The power is in your plasma
Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations
Pesach – the festival of freedom
Purim has been and gone, and now we are fast approaching Pesach (Passover), the festival of freedom, with first night seder just 17 days away, on Monday 22 April 2024. This year, preparation for this most important Chag comes with much angst and sadness as well as with hope, as we continue to pray each and every day for the release of all remaining hostages still held in Gaza. The chant we say every Pesach continues – “Let my people go”.
Perhaps you will have one or both seder nights surrounded by family and friends at home, whilst others will join their congregation for a communal seder at synagogue, as we read in the Haggadah about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom. There are many traditions of Pesach, and foods eaten and/or forbidden depend on whether you are Ashkenazi or Sephardi but one thing is always the same – we remember the sacrifices our ancestors made during their wandering through the desert for 40 days and 40 nights after leaving Egypt. Our extended community in Sydney has held rallies of solidarity and organised events to show our ongoing support to bring the hostages home, and that will continue until all hostages are released.
Here is a message from the team at Together with Israel about the upcoming rally on Sunday 14 April 2024:
Together with Israel is committed to bringing our hostages home. From many rallies in the city, as well as in Alfred Park, our efforts continue unabated. We return to the city to remind the world that there are still 134 hostages held captive under horrible conditions, waiting to re-unite with their loved ones.
Click here to book for the rally
As we approach Pesach, a time of liberation and renewal, let us echo the timeless call, ‘LET MY PEOPLE GO!’ as we advocate for the freedom of those who were brutally taken from their home on October 7.
Please join us in our fight for freedom at a crucial rally in support of Israel to help bring our remaining 134 hostages back home. Guest speakers will include members of the hostages families.
Your presence and participation will make a significant difference and help raise awareness about this critical issue.
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday 14 April 2024 at 10.00 am. Together we can make a meaningful impact.
Toda raba,
The team at Together With Israel
Grandparents and Friends newsletter
Not all Emanuel grandparents live in Sydney, but the internet and email allow us to stay connected no matter how far away we live from our loved ones. We have just sent out our Semester 1 edition of Emanuel School’s Grandparents and Friends News – it was emailed to all grandparents on our database. Please click here to access the newsletter. There is so much to read and many photos to enjoy. Please forward the link to grandparents who did not get the newsletter by email, and send us their contact details so we can update the database accordingly and they can then also receive Ma Nishma.
The House Opposite
Survivor of the Kibbutz Be’eri massacre, Dafna Admati, visited Australia recently to speak at the UIA 2024 Gala event and also to our students. She has released a song about October 7, הבית ממול, The House Opposite.
Watch Dafna perform on YouTube and listen to the song on Spotify.
You woke up to a blinding light in the distance imagining the house across the street
The sky coloured moments of a place
that was burned to pieces in the air
and shouts there without a voice to the big place
And there is no echo or mirror reflecting
Looking for land that stood just yesterday
And its tears turned into cracks
and roots grew
And there is no power in this world that will heal
And there is no power in this world that will heal
There is a day for everything
There are international days and weeks currently observed by the United Nations (UN), which designates specific days, weeks, years and decades as occasions to mark particular events or topics in order to promote, through awareness and action, the objectives of the organisation.
On Tuesday this week it was World Autism Awareness Day. If you have 5 minutes, this clip is worth seeing. You probably already know this information, but it is a good reminder today and may generate some conversations.
Yom Hashoah
Sunday 5 May 2024
The theme for this year’s Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance day events, hosted by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, is The Holocaust in Hungary. The commemoration will mark 80 years since the Nazi invasion of Hungary. You are invited to attend the commemoration in person on Sunday 5 May 2024 at 6.45 pm for a 7.00 pm start at an Eastern Suburbs location (details provided one week prior). Free parking and convenient public transport options are available. Registration is essential.
The annual Memorial Service and Reading of Names will be held on Sunday 5 May 2024 at 10.30 am at the Martyrs’ Memorial, Rookwood Cemetery. Registration is essential.
The Yom Hashoah commemoration is one of the most important events on the Jewish calendar, and your presence would be greatly welcomed.
18 – chai – to life!
Are you a regular blood donor or perhaps you might be at the receiving end of blood donation? Maybe you have a story you would like to share? One very important ruling about eligibility to donate blood changed nearly two years ago but many people are not aware of this update. Prior to July 2022, if you lived in the UK for six months or more between 1980 and 1996, you were ineligible to donate blood here in Australia but not anymore. Donating blood or other blood products can be life changing for so many others.
The number “18” is a very special number in Judaism – it is seen as symbolic for life. It is common to give and receive gifts in multiples of “Chai”. Did you know plasma donations can help in 18 life-giving ways, from treating burns to cancer. The “magic” of 18 goes far beyond any religious or traditional significance. Here in Australia, the minimum age for donating blood is 18 and the maximum age is 75 for first-time donors, provided you are feeling well and weigh over 50 kg.
Sydney Jewish Museum
SJM Kids
School holidays are fast approaching. There are a number of children’s activities on offer at SJM that explore the sights and sounds of ancient Egypt and the Jewish story of Passover.
On Sunday 14 April at 11.00 am, join Michaela Kolowski in conversation with author, Emanuel past grandparent Diane Armstrong, about her new book, The Wild Date Palm – based on an astonishing true story of a Jewish family fighting for survival during the times of the Ottoman Empire.
Australian Jewish Historical Society (AJHS)
Did you know there were at least eight Jewish convicts on the First Fleet in 1788, including Esther Abrahams? Over a thousand more people of Jewish descent were sent to Australia as convicts during the next 60 years. You can learn more about the early days of Jewish life in Australia by visiting the ground floor exhibition at the Sydney Jewish Museum and by checking out the AJHS website. AJHS is dedicated to promoting the study of Jewry in Australia from 1788 and has sought to compile and make available unique and authentic records relating to the Jewish people in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands via the acquisition and preservation of historically significant documents and materials, pursuing the conservation of places of Jewish interest.
Founded in August 1938, and after many years of adding to, storing and preserving its archives at various sites around Sydney, a home was ultimately found at the Sydney Jewish Museum (SJM) – former Maccabean Hall in Darlinghurst.
Last year, AJHS amalgamated with the Australian Jewish Genealogical Society to create a single point of contact for researchers into the story of Jewish life in Australia. A number of Emanuel grandparents are involved on NSW Committee including Peter Philippsohn OAM, President, whilst Anna Marks OAM and Keith Masnick are committee members.
Quilting for Hope
Here is a photo of a completed quilt made by a group of volunteers in Melbourne. We can’t wait to see one completed by the Sydney group – don’t forget it’s not too late to book in to one of the sessions in Kensington.
Save the date – Private Art Gallery Tour
Wednesday 14 August 2024
We hope you will join us for Salon des Refuses – the alternative Archibald and Wynne Prize selection at S.H. Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill. More details to come soon.
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, as we continue to hope and pray for the safe return of all hostages still held in Gaza, and for peace to be restored in Israel soon.