Spring has sprung
Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations
September has finally arrived!
Did you know we celebrate Wattle Day here in Australia on the first day of September each year, the official start of our Australian Spring. The national floral emblem of Australia is the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha). The day was originally intended to promote patriotism for the new nation of Australia in the early days of the federated nation, with the first suggestion made by Archibald Campbell, a leading ornithologist and field naturalist with a particular passion for Australian wattle, in a speech he gave in September 1908. The Golden Wattle was incorporated as an accessory in the design of the Coat of Arms of Australia in 1912. However, for some of us who suffer from hay fever, Spring is a time for sneezing and lots of tissues, and so we best to admire the Spring flora from afar.
Father’s Day 2022
Here in Australia, we celebrate Father’s Day on the first Sunday in September, which is just two days’ away. However, in the USA, United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, Japan and India, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June, which this year was 19 June, whilst in Italy, Spain and Portugal it was celebrated on 8 August. In Thailand it is on 5 December, the birthday of former King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Although this special day first started being celebrated in the USA to remember a terrible mining disaster that killed 360 men in 1907, the 1908 event was seen as a one-off but by 1910, it became an annual event in the USA. Here in Australia, one of the first mentions of Father’s Day was seen in the Newcastle Sun on Friday 4 September 1936. The article promoted a Father’s Day meeting at the Baptist Tabernacle, with reference to hopes the day would become as popular as Mother’s Day. It is a celebration that honours the role of fathers and forefathers. It is a modern celebration, though we read the ancient Romans did have a tradition of honouring fathers every February, but only those who had deceased.
Wishing all Emanuel Dads a very Happy Father’s Day!
YOM LIMMUD 2022
Sunday 11 September 2022 at Roundhouse, UNSW
There are a number of Emanuel alumni who will be presenting at Yom Limmud on Sunday 11 September 2022. Past parent Estelle Rozinski, together with current parent Steven Durbach and alumnus David Asher Brook present The Healer at 11.15 am, just one of the many exciting sessions on offer at this one-day only event. Purchase tickets online.
Adamama magazine – Harvester
This is a new and exciting initiative from Adamama, based at Randwick Sustainability Hub, 27 Munda Street Randwick. Farm Manager, alumnus Mitch Burnie says: “If you live in Sydney and love fermented foods then this is the only subscription you need in your life right now!
“We are excited to release the first edition of our quarterly Adamama Magazine, Harvester: A guide to growing, learning, noshing and connecting. The first edition will get you, and your garden, spring and Chaggim ready. These 30 pages of goodness will support you through everything from understanding soil, what to plant in spring, festival recipes and Jewish sustainability practices. The digital magazine is free to view or download and you can order your limited edition printed copy through our Adamama shop. Get a new product each month, plus a handout with recipes, plus fermentation course discounts! Subscribe now for the next three months.
“All proceeds go back into Adamama community projects”.
Primary School Grandparents Day
Friday 16 September 2022
We are all so excited that two weeks today, we will welcome several hundred equally excited grandparents to our Primary Grandparents Day. The weather promises to be fine and all the students are preparing for this very special morning with their grandparents and/or very special friends if grandparents are not around to attend. If you know of grandparents who are also planning to join us for this amazing morning of fun and activities with our students, your children/grandchildren, please RSVP as soon as possible, as we need to know numbers for seating and catering purposes.
Parents, if your children’s grandparents do not subscribe to Ma Nishma or are not on email, please let them know about this wonderful opportunity to come to school to share precious time with their grandchild(ren) on Friday 16 September 2022. If you have any questions about this event, please get in touch.
Remember September
September has only just begun and $500,000 has already been raised for research into finding a cure for pancreatic cancer. It is not too late to sign up alongside alumnus Ben Wilheim and many of his peers from the Class of 2008 to participate in this month-long challenge, together with hundreds of other people all around Australia. As a challenge-based fundraising initiative, Remember September aims to educate the public about pancreatic cancer as well as hopefully find a cure. Choose Give It Up and give up a ‘vice’ of your choosing like caffeine, alcohol, sugar or chocolate, or choose Move It and walk 63km over the month of September for the 63 Australians who die from pancreatic cancer every week. You can sign up as an individual or as a team. Entry is free – sign up now.
FC Walk 2022
A message from The Friendship Circle Team: What an incredible day we had last Sunday! We want to thank you and our entire community for your immense generosity and support for this year’s Friendship Walk. After two years of walking together virtually, it was the best feeling being able to come together, connect, and celebrate in person at Vaucluse Public School. The atmosphere was electric and we had goosebumps seeing the school and streets of Vaucluse and Watsons Bay filled with hundreds of walkers in their purple t-shirts.
Over 900 of you have donated, and together, we have now raised just over $206,000.00. Thank you so much for making this possible during a challenging time for many. It shows the true spirit of our community, pulling together to push for disability awareness and inclusion, and proving that we all belong.
We are so grateful to each and every one of you who has donated and spread the word about the Walk and Friendship Circle’s mission, who volunteered, came along to raise awareness, and made the day so fantastic, including our Walk committee, suppliers and sponsors.
With the help of your donations, we will continue to work on our goal to offer programs, events and initiatives to more children and young people with and without disabilities, and their families. This is only possible because of your kindness and generosity.
If you created a fundraising page, they will all stay open until 30 September, and you can still help us at sydneyfc.org.au/walk.
Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages for more photos and stories capturing Sunday’s amazing atmosphere, as well as our upcoming newsletter.
With the Jewish New Year just around the corner, we wanted to take this opportunity to share our wishes for a Shana Tovah U’Mesuka to all of you wonderful people, to our amazing village and for all humanity!
The Friendship Circle Team
Changemaker Awards 2022
Honouring young people making a difference in our community
The B’nai B’rith Alfred Dreyfus Anti-Defamation Unit and JNF Australia are honouring individuals in our community who have made a difference and in the process, inspire others to get involved. This year, the Awards program has streamlined the nominating process and there are now only three nomination categories with prize money as shown:
- Youth Volunteers for under 18s: $1500.00
- Young Adult Volunteers 18 to 36 years of age: $3000.00
- Joshua Levi Professional Award 18 to 36 years of age: $5000.00
Nominations close 30 September 2022.
You can check out Emanuel student and alumni past winners since 2017 on the same link as for 2022 nominations.
We look forward to sharing our news and yours, so if you have photos and/or news you would like to share with us, please send to Sonia Newell.
Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend. Happy Father’s Day to all our fathers, grandfathers and other special father-figures in your lives.