Volume 30 Issue 34 12 Nov 2021 8 Kislev 5782

Those who shine

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Life returning to “normal”

It is half way through November already, meaning we only have four weeks left until the end of the school year. Many very happy interstate family reunions have now taken place, with many more planned, and overseas travel now allows for even more reunions. We continue to appreciate everything the School does to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff and of our students. 

For the latest COVID rulings updates.

With the start of the HSC this week, we acknowledge how different these final two years have been for the Class of 2021 compared to those of our Year 12 students prior to COVID-19. They have truly been an awesome group and they will certainly have a story to tell in years to come. As we all know, the HSC is the end of school but it is just the beginning of the rest of our lives. Here is an interesting article published in Tuesday’s SMH, written by Tracey Schreier, a past Casual Teacher here at Emanuel School. 

 

Those who shine

I love the opportunity to showcase achievements of members of our very talented Emanuel Community each week on this page, here are a few more:

Emanuel parent, Emile Sherman

Highly acclaimed film producer, Emile Sherman, is best known for The King’s Speech which won him an Academy Award for Best Picture in 2011. He also produced the biographical drama film Lion, based on Saroo Brierley’s memoir A Long Way Home, starring Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and David Wenham, which went on to receive numerous Oscar nominations at the time.

Emile is the Producer of a new film The Power of the Dog starring Benedict Cumberbatch, based on the novel by Thomas Savage which sees a domineering rancher responding with mocking cruelty when his brother brings home a new wife and her son, until the unexpected comes to pass. As we congratulate Emile and all the production crew and cast, the film has already received rave reviews.

Alumnus, Daniel Brockwell (Class of 2015) is co-founder of a new startup Earlywork, creating the careers of tomorrow. Claire Pech, our Careers Advisor, has a wonderful interview with Daniel on her Careers page in this issue of Ma Nishma which I hope you enjoy reading. 

Father and son act

Graeme Friedman, father of David (Davey), Class of 2011, Matthew (Matt), Class of 2015 and Asha Friedman, Class of 2020, is a clinical psychologist and an award-winning writer whose short stories have appeared in anthologies published internationally, and he recently launched his latest book What the Boy Hears When the Girl Dreams.

Graeme says, “I feel driven to use stories to make sense of the world, and love to explore the lives of ordinary people set against bigger political tensions. Writers are often told to write about what they know, but I love to research and write about worlds I do not know. I’ve done that in my non-fiction, tackling subjects as diverse as football and the Holocaust, and in The Fossil Artist, my novel about fossil hunting, and now, in What the Boy Hears When the Girl Dreams, I’ve woven colourful and little-known pieces of Sydney history into a story about a boy with ‘super-hearing’ who uses his power to help his family’s lodger, a young African asylum seeker, piece together her traumatic past from scraps of her night-time dream talk. I hope readers enjoy it!”

Alumnus Davey Seagle (aka David Friedman, Class of 2011) – elder son of Graeme Friedman
After finishing Year 12 at Emanuel, Davey studied and worked extensively in theatre in London before returning to Sydney where he runs his own theatre company Ponydog Productions.

His latest production, Tattle Tales, is an immersive storytelling experience.

You, the audience, are invited to share in creating an original adventure with The Storyteller as your guide. Designed to be experienced by no more than 10 people per show, the decisions you make will determine the characters you meet and the challenges you’ll face on your journey.

Your tale, once told, will never be told again.

Davey says ,“I’d love to see some Emanuel folks at my show, so please use the code ‘STORYTIME’ for 10% off adult tickets” which you can purchase here.

Flight Path Theatre, Marrickville
Previews: Tuesday 16 – Thursday 18 November
Season: Friday 19 – Sunday 28 November

2021 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation

Mazal tov to past parent, Professor Anthony (Tony) Weiss AM, from the University of Sydney, who was recently awarded the 2021 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation for his research into accelerating and improving the repair of human tissue.

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. Please help us to get our grandparents database updated by sending 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 page are the best ways to stay connected with us.  If you are not already a member of our Facebook page, join here.

“Mo-for-Mike” continues right through November

On my page last week, I included a poignant message from Emanuel parent Craig Haifer who decided to dive mo-first into Movember in honour of his dad the late Dr Michael Haifer who sadly suicided earlier this year. Craig wants to use this as a platform to promote discussion and change, whilst raising money for an extremely worthwhile cause. He says, “start a conversation, even consider releasing your inner Mo and donate as you can”.

“Thank you” from Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN)

Following this week’s online fundraising event for AJFN, they would like to say a huge to members of our School community who supported this amazing cause. The original goal of $260,000.00 was far exceeded, raising over $386,900.00 over the 24 hours of their campaign – much needed funds to help create miracles.

Lion Spy
Sunday 21 November 2021 at 4.00 pm

Now that cinemas and theatres have opened up again after lockdown, we have the opportunity to see some amazing productions, not just on our TV screens. One such option is to head to The Ritz Cinema in Randwick for a special pre-screening of “Lion Spy” benefitting National Council of Jewish Women of Australia (NCJWA) and Friendship Circle. The screening will be followed by an exclusive Q&A with director Rogue Rubin. The documentary follows Rogue Rubin, as she infiltrates the male dominated world of trophy hunters in Africa.

Here is the link to purchase tickets and for more information on the film.

Challah and sweet treats

Don’t forget you can order challah and sweet treats online from the Friendship Bakery at Mark Moran Vaucluse (2 Laguna Street Vaucluse), a social enterprise initiative of the Friendship Circle engaging young adults with disabilities. Online orders close at 4.00 pm on Thursdays for “click and collect” and pick up on Fridays between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. If you miss this cut-off, you can 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. Some of their weekly favourites will no doubt tempt you, as will new products. They have gluten-free options as well as a few vegan goodies.

Holiday workshops

With the Summer School holidays fast approaching, there are lots of choices for activities for your children, so watch this space. Past parent Vivienne Radomsky, Project Manager at B’nai B’rith NSW, shares details about the B’nai B’rith Kids Club photo workshop on the 18 January 2022:

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: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend.