Jewgle Perth

Sometime miracles happen around us and we are completely oblivious to them.  Sometimes they are discreet occurances that come and go in a flash.  Sometimes they are long and slow climatic changes that are so gradual, and from within we are so immersed, that they escape detection.

The modern State of Israel, and everything about it, is one of those miracles that some people see as very evident, and some people competely miss.  Further to this, there are people that know and understand the miracle of Israel and appreaciate it through expressions of gratitude every day, and there are other people who can see it, but just cannot help themselves from abusing it.   That may be through rejecting the validity of Israel as a Jewish homeland, or using Zionism as a surrogate substitute for Judaism, or trading the security of Jewish lives with the illusion of unobtainable peace.

Whatever your viewpoint, and whereever you are, it is a fact that Midenat Israel is 60 years old today.  It is a fact that the nation has accomplished incredible progress.  It is a fact that the military of the country have successfully defended it.  It is a fact that its high tech economy is amongst the world leaders and that the shekel is within the top 20 currencies in terms of its strength.  It is a fact that Israel has done all it can to avoid confrontation with its enemies, and can stand morally proud of its record, even when this is distorted and misrepresented.

There has been a lot posted on the internet over the past 24 hours defending the record of Israel.  Its not hard to do, its just that in today’s media climate, so many people just do not want to hear.  Truth of the matter is Israel does not need to justify to anybody its sovereign rights.  Any country in the world that could boast Israel’s accomplishments of 60 years of development, amidst an existential threat, and the freedom and liberty that is offered within that society, is a country worth supporting.

So how did we celebrate Yom Haatzmaut in Perth?  On Sunday there was a concert and a “picnic” at the University of Western Australia.  It was a moderate, but relatively low turnout, and as usual the State Zionist Council missed an opportunity to make all of Perth know that Israel is 60 and that the Zionist community is proud.  An insular and expensive concert is a model that continues to be pushed into our calendar as the mode of celebration for Yom Haatzmaut, but maybe its time for a rethink and a different style of celebration.  I give the State Zionist Council four out of ten for effort, but sadly, I think they failed to deliver the community a 60 years of Israel celebration in a more momentous way. 

On Yom Haatzmaut itself, a new and unique Zionist expression emerged.  Organised by the Bnei Akiva Shlichim, the Perth Yeshiva bachurim, and other Israeli’s, the entire community was invited to a Maariv Hagigit at Carmel School.  Around 150 people, possibly more, davened together.  A youth program followed, whilst the adults moved on to have a panel discussion about the redemptive significance of the modern Jewish State. 

I attended both events, and found more meaning and expression in the religious activities on the chag itself.  I also hope that the strength of religious zionism within Jewish Perth, now stronger than ever, continues to grow in stature. 

So where were you? Was Yom Haatzmaut just another day?  Did you stop to notice the miracle, or did it pass you by?  Were you home watching Big Brother on TV and wilting your brain, when you could have been conversing with Hashem?  Maybe you were practicing virtual pole dancing on Wii?    Maybe you even stopped in for a while, but then went home to watch Underbelly like Dovid Hamelech (who will be outed if he doesn’t start blogging soon). 

If you missed the celebration, and the significance of Yom Haatzmaut, then you are oblivious to the miracle of our time.  If you cannot see the redemptive qualities that Israel delivers to the Jewish people, then you are blind to your heritage.  If you cannot motivate yourself to be a part of it, then you are denying yourself an entire destiny.

Wishing Israel a Happy Birthday, and the gift of the ingathering of exiles.

Carmel School has appointed David Taylor, head of primary, to the position of Principal.  David Taylor is a consummate professional and somebody who knows and understands the workings of the school.  The recruitment process undertaken by the school was global, and this choice was obviously made with regard for the continuity of the school, being the sustainability of the school from an academic and economic point of view.  Kol Hakavod for this, as the schools advocacy for migration, the schools standing as a top level private educational institution, and the educational and administrative strength will be well protected through this appointment.

Not everyone is happy.  Some people don’t like Mr Taylor’s style, others expect a greater deal of classroom intervention through the management of issues concerning their children.  I don’t share this view.  I think that Mr Taylor is as good, if not better than anybody else when performing those difficult tasks of dealing with bullying, discipline, and dealing with students individual needs.  This is in my view a great area of strength within the appointment.

There are a couple of points that do needs to be further analysed, when assessing what this appointment means for Carmel School and the Perth Jewish community into the years ahead.  When the school announced that Ms Lorraine Day would not have her contract renewed, it justified this decision by noting that the school wished to pursue a change of direction.  The limitation was that it did not articulate exactly what this direction is to be.  Many of us were hoping that it meant the recruitment of a religious Jewish Principal who could deliver a stronger and more integrated Jewish ethos to the school.  There are several factors to consider here.  Firstly, a majority (but ever decreasing majority) of the parent body have no desire for this.  Secondly, the cost of such a person is a huge imposition on the schools limited resources (realistically at market rates it costs several hundred thousand to get the right person).  Thirdly, the role of Principal would need to change to make such a move effective.

Just think!  A Jewish Principal would be a fundraiser.  S/he would approach donors and be able to show what is really important to the future of this community and its members.  A Jewish Principal would be the dugma of the Jewish character of the school.  They would daven with the school community, give of their neshama to the advancement of the students, and form relationships with the Hebrew speaking educators and leaders that currently lead Israeli students to Torah.

With this said, the appointment of Mr Taylor does not preclude the above from occuring.  The school has some funds and is in the process of sourcing a campus Rabbi.  Should that person have the full autonomy and working relationship they need to acheive this, then maybe the school will have the right balance within its senior staff.  The head of Jewish studies is a great administrator, innovator and has brought about huge positive changes to the way in which formal and informal Jewish education works within the school.  However, he is not a Rabbinic leader or a motivating force for parents.  If both he and Mr Taylor have the ability to place a Rabbi into the school with full and overriding authority to mandate the Jewish ethos of activity for staff and students, then the school would be a much better place.

My conclusion is that if Carmel School is not to have a Jewish Principal, I can think of noone better than David Taylor.  However there is currently a strong dynamic that is missing from the schools leadership team, and that is the operational guidance of a Rabbi who can fulfil the schools mandate as a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school.   

I am interested in what Jewgle readers think about this.  When inviting comment, I would like to caution that we need to take a positive and reasonable approach to this discussion.  We are extremely fortunate to have Carmel School.  We have 600 children who learn each day, great facilities, and often do not stop to appreciate what we are acheiving with this.  To the merchants of doom and gloom, I am the first to say that the school is not perfect, and there is a lot that we do miss out on.  Often that is an issue that comes down to the choice of application for the limited resources.  That is why the school needs to cater for all its students, including the non-religious Jewish families that support a Jewish education for their children.  But it is also more than economics.  It is a positive attribute of the school that it meets the spectrum of the communities needs within the one facility, and this needs to be taken into account when considering what type of professional management and leadership the school requires.

I congratulate the board on its appointment, while also noting that the decision makes the appointment of its Rabbi an even more critical and urgent consideration.  The school needs Jewish leadership.  That does not necessarily mean a Jewish Principal, but it certainly means a campus Rabbi with autonomy over his authority to impact cultural change.  

To the Perth Jewish community,

JewglePerth would like to remind the Perth Jewish community that we’re an open group and people are encouraged to contribute to the site, either as commentators or active contributors.

If you would like to write articles for JewglePerth, please contact us through this post or at info@jewgleperth.com and provide a sample of your writing.

The more, the merrier!

This is a contentious issue at the very best of times. Here’s a disclaimer for you: this article won’t be the very best of those times. So, despite the “catchy title”, I won’t be attempting to answer that question in any way - nor passing judgement. Just raising an issue for discussion and thought.

Let me present a thought for you. When Moshe climbed Mt Sinai and received the Torah, he received both the written an oral laws. The written laws were passed to the nations - the oral laws were ours, alone to keep. This is one of the very things which distinguishes the Jew from the non-Jews.

So how do you take a person who utterly rejects the oral law and tries to interpret the written law himself, as he goes along? How do you take a person who says, and I quote (Maccabean, pg. 9, 2nd May 2008) “.. It is obvious this Torah Law violates human rights and is therefore unacceptable…” - someone who decides for himself what’s Godly and what’s not, someone who states outright that he believes he is above God.

At the very least, this man is confused. If one accepts there is a God, and the Bible is His work, be it “inspired by” or “by the hand of”, then it is just that - His word. One cannot believe in a God and then simply chose to dismiss God’s word. That’s, by definition, not belief. You cannot dismiss the word of a God you believe in, if you truly believe.

I feel sad for people like this. What a confusing life they must lead - they have a God - but even to them, he’s kind of a joke, certainly not very real. Kind of there for the holidays and back in his box, when you don’t need him.

This must make a person very insecure. So insecure they they’d be compelled to spend their twilight days churning out the same article, every week, like some discounted Hollywood hack, launching the same tired attack over the same tired points, in a desperate attempt to validate ones self by denigrating others.

As Israel leads the Jewish world in the commemoration of Yom Hashoah, we pause to honour the memory of so many of our relatives and forbears who were murdered with the complicity of a society who decided the Jewish nation was evil and dispensible. 

Whilst we normally do not favour complete reposts onto this blog, the stirring words of the Cheif Rabbi of the Commonwealth, Sir Jonathan Sacks, are a timely reminder of the timeless lessons of this important day in our calendar:

One who isn’t in my image is still in G-d’s image.

Address by Chief Rabbi Holocaust Memorial day – Belfast 27 January 2004

In the beginning, we read: “And God formed man from the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life” - to teach us that when we do good, we are little lower than the angels. But when we do evil, we are dust, lower than the beasts.Tonight we have remembered two dark nights of evil, when humanity descended into the depths of hell. Which of us will forget 9/11 when 3000 people were murdered on a single day? During the Holocaust, on average, 3000 people were murdered every day, 365 days of the year, for five and a half years. And in Rwanda, in the spring of 1994, three times as many, for 100 days.How do we begin to imagine evil on such a scale? The only answer is to think of individuals. Each of the victims was a human being like you and me, with hopes for the future, fears, dreams. Every one of them was like us. And evil happens when we forget that other people — whose faith or way of life is different from ours - are still people like us. And their deaths are no less evil because they happened long ago or far away.Three things connect Rwanda and the Holocaust. Those who died were killed not because they did anything but simply because they were born into the wrong religion, the wrong tribe, because they were different, because someone said, they’re not like us. Secondly, in both cases genocide became possible because for years, people were taught to see other people as less than human. The Jews were vermin. The Tutsis were inyenzi, cockroaches. They weren’t just demonized; they were dehumanized; so that people could believe that killing was a kind of decontamination. And thirdly, people knew in advance what was going to happen. In 1939 Hitler had been in power for six years, making no secret of his plans. In Rwanda months, years beforehand, people had been warning of the bloodshed to come. And the world wasn’t listening.People sometimes ask me: where was G-d in the holocaust? But the real question is: where was humanity? G-d was in a voice that has been speaking since man first walked on earth. In the words, Thou shalt not kill. In the words, Do not oppress a stranger. In the words, Your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.G-d wasn’t silent in the Holocaust. G-d wasn’t silent in Rwanda. But when G-d speaks and we don’t listen, even G-d can’t save us from ourselves. And still we aren’t listening. Throughout the world today preachers of hate are still pouring out their poison, demonizing their opponents, inciting their followers to violence. Even today the world is silent while the viruses of anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia mutate and claim victims one by one.Which is why we must never forget what happened if we are to prevent it happening again. How? By telling the story, as we’ve done tonight.By remembering heroic individuals - people like Raoul Wallenberg and Nicholas Winton - who saved lives and showed us how in the dark a single candle can give light. By remembering how people like Mary Blewitt have worked with the survivors, helping them rebuild their shattered lives.

Above all by teaching our children that it doesn’t have to be this way. That one who isn’t in my image is still in G-d’s image. That humanity lives in the face of a stranger. That difference doesn’t threaten, but enlarges our world. Our children are capable of great courage; every act of courage gives birth to hope; and hope has the power to defeat hate. Let us honour the memory of those who died by teaching our children to honour life and never forget that the people who are not like us, are still people, like us.