Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni and Community Connections

COVID-19

We hope you are well and have been able to enjoy sometime together with relatives and/or friends who do not live with you, two at a time since the COVID-19 rulings were relaxed just a little as of last Friday. As we all know, the rulings vary from state to state and they can change from day to day, so it is really important to understand what we can and cannot do, all still whilst still maintaining social distancing. The last thing any of us want to do, is to endanger the lives of grandparents and other vulnerable adults and children. Compared to other countries around the world, the restrictions placed upon us have been strict and the incidence of Coronavirus has certainly been more than we would have liked, but it has been nothing like it has been in countries such as China, Spain, Italy, the UK or the USA.

We must all be experts at good hand washing techniques by now. Did you know that Tuesday 5 May 2020 was World Hand Hygiene Day 2020, here is a nifty guide shared by Prince of Wales Hospital on the day (hand-washing guide photo):

So many events in our local and extended communities here and internationally have had to be cancelled or rescheduled for dates as yet unknown, due to Coronavirus, but one event that went ahead on the planned date is the fabulous 2020 Head On Photo Festival. I hope you take the opportunity to log on to their website and have a look at some of the wonderful photographic works on display.

2020 Head On Photo Festival – 1 May 2020 –  17 May 2020

This annual festival has always had exhibitions in various venues around Sydney including Paddington Town Hall, however this year’s festival is only online, with live streams and exhibitions as well as conversations where you can meet and greet Australian and international artists live online. Emanuel parent, Moshe Rosenzveig OAM, is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Head On Photo Festival and his wife, Anita Schwartz, sits on the Festival Advisory Board and is Festival Manager.

Thousands of submissions were received from sixty one different countries across the globe this year.  The launch along with the awards ceremony was held as scheduled last Friday evening, 1 May 2020 and was hosted by TV personality Osher Gunsberg, in front of a virtual audience of thousands. The winner this year is Fiona Wolf “The Gift, RHW 2020”.  There are workshops in your home and artist and curator talks as well. The Head On Foundation, established in 2008, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the work of photographers at all stages of their career, encouraging excellence and innovation, making photography accessible to all and raising awareness of important issues through photography. Read more about the Foundation and the festival here.   

“Being part of a community is more important than I understood before Covid-19”

Here is an interesting article written by Emanuel parent Sharon Berger, who is the Program Manager at the New Israel Fund.  She is a former journalist for The Jerusalem Post, Reuters, the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Australian Jewish News.  The article is titled “Being part of a community is more important than I understood before Covid-19”.

Sydney Friendship Circle and The Yard Project

Coronavirus has had far-reaching effects on so many aspects of our lives and on the organisations that help others within our extended community. Sydney Friendship Circle here is just one of these organisations that has had to adapt to social isolation. For now, the volunteers many of whom are Emanuel alumni, current students and parents, cannot be part of their face-to-face Sunday and holiday programs to assist children and young adults with disabilities, so they have organised virtual camps and other online sessions instead. Jono Parker (Class of 2012) from The Yard Project here recently taught them online, how to make a perfectly smooth, flavoursome and delicious hummus.

Many of us watch with interest, our Emanuel Shuk Facebook page and we encourage you to do so too. It is a page that parents (current and past), alumni and grandparents can use to buy, to sell, request for information. Join it here 

If you have photos and/or news to share, please send to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

To all our Emanuel mothers and grandmothers, we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day for Sunday and hope you enjoy spending your special day with members of your families, either in person or via Zoom/FaceTime.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and have a great weekend. Stay well and stay safe.