Maayan Granot – Year 11

Over the course of the term, Year 11 has been lucky enough to hear some amazing guest speakers in the Jewish Studies Speaker Series. We have heard from an eclectic mix of people, all with differing views on Judaism. The common theme thus far has been Judaism. Even though we may have differing opinions on Judaism, it still plays a part in our daily lives – whether we know it or not. Even if we don’t necessarily agree with all aspects of Judaism, we can still learn and take away the core messages of the religion. 

Rabbi Elton

The first speaker we had was the Great Synagogue’s Rabbi Elton. He spoke to us about Euthanasia and how we can use Judaism to answer big ethical questions. We studied excerpts from the Torah and found ways to apply them to a modern context.

Rabbi Kamins

The next speaker we had was Emanuel Synagogue’s Rabbi Kamins. He spoke to us about the origins and nature of the patriarchy within society and how this ideology pre-dates the Torah. We had an interesting discussion regarding the impacts of the patriarchy on the Torah and Halacha. Even though there were a lot of differing opinions on the matter, the discussions were insightful and respectful. 

Rabbi Bergman

We then had the pleasure of hearing Rabbi Bergman, an Argentinian Rabbi, current President of World Progressive Judaism and former politician. He proposed the notion that climate change is a human right, and that we all must take responsibility for our actions towards the environment. We then applied Jewish values to this idea, speaking of bal tashlicht (do not waste), dugma ishit (leading by example) and kum ve’aseh (get up and do something), finding meaning in our religion and applying it to modern problems. 

The next speaker was someone that impacted Jake Fleischer a great deal. This is what Jake had to say about the talk:

Throughout our Speaker Series we had many interesting speakers, but one that stood out for me was Rabbi Kaiserblueth. Rabbi Kaiserblueth was a chaplain in the US Navy and came and spoke to us about how religion plays a big role in the army and how it influences so many decisions made by all the people involved. One part that particularly stood out for me was the fact that Jewish values coincided with naval values, and this aided the troops in making split second decisions. He also talked about how all religions would come and speak to him and ask for advice. This talk really opened my eyes up to how religion is so universal and how it impacts and has relevance to so many things, some you wouldn’t even expect. 

Rabbanit Judith Levitan

Rabbanit Judith Levitan

Next was my personal favourite speaker, Rabbanit Judith Levitan, the first female Orthodox Rabbi in Sydney. She spoke of a difficult paradox facing Orthodox feminists, which is how two very strong parts of their identity often directly conflict one another. The traditions within Orthodox Judaism and the fundamental idea of equality in feminism. I found her speech so inspiring, as a young Orthodox woman and being a proud feminist. Hearing of someone that faces a similar struggle to me, defying the odds and following her passion for learning Torah and Judaism, within the Orthodox community, was truly moving.

She compared her story to that of Esther, placing value on having loyalty and respect of people around you when you defy the status quo. Rabbanit Levitan, was able to take a monumental step for Orthodox women and I (and so many others) were so grateful to have heard her story. 

Greg Fisher

Greg Fisher

Our most recent speaker, Greg Fisher, shared his very inspirational story with us. He discussed the highest and lowest points of his life.

Here’s what some of my peers thought of his speech:

I’ve always been a fan of “based on true story” movies and books, so to hear such an intense story firsthand (the story of Greg Fisher), ranging from extreme lows, to overcoming those challenges reaching highs in becoming an influential figure was amazing to hear. It gave me hope that even if you hit rock bottom, there is always a way back up, it’s just a matter of how willing you are to turn your life around. By Coby New

Greg Fisher has been one of the most inspiring speakers that we have had in our Jewish Studies Speaker Series. When Greg walked into the theatre on Monday, I thought he was going to talk about business ethics or about the different charities which he manages – I never thought he was going to talk about the struggles he faced in his early life resulting in him being sent to a maximum-security prison. After coming out of jail, Greg started to work with charities such as Thread Together and Our Big Kitchen to help provide clothing and food to the homeless and started studying Aboriginal Studies after experiencing firsthand the injustices that Aboriginal people experienced in jail. Greg’s story teaches us that even when we are at rock bottom, we can still make a change in this world and act on any injustices we see. By Ella Engler

Most recently, we had the pleasure of hearing from an incredibly inspiring speaker, Greg Fisher. He graciously shared his story of transitioning from rock bottom to success and happiness and truly inspired each of us students in the room. His story was one of trials and tribulations however, this did not stop him from making it out the other side a stronger person. By Ashley Goldman