From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Experiencing the joy of Purim

Our staff and students emerged from under the cloud of COVID-19, to enjoy a day of crazy costumes, dancing and laughter. Both our High School and Primary School ran a costume parade and joyfully celebrated Purim together. We have prepared a wonderful video of the event – please click here to experience true Emanuel School Purim joy.

I asked Daniel Samowitz, Informal Jewish Life Teacher, what Purim meant to him:

“Purim is a celebration of life and a celebration of survival. This year in the High School we used the Purim story to delve deeper into the theme of power. All students had a chance to show off their costumes, exchange Mishloach Manot and hear the megillah. One of the highlights this year was that our Year 11 and 12 students facilitated a program for the rest of the High School students. It was lovely to see our senior students – who all have many more years learning the themes of Purim – planning, leading and facilitating groups of younger students discussing the place of power in our lives.

Some of the questions the students were asked included:

Who was more powerful, Haman or Ester?
Who has the power in our lives today… politicians, teachers, movies stars?
How do we at Emanuel define what power is for our community? What do we want it to be?

Our students re-told the Purim narrative as a backdrop to discuss the place of power and authority in our lives today. Perhaps the most important question we can ask is “are you powerful?”

Update on COVID-19 (coronavirus)

As community transmission of COVID-19 grows across many parts of the world, we are currently developing a continuity plan, responding to both low and/or significant impacts on our Emanuel School community. Our School will work in close partnership with our families, to minimise the risk of community transmission.

What our families can do:

Avoid overseas travel entirely;
Reinforce our key messages about reducing the chance of transmission through effective hand washing, covering of mouth and nose with an elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing, reducing physical contact (hugs, handshakes) and maintaining a distance from each other;
Keep your child at home and isolate them if they display any cold or flu-like symptoms. Previously, some students may have attended school when they are less than well – a child demonstrating any contagious symptoms should not attend school;
Keep your child at home and isolate them (14 days from return) if they (or members of their home) have travelled to countries identified by the Australian Department of Health and/or the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Smart Traveller) as high or moderate risk;
Book in the family to receive the influenza vaccination; and
Avoid large group gatherings or conferences.

What our School will do:

Promote healthy hygiene procedures (effective hand washing, coughing/sneezing, physical contact), via messages and posters;
Provide hand sanitiser for areas and routines where hand washing is not available or practical, and actively encourage its consistent use;
Cancel or postpone any overseas excursions or work-related travel for the remainder of Term 1 and break, and review risk for Term 2 activities;
Postpone outreach programs that engage with vulnerable members of the broader community, particularly the elderly or sick (e.g. Montefiore Home, aged care);
Encourage all our staff to receive the influenza vaccination;
Review our cleaning processes and add additional disinfectant requirements, around taps, door handles and all surfaces;
Ensure that our medical clinic and reception are sanitised after ill students or staff have departed; and
Isolate and send home students, staff or community members with cold or flu-like or contagious symptoms (e.g. cough, sneezing, fever).

Permanent relocation of our Uniform Shop

Over the past six months, we have been working closely with Midford, our uniform suppliers, to move the uniform shop off campus. Our hope is that the current Adler Building will be demolished and replaced with a capacious, purpose-built and multi-level building in the coming years. In the interim, we will be moving our marketing and communications hub into this area, due to our limited office space.

From Monday 27 April 2020, the new location for the Midford uniform shop will be Shop 3, 155 Avoca Street, Randwick. The site is larger, air conditioned and close to our campus, with parking available at the nearby Royal Randwick Shopping Centre. The last day of trade at the current on-campus location will be on Thursday 2 April.

In preparation for the uniform shop move and the change to winter uniform, Midford will offer extended trading hours in the last week of Term 1. Please try to take advantage of these additional hours to purchase your winter uniforms, ahead of the school holidays. The end of Term 1 trading hours will be 8.00 am – 4.00 pm from Monday 30 March – Thursday 2 April.

The shop will relocate during the school holidays and the new uniform shop will open on Monday 27 April, for the full day. Midford has agreed to trade an extra hour later on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to allow parents and students to visit the shop after school finishes.

Initially, the regular trading hours will be:

Monday: 8.00 am – 11.00 am
Tuesday and Thursday: 1.00 pm – 5.00 pm

For security purposes the new uniform shop will be cashless. Orders can also be placed and paid for online and collected at the uniform shop after 3.00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or delivered by courier to an alternative address for a small charge.

As is currently the case, Midford will provide extended hours at the new location, in the back-to-school period and at the start of each term, especially around the change of uniform from summer to winter or vice versa.

A downloadable summary of this important information can be accessed here.

Mazal tov

The Emanuel Year 7/8 boys basketball team won the Jewish Day Schools Basketball competition on Thursday.

Quote of the week

“Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.”
Arnold H. Glasow

Primary School

Hagit Bar-On – Head of Jewish Life K – 6

Purim was a fabulous day with many fun activities such as baking, dancing, crafting and more. It gave me a great feeling to see the smiles on students faces throughout the day.

We started with a Purim parade where all students had a chance to show off their amazing and creative costumes. Luckily, the weather was in our favour so we could have the parade outdoors for Years K – 2. It was such a joy to see, especially Year K students so proud of their costumes, enjoying dancing and singing. It was also amusing to watch their parents, who took endless photos of their sweet children.

This year’s Purim was different from previous ones as we celebrated the festival the whole day at school. In their classes, students had many fun and creative activities. They learnt about the story of Purim by watching animated movies and role-played the characters. Students made רעשנים (Ra’ashanim – noise makers) which they used later on when they heard the reading of the מגילה (the scroll of Esther) and the name of the evil Haman המן הרע. Students made מסכות (masks) and decorated them. I think that the highlight of the day was baking אוזני המן (Hamantaschen) and, of course, eating them. Every class attended the kitchen, and with the assistance of מורה אריקה (Morah Erika) who made the dough and Stacey Rosenfeld, students created two triangle cookies filled with yummy chocolate. What a treat!

Year 6 displayed fantastic leadership by organising a שוק פורים (Purim Market) with the help of their teachers. There were lots of interactive stalls such as face painting, Israeli dancing, soccer, basketball and many more. The finale of the day was the reading of the מגילה (The Scroll of Esther) and a funny performance presented by Jestar Drama led by מורה אנה (Morah Anna) and the talented Hebrew teachers who played the girls who wanted to become Queen Esther and the evil Haman. I was so proud of the Year 6 students who read from the Megilah in Hebrew and displayed their talent and fluency. It feels so important to have sane moments in today’s troubled times.

I hope you will all enjoy the lovely photos taken by our staff and Ofer Levy.

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Danny Seigel – Head of Jewish Life

The Promise of Purim

The Shabbat just past is called Shabbat Zakhor, for we read the following biblical passage: ‘Remember/Zakhor what Amalek did to you…blot out the remembrance/zekher of Amalek’.

In the reading of the Prophets for Shabbat Zakhor, we are told that King Saul loses his kingship because he did not kill King Agag of Amalek. In the name of God, Samuel had instructed Saul:
‘Now go smite Amalek, and utterly destroy them…kill all alike, men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep’.

Before killing Agag of Amalek himself, Samuel says ‘The eternal one of Israel does not change His mind’. The biblical command to utterly destroy Amalek is never to be revoked and always to be heeded.

This week, following Shabbat Zakhor, we celebrate Purim and read Megillat Ester wherein Haman, descendant of Agag of Amalek confronts Mordechai, descendant of Saul, seeking to kill him and all the Jews. It is as if the author of this Megillah is reminding us that if we don’t completely eradicate Amalek, we might end up being the ones eradicated. Clearly, Samuel himself could not “finish the job”, and so we must remain steadfast in leaving no Amalekite alive. Accordingly, at the end of the Megillah, we read that not only Haman the Amalekite is killed but all his ten sons are slain, as well.

Children killed for the deeds of their parents or of their very distant relatives, while a biblical notion, does not “sit well’ with our Rabbinic tradition. The Talmudic Rabbi Mani presents Saul as arguing with God: ‘If a man has transgressed, did his animal transgress. If adults transgressed, did children transgress’.

Why wholesale extinction of the Amalekite people?

Significantly, this week’s parashah, Ki Tisa, presents God as declaring: ‘The Lord…a god compassionate and gracious…forgiving iniquity…and transgression, yet He does not remit all punishment, but visits iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children’. Thus, during this week of Purim, we are reminded of the concept of inherited sin and consequent punishment for those who were not alive when the transgression was committed.

Yet, the siddur, our prayer book, argues that this is not the final word. Quoting this very verse from our parashah it says: ‘The Lord…a God compassionate and gracious…forgiving iniquity… and transgression’. Rather than prescribing punishment of all descendants of the initial transgressor, it excises the remaining words of the verse.

Indeed, this is reflected in a lesser known Purim tradition of celebrating until “Ad Lo Yada” – “Until one can no longer distinguish between ‘Cursed be Haman (the Amalekite) and blessed be Mordechai (the Jew)’ ”.

Inherited hate yields inherited destruction, for both ‘sides’.

The Talmudic Rabbis long ago sought to dispel the notion of forever eradicating Amalek, when they said: ‘The grandchildren of Haman studied Torah in Bnei Brak’.

The Israelites and the Amalekites, Haman and Mordechai, the past of our parents need not be the future of our children. We can and must live together, and learn from each other, even if our ancestors could not.

Ma Koreh

Hagit Bar-On – Head of Hebrew K-6

Purim celebrations

Our school, staff and students transformed this week for Purim celebrations. The day began with lots of ruach, dancing and a display of amazing and creative costumes. The day was filled with many of the customs and mitzvot of Purim, including:

Purim Shuk – filled with activities, games and Purim fun, run by the amazing Year 6 students
Learning about the mitzvah of מִשְׁלוֹחַ מָנוֹת sending portions to others, and then decorating our own bags to share with someone in our class
Learning about the mitzvah מַתָּנוֹת לָאֶבְיוֹנִים of giving to the needy and bringing in food and toiletries
Making our own oznei Haman to enjoy in our Purim feast
Decorating masks and making ra’ashanim

After lunch we heard the Purim story and a Megillah reading. Year 6 Hebrew students read parts of the megillah in Hebrew and the wonderful dramatic Jestar, participated in acting out Purim scenes. The audience cheered Esther, boo-ed Haman and enjoyed their mishloach manot and hamantaschen.

Below are a couple of student interviews about our Purim celebrations by the Primary Jewish Life Team: Suzy Garbuz, Akeisha Kantor, Gabriella Karro, Lewis Faktor, Oscar Saul and Boza Simhi

Alessandra Healy – Year 1

Q: What did you like about Purim yesterday?
A: Going to the shuk.

Q: Did you have a favourite stall?
A: The shooting arrows at Haman.

Q: Why did you enjoy it?
A: I enjoyed it because I got to shoot Haman.

Q: Do you think next year we should do the shuk again?
A: Yes.

India Pezaro – Year 3

Q: What did you enjoy the most about Purim?
A: The physical activities with Mr T.

Q: Did you enjoy the shuk?
A: Yes.

Q: What was your favourite stall?
A: The photo booth.

Q: Why did you enjoy it?
A: Just because I found what we were doing there was fun.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Purim

What a happy and festive week this has been with all our Purim preparations, culminating in a delightful celebration on Tuesday with all our Kornmehl families. The children were captivated by all the characters in the story and have thoroughly enjoyed the week immersed in making very colourful creative props such as shakers, masks, mishloach manot bags, clowns and puppets.

The children all arrived at Pre-school very excited and proud to show off their costumes. What a great variety of characters we had: from princesses, to kings, queens, clowns, builders, pirates, astronauts, policemen, tigers, cats, scuba divers and so much more. The teachers all looked great as domino pieces too.

It was lovely to have so many parents and grandparents join us for the parade and the magician show. Our magician Craig, from the Nutrition Magician, delighted his appreciative audience with an abundance of clever tricks and messages related to manners and feelings. The messages were clear and easy for the children to relate to and understand. What a clever way to impart these messages to the children through the use of magic! The children all participated in the mitzvah of exchanging Mishloach Manot bags with a friend. We ate lots of yummy Hamentashen, sang, danced and had a beautiful morning.

Thirteen habits that raise well-adjusted kids

Boundaries
It’s hard to set boundaries for kids and stick to them. This is especially true when kids push back, scream endlessly or threaten things like, “I hate you.” Remember that when kids act this way, they are meeting their own needs in the only way they know how. Depending on the boundary, it can take a long time before a child lovingly accepts a parent’s boundary. The world is a very chaotic place. Boundaries help your child, not only feel grounded, but thrive.

Routines
There’s so much of childhood that is new and challenging for kids. Learning self-control and empathy. Learning how to be a friend and interact with others. These are all very BIG things for kids. Using something as simple as routines help kids feel grounded and relaxed. In fact, knowing what to expect at mealtimes, mornings and bedtimes can bring a sense of relief to even the most carefree child. Routines allow kids to feel a sense of control, something that is very important to a strong-willed child.

Early bedtimes
Sleep is the building block for healthy brain development. It helps us process the day’s events and learn from it. Kids brains are constantly developing and creating new neural connections. They absolutely must get sleep to nurture these connections. Between kid activities, school and always squeezing in tech time, kids are going to bed later and having a difficult time settling before sleep. One of the most basic things you can do for your kids’ behaviour, health and well-being is to help them get the sleep they need.

Empathy
What do kids really need to be happy and successful? The answer surprises most: Empathy. It’s the trait that allows us to “walk in another person’s shoes.” New research shows that empathy plays a major role in predicting kids’ happiness and success. Though kids are hardwired to care, they aren’t born empathetic, it’s a learned behaviour.

Hugs
There is a saying by Virginia Satir, a respected family therapist, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” Hugging triggers the release of oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. This feel-good hormone has many important effects on our bodies. One of them is growth stimulation. Studies show that hugging can instantly boost the level of oxytocin. When oxytocin is increased, several growth hormones, such as insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) and nerve growth factor (NGF), are increased as well.

“The nurturing touch of a hug can enhance a child’s growth.” – Pamela Li creator of Parenting for Brain

Playful parents
Children don’t say, “I had a hard day. Can we talk?”, they say, “Will you play with me?” We don’t reserve much room in our lives for fun and games anymore. Our days are filled with stress, obligations and hard work, and without realising it, we are more disconnected from our kids than ever. Play is the work of the child and to connect with our kids, we must play with our kids. Take the time to put down your phones and realise that your kids need you to play.

Outdoor time
“Movement through active free play, especially outside, improves everything from creativity to academic success to emotional stability. Kids who don’t get to do this can have so many issues, from problems with emotional regulation—for example, they cry at the drop of a hat, have trouble holding a pencil, touching other kids, using too much force etc.” – Meryl Davids Landau, author of Enlightened Parenting

Chores
“Even though it is more difficult at the time to persist in having children do chores, kids benefit from the experience. Research indicates that those children who do have a set of chores have higher self-esteem, are more responsible, and are better able to deal with frustration and delay gratification, all of which contribute to greater success in school. Furthermore, research by Marty Rossman shows that involving children in household tasks at an early age can have a positive impact later in life. In fact, says Rossman: ‘the best predictor of young adults’ success in their mid-20’s was that they participated in household tasks when they were three or four’”.

Screen time limits
“In order for the brain’s neural networks to develop normally during the critical period, a child needs specific stimuli from the outside environment. These are rules that have evolved over centuries of human evolution, but – not surprisingly – these essential stimuli are not found on today’s tablet screens. When a young child spends too much time in front of a screen and not enough getting required stimuli from the real world, their development becomes stunted.” – Dr Liraz Margalit, Behind Online Behaviour

Experiences, not things.
Children require less things and far more meaningful experiences. When they grow up, it’s not the stuff in their life they will remember, it’s that time you tried to catch tadpoles at the lake, or that sandcastle you both built that the wave knocked over at the beach. The best life experiences cost little to nothing, like a picnic in the park, blowing bubbles in the backyard, making chalk drawings on the sidewalk, or tossing a football around, but they all have one thing in common: you do them together. What kids really want in life is quality time spent with their parents.

Slow moving days
“Encourage parents to take some time to just watch their children, whether they are playing, doing homework, or eating a snack. Take a moment to drink them in. Remember and remind yourself how remarkable your children are. That pause alone, even if momentary, can drive a shift in the pace.” – John Duffy, clinical psychologist

Books read to them
One of the most important things parents can do, beyond keeping kids healthy and safe, is to read with them. That means starting when they are newborns and not even able to talk and continuing well beyond the years that they can read by themselves. Study after study shows that early reading with children helps them learn to speak, interact, bond with parents and read early themselves, and reading with kids who already know how to read helps them feel close to caretakers, understand the world around them and be empathetic citizens of the world.

Music
Science has shown that when children learn to play music, their brains begin to hear, and process sounds that they couldn’t otherwise hear. This helps them develop ‘neurophysiological distinction’ between certain sounds that can aid in literacy, which can translate into improved academic results for kids. A child’s brain develops faster with music education. Providing high-quality music education nurtures success in kids. Full article here

Community Connections – Gesher

Sonia Newell – Development Office – Alumni and Community Relations

Hannah Beder (Class of 2012)

2020 NSW Young Woman of the Year

Hannah Beder

We are so proud of Hannah and the work she has done to promote helping young women and STEM. Watch this inspiring interview with Hannah following the announcement of her award here

JeneScreen

This is a research project which offers BRCA screening for eligible members of the Jewish community in Sydney and Melbourne. This testing is being offered to all eligible Jewish people for free, irrespective of a family history of cancer, and will test for the three BRCA faults that are common in the Jewish population. For further information please click here

David Asher Brook (Class of 1998)

How many of us have walked past and admired the amazing artwork on the stairwell down to the LLC and the Millie Phillips Drama Theatre? This canvas was the brainchild of alumnus artist David Asher Brook, one of our graduates, and his wife Hanna. David’s connections with the School do not stop there – his first cousin Shana Kerlander is a current parent – their mothers are sisters.

There is still time to visit David’s latest exhibition Topography at Artsite Galleries, Camperdown which was officially opened last Sunday with Special Guest, Professor The Hon Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO – see poster in Community Announcements for further details

Salon des Refuses 2020

Please join us on Wednesday 13 May 2020 for a private tour of Salon des Refuses 2020 (the alternative Archibald and Wynne Prize selection) at the SH Ervin Gallery, The Rocks. Free parking onsite. Bookings are now open: click here

New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies (NSWJBD)

Vic and Juliette

Members of our extended Emanuel School community have for many years, included connections with NSWJBD from staff to presidents of this vital organisation which celebrates its 75^th anniversary this year (www.nswjbd.org), and we now welcome their CEO Vic Alhadeff and his wife Nadene as new grandparents at the School, as we do all other new grandparents. Vic is former Editor of the Australian Jewish News and also former Chairman of Multicultural NSW, author of two books on South African history, and he has run 25 marathons. He is proud to have his grand-daughter, Juliette Gavshon, at Emanuel School. “She’s our first grandchild at school, and it’s wonderful to see her flourishing and enjoying the experience,” he said.

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

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Last week, I went through the Early Offers process with Year 12s. Everyone gets excited about early offers, thinking it is a very straightforward process. Unfortunately, there is some homework to be done here. The offers available may not suit the student in terms of institutions, courses available and most importantly the conditions attached.

I will summarise my presentation. My slides can also be found here.

These are the institutions that are involved in the Schools Recommended Scheme (SRS). This scheme allows students to get offers after their HSC but before the usual round in December. It allows a student a month free of stressing about whether they got a place or not. It usually refers to conditions attached to student grades in Year 11 and also schools rating (or ability and aptitudes). These places are released in November. Institutions involved in the scheme:

Australian Catholic University
Charles Sturt University
International College of Management Sydney
Macquarie University
National Art School
SAE Creative Media
University of Canberra
University of New England
University of Newcastle
University of Sydney
University of Technology Sydney
Western Sydney University

UTS and University of Sydney, which are usually the most coveted by Emanuel students, also have an associated condition that students must also have applied to UAC with an EAS application (Educational Access Scheme – under category of financial disadvantage) Please read here for more details.

What I think is of much more value and significance are those schemes that allow students to get into an institution long before this date in November, sometimes as early as June, July and August. Students must prove that they are eligible and can do so by academics, or by leadership or extracurricular involvement. But never by just hoping they can get an early offer for no reason. Some of these are:

The Macquarie University Global Leadership Program here
Australian Catholic University (ACU) Community Achiever Program here
Notre Dame – Early Offers (both for academic and leadership) here
Australian National University (ANU in Canberra) but these places are usually conditional here

This slide is a good one to have printed out and stuck up at home:

High School Sport

Kristy Genc – Head of Sport, PDHPE Teacher and Year 12 Tutor

CDSSA Swimming Championships

The Emanuel Swim Team competed at the Combined Districts Secondary Sports Association (CDSSA) Swimming Championships at Warringah Aquatic Centre last Wednesday. The team was comprised of twenty of the School’s best swimmers who were selected following the Emanuel carnival earlier in the year. It was fantastic to see such a dedicated swim squad attend this representative event, which included many students who were new to the representative pathway as well as those who have been in the Swim Team throughout their High School years.

Emanuel performed well on the day, finishing in 4th place on the overall points tally.

Outstanding results included:

Jade Berson: CDSSA Age Champion
1st place in 50m freestyle
1st place in 100m freestyle
1st place in 50m backstroke
1st place in 50m fly
2nd place in 200m freestyle
3rd place in 200m IM
Gabriella Goodridge: Emanuel Swim Team Captain
1st place in 50m freestyle
1st place in 100m freestyle
1st place in 50m fly (CDSSA record)
1st place in 50m backstroke
1st place in 200m IM
3rd place in 200m freestyle
3rd place in 50m breaststroke
Jonathan Levy: CDSSA Age Champion
1st place in 50m freestyle
1st place in 50m fly
1st place in 100m freestyle
2nd place in 50m breaststroke
2nd place in 50m backstroke
Aden Goodridge
2nd place in 50m fly
3rd place in 50m freestyle
Jacob Rose
3rd place in 50m breaststroke
Relays
3rd place in intermediate girls 4 x 50m freestyle
3rd place in intermediate girls 4 x 50m medley

Congratulations to all of the students who competed at the carnival and in particular to the nine swimmers who have been selected to represent the CDSSA at the AICES Swimming Championships.

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Thank you to those who have already advised us of changes to private tuition and Infant Strings Program enrolments for next term. The deadline for new enrolments, notification of changes or intention to discontinue for Term 2 is today – Friday 13 March 2020.

All students currently receiving private music tuition and students in Years K – 1 who are currently participating in the Infant Strings Program will be automatically re-enrolled into tutor schedules for Term 2, along with students commencing lessons for the first time. Parents should enrol or discontinue using one of the online forms accessed from the links below. If your child intends to discontinue, formal notification in advance must be received by the end of term to avoid being committed to the full term of lessons and liable for fees.

Please contact Matilda Grieve by email to music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.

The schedules for Term 2, 2020 will be created at the end of term and emailed in late April.

Links to online forms

New enrolment requests for private tuition, click here

To discontinue private tuition for Term 2, click here

To enrol into the Infant Strings Program, click here

To discontinue Infant Strings Program for Term 2, click here

Dates for your diary in 2020

Twilight Concerts – Monday 18 May 2020 and Tuesday 5 November 2020
Music Camp – Monday 22 June 2020 – Thursday 25 June 2020
Night of Instrumental Music – Wednesday 26 August 2020
Night of Song – Thursday 22 October 2020

Meir Advocate

Hi Everyone! We hope you have enjoyed your week and are ready for the amazing weekend that lies ahead.

Term motto

This term’s motto is kindness first. As a House we are trying to focus on being kind to one another and remember how a simple few words like “your presentation was really good!” can really make someone’s day. Whether this be a classmate or a teacher, always try to put kindness first. We encourage everyone to remember to be kind to one another and this week try to give someone a compliment that isn’t about appearance but is about their personality. In order to get the ball rolling on this idea we played a game of compliment tennis. Two amazing Year 11 volunteers showed us all of us how to play this and really emphasised the importance of being kind to one another. We also watched this video telling us twenty things we should say more often. We really hope that everyone tries to remember to say these twenty things more often and put kindness first. To view the video please click here

Purim

On Tuesday, the High School celebrated Purim! Everyone looked amazing and there were tons of great activities run by Mr Bloom, Samo, Yael, Maya, Asher and the Madrichim. From Grease by the staff to Ms Bishop’s beehive, everyone was so involved. It’s incredible to see how much everyone loves getting dressed up and celebrating this amazing chag. We hope to see everyone put so much enthusiasm (and ruach) into the Jewish Life activities and events in the future.

Meet the new Year 7s

This week, we wanted to get to know some of the new Year 7s and what they think of High School so far, so we interviewed three Year 7 Meirians: Ben, Dalia and Liberty.

What scares you about High School?
Ben: Having to go to the Administration Building
Dalia: Having to manage a lot more work and studying for tests.
Liberty: Being the youngest and not really knowing what is happening.

What are you enjoying about High School so far?
Ben: The extracurricular music program.
Dalia: Having more responsibility.
Liberty: Having lots of different teachers and classes.

What do you love about Meir?
Ben: Dean Reuveny (and all the other peer support).
Daliah: How supportive Meir is and how encouraging they are.
Liberty: How welcoming the house is and how kind everyone is.

They also said how much they are loving the Tutor and Peer Support Program.

What is your spirit animal?
Ben: Wolf
Daliah: Cavoodle
Liberty: Pegasus

Just a reminder that House Music is on the Tuesday of Week Nine! So remember to bring to wear green and dance your heart out.

Hope everyone is having a great term so far,

Your Meir editors – Maayan and Ally

Kol Szenes

Miriam Itzkowitz – Year 12

International Women’s Day

This past Sunday was International Women’s Day, a day in which we honour and acknowledge the accomplishments of women, who have unfortunately been oppressed and disregarded within patriarchal society for millenia. Whilst there has been quite a lot of improvement, there is still a long way to go, especially for women in developing countries and areas where women are considered worth less than a man – this kind of behaviour and attitude needs to stop. Women have always shown their ability and potential, and one such woman is our very own name sake, Hannah Szenes.

Hannah Szenes was a Hungarian Jewish girl, born in the 1920’s who chose to devote her life to a future Jewish state, joining a Zionist youth movement called Maccabea, amidst all the chaos of anti-Semitism in Hungary. In the late 30’s, she emigrated to then-Palestine to go to Nahalal to study agriculture, and then in the early 1940’s she moved to a kibbutz and, joined the Haganah – the paramilitary organisation of the Jewish Yashuv, which ultimately founded the IDF.

In 1943, Szenes allied with England and joined the British Women’s Auxiliary Air forces where she was captured by German soldiers in Hungary and was charged with treason. She was tortured continuously, but she never gave them the information they were looking for. They even threatened to kill her mother, and she still refused. Unfortunately, Szenes was executed by firing squad for treason.

Even though Szenes didn’t meet an ideal end, she is the epitome of bravery, resilience and hope. Even when she knew her end was near, she stayed loyal and protective in the hope of a better future. She wrote poetry and she always stayed true to herself. These are the qualities of a true Szenesian. She was strong. We need to produce women (and men) like her in order to have a better future, for her legacy and to demonstrate the Szenesian qualities.

Purim

We had an amazing time at Purim on Tuesday, with lots of fun dress-ups and costumes! We explored leadership and power, and what makes a person one or the other. This led to many interesting discussions, with some saying morals, and others saying might. Chag Sameach!

Announcements:

8 March 2020 was International Women’s Day – It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world and within our community. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.
House Concert – We have our annual House Concert occurring Monday of Week 9 after school! It is great to see such enthusiasm and participation during rehearsals. Let’s make it the best so that we can win!

Mazal tov to:

Miriam Itzkowitz in Year 12 for being accepted in the Maimonides Scholars Program at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Birthday wishes

Happy Birthday to these Szenesians who celebrated their birthdays this week:

Reece Carr (Year 8)
Ruby Grynberg (Year 9)
Bodhi Friske (Year 7)

Quote of the week:

“What is called genius is the abundance of life and health.”
Henry David Thoreau

Shabbat Shalom and have a fantastic weekend!

Szenes House

Dressing Up and Costume Sensitivity

Miriam Itzkowitz – Year 12

Dressing up and costume sensitivity

A couple of weeks ago, I was deeply affected by the events in the Aalst Carnival in Belgium where Jewish caricatures were depicted on floats and as costumes, accompanied by people dressed as Nazis and floats “decorated” as gas chambers. Upon mentioning this to my French teacher, she encouraged me to write a letter of complaint in French to the mayor, as well as other Belgian political figures (Belgium being a French speaking country, despite this town being Flemish speaking), and I have consequently, received some replies.

Despite my anger at this situation, I also reflected on our holiday of Purim, a festival we celebrate to commemorate the fact that we weren’t massacred in Persia. We are encouraged to dress up and parade around joyously – seemingly what this carnival is trying to achieve. We often have people dress up in sombreros, or kimonos, and even this year, we had people come in thawbs (traditional Arab garment), keffiyehs and taqiyahs (Muslim religious skullcap). How is this any different? While I am not typically one who calls out the way one dresses, I felt highly offended at seeing Jews stereotyped with big, fake noses, traditional orthodox garb and money bags. This, to me, felt like anti-Semitism. While a lot of this issue is based on intent, another, perhaps larger, issue is the way in which the groups who are depicted, perceive it. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t dress up how we usually do on Purim. However, I think it would be wise for us to be mindful and open to hearing how other groups feel when dressing like them, and how to do it sensitively, and hopefully this level of respect and maturity will be reciprocated.

Below is the letter I wrote, in French, as well as its translation:

Monsieur le Maire,

Récemment, j’ai vu des photos et vidéos du festival Aalst 2020. Après avoir vu les chars où les juifs sont représentés en masques grotesques et offensifs, je me sens inquiète, offensée et blessée.

Je crois que les évènements comme ceci sont loin d’être inoffensifs. Ils encouragent la haine, l’intolérance, le racisme et l’antisémitisme. Bien que je comprenne que le festival est prévu d’être satirique et marrant, la réalité est que pour la communauté juive ces stéréotypes sont tellement dangereux.

S’amuser est important, certes, mais quand c’est basé sur les stéréotypes négatifs tels que nos cheveux, nos aspects de visage et nos vêtements évoquent tous, l’époque nazie. Les grands nez, les nazis, les sac d’argent, les diamants et les costumes hassidiques sont les stéréotypes nuisibles qui ne représentent pas tous les juifs et pire encore, confirment ceux qui veulent faire du mal à la communauté juive.

Étant une jeune Juive en Australie, nous devons faire tout possible, à mon avis, pour encourager la gentillesse, le respect et la tolérance envers les autres cultures et les ethnies si on veut éviter une autre Holocauste.

Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.

Recently I saw videos and photos of the Aalst carnival 2020. After having seen the floats where Jews were represented wearing grotesque and offensive masks, I feel concerned, offended and upset.

I believe that events such as this are far from harmless. They encourage hatred, intolerance, racism and anti-Semitism. Even though I understand that the festival is intended to be satirical and fun, the reality for the Jewish community of these stereotypes is quite dangerous.

Having fun is important, of course, but when that fun is based on negative stereotypes such as our hair, our facial features and our clothes, these are all reminiscent of the Nazi era. The large noses, the Nazis, the bags of money, the diamonds and the Chassidic outfits are all harmful and do not represent all Jews. Worse still, they provide validation to those who wish to do harm to the Jewish communities.

Being a young Jewish woman in Australia, in my view, we must do everything possible to encourage kindness, respect and tolerance towards other cultures and ethnicities if we want to avoid another Holocaust.

Parents and Friends

Ruby Berkovic and Jen Opi Entertainment Books

Entertainment Book

It is time to order your Entertainment Books for the year and they have gone completely digital! Order yours here

Looking for a hero

We are looking for a hero to sponsor the coffee cart at P&F functions this year! If you have a business you’d like to promote, or you’re happy to just be the guest of honour at our events, please send us an email at rubykb@gmail.com

Purim Disco

Last weekend was our Purim Disco. It was a wonderful success and everyone had a great time. Thank you again to all our parent and High School volunteers, as well as the Art Shop @ Rose Bay and the Michel Family for donating the prizes and Tami Martin at Kool Kidzz for entertaining the kids with crafts and activities! All leftover food was taken to the Wayside Chapel. We just wanted to mention, once again, how lucky we feel to be part of this community – watching all the families that stuck around to help us clean up after the event was really amazing so thank you for all your help and support.

Here are a few photos of the event:

Camping trip

By the time you read this, a large group of Emanuel families will be on their way to go camping at Killalea State Park for the Parent and Friends Camping Trip. The camping weekends are a highlight of the year and an amazing chance for families to relax and bond. A huge thank you goes out to the amazing Shelley Millingen for taking over the camping trip reins, and all her hard work in organising such a wonderful weekend. We hope all the families involved have an amazing time!

Have a lovely weekend.

Jen and Ruby

Parent Safety Group

Thank you to our volunteers last week:

Gary Gordon, Brandon Gien, Daniel Zines, John Sweller, Hillel Boskila, Larry Simon, Sasha Shevelev, Ike Brajtman, Alan Dworkin, Michael Grushkin, Yossi Biton, Neil Shilbury, Elliot Sacks, Gary Aaron, Alex Hart, David New, Gary Stern, Simon Revelman, Danny Fleischer, Benjamin Opit, Tom Goldman, Lindy Lowenstein and Leon Kantor.

Ma Nishma

From the Principal

Experiencing the joy of Purim

Update on COVID-19 (coronavirus)

Permanent relocation of our Uniform Shop

Mazal tov

Quote of the week

Primary School

From the Head of Jewish Life

The Promise of Purim

Ma Koreh

Purim celebrations

Kornmehl

Purim

Thirteen habits that raise well-adjusted kids

Community Connections – Gesher

Hannah Beder (Class of 2012)

JeneScreen

David Asher Brook (Class of 1998)

Salon des Refuses 2020

New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies (NSWJBD)

Careers

High School Sport

CDSSA Swimming Championships

Music Matters

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Links to online forms

Dates for your diary in 2020

Meir Advocate

Term motto

Purim

Meet the new Year 7s

Kol Szenes

International Women’s Day

Purim

Announcements:

Mazal tov to:

Birthday wishes

Quote of the week:

Dressing Up and Costume Sensitivity

Dressing up and costume sensitivity

Parents and Friends

Entertainment Book

Looking for a hero

Purim Disco

Camping trip

Parent Safety Group