The Angel Network
Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations
Toda Raba – thank you
As this is the final issue of Ma Nishma for 2021, I want to thank you for allowing me to share some of your amazing achievements and news with our School Community each week – what a rollercoaster year this has been. We are grateful for everything the School has done to continue to educate and care for our children and support them and their families as well as the staff during this crazy year, and always. To the many readers of my page, I hope you have enjoyed reading the tidbits of news and events in our School and extended community this year and I hope you will continue to do so again next year. We are fortunate to be part of this wonderful Emanuel family where support and encouragement are paramount. I hope you enjoy the summer break with family and friends – stay safe wherever you are.
Happy Hanukkah
We hope you are all enjoying Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, celebrating with family and friends, and have not overdosed on the huge variety of delicious donuts and latkes available in stores and home-made. It seems sufganiyot (donuts) are no longer just the “simple” jam-filled ones we traditionally ate for Hanukkah until recent times. This year especially, we have seen and eaten some very creative and exotic donuts.
Although COVID rulings have been significantly relaxed, we still need to remain vigilant as there are cases of COVID reported in the suburbs in which we live and this new omicron variant is likely to not be the last we will encounter. Please stay safe everyone. Here are the latest COVID rulings updates.
“Voiceless”
Author and alumna Ondine Sherman (Class of 1990), Co-Founder and Managing Director of VOICELESS, the animal protection institute, has lived in Israel for many years now and she just sent this message: “From January 2022, Voiceless is embarking on a new journey,
and we are excited to share it with you! Voiceless is becoming the leading grant program for animal protection in Australia with $120,000 in annual funding. In 2022, we will announce our inaugural grantees and the details about the open application process and criteria for 2023 and beyond. Our website will remain a rich library of resources for advocates, lawyers, students, teachers and the public. Although we won’t be running our education programs from 2022, we will continue to inspire a new generation of changemakers by investing in humane education, animal law, and policy reform through the Voiceless Grants Program. We look forward to supporting visionary, strategic, impactful work and, together with our wonderful community, seeing real, meaningful, systemic change for animals.
Click on the link to learn more about the Voiceless Grants Program and our plans for the future.”
If you are wondering about the name “Sherman”, yes Ondine is related to Emile – they are siblings. You may have read about Emile and the new film he produced on my page a few weeks ago. Here now is a recent interview with Emile about “The Power of the Dog”.
The Angel Network
Helping where help is needed
Started in South Africa, The Angel Network is now in Australia with tax deductible status. Brought to Australia by ex-South Africans, Emanuel parent Simone Joffe (mother of Aron Harpaz in Year 10 and Raph Harpaz in Year 8) and friends Jo Bloch and Sherisse Cohen (Moriah Mums), the network focuses on giving a hand UP, rather than a handout where possible. The voluntary, non-profit organisation with its incredible team of angels is not affiliated to any one charity, but rather offers assistance to established welfare organisations and provides relief and support to Australian and South African causes and individuals in need.
Current Australian projects and collaborations:
- “Run For Good Project” – establishing safe home environments for domestic violence victims
- The Afghan Children’s Appeal
- Refugee collections eg toys, baby clothes, carpets, heaters etc
South African collections for:
- Feed a South African family of five for a month ($35.00)
- School Shoes for a South African student ($25.00)
- Winter Comfort Packs ($50.00) – sleeping bag, pillow, blanket and a warm meal
- Feed and Warm Deal ($100.00) – 30 hot meals for a family of 6 + blankets
Please consider a donation of any amount you wish or gift certificates in lieu of gifts for birthdays, special occasions and end of year celebrations. 100% of the donation goes directly to the selected beneficiaries. Visit The Angel Network or contact Simone on info@theangelnetwork.org.au or Jo on 0416 175 587
Summer holiday activities
There are lots of choices for activities for your children, some of which involve helping others in a volunteering capacity, whist some provide creative and/or sporting experiences. Here now is information about some of these events along with a link to a FB page you might find useful, plus information about Maccabi Junior Carnival 2022.
Great initiative by two Year 10 students
As part of raising funds for their Maccabiah 2022 trip to Israel, Eden Levit and Coby New have decided to fundraise doing what they love most – soccer and athletics. They are so excited to mentor your children and thank you greatly for your support. They hope to see your children in December.
Book now! Only limited spots available for this unmissable camp.
Friendship Circle January Day Camp volunteer registrations are open.
B’nai B’rith Kids Club photo workshop
on Tuesday 18 January 2022. For more information or to book, please call Vivienne Radomsky on 9321 6300.
Facebook group Sydney Jewish Mums
Maccabi Junior Carnival 2022 (in Sydney)
Many of our students play sport in one (or more) of the hundreds of Maccabi Club teams, making life-long friends through such times. Parent Lara Levin has been on the Maccabi NSW Board since 2018, with her portfolio initially “Maccabi Life” but it is now “National Sport” and she is involved with organising Junior Carnival 2022. See poster for details.
Changemaker Awards National
Online Event, Monday 6 December 2021
Join in for this event to celebrate the nominees and the winners. Good luck to these alumni who have been nominated for a variety of awards this year: Hannah Beder, Jordana Blackman, Mitch Burnie, Nadia Coburn, Chloe Corne, Miriam Itzkowitz, Rikki Stern and Sean Torban.
Talking Holocaust
Alumnus Sean Torban (Class of 2018) founder of “Talking Holocaust” invites our school community to an event “Growing up Jewish with the Holocaust”, on Wednesday 8 December 2021 at Emanuel Synagogue from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm.
BBYO (B’nai B’rith Youth organisation)
invites families to a shabbat dinner on Friday 10 December 2021
A message from past parent Vivienne Radomsky, Project Manager BBNSW – “BBYO is a group for teenagers to socialise, learn leadership skills and develop their Jewish identity. Our next event is a Shabbat Dinner for families on Friday 10 December at the B’nai B’rith Centre in Kensington, UNSW. We would love you to join us”. Bookings must be made by Monday 6 December.
TattleTales by alumnus Davey Seagle (Aka David Friedman, Class of 2011) –
season extended
With the season extended to Sunday 19 December 2021, you still have the chance to book for Davey’s latest production TattleTales, an immersive storytelling experience, through his company Ponydog Productions.
Whether a closeted actor, avid role-player, or secret dreamer, TattleTales opens the stage to your unique imagination for a fun and wholesome welcome back to the theatre. 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 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.
Members of our School community are invited to book their tickets and use the code ‘STORYTIME’ for 10% off adult tickets.
Flight Path Theatre, Marrickville
Season extended to Sunday 19 December 2021
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. We will have our end-of-year edition of our Grandparents and Friends newsletter out very soon and 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. As we still cannot have visitors on campus Ma Nishma and our Community Facebook (FB) page are great ways to stay connected with us. If not already a member of our FB page, join here.
We look forward to sharing our news and yours in 2022, so if you have photos or news you would like to share with us, please send to Sonia Newell.
Shabbat shalom, chag Chanukah sameach and stay safe. Have a great weekend and a wonderful summer break. Look forward to seeing you next year!