It's been a very busy past couple of weeks around regional Australia.
Here's an inside view into one of our trips that was recently completed.
Rabbi Mendel and Chana Benjaminson joined us for five weeks, undertaking a trip that started in Melbourne and made its way though Gippsland, the South Coast of New South Wales, Canberra, and the Blue Mountains. Mendel joined us last year for a trip to Western Australia, and after returning to the states last July, he met his wife Chana and was married. The incredible interactions and sites of Australia was something the young couple was eager to return to, and so the Benjaminsons opted to use their American summer break to visit people in isolated circumstances around the coast.
During the trip, they hosted Shabbat meals in four different locations, starting off in Paynesville in beautiful Gippsland. From there, they spent the week visiting along the coast, making it to Jindabyne along the way, and running their second Shabbat in Batemans Bay. The next Shabbat was hosted in Canberra, in conjunction with Chabad ACT, and saw 25 locals get together for a meaningful and delicious Friday night meal.
Mendel and Chana’s final Shabbos on the road took place two weeks ago, in Katoomba. Hosted at the Echo Point Discovery motel, the weekend saw over 100 people come together for the meals, and Shabbat services. The weekend was a real boost for Jewish people living in the Blue Mountains, and it enabled locals and Sydney-siders alike the opportunity to catch up with each other and make new connections. On the Thursday before, Chana ran a Challa baking activity, giving local residents the opportunity to get hands on with their baking skills.
Robert, a long time visitor to Katoomba expressed his appreciation for the special weekend, and said “We’ve had an ad hoc Jewish group in the Blue Mountains and in particular Katoomba for about 25 years but it has never been able to be maintained. RARA has become the glue which has directly contributed to its growth.”
