Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni and Community Relations

What do you do when you turn 100?

Emanuel great-grandparent Eddie Jaku OAM turned 100 on the 14 April 2020, during lockdown. Celebrations with family, friends and colleagues from the Sydney Jewish Museum, where Eddie volunteered as a Museum guide since its inception in 1992, could not go ahead as planned. Last weekend however, Eddie truly had the limelight – he appeared on The Project (Network 10), he was interviewed for Spectrum (Sydney Morning Herald) and he launched his book The Happiest Man on Earth. A Holocaust survivor, Eddie writes about hope and resilience in spite of his traumatic experiences of concentration camp and World War 2.

 For some, life is way too short

Jeremy Spinak AM

Alumnus Jeremy Spinak AM (Class of 2000) sadly passed away in November 2018 at the age of 36, leaving behind his beloved wife Rhiannon and twins Grace and Michael aged just one, as well as loving parents and siblings, extended family and lots of friends. Before his untimely death, Jez, as he was affectionately known, asked his filmmaker cousin Mitzi Goldman to make a documentary as a way for his young children to know their father when old enough to understand. This film, Jez, is being shown on Compass this Sunday evening and will be well-worth watching.  

Jeremy, one of the youngest to ever hold the office of President of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (2014 – 2018), was recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours, receiving an Order of Australia posthumously, for his significant service to the Jewish community, to multicultural relations and to interfaith dialogue.

September is only around the corner

Help support alumnus Ben Wilheim (Class of 2008) and friends for Remember September as just one of the many ways to help find a cure for Pancreatic Cancer.  A new website just launched shows how you can choose one of the four challengers and how to sign up:

B’nai B’rith & JNF Jewish Changemaker Awards 2020

Don’t forget nominations are now open for these prestigious awards and can be done online. Who doesn’t love to recognise the wonderful volunteering efforts of our students and young adults. Anyone can nominate – parents, staff and even the nominees themselves. It would be wonderful to see some of our students and alumni nominated again this year.

Friendship Circle (FC) Walk 2020

Our extended School community has strong connections to FC through a variety of ways – it might be through volunteering efforts and/or having children with special needs who attend the amazing events organised by FC for children and young adults of Sydney with disabilities. FC looks forward to our support for this year’s virtual walk. 

If you have photos and/or news to share, please send to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Stay safe and Shabbat Shalom.