Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Life returning to “normal”

November has started off on a good note and we can now travel all around NSW and to many other states around the country, with life getting busier and busier for those of us who are double vaccinated and, as we note, more “freedoms” will start next Monday, three weeks earlier than planned. Some in our community will have family members return to Sydney from overseas after a long absence, whilst some will head off overseas themselves, as more and more of our day-to-day activities and life in general return to “normal”. We continue to appreciate everything the School does to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff and of our students, all of whom are pleased to be back on campus. 

For the latest COVID rulings updates.

Year 12 2021

We wish our Year 12 students (Class of 2021) all the best for their HSC exams which start on Tuesday 9 November 2021 and will be written at Emanuel Synagogue in Woollahra. We look forward to sharing their journey beyond the Waxman Gates with the 2021 HSC officially ending on Monday 29 November 2021. 

A Mo for Mike

Craig and Michael Haifer

The Haifer family has had a connection with our School on and off since the early 2000’s. I recall the wonderful Primary Grandparents and Friends Days when Maurice Haifer and his late wife Reitta would spend very special times with some of their grandsons on campus at these annual events. Maurice’s great grandson James is now at Kornmehl Pre-school.

Here is a poignant message from James’s father Dr Craig Haifer, which he is happy for me to share with our readers: 

Earlier this year I lost my dad, Dr Michael Haifer, to suicide and I have personally struggled with my own inner demons. I know how difficult it is to admit that “things aren’t ok”, but I also know how much worse it is to bottle it up inside. Dad was always there for people, but never reached out for help when he needed it the most. We need to create a community where people feel safe and comfortable to reach out for help, and what better way to start this conversation than by saying “what a big and luscious Mo you have there”.

This year, I’ve decided to dive mo-first into Movember in honour of my dad and to use this as a platform to promote discussion and change, whilst raising money for an extremely worthwhile cause. Start a conversation, even consider releasing your inner Mo and donate as you can.

Beijing – here we come

Ashleigh Werner and her Australian bobsleigh team are heading off to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing next year. Although she did not complete her schooling at Emanuel, Ashleigh was a student here until the end of Year 9 in 2008, and she remains good friends with many of her cohort from the Class of 2011, whilst her cousins Amber and Sophie Sawicki are Emanuel alumni. Read Ashleigh’s story here.       

Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN) – Monday 8 November 2021 at 8.00 pm

There is still time to join AJFN online for their major event on Monday 8 November at 8.00 pm, an inspirational evening where you’ll see what an incredible impact AJFN – fuelled by community support – has and continues to have, creating miracles together and building the next generation, in the documentary One in Six which tells the story of AJFN couple Janine and Shimon Davidowitz.

Book your free tickets now and you also have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for some fabulous prizes at checkout.

All funds raised from this appeal will go towards helping twenty nine couples in our community experiencing infertility who need the support of AJFN.

Kristallnacht Commemoration 2021 – Tuesday 9 November 2021

The night of 9 November 1938 – 10 November 1938, when Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalised Jewish homes, schools and businesses, and killed close to 100 Jews is known as Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass.

Next week online in Sydney, we commemorate this tragic event that heralded the start of World War 2 with a tribute to the one of our great grandparents, the late Eddie Jaku OAM, holocaust survivor and witness to Kristallnacht, who recently passed away, aged 101. Bookings for this free online event are essential.

Grandparents – we will always want you!

Ma Nishma each week remains one of the best ways to stay connected with our School and with our community no matter where in the world you live. Unfortunately, we are still missing up-to-date email contact details for many of our grandparents, so please send through grandparent contact details so they too can read Ma Nishma to find out what is happening at School, albeit it only online for now. They will also receive our Grandparents and Friends newsletter. You can see past issues of this newsletter along with our alumni newsletters online. Living interstate and/or overseas, means some of “our” grandparents never have an opportunity to come to school, so connecting electronically can be really meaningful and a great way for them to see what their grandchildren are doing at School in spite of the distance apart. Having just come out of lockdown, no visitors can come onto campus so even for our local grandparents Ma Nishma and our Community Facebook (FB) page are the best ways to stay connected with us. If not already a member of our FB page, join here.

Jewish Changemakers 2021

This year’s awards nominations have now closed. You can see all nominees here. It is great to see seven of our alumni nominated for a variety of awards including the newly created Joshua Levi Young Professional Award.

We wish every success to Mitch Burnie (Class of 2011), Hannah Beder (Class of 2012), Rikki Stern (Class of 2016), Jordana Blackman (Class of 2017), Nadia Coburn (Class of 2017), Chloe Corne (Class of 2017) and Sean Torban (Class of 2018). There are various “Youth” (High School) and ”Young Adults” (18-35) categories and hopefully next year we can recruit some of our amazing student volunteers for nomination of the prestigious Youth Category awards, as well as alumni for the Young Adult categories.

Challah and sweet treats

Don’t forget you can order challah and sweet treats online from Friendship Bakery at Mark Moran Vaucluse (2 Laguna Street Vaucluse), a social enterprise initiative of the Friendship Circle, engaging young adults with disabilities. Closing on Thursdays for “click and collect” pick up on Fridays between 9.00 am and 1.00 pm. If you miss this cut-off, you can just head up to the bakery on a Friday morning, where no doubt you will see other parents, grandparents and friends in the queue waiting to buy their yummy challah and freshly baked treats for Shabbat and the weekend.

We look forward to sharing our news and yours, so if you have photos or news you would like to share with us, please send to Sonia Newell.                            

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend.