As we look back on the 2025 year, one word comes to mind:
CONNECTION
From Darwin to the Blue Mountains, from Toowoomba to the Gold Coast, and across the vast regional highways of Australia, we have witnessed Jewish life flourishing in places where it could easily fade.
Last Pesach alone, thanks to you, over 1,000 people were reached.
Public Seders were hosted in multiple regional centres, and more than 250 Seder-at-Home kits were shipped across the country, ensuring that no Jew was without matzah, grape juice, or the opportunity to celebrate. One package was even flown by private plane to a cattle station after flooding cut off road access. Distance has never been a barrier when care is real.
Beyond Pesach, our travelling rabbis logged thousands of kilometres this year, hosting Shabbat meals in private homes, caravan parks, community halls and motels. They helped people wrap Tefillin for the first time in decades, delivered kosher supplies, answered difficult questions, and strengthened small Jewish communities that might otherwise feel alone.
But this year also brought heartbreak.
After the terror attack in Bondi, I drove up with two of my children. Pulling into Campbell Parade and seeing people carrying flowers, not for celebration but for mourning, was surreal. At Archer Park, just meters from the beach, families stood in silence. I passed a group reciting Kaddish, words that felt painfully relevant.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger was not only a leader in Bondi. After completing his prison chaplaincy visits, he would often donate his time to RARA, driving many hours to visit isolated Jewish people across regional New South Wales. He had a rare ability to simply sit, listen, and connect. He was deeply understanding, down-to-earth, and able to show people the beauty of Judaism in a way that felt personal and real. His light reached far beyond Bondi.
At the Bondi Pavillion, I met a counter-terrorism officer on her first day off since the attack. A young man came to say Shema, sharing that Eli had always encouraged him to put on Tefillin. I visited a young Leibel Lazaroff who miraculously survived his injuries and later paid a brief visit to the family sitting Shiva. There are no words. But there was strength and unity.
In honour of the victims, our newly published 2026 RARA calendar has been dedicated to their memory. The calendar includes a mitzvah campaign in honour of each of the fifteen victims, encouraging acts of goodness and Jewish pride throughout the year.
Even in darkness, the response has been connection.
This year we also proudly launched the RARA Online Hebrew School, designed specifically for children living far from Jewish infrastructure. Led by Rabbi Menachem and Sheina Sufrin, more than 40 children are enrolled, learning, growing, and building Jewish identity each week, no matter how remote their postcode.
To our donors and supporters, thank you. Every kilometre travelled, every Shabbat table set, every child learning Aleph-Bet, and every moment of support in Bondi happened because of you.
As we launch our Charidy fundraising campaign this Sunday and Monday, we invite you to continue this journey with us, ensuring that no Jew in rural or regional Australia is left behind.
With deep gratitude,
Rabbi Menachem and Shevi Aron
