tech writer Hillel Fuld described how Israel has become a leader in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic using innovation to revolutionize healthcare. Shaare Zedek was the most active Covid-19 hospital in Israel with more than 5,000 patients treated on an inpatient basis and thousands more treated and released without need for hospitalization. All the patient data was gathered into a central “biobank” representing tens of thousands of data samples that have since been relied upon for dozens of studies by developers in Israel and other parts of the world. Fuld describes how any CEO of a healthcare tech company will tell you that the Holy Grail is data without which medical innovations would not be possible. There are many collaborations between tech companies, venture capitalists, and hospitals, and Shaare Zedek has embraced partnerships for technology development. Recognizing the growing interaction between medical providers and the tech sector, in 2018 the hospital made the decision to launch its own Innovation Center to harness the hospital’s experience and available data to help develop the next generation of medical innovations. The Innovation Center, named Madait or Shaare Zedek Scientific, has already
established working relationships with many leading tech companies. While many of the details of the partnerships remain protected by confidentiality agreements as the research collaborations are ongoing, the company says that it has already worked with leading industry players like Google and Medtronic and each year adds dozens of new companies to its rosters of working partnerships. According to the company, its portfolio of partners increased nearly four-fold in 2020 over 2019. The onset of the coronavirus presented Shaare Zedek with a major challenge to
respond to the pandemic, but the heads of Madait immediately recognized the massive research potential that the hospital would be possessing. Among the ongoing tech collaborations has been with the Israeli-based Sight Diagnostics, which developed a tool called Sight OLO that combines artificial intelligence, imageprocessing technologies and proven blood diagnostic tools to be able to perform a complete blood count (CBC) with just several drops of blood and the results returned within minutes. It has also partnered with the Japanese tech giant NEC in testing
the development of a device that can monitor key vital signs for patients upon arrival in an emergency department without the need for any physical contact with the patient. Dr Allan Garfield, Chairman of Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc notes, “It is characteristic of Shaare Zedek that whilst serving on the frontline of the pandemic, it also gathered massive amounts of data and is applying its innovative approach to improving health outcomes that will have far-reaching benefits in Israel and worldwide.” Shaarezedek.org.au
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the sydney jewish report | april 2021
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Leadership getaway JEMS CTEENS After a very successful leadership getaway in January many more teens wanted to join and we have made a second getaway. At the getaway teens did workshops and went on excursions and had a full on Shabbat. One of the teens never went away on camp before and this was the icebreaker! We are looking forward to the next getaway. There are many programs teens can join through Jems Cteens with volunteering, shiurim, camp, humanitarian project, nursing home visits, Jewish club. Volunteer@jems.org.au
Jewish Immigrants who changed Australia ... FROM PAGE 10
mines and fix roads. Those who served at the front lines built tank traps and trenches. By 1942, one hundred thousand Jewish Hungarian men were enlisted into forced labour units. Forty four thousand served in the Hungarian Second Army which fought in the USSR and twenty seven thousand Hungarian Jewish forced labourers died prior to 1944 when the Germans overtook Hungary. “Just before World War II my father, Gyula was joined by his brother Imre. Both Imre and Gyula, were called up for compulsory work in a labour camp in 1942 and worked together in camps in Hungary and on the HungarianAustrian border. Imre was punished for unauthorised letter writing and was sent to the Russina Front, where he died from typhus. John was eventually released from the labour camp and went to live in Budapest.” A year later, in 1943, Germany applied pressure on the Hungarian government to ghettoize and deport its Jews. Seventy thousand Jews were moved into a 0.1 sq mile zone. German troops rolled into Hungary on 19 March 1944. Adolf Eichmann also arrived on that date to personally organize deportations. With the help of the Hungarian gendarmerie (military body) 440,000 Jews were deported in less than eight weeks – from May to July 1944. The first transport left Budapest on 29 April 1944 carrying 1,800 men and
women aged 16-50. “Sometime in 1944, my father, Gyula Heitler, with 6,200 other Jews was ordered to assemble at the Budapest railway station, from where cattle wagons would deport them to Auschwitz. At the station he was fortunate to meet a friend who was carrying some tools and who suggested they choose a wagon from which they could attempt to escape. Once the cattle car began moving – it was standard practice for these trains to move very slowly out of the city’s outskirts and at night, presumably to avoid attracting attention - Gyula and a friend took the tools and used them to remove some of the timber flooring. Then two men squeezed through the gap they had created and lowered themselves on to the tracks below the slowly moving train. They lay there until all the carriages had passed over them. This was possible as the underside of the carriages of the train were quite high above the railroad tracks. Under the cover of darkness, they walked back to Budapest and were hidden in a flat by a non-Jewish friend in the suburbs of Budapest. When the Russians eventually captured Budapest in February 1945, Heitler was free. His parents, however, had been deported to Auschwitz, where they were murdered.” Between 1946 and 1954, 17,000 Jewish immigrants made their way to Australia’s shores. A further 10,000 arrived between 1954-61. The total sum of the Jewish population in Australia in 1961 was 61,000. The refugees bought about changes in Australia culturally and socially. They established Jewish day schools and new
businesses. Post-war refugees embraced living in this new free democratic society where they no longer feared a knock on the door or being taken away in the middle of the night. “Gyula was sponsored to immigrate to Australia by an aunt and uncle who were already living in Sydney. He arrived in the country in January 1947 and soon after changed his name by deed poll to John Julius Hilton. Speaking little English, John Hilton worked as a commission agent selling crystal glass, semi-precious stones and the like. He also worked in his uncle's handbag factory as a cutter and at nights in a knitting factory. He became a partner in a dress shop in Pitt Street, which inspired an interest in designing and making dresses. His knitting factory experience had also sparked the idea of introducing Australia to cotton knitwear. Then, in 1948, together with his elder brother Emil, who had arrived in Australia, he started a business manufacturing ladies knitwear. Gyula concentrated on creation and design while Emil focused on the commercial side of the business. Together they made a dynamic team. Adopting the trading name, John J Hilton, they looked around for Australian creative fashion opportunities and decided to focus on women in their mid-twenties and older, offering them elegant and durable dresses at a fair price. The business grew to 100 employees, with showrooms around Australia and representatives in Paris, New York and London. John and Emil developed John J. Hilton into one of Australia’s largest women’s
fashion houses in the 1950s and 60s. The company’s slogan was “It’s a Honey, it’s a Hilton.” Hilton clothes were sold in all department stores. At its peak it made more than 300,000 garments a year and was regarded as a doyen of the industry. John J Hilton was one of the first to export Australian fashion to Japan, as well as Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and United States. A pioneer in the use of wool in women’s dresses, John J Hilton was the recipient of fashion awards, including the Australian Wool Award. So successful was the business that in 1965 it became publicly listed on the Sydney Stock Exchange under the name Hilton Brothers Holdings Limited, one of the first fashion houses in Australia to take this step. In 1949 John married Leonie Oppenheim, from Berlin, whom he had met playing tennis on the Maccabi courts in Bondi, where they made a formidable mixed doubles pair. Their only child, Jeffrey Steven, was born in 1952. Unfortunately, Emil died in 1966 aged only 56, leaving John to run the company until the 1970s when it was taken over by Osti, and then by the Dunlop group (then one of the largest public companies in Australia). John continued to run the John J. Hilton division of Dunlop until he retired from the business in 1978.” John Hilton remained a modest, even self-effacing, man who always tried to live his life with dignity, generosity and courage. He was a generous contributor to the community and faithful to his Jewish heritage. John passed away in Sydney in 2006 aged 94.
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the sydney jewish report | april 2021
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The Jewish Philosophy of History and the Messianic Age RABBI LEVI WOLFF THE CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE
I believe the Jewish vision spanning the arc of time is the most noble and profound attempt to communicate the purpose of a human life.
Just moments before the Yizkor memorial service, on the last day of Pesach, our sages selected a Haftorah that describes a stirring prophecy detailing our future redemption with the arrival of the Moshiach. Personally, this gives me goosebumps whenever I read these prophetic words. The Prophet Isaiah outlines that one day, an offspring from the house of Yishai will arise ushering in a new, peaceful era when even the lamb and the wolf, traditional mortal enemies, will dwell together. These are some of the most powerful words recorded about the Messianic age, but why are they echoed in that particular moment? Given it is our Festival of Freedom, perhaps we would expect to focus a little more on Moses spearheading our miraculous redemption from Egypt? Beyond this, during the Seder, our spotlight shines on Elijah the Prophet who we look to as one who will usher in the future redemption, largely ignoring Moses who enabled our very
first deliverance. The answer is insightful and lends itself to the deeper meaning of Jewish time and history. Just before we delve further, the following has long been a source of amusement (and yes, exasperation!). We accept that many Jews have a different concept of time to societal norms – hence the coined phrase ‘Jewish Standard Time’. This occurs when [insert event] is inevitably destined to begin more than a handful of minutes late. And then, of course, there is ‘Israeli time’ which is, I am told, effectively double Jewish time! Albert Einstein once said, “I tried my whole life to come late to a Jewish meeting and I never succeeded.” Examining this on a deeper level, Judaism has a revolutionary and unique approach to time. According to secular historical views, the past is what determines the present and the future. Through a Jewish lens, we understand that our reality emanates not only from the past, but also from a divine promise about what is to come. The Jewish people has survived against the odds, not merely because of what we have experienced in the present, but because even midaffliction (and we have endured more than our fair share), we never stopped
believing in G-d’s promise of a bright and hopeful ‘tomorrow’. And we must strive to do all we can to facilitate and realise it. I believe the Jewish vision spanning the arc of time is the most noble and profound attempt to communicate the purpose of a human life. Right now, the world is still swirling with sickness, pain, poverty, violence, conflict and injustice. Traditionally, secular thinking has often expounded that we must all-too-often learn to live with it. Yet, to believe in the Moshiach, means we are called-to-action to bring that utopian world forward, so we can complete the narrative of redemption. Sounds daunting. How do we facilitate this? One act at a time, one Mitzvah at a time, one day at a time; one life at a time. It is admittedly ambitious, a lofty goal. And there are often significant hurdles – from a pandemic to political extremists. The truth is that each one of us plays an important and unique part in this positive and profound process. We embody so much energy individually … just imagine the power harnessed from our collective efforts? Actually, let’s not imagine ... let’s do it! L’shana Amen!
Haba’ah
b’Yerushalayim!
Lag b’omer and its paradoxes RABBI RAYMOND APPLE THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE
A minor festival with a mixture of sadness and joy, Lag B’Omer is a turning point in the 49-day counting of the Omer. It is the 33rd (lamed - 30 - and gimmel - 3) day of the Omer period and marks a break in the difficult campaign of Rabbi Akiva’s followers against the Roman overlords. It is said that what wrought havoc amongst the Akiva army was the disunity amongst its members who, according to the Talmud, were uncivil towards each other and were punished by a throat illness that devastated their numbers. Because the epidemic let up halfway through the campaign, the 33rd day of the Omer, working out at 18th Iyyar, was celebrated as a day of relief. The tragedy of the time was marked in Jewish life by the avoidance of weddings and days of entertainment but on Lag B’Omer the restrictions were lifted. Not just because of the Akiva connection but because the whole period was punctuated in history by a whole series of tragedies, part of the long, sad record of Jewish tears and tribulations. Examples range from the
attack of Amalek in the wilderness to the Chmielnicki massacres in Eastern Europe. Two rabbis are especially involved with the Lag B’Omer story, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Rabbi Akiva backed the Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans but being Akiva he was dedicated not only to nationalistic but intellectual concerns. The loss of thousands of his students meant either that his educational work would disintegrate or that he had to start over again. He chose the second option and exemplified the
Talmudic teaching that a teacher had to raise up disciples both when he was young and even when his youth was gone. One of his new generation of disciples was Judah ben Bava who was ordained on Lag B’Omer. Judah unfortunately became one of the ten rabbinic martyrs, described as great as the cedars of Lebanon, who were martyred by the Romans. Shimon bar Yochai was a student of Akiva. The kabbalists marked his Yahrzeit (Hillula) on Lag B’Omer. He is regarded as the author of the mystical Zohar. The Yahrzeit is the occasion
for a celebration at Mount Meron: the celebration marks the annual elevation of a departed soul to a higher rung in Gan Eden. It is said that no rainbow appeared whilst Rabbi Shimon was alive. His righteousness was a guarantee that peace would come. He is a symbol of the proud Jewish spirit which motivated the struggle against the Romans. It took many centuries but eventually the reborn State of Israel revived the Shimon and Akiva spirit.
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The Omer: A Time for Spiritual Growth RABBI MOSHE D. GUTNICK THE KASHRUT AUTHORITY
One of Hashem’s greatest gifts to the Jewish People is the Land of Israel – our Holy Land. As Rashi writes at the commencement of Bereshit, the Torah begins with the creation of the world to teach us that our Creator bestowed this upon us as our eternal inheritance. Given this, no power on earth can challenge that reality or destiny. He miraculously took us out of the Land of Egypt, to bring us to the land that He swore to our forefathers would be ours. That Promised Land would be the place where we would serve Him, and much of the Torah is filled with commandments specifically surrounding the land and its produce. The focal point is Jerusalem where the Temple will be rebuilt, and Hashem’s divine presence will rest. It is important to recall that each festival is directly connected to our Land of Milk and Honey, even though admittedly that fact is infrequently emphasised whilst observing festivals in the diaspora. Pesach, in addition to being the festival of our redemption, is also the festival of spring when we celebrate the beginning of the agricultural season and the first crops. Shavuot, as well as rejoicing about the time we received the Torah, is also
known as the harvest festival when the collection of crops is completed. Sukkot is also referred to as the festival of the ingathering, when the last crops of the harvest season are reaped and collated for storage before the coming winter. On each of these festivals, when the Temple was in existence, the Jews were commanded to ascend to Jerusalem to give thanks to Hashem for all the bounty He had bestowed upon them at every stage during the agricultural year. We currently find ourselves in the period between Pesach and Shavuot, known as the Omer. On the second day of Pesach, an ‘Omer’ (an ancient unit of measure) of barley grains from the new harvest was brought to the Temple in a special ceremony. During this, they were then offered on the Altar and until that time, it was forbidden to eat from the new crop. A tally would then begin each day for 49 days called the counting of the Omer. On the fiftieth day the festival of Shavuot occurs when two loaves of bread made from fine wheat flour were put forward. The two offerings - of barley at the beginning and bread at the conclusion, signified our gratitude to Hashem for the bounty of the harvest of barley and wheat. However, there appears to be an anomaly. The first offering is barley grain, yet the final offering is bread. To understand this, we can look at the historical significance of the Omer period. Our sages teach that long before an Omer sacrifice was ever brought, there was a counting of the Omer. This took
place when the Jewish people left Egypt and were promised that they were going to be taken to Mount Sinai and receive the Torah. They counted every day in anticipation of the revelation and continued to make additional preparations daily. In that epoch, barley kernels was primarily designated as a food for animals. Bread on the other hand, was a refined staple that had undergone milling, sifting and then baking, until the raw kernels were ultimately refined into bread, the most important human food. This process metaphorically represents human improvement and spiritual growth. Human unbridled instinct is not dissimilar to that of an animal. As we grow and mature, we transcend base instincts and begin to rule with our minds. We are able to control ourselves and choose between right and wrong. If we continue on this path and discover the truth of the Torah, we have the potential to ascend even higher and can even mirror the Divine. Extending upon this, the two loaves of bread represent the pinnacle of human spiritual growth, perhaps even the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. This is the task placed upon all Jews at this time of the year as we count the Omer. Commitment to Torah and ongoing spiritual growth require daily attention and efforts – and just as we sowed our crops of old, we will embody Torah-true values and reap the spiritual rewards. Guaranteed.
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If we continue on this path and discover the truth of the Torah, we have the potential to ascend even higher and can even mirror the Divine.
The battle against Covid-19 – MDA personal experiences TAMARA LOWBEER Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, in Israel, Magen David Adom has been at the forefront of the battle against the virus. MDA was tasked by the Israeli Government to lead the COVID-19 response because of its unique experience as Israel’s national emergency, blood, ambulance and disaster service. MDA medics, EMTs and volunteers have worked tirelessly over the last year experiencing the most stressful and confronting situations. They are the heroes who have battled on to overcome what at times seemed like a hopeless situation. Now, that much of the population of Israel has been vaccinated and with the COVID-19 numbers on the decline, we hear from two of those MDA heroes about recollections from this time that left lasting impressions on them. Aaron Adler, an MDA Paramedic tells of his harrowing experience, “when my grandchildren ask me what I remember most, I will tell them about the day I stood dressed in full PPE, losing patient after patient to an invisible enemy. We are called to a confirmed corona patient experiencing severe difficulty breathing. The patient was hospitalized
in an emergency hospital which was situated in an underground bomb shelter. It was set up to deal with the all-out corona war we were facing. While on our way to the incident, we heard ambulance after ambulance looking for a hospital which would take their patients and they were often sent far from the city. Sometimes, there was nowhere. It’s not that they didn’t want to receive patients, it was simply that they couldn’t. There was nowhere to put another person. ICU was full. I know that they wanted to help, there was nothing they could do. Finally, we stopped at a large hall where there with beds lining the walls
with patients lying in various states of consciousness. Medical professionals in PPE were practically running from patient to patient. Our patient was lying unresponsive, using every ounce of strength to bring in air to his failing lungs. But he was losing the battle. We performed CPR together with the team at the facility; we were all together doing CPR but we knew there was little chance of success. We couldn’t give up. The patient was only 73! Finally, he was pronounced dead.” Inbal Rauchwerger, is an MDA EMT. Her story is one that demonstrates how MDA makes a difference every day to the
lives of Israelis. She recalls one particularly poignant day: “I vaccinated 100 patients today. Most of them I won't remember, as I see hundreds of patients daily, but I met a woman today who I’m sure I won’t forget for a long time. This woman was 40 years old and little, thin as a leaf. She sat down in front of me and, even before she handed me her name, her eyes flooded with tears. She told me that she had cancer, and that she was in the process of treatments and her doctor had sent her to get vaccinated. She was shaking, scared, and nervous. She asked me for a hug. A hug, that's all she wanted! I didn't know what to do. I couldn't hug her because I didn't want to put her at risk. I felt helpless. So, I gave her a pair of gloves and I put on a new pair myself. I sat in front of her and held her hands. I held them for a long while until the tears stopped and she calmed down. Then I vaccinated her. My shift is finally over, but I’m sure I\'ll never forget her. I hope she gets better and stronger and that we’ll meet again someday under better circumstances.” All the MDA workers are really special, giving of themselves each and every day. Kol ha’kavod. For more information about Magen David Adom and how you can help, please go to www.
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the sydney jewish report | april 2021
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Rebbetzin Esty Gutnick: My Grandmother's Apple Pie REBBETZIN ESTY GUTNICK Many families covet heirlooms handed down from generations above – in the Gutnick home, it is a particular rustic recipe that bridges the time-divide, evoking the inimitable smell and taste of her Bubby’s legendary apple pie! She is delighted to share with readers within this month’s edition – happy baking! Pie Crust Ingredients: 1 egg 1 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp. white vinegar dissolved in one-eighth cup cold water ½ cup canola or vegetable oil 2 cups plain flour 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt Combine ingredients using a mixer (eg. if using a Kenwood use ‘K’ beater) When formed into a dough, divide in half. Roll out two circles, one for the base, one for the top. You can theoretically use any pie filling, but this is our family’s current favourite, just as it was my Bubby’s: fresh apple pie filling!
Fresh Apple Pie filling ingredients: 6 cups fresh apples peeled and sliced thinly (Granny Smith) 1 tsp. lemon juice ¾ cup regular cane sugar ½ cup brown sugar (sugar quantity can be adjusted to taste!) ½ cup plain flour ½ -¾ tsp. cinnamon 2 Tbsp cold butter (or margarine) Mix all together in a bowl by hand, coating the apples. Place on top of rolled out pie dough in
27cm pie dish. Cut the butter (or margarine) in small pieces and placed on the apples. Cover with top layer of pie dough. Cut out a hole in the centre of the pie and make slits in the dough to allow steam to escape. Bake on 180 degrees Celsius until the top looks lightly browned for approximately 40-50 minutes depending on your oven. Please note: using butter makes the pie Dairy; using margarine keeps it Pareve! Enjoy!
Pup's Yom Ha'atzmaut at Emanuel Wollahra Preschool
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the sydney jewish report | april 2021
The Unhaunting JOANNE FEDLER I’m all out of moves. I’ve dodged, ducked and weaved – putting my back out enough times. But I haven’t been able to shake it off. We all have a history we’ve tried to outrun. Mine is the Holocaust. Oh, sure, as a Jewish child, I learned soon enough about Hitler and how Jews were taken on cattle carts to concentration camps, shot, worked to death or sent for ‘showers’ which became gas chambers filled with Zyklon B – a cyanide-based pesticide. ‘Six million’ isn’t as much a number as it is a quantum of immeasurable grief and loss. Tucked in that figure somewhere, are the corpses of my father’s aunt, uncle and cousin. It was a lot to take in. I had questions. Like… why? What had we Jews done? Why didn’t anyone stop Hitler at say, a million? And how? … how do you kill so many people? The face of these torturous questions was my father’s stepmother Fanya. She had survived Dachau, if ‘survived’ is the right word for the shattered woman I came to know as ‘Bobba.’ The murmured story was that her little boy and husband had been killed in the gas chambers. I didn’t know how to look at her. I was terrified of what she’d seen. If I looked her in the eye, would I see those horrors too? On the odd occasion when she forgot to serve me around the Shabbat table, I was too afraid to remind her. Sometimes my mother spoke up. ‘I forgot to serve Joanne? What kind of Anti-Semite forgets to feed a child?’ she’d bite back. The food when it came, was a recrimination. As a little girl, I suffered from terrible nightmares and migraines. Sadness and grief hovered as close as my next breath, yet I did not have the life experience to warrant them. My mother had a name for me: ‘oversensitive.’ It seemed like a medical condition. Perhaps there were drugs to fix it. I’m not sure when I first had the thought that
maybe I was haunted by a ghost. It explained that feeling of always fighting off the suction of darkness and dread. In my twenties, I read Toni Morrison’s Beloved - one of the greatest books ever written (objectively, she won a Pulitzer Prize for it in 1987, followed by a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993) about a child ghost who haunts the living. It inspired me to write a book that had been brewing in me for a long time about the ghost of a poet (Maya) who haunts her grandchild, Mia. Maya is forced to leave Kovno, a grim ghetto in Lithuania and in the process, lose her friendship with Rochel, a widowed single mother, who sews ‘dreamcloths’ from scraps of material. The Dreamcloth is set both in Kovno, Lithuania and Apartheid South Africa (which became a safe haven for many Lithuanian Jews who fled Eastern Europe in the 1920’s). Of course, there is tragedy and a secret and Mia has to unravel to right the wrongs of history. I wrote this book long before the idea of ‘intergenerational trauma’ was part of my vocabulary. Only twenty years later, do I fully understand the forces that were working through me. We are bereaved before we arrive. Widowed and wounded long before we are embodied. I’ve just released the second edition of The Dreamcloth which was first published in 2005 in South Africa (and nominated for the Sunday Times fiction award). Once she whispered to Maya, while she scraped the black calluses off her feet, that when she had time, of which she had but moments to spare, she would sew the dreams she had into small cloths with the scraps of cotton and cloth she saved from orders. These she kept to unfold when the days were dark for months on end and she could not meet the emptiness of her child's eyes with a handful of porridge. Sometimes a person with a celebration might buy a length of material that had sea-green or sky-blue woven into it, not that she had ever seen a green sea or a blue sky. For a wedding, one could always
B O O K & T H E AT R E
REVIEW be sure that a neckline of lace would be requested. Even the cover of the Torah had to be replaced, and if she were so lucky as to be called upon by the Shamesh (beadle)—or even the Rabbi—to make it, that would give her two weeks in which she could caress an arm's length of maroon velvet, the colour of her monthly bleeding. And in such moments she would blush with rare pleasure, for she would match the order, but by some miraculous stretch of fit, a corner, or a finger length, or a diagonal, or the angles left from a square from which circles or curves were cut, remained. And from those tatters she braided a deeper world, her own secret Garden of Eden. And Maya was so bold as to ask if she might see them. Not all, she said, just one, maybe. Maya waited the week, counting down the days for the time to wash. And there she waited for Maya, greeted her, and said nothing of the cloths of her dreams. Maya was afraid to frighten her away with eagerness, so she bathed with her, told of the chair her husband carved that week, its handsome legs, its back with angel wings. And she smiled low into her neck and spoke only words needed for the sharing of the bathing. And it was time almost to greet her farewell and may she prosper for another week, when she took Maya by the hand, and led her behind the bathhouse, where their shoes got soaked in mud and it smelled of human waste but Maya’s heart was swollen and trembling. From the dark seam between her bosoms, she drew out a piece of cloth, no bigger than a small handkerchief, and held it flat in the palm of her hand. Maya did not know where to look first or longest—into her palm or her eyes, for in both she saw tricks of light and sleights of wonder, a glimmer of blue silk, a copper sequin, a moon of filigree lace, a rosebud of buttons, woven cobblestones of amber and jade. Maya was made to think of meadows in starlight and rainbows after thunder, things unseen by her eyes, but suggested by her heart. That cloth whispered stories, its promises made her weak with longing.
“Why, it’s a poem!” Maya whispered. And then as quick as she had shown it, she folded it back into her breast, and put a finger to her mouth, and Maya nodded. Perhaps it was the secret threaded from her palm to Maya’s eyes and back to hers that changed the world that day. The day she saw such beauty wrought from nothing. For the first time, she wanted to share her poems. My journey as an author began with ghosts. Now, my reading and learning more about the Holocaust, has introduced me to new ones – like Ettie Hellesum, a young Dutch woman killed in Auschwitz when she was 29 who left behind her wonderous diaries. Even as she knew death was coming, she refused to waste her energies on fear or hatred. Instead, she focused on what she called, ‘the artist’s joy.’ I want to share this astonishing fact with you my research has revealed - that in their final moments, even as they marched to their graves, people were still creating art, music and poetry. In fact, the Italian pianist Francesco Lotoro has devoted his life to saving and performing music that was composed in concentration camps. Could anything be more moving? Those final scribblings and fragments are signatures of those who knew that words and music would outlast their suffering. ‘I must try to live a good and faithful life to my last breath; so that those who come after me do not have to start all over again, need not face the same difficulties. Isn’t that doing something for future generations?’ - Ettie Hellesum These past months I've been captivated by Ettie’s spirit, urging me to wring meaning and beauty from the same world that gave us the Holocaust. She speaks to me, still. She has inspired me to work on two projects about the Holocaust which I'm longing to share with you - and I will, soon. I’m calling this, ‘the unhaunting,' as I pull my ghosts close and whisper, 'I won't forget.' May you too, meet your ghosts in peace.
moments of tenderness. Vocally, the 21-strong cast is uniformly strong through a total of 34 numbers (17 in each act). Leading the charge is Jason Arrow as the man with seemingly never enough time on his hands. He presents a confident, driven visage. Lyndon Watts is outstanding as Aaron Burr, transitioning his character from nonconfrontational to resentful. It is hard to move past Victory Ndukwe as the effusive, larger than life character of, firstly, Hamilton collaborator Marquis de Lafayette and, after interval, Thomas Jefferson. His is a truly dominant display. Matu Ngaropo is a steady hand as George Washington. Marty Alex makes the most of his opportunities, firstly as a loyal Hamilton ally and later as his son, Philip. The scene stealer is Brent Hill as the uppity King George, who generates a rousing reception when he parades onto the stage carrying a sceptre, resplendent in regal red, gold and white fur. His opening number – which he milks for all its worth ... and, boy, does he know how to – is undoubtedly one of the
show’s highlights. Chloe Zuel as Eliza and Akina Edmonds as Angelica leave an indelible imprint as two close knit sisters, further united by their love for Hamilton. Hamilton is not a musical alone, for it features many flawlessly choreographed dance routines (the choreographer is Andy Blankenbuehler). The single stage design (scenic design is by David Korins), dominated by solid wood, brick and rope, presents a sense of place. The costumes (designed by Paul Tazewell) – elaborate and colourful – are particularly evocative, capturing the period. Hamilton is a masterful work, directed by Thomas Kail, which can justifiably take its place as one of the finest musicals of all time. It is innovative, easily relatable and totally captivating. No wonder it collected 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical along with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. You need to buy a ticket to see it for you will be richer for having done so. Two hours 50 minutes, including a 20-minute interval, Hamilton is playing at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney.
Musical Genius ALEX FIRST Get excited. Mighty excited. For all the hype surrounding the arrival of Hamilton, the musical in Sydney is justified. It is an incredible, spine tingling history lesson, packaged as entertainment par excellence, much of it delivered as readily digestible hip-hop, together with classic Broadway song writing. The entire story unfolds through the lyrics and it is crystal clear, unfolding at pace. Wow! Simply Wow! We have seen nothing like it. Alexander Hamilton (11th January, 1755 – 12th July, 1804) rose from poverty to become an influential figure in US politics, a Founding Father no less. A penniless immigrant from the Caribbean, his father deserted him and his mother died when he was 12, so Hamilton had to find a way to survive. With a towering intellect and the gift of the gab, he was never afraid of speaking his mind. In fact, he revelled in doing so. At age 19, he befriended a man named Aaron Burr, who would become his adversary – a man with whom he would lock horns on countless occasions and who would grow to resent Hamilton. Burr would rise to the position of US vice president. Hamilton’s notoriety grew during the American War of Independence – begun by delegates from 13 colonies ofBritish America against Great Britain – when he became George Washington’s right-hand man. King George III was supremely confident he had the forces to defend
territory. In the musical he is presented as an arrogant and vindictive narcissist who loved power and control. After the war, both Hamilton and Burr went on to become lawyers. Hamilton accepted a position as the first Secretary of the Treasury. That resulted in a series of ding dong battles with the first Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. A couple of head-to-head rap contests between the pair, initiated by President Washington, present as verbal jousting at its finest. Hamilton had earlier married into a wealthy family, but that union was not without its difficulties. All this and much more is explored in Hamilton, the musical. Importantly, following the storyline with no previous knowledge of Alexander Hamilton is a piece of cake. Hamilton explodes onto the stage from its opening salvo. It presents a captivating first number, during which we learn about Hamilton’s formative years. The dynamite script (book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow) adds layers as each song gives us more of the Hamilton story as well as providing insight into those tumultuous times. Tension is the name of the game and Hamilton is inevitably at the centre of it, never backing away from a fight. The musical showcases those who played a significant role in his life, drawing out their strengths and peccadilloes. The music is triumphant – often bold and brash and uplifting, but not without
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the sydney jewish report | april 2021
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Discipline and routine is Helpful! CHERYL FINGLESON Even parents who seem like they are always in control, can often make mistakes and lose their cool. Probably sounds familiar. If you are lacking good sleep, your patience and attention will suffer. By having a good routine and strategy, you already have a safety net for you to lean on and this will help create security and comfort for you all. Toddlers aren't old enough to link cause and effect so it’s all about introducing your child to the concept of right and wrong and focusing on good behaviour. Here are some examples of what discipline can look like in a family with toddlers.
Make sure you are on the same page when it comes to rules around bedtime, follow through and repeat so that you are not sending mixed messages.
Distraction Try calmly redirecting attention to something else. If your toddler is climbing on the bed, place them on your lap and read a book. This does not only redirect their mission, but over time it will also teach them that climbing the bed is off limits. Consistency You might think that letting your toddler watch an episode of Peppa Pig before bedtime ‘just this once’ is harmless but giving in to your child’s demands will encourage them to push the limits. Make sure you are on the same page when it comes to rules around bedtime, follow through and repeat so that you are not sending mixed messages. The last thing you want is for your child to be frustrated and have a tantrum just before putting them to bed. Stay positive Instead of saying ‘no’ when they are
www.cherylthesleepcoach.com.au
asking for another book, try saying, ‘let’s save this one for tomorrow’, and save the word ‘no!’ for dangerous situations, like when they’re reaching for the oven door. Saying ‘no’ all the time will make your child stop listening. Try and rephrase when you can. Show them Toddlers do what you do, not what you say. If you have a hard time getting your child to brush their teeth, make doing it together, part of your nightly routine. Praise good behaviour Sometimes, toddlers act out because they lack communication skills. Remembering to praise them when they’re getting it right will teach them that good behaviour will also get them what they need. Bedtime routine Toddlers and babies need a good bedtime routine to feel secure. A consistent routine eliminates tantrums before sleep, the time of the routine my
change but the order should remain the same. If you don't have a good bedtime routine or you are struggling, its ok to ask for help. Good Luck! Cheryl For more sleep tips and advice, please visit www.cherylthesleepcoach.com.au Or why not like our facebook page? www.facebook.com/thesleepcoach 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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the sydney jewish report | april 2021
Kosher KApers RAMONA FREEDMAN THE KASHRUT AUTHORITY
Last year was challenging on many levels and with COVID-19 shutdowns, our lives were curtailed in a myriad of ways, including the reality of not being able to frequent kosher restaurants. Here in Sydney, not only have those restrictions now lifted, but courtesy of the NSW Government, kosher consumers now have access to enjoying a meal in selected KAestablishments without paying a cent! In a magnanimous bid to get our community out and about post-pandemic, all aged eighteen and over now have access to the NSW Dine Voucher scheme. Bottom line is you can visit: Jesse’s Café; The Bagel Co. Rose Bay; Simply Hummus Bar or Mendy’s Pizza. With so many in our community busy daily, many have reached out to request dairyfree protein powder smoothies and with good reason! The KA is pleased to advise that healthy, nutrient-rich pareve smoothies are now available at Jesse’s Café! In fact, they are vegan, gluten free, sugar free and when you opt for the protein powder extra, you will also get twenty grams of easy-todigest protein offering essential vitamins and minerals just waiting for you. Five varieties are on offer (see listing in KA Update column) and enjoy this boost at Jesse’s or takeaway. The Kashrut Authority strives daily to help the Australian Jewish community realise our tagline: “Keeping Kosher Made Easy”. In that spirit, we are pleased to advise that The Kashrut Authority, in collaboration with Harris Farm Markets, has worked together resulting in a new and dedicated kosher category for online shopping convenience, boasting close to one thousand products. In this edition, we are excited to reveal that there are eleven brand new KA-certified products now available. Kosher consumers can now purchase Harris Farm brand yoghurts in various sizes – from Mango & Passionfruit to Mixed Berry to Honey & Almond to Boysenberry (full details in KA Update column). In addition, you are also able to buy the Harris Farm guacamole in store or online! Whatever the season, we believe it is always the perfect time to talk about frozen desserts. Firstly, we wanted to take a moment to feature the change in status of several Weis products. Weis has recently relocated production facilities and moving forward, all Pareve sorbets will now be designated as 'DE' as they will be produced on Dairy Equipment. All current packaging with the regular KA symbol remains Pareve with all stock from the new plant designated with the 'KA-DE' logo. For those who drink Chalav Stam
(i.e.regular milk) the product may be consumed as part of a meat meal and on meat utensils, however it should not be eaten directly with meat. For those who drink Chalav Yisrael only, if you follow the view to be strict with vessels, these new DEdesignated products are not for you. If you are lenient with vessels, the same instruction applies to you as to someone who drinks Chalav Stam. And with that our focus shifts to KA-certified Serendipity – all-natural super premium ice creams and sorbets. The KA has proudly certified this huge range for almost one decade. Within you will find an incredible selection of Pareve and Dairy (not Chalav Yisrael) frozen products. All dairy ice creams are made using milk from happy cows situated on the lush pastures of northern New South Wales. All ingredients are best-quality, fresh and the results are spectacular. The Pareve range is outstanding, and The KA is delighted to introduce a brand-new flavour: guava & strawberry! In addition, other Pareve flavours include green apple; dark chocolate; vanilla bean; lemon; coconut & kaffir lime; mango, passionfruit and more. The Dairy range is equally impressive including the recent addition of Strawberry Jam-flavoured ice cream. To make your life easier, Serendipity is now offering delivery direct to your door if you live in the greater metropolitan area of Sydney. And kosher consumers are also able to purchase KA-certified ice cream cakes and these two divine frozen products called Dipity Pops (both on sticks). The first is a dairy Mango Sorbet which is perfectly coated in smooth, decadent Belgian dark chocolate ganache. The second is a dairy Salted Caramel, which is wrapped in delicately salt-laced rich Belgian milk chocolate ganache. And we must also mention that all six choc-top ice cream varieties sold at Randwick Ritz Cinemas are made using kosher Serendipity ice cream flavours, including Mint Chip; Boysenberry; Salted Caramel; Wicked Chocolate and Vanilla Bean (all Dairy) with the Mango Sorbet (made on Dairy Equipment). More kosher flavours will be coming your way shortly. And from the frozen to the refrigerated, The KA is pleased to share with the community that the entire range of Nectar Cold Pressed juices is now KA-certified. These are made from 100% Australian produce, with no preservatives and no heat pasteurisation - full of living nutrients and enzymes ... all bottled and they truly deliver in the most delicious, refreshing way! Nectar Cold Pressed now also offers a new range called Mixa in which you can enjoy the perfect fusion of lime paired with various flavours including watermelon; agave; orange; pineapple and more. With all the schlepping that we do around town, enjoying a picnic sounds dreamy. KA-certified Mila’s Kosher Catering is now collaborating with Milk & Honey Picnics
to cater to all your al fresco dining needs. Offering numerous themes to suit your simcha\'s style, these indoor or outdoor popup picnics (with a Boho vibe) will elevate the smallest gathering into something whimsical and wonderful. From tea parties to birthdays, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and everything in between ... the young and not-so-young will absolutely love this, with picnic professionals ensuring you receive kosher picnic perfection. The KA already has exciting news planned to share for the next edition, in the meanwhile continue to enjoy all that Kosher Sydney has to offer. We have such a dynamic and diverse range of companies within our KA Family – and we value every single one. [All are welcome to join The KA’s Facebook Group “The Kashrut Authority of Australia & NZ” for daily news about all-things-kosher.] KA Information: Dine NSW Vouchers: To redeem two vouchers ($25 each) to kosher restaurants, please visit: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/ transaction/apply-dine-discover-nswvouchers Please note they are valid until June 30th 2021 so don’t delay, get your vouchers today! Jesse’s Café five dairy-free smoothies + protein powder can be purchased from 6:30am-3pm daily, enjoy within the café or take to go. To check out the new Harris Farm Markets online range, visit: https://www.harrisfarm. com.au/collections/groceries/Kosher In addition, if there is a kosher product you notice is absent, the Harris Farm team welcomes your email and this will result in the those particular kosher products being included! Email: online@harrisfarm.com.au OR hello@harrisfarm.com.au. Serendipity dairy ice creams and pareve sorbets are available at dozens of locations around town, for stockists and delivery details visit serendipityicecream.com.au – some examples incluce Krinsky’s; Kemeny’s; Maloney’s in Coogee & Woollahra; Parisi’s Rose Bay; The Greengrocer Maroubra; Foodworks Clovelly and IGA St. Ives. To order kosher Serendipity birthday cakes call 02 9557 8986. To purchase Dipity Pops, ice cream cakes and any and all Dairy or Pareve options, visit the Serendipity HQ located at 333-339 Enmore Road, Marrickville. To order Nectar Cold Pressed juices visit: nectarcoldpressed.com.au or purchase at selected Harris Farm Market stores. To liaise with Mila’s Kosher Catering call Mila on 0414 999 810 or email: mila. catering@gmail.com. For more information about Milk & Honey picnics call Vicki Ryvchin on 0478 297 237 or email: hello@milkandhoney.net.au.
KOSHE R
KApers KA Product Updates: NEW ADDITIONS: ALDI Organic Kombucha (certified by Kosher Australia) - Ginger & Lemon 330ml (Pareve) - Raspberry & Lemon 330ml (Pareve) Ben & Jerry’s (requires KVH-Dairy logo): - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Chunks Snackable Dough (frozen) - Half Baked Chunks - A mixture of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Fudge Brownies (frozen) Beyond Meat – Bearing OK logo - Beyond Mince - Plant Based (Pareve) - Beyond Sausage - Plant Based Sausages (Pareve) Coles Bakery Westfield – Chocolate loaf (Dairy, 800gm) Coles Scoop & Weigh - Berry, Beetroot & Chia Pieces (Pareve – 393) - Blackcurrant & Chia Pieces (Pareve – 851) - Coconut Chunks (Pareve – 657) - Passionfruit & Chia Seed pieces (Pareve – 702) - Cashews roasted & salted (Pareve – 944) Foda Organic: - Organic Dried Apricots 1kg (Pareve) - Organic Dried Figs 1kg (Pareve) Haoma Foods (all Pareve) - Organic Dried Apricots - Organic Dried Mulberries - Organic Dried Pitted Prunes - Organic Dried Pitted Sour Cherries - Organic Dried Figs - Organic Sultanas - Organic Roasted Hazelnuts Harris Farm yoghurts in the following sizes: 350gm, 700 & 950gm: - Mango & Passionfruit - Mango - Plain Yoghurt – Sweetened - Plain Yoghurt – Unsweetened - Passionfruit (350gm; 700gm only) - Mixed Fruit - Mixed Berry - Boysenberry - Honey & Almond - Honey & Cinnamon Harris Farm guacamole – 250gm IXL (certified by Kosher Australia) - Blackberry 50% Less Sugar - Marmalade 50% Less Sugar McClures (requires Star-K) Pickles - Whole Spicy (Pareve) Serendipity Premium ice cream - Strawberry Jam (Dairy, not CY) - Guava & Strawberry Sorbet (Pareve) Jesse’s Café new Dairy Free Smoothies + Protein Powder in five flavours: - Green Warrior: banana, mango, spinach & almond milk (+ protein powder) - Sunrise: mango, strawberry & coconut water (+ protein powder) - Tropical: mango, pineapple, passionfruit & coconut water (+ protein powder) - Açaí Smoothie: açaí, banana, mixed berries, coconut water & chia seeds (+ protein powder) - Protein Power: banana, strawberries, beetroot, almond milk & protein powder (already included in this particular smoothie) Nectar Cold Pressed Juices: - Green With Envy - Up Beet - Eagle Eye - Tropi Cool - Sweet Cheeks - The Big O - Cloudy Apple Within the Nectar MIXA range: - Watermelon + Lime Raspberry - Lime + Agave - Orange + Lime Pineapple - Pineapple + Lime Lemon NO LONGER PRODUCED Whittaker’s - Almond & Cranberry - Berry & Biscuit - Berry & Biscuit Mini - Dark Cacao - Dark Orange - Fruit and Nut - Wellington Roasted Supreme Coffee Dark Chocolate Ardmona - Pie Fruit Peaches - Crushed tomatoes with Basil & Oregano Gippsland Dairy - Caramelised Pineapple Twist Yoghurt – 720gm - Lemon Curd Twist yoghurt DELETIONS Woolworths Free from Gluten Seeds & Grains -550gm Kellogg’s Crispix Forresters Dry Roasted Almonds (ALDI Stores) Mission Salsa Chunky Mild - 435gm Macro Wholefoods Market - Apple Cider Vinegar - Fire Cider with the Mother of Vinegar contains turmeric, garlic, ginger, chilli & horseradish - Fire Cider Vinegar 500ml
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the sydney jewish report | april 2021
A Musical Chill to Thrill
ALEX FIRST
This year marks the centenary of the heroic rescue by Isaac Ochberg of close to 200 Jewish children left orphaned in the wake of the Russian Revolution in Eastern Europe. The diseases they faced weren’t coronavirus, but typhoid and smallpox and worst of all, the seemingly incurable malady of antisemitism. Pogroms were rife in 1921. It was hunting season, and the prey was Jews, with the most vulnerable being Jewish orphans. Jews smuggled letters of their plight out of this region that was experiencing a cataclysmic clash between the Red and White armies. One such letter
reached Isaac Ochberg, a Jewish Ukranian-born businessman in Cape Town. It inspired him to take on the cause of saving as many Jewish orphans as possible, bringing them to safety in South Africa. On 14 March 1921, at his own expense, Ochberg left for London on his dangerous mission to rescue Jewish children. Almost miraculously, he returned to Cape Town on 21 September 1921, with close to 200 Jewish children. Reporting on his progress during the rescue, Ochberg wrote to an awaiting Jewish community in South Africa, “I have been through almost every village in the Polish Ukraine and
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Galacia, and am now well acquainted with the places where there is extreme suffering. I have succeeded in collecting the necessary number of children, and I can safely say that the generosity displayed by South African Jewry in making this mission possible means nothing less than saving their lives. They would surely have died of starvation, disease, or been lost to our nation for other reasons.” Today, there are some 4,000 Jews who are alive because of “Daddy Ochberg”, descendants of the Ochberg orphans - living in South Africa, Australia, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Israel. To honour and celebrate this
centenary year of Isaac Ochberg’s life-saving journey, plans are underway to mount an event later in 2021 – in Sydney and possibly the rest of Australia. If you are keen to participate, are able to help in any way with planning this event or would like to attend, we invite descendants and friends of Ochberg orphans to be in touch directly with Lynne (Ruch) Michel (lynnebmichel@gmail.com), Brian Fine (briancfine@gmail.com) or Michael Fisher (mikefisher9000@gmail.com). To join our Facebook group, please go to: Ochberg Orphans Descendants and Friends