After almost a year absence, the Hebrew Cafe was re-initiated on 26 June by Hagshama Melbourne and the Israel Aliyah Centre, in partnership with Masa.
The event, which took place in the new kosher cafe/restaurant Milk n’ Honey, on Glenhuntly Road in Caulfield South, was attended by 35 young adults of a variety of ages. Continue reading
The embassies of Israel and Poland, in conjunction with Orchestra Victoria, are showcasing Kobi Oshrat’s masterpiece concert tribute to Irena Sendler, 5 July 2012.
A tribute concert to honour the sacrifices made for humanity by righteous gentile Irena Sendler will premiere on Thursday 5 July at the Melbourne Recital Centre in Southbank. Irena’s Song: A Ray of Light in the Darkness is a moving, classical tribute to Polish Catholic social worker Irena Sendler, who saved some 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazi regime.
The evening’s program, compared by ABC’s Jon Faine, will feature a unique blend of personal tributes, emotional stories and recollections from an array of people including Irena Sendler’s daughter; righteous Polish-Australian Adrian Vanas, who risked his life to save Jews and today lives in the Montessori Jewish Homes; and the Polish and Israeli Ambassadors.
The symphony premiere, conducted by original composer Kobi Oshrat and featuring esteemed Israeli soprano Karin Shifrin will be performed by Orchestra Victoria. It will be accompanied a Polish piece by Simon Laks “Suite polonaise (Suita Polska)” (1936) and an intermezzo of Jewish folk music.
Read Israel Ambassador Yuval Rotem’s message about this concert, printed in the Australian Jewish News.
PROGRAM
Thursday 5 July 2012 — 7:00 pm
Irena’s song – A Ray of Light through the Darkness
Elisabeth Murdoch Hall
PRESENTED BY
Embassies of Israel and Poland, and Orchestra Victoria
ARTISTS
Kobi Oshrat (Israel) composer
Karin Shifrin (Israel) soprano
Members of Orchestra Victoria
PROGRAM
LAKS Suite polonaise (Suita Polska)
OSHRAT Irena’s Song – A Ray of Light through the Darkness
PERFORMANCE DATES
Thursday 5 July 2012 at 7:00 pm
MORE
Tortured and sentenced to death for the crime of “aiding Jews”, Sendler escaped and continued her resistance under an assumed name. For each child she saved, Sendler wrote their real name, new name and those of their parents in code, and buried these records in jars beneath a neighbour’s apple trees so she could reunite the children with their parents after the war.
She kept in contact with the children she saved, and their families, until she passed away, age 98 in 2008. Sendler is survived by her daughter, who will provide personal insights of her mother via a video address at the event.
Remembered as one of the Righteous among the Nations, Irena Sandler was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and recognised by President Barack Obama for her “extraordinary courage”. Coming especially from Israel is the award-winning original Israeli composer and conductor, Kobi Oshrat and esteemed Israeli soprano Karin Shifrin. They will partner with Orchestra Victoria to perform the symphony.
Oshrat describes the work as “a professional mission” that was the least he could do to honour this woman”. The 20-minute work was written as a collage of Sendler’s life. Mr Yuval Rotem, the Ambassador of Israel to Australia, said “it is an honour to create this majestic and meaningful tribute to the legacy of Sendler and other Righteous among the Nations”.
The evening’s program will feature a unique blend of personal tributes, emotional stories and recollections from an array of people including Irena Sendler’s daughter; righteous Polish-Australian Adrian Vanas, who risked his life to save Jews and today lives in the Montessori Jewish Homes; and the Polish and Israeli Ambassadors. The premiere will be accompanied a Polish piece by Simon Laks “Suite polonaise (Suita Polska)” (1936) and an intermezzo of Jewish folk music.
ABC’s Jon Faine will compere the occasion and will be joined in the recital hall by a VIP guest of honour.
Mr Andrzej Jaroszyński, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland highlighted the importance of the concert saying, “in the present world full of tribulations and confusion, those eager to ignore the lessons of the past should hear the voices of those who remember, so that the nightmare of history repeated can never, ever happen”.
The concert is generously supported by The Pratt Foundation and held in cooperation with the Zionist Federation of Australia, the Jewish Holocaust Centre and the Polish Community Council of Victoria.
For further enquiries, email info@canberra.mfa.gov.il
Jewish Educators’ Conference“Perspectives in Contemporary Jewish Education” |
Preparations Underway for ZFA Jewish Educators’ Conference
Scion of a family of scholars, Rav Lau, nephew of Israel’s former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, will also present several workshop sessions at the conference and will address the AGM of the Association of Principals of Jewish Day Schools, to be held during the course of the conference. A host of local presenters from Victoria and interstate, together with leading overseas Jewish educators from Israel and South Africa, will offer individual workshop sessions to an estimated 340 educators during the two-day conference. Participants will include teachers, department heads and principals from Australia’s Jewish day schools and other Jewish educational institutions, as well as community and youth leaders.
The other keynote address will be delivered by Mount Scopus Memorial College Principal Rabbi James Kennard. Presentations at the conference, the theme of which is “Perspectives in Contemporary Jewish Education,” will include the use of technology in the teaching of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Israel education, Jewish History, Israel advocacy and culture, sacred texts, early childhood education, midrash and halachah, informal Jewish education and a host of other areas relevant to Jewish teaching.
“Almost 9,000 students are currently enrolled in Australia’s Jewish day schools, and several thousand others enjoy supplemental Jewish education”, said Michael Cohen, who is the educational coordinator of the conference. “Given the size of the Jewish community in this country, these numbers are exceptional”, he said, adding that the ZFA biennial conferences afford wonderful opportunities for enriched professional learning – for teachers to learn from each other, and to network. “Teachers are aware that the ZFA’s primary focus at these conferences is on teaching and learning”, said Cohen. “These are not conferences at which academics are afforded the opportunity to present research papers. The stress is on pedagogy – teaching practice – in both formal and informal educational settings. And our children are the beneficiaries.” Back to Jewish Educators’ Conference main page. |
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Participants in the Israel by Choice program talk about their volunteering experiences in Jerusalem.
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Haim Aronovitz, South African-born educational director of the Senior Educators’ Program at the Melton Centre for Jewish Education at the Hebrew University and director of Israel Seminars of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Institute will also attend the conference as a guest of the ZFA, and will present a keynote address. 
The conference will also provide a smorgasbord for Hebrew teachers, as well as for teachers who integrate the teaching of Hebrew with Jewish Studies. The Israel-based progenitors of the Ulpan-Or program will be attending the conference, while local specialists will present sessions on the TaLAM and Neta programs. The ZFA has invited seasoned early childhood educator Margalit Kavenstock, Israeli educator currently conducting teacher training programs in Mexico, to run sessions on the Chalav u’Dvash and Chaverim B’Ivrit programs, and on early childhood education.