Australia Jews in Australia.
My student born, raised in Australia became a Bat Mitzvah here in the States. Mostly because her extended family resides here.
Highlights:
Bree was taught and prepared online in the Down Under, Australia, and met up in the States for me to Officiate. This Granddaughter was blessed on the same Bimah as Generations before her. Many touching moments, but the one for me was when my student, her parents, and brother closed the Ark doors as a family.
I learned a little about the Australian Language. Instead of Hello or Shalom, you say Good Day! When you want to share the joy, you shout Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi.Oi.Oi. Funny, how the Yiddish word Oy is quite close to Oi. Just an observation.
Online private classes can be challenging with time zone differences, especially the Australian time zone. Not to mention daylight savings time, but with most of anything you plan, working out the details ahead of time, assists in all working out nicely.
Many ask, “are there Jewish people in Australia?” Oh yes, there are and they are in as much of a need to connect to their Judaism as the Temple Building structure, the community can be quite a distance. For those residing outside a major city, in the Down Under, oftentimes, they can not always travel to the Temple. However, most have a computer and computer internet connection. This may seem unconventional to some, but private tutoring has been around for over forty years, if not more than that. The only difference today, it is taking place online.
Most important my student Bree not only fulfilled her obligations to study, prepare and learn in time for her time honored Bat Mitzvah Ceremony, she now connected even more to her heritage before the process began. Reason: is that she learned why the Jewish community does what it does and answers the question ‘Why.’
Mazel Tov!
Australia Jews History – just a little
Australia Jews were the founding fathers of the country in the entire world. Eastern European Jews made up the majority. Present-day, Australia happens to be the largest Jewish community in the East Asian Pacific