Hard to believe it has been almost 6 years since being premiered, and has since brought so many Jewish people together!
We have been making contact with people living in and around bushfire affected areas in Victoria today.
Please take heed to the advice of your local CFA.
As they say, a fire never takes a planned route.
If you need assistance, please reach out to us.
Take care.
Are you near Toowoomba, QLD?
Or maybe a little further south, near Old Bar, NSW?
Our volunteers are on the road, and will be hosting Friday night Shabbat meals in these locations.
A great opportunity to meet up with other people in the area.
Get in touch if you are around!
From the very beginning of life until the very end, Judaism is rich with meaningful ways to celebrate, remember, and mourn.
Yesterday, we received word from a close friend in Mildura, VIC that their father had passed away in Israel over the weekend. After spending some time on the phone, we immediately dispatched a 7-day memorial candle and a card of condolences.
We know that the soul of man is compared to a candle, always dancing above the wax, seeking to rise up but at the same time in need of the sustenance of the fuel and wick. So is our journey in this world, a balance between connecting with the spiritual and making ourselves comfortable in the physical. When one passes on, the soul expires from the body and ascends on high.
May those that have lost loved ones be comforted for their great loss, and be able to emulate the ways of their loved ones.
Shoutout to Domenic from Jetstar Australia team who gave our rabbis in Melbourne Airport a hand this morning. It took a bit of Jetstar magic to ensure all their bags were checked in and safely on their way. The rabbis are off to Queensland to provide support and connection to people living in regional areas in the south-east and along the coast.
We had a blast visiting the Victorian Caravan & Camping show in Flemington VIC today.
Road tripping around Australia is a serious business. So many stores, caravans, motorhomes and accessories to see here. Thank you to all the fantastic vendors for coming out today and taking the time to set up their incredible displays. We've got our eyes set on the future for the expansion of the RARA fleet...!
Being that the Jewish year of 5784 is a leap year, we have an entire extra month added in. So instead of just one month of Adar, the month which Purim occurs, we have two. First comes the additional month, then the regular one.
And in this extra additional month, we have a mini Purim holiday. Where do the funny hats come in? Well, we 'dress up' on Purim because Hashem's presence in the Purim story was hidden, so we hide behind a costume. Levik and Chaya Mushka were so eager to get Purim going today! Learn more about Purim this Monday night at 8pm.
Are you in the Blue Mountains this weekend?
Join us for a Shabbat meal on Friday night!
That might mean leaving your dugout and heading to the post office, or waiting for weekly the mail flight to your cattle station. Or a walk down your very long driveway to the mail box made of old gas bottle that look like a cow.
Whatever it may be, a 2024 RARA Calendar might just be waiting for you...
So here's a great tip. Take the acronym for "rural and regional australia", slap a ".au" after it (don't put in a .com - just a .au). If you got that right, you'll have a total of 7 charachters. Put that into your browser and hit "enter". You'll find a great resource for anyone wanting to learn about Judaism, regional Australia, or the two of them put together. Let me know how you go! Whaddaya reckon, will this get past the algo rhythm?
Effie and Chaim have been in Australia for two weeks. In that time, they've made it to Geelong, Albury, and a whole lotta towns in between. Their objective: connecting with Jewish people living in the regional parts of the country. People live in the country for all sorts of reasons. There's plenty of space, clean air, and lots to do. Keeping up with community and a but of a shmooze can be a little challenging, so that's where our men on the road step in (or rather, drive in!). This week will see them take there Mitzva Mobile Library up towards Wagga Wagga, and then towards the beautiful Blue Mountains. If you see them on the road be sure to give a wave and say hello!
Our rabbis visited Fernand in Wodonga yesterday. While today Fernand is happy to see the Jewish presence roll into town, when he was growing up, it was a completely different story. Fernand shared his rich memories of his younger years, and was so happy to see the big yellow RARA Mitzva Mobile Library on his street. From France to Australia, and a whole lot of stories in between, Fernand is very proud of his Jewish connection!
This week, four children in regional Australia explored their Jewish names, how they are spelled, and what they mean. This is part of our Bar and Bat Mitzva online program. In the space of just ten weeks, boys and girls enjoy learning about themselves, their culture, and their identity.
Here we've got a boy in outer Melbourne learning with a family in the Riverina in NSW. Rabbi Menachem Sufrin is craftfully teaching Jewish names. If you think this might be something your family could benefit from, we are here for you
Rabbi Menachem Aron has headed off to Port Macquarie NSW today to officiate at a funeral at the Jewish section in the Frederickton cemetery. It is only the second ever Jewish burial to take place in the mid-north coast town. It takes not one, but two flights to get there from Melbourne, with a short stop on Sydney along the way.
The Talmud tells us that Rav Elazar would give a coin to a needy individual, and (only) then he would pray.
A funeral will be taking place this Tuesday, 13 Feb at 1:00pm in Fredrickton, New South Wales 2440 for Robert Labowitch, an elderly Jewish man that recently passed away. Robert was a good friend of ours, who was visited for more than 20 years while he lived in Darwin NT, and more recently, in Port Macquarie NSW. Rabbi Menachem Aron will be officiating at the funeral. Due to the country-side location, getting together a minyan for this occasion will be difficult. If you are around or know someone that will be near "Freddo", as it is locally called, please share these details with them. May Robert's memory be a blessing.
We received an email this morning that there may some Jewish people in a tiny town in outback South Australia! So look out, you might just see the RARA Mitzva Mobile out there some time soon.. What do you reckon, are there Jewish people in the outback? We've certainly met a bunch over the years!
501 kind people (so far) have opened their hearts in support of Jewish life in regional Australia.
And together with our matching donors, have raised $209,016!
We are so grateful - we hope to reach our goal very soon.
Thank you so much to those that have kindly given.
Now would be a great time to check out charidy.com/RARA and support Jewish life in regional Australia! Thank you.
Would you believe it? A few months ago we got together in Tamworth for a Shabbat meal and post-Chanuka gathering.
In the past we've have ten or fifteen people. But now, it was almost double that. We were joined by families that had been in town for 20 years, and a couple that just arrived last month.
The Jewish community is certainly going strong out in the country music capital! Thank you Trystam for hosting this very special gathering.
Now, how do we say this without upsetting the algorithm? We've running a certain activity that involves gathering dollars to further this work and better serve the regional communities today.
If you have a look in our page a few posts down, you'll see exactly what we're talking about. Jump on board and be a part of this today!
But between all that, our rabbis are doing what they do best - visiting on the road!
Rabbis Effi Bleich and Chaim Goranson left today to Geelong, where they will be catching up with Jewish families there over the next few days. Be on the look out for the bright yellow RARA car!
In September last year, a group of people came from regional Australia to Melbourne to experience a weekend within the Jewish community. Here are their experiences.
For many, this has been the catalyst to fuel their growth and maintain a connection with their community.
Please join with us on Tuesday and Wednesday, 6-7 February 2024 and enable RARA to be "Here for you".