For Jewish people living in places in Australia far from a community, celebrating Jewish holidays can be challenging. The sheer distance, coupled with low numbers, makes doing anything as a group very difficult. Australia is a massive country - roughly the same size as the United States, but with a fraction of the population, and home to approximately 150,000 Jewish people, of which most live in the bigger cities like Melbourne and Sydney.
That’s where Chabad of RARA - Rural and Regional Australia - comes in. Founded in 2000 by Saul and Beverly Spigler in Melbourne Australia, the organisation has spent close to a quarter of a century seeking to bring connection to Jewish people in far off places.
Led by Rabbi Menachem and Shevi Aron, this year the organisation travelled over 12,000 kilometres and helped Jewish people in every state and territory around the country celebrate Chanuka.
Rabbi Menachem, his wife Shevi, Chaya Mushka aged 4 years, Levik aged 3 years, and Chaim, aged 3 months, as well as Yakira, a friend and babysitter, spent the entire Chanuka on the road, travelling from one regional town to the next, celebrating Chanuka in a different place each night.
“We started off in Albury-Wodonga, two cities that sit on the state borders of Victoria and New South Wales” recounts Rabbi Menachem Aron. “There, we held a beautiful gathering at the home of Josh and Adelle Reich. Josh had been unwell over Rosh Hashana, but he knew that he needed to be well enough to host Chanuka at his house, as he has done for so many years prior. And indeed, he pulled through!”
Each night brought something else, with additional stops made in Wollongong, Katoomba, Dubbo, Muswellbrook, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie.
“Some of these towns have 15 Jews in a population of 43,000. Others have 40 families in one area. But we don’t look at the numbers. We look at the people that show up, meet other Jewish families, and connect on an incredible level,” said Rabbi Aron.
One such example was in Katoomba, a town located in the Blue Mountains National Park, a World Heritage Listed natural wonder that people from all over the world flock to see. There, a giant 7-foot Menorah was lit, and afterwards, an engaging discussion took place regarding what our best response to the war in Israel needs to be. “It was really eye-opening for some to hear the Torah perspective on the Land of Israel, and how our actions in far-away Australia can make a difference to those on the front lines,” related Vera. Chanuka was her first time attending a RARA event.
Further up the highway, a gathering was held in Muswellbrook, a small town best known for the mining workers that work in the nearby coal mines. But amongst the hi-vis outfits and heavy machinery that is not unusual to see on these streets, there are a handful of Jewish people living around here. A family from Scone, a nearby town came to join, as well as a family from Aberdeen, and Denman as well. A young Jewish man who had recently started working on a nearby farm also heard about the Chanuka party, and was sure to attend as well. Given the mining characteristic of the town, there were not many places to host the gathering, so it was decided that the common area of a local motel would be where the sixth candle on the Menorah was lit. It was quite the site - mining trucks and workers from the mine checking in to their rooms, and in the middle of it all - a Chanuka party!
A special mention for Port Macquarie must be made. As in previous years, the Chanuka gathering there was held at the home of Gary Frankel, a local Jew that over the years has invested much effort in gathering Jewish people living in the area. Throughout the year, whether for Pesach, or just a regular Shabbos, Gary would contact those living in the vicinity and invite them over for a meal. What was not known at the time on Chanuka, is that just a few short weeks later, Gary would suddenly pass away. It turned out that the Chanuka gathering at his place was indeed his last time spent with the local community. In retrospect, it was very fitting that Gary was honoured with lighting the Menorah, something he was so pleased to be able to do.
While all of this was taking place, 4,000 kilometres away, another stint of Chanuka gatherings were taking place. Rabbis Pinchos Sudak and Yaacov Brooks, both originally from London England, came to Australia to run a RARA trip and visit people living in rural and regional areas.
Travelling in the RARA Mitzva Mobile Library, a especially outfitted motorhome packed with Jewish books, a kosher kitchen, sleeping arrangements and everything else needed for a stint on the road, the rabbis visited small towns and cities across the states of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and finally, the Northern Territory, a remote part of Australia that is mostly red-earth desert, very hot temperatures, and home to a handful of Jewish people.
Many of the families they made contact with were so relieved to have someone to talk to about the ongoing war in Israel, and were very willing to wrap Tefillin or accept a set of Shabbat candles and commit to light them.
One of the objectives of the rabbis was to show people how relevant and practical Judaism is today. To that end, one of the families they visited was having a very busy day. Rabbis Pinchos and Yaacov had the opportunity to show the four children of this family all about their special Mitzva Mobile Library, and the books contained within. They also taught them about having a Kosher kitchen, and were able to demonstrate how they had separate dishes for meat and milk aboard the Mitzva tank kitchen. Thanks to the latest advances in technology, the children were also treated to a virtual reality experience of the Beis Hamikdash and a show of some of the 613 Mitzvos, thanks to the new Torah VR headsets that Chabad of RARA recently acquired.
Another unique visit took place near Echuca, a small town in the north of Victoria set on the Murray river. Having recently received the contact details of an older gentleman there named Malcom, the Rabbis made contact. A time was set, and a 2-hour conversation ensued, covering everything from hats and jackets to the war in Israel and many other topics in between. What is remarkable is that Malcom, who is in his 80’s, is indeed a direct descendant of the Alter Rebbe!
Over Chanuka, various gatherings were held, including a visit to the Marcus family in Murray Bridge. They are accomplished artists, and have even drawn many pictures of the Chabad Rebbes. They welcomed the rabbis and ended up playing dreidel late into the night. The Marcus family thoroughly enjoyed the visit, and were sad to see the rabbis leave.
Pinchos and Yaacov also joined the grand Adelaide public Menorah lighting, led by Rabbi Yossi Engel of Chabad of Adelaide. The rabbis helped run the event, and just as they were turning up to the park where the Menorah would be lit, a participant remarked, “it’s always a good thing when RARA comes to town!”.
One of the highlights of the trip was the 3,000 kilometre journey that was made to Alice Springs, an outback city located in the desert in the very centre of Australia. Just to get there and back took a full four days of driving through the desert. With the temperature hitting over 40 degrees celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), it was a great effort, coupled with the fact that the Shabbos meal that would be hosted was taking place right after the Asarah B’Teves fast day. The rabbis were hosted by Dr Rael Codron, a long time friend of Chabad of RARA. And when it came time to light the Shabbos candles, 15 locals came together for a community Shabbos meal, something which invigorated them with connection and strength in the middle of a physical and spiritual desert.
In the days that followed, the rabbi also visited Uluru (Ayers Rock), one of the magnificent natural wonders of Australia, which also holds great cultural value for the local indigenous people, the Aboriginals. After visiting this spectacular site, Pinchos and Yaacov headed to Yulara, the town that sits at the base of this massive rock. They had travelled five hours just to get here, and it wasn’t only to visit the national park. They were in search of Dwain, who is the only Jew in this tiny town, and plays the didgeridoo, an ancient native Australian instrument fashioned from the branch of a tree. Unable to get through to Dwain over the phone, the rabbis drove their motorhome over to his house, and lo and behold, he was home! Although tight on time, Dwain wrapped the Tefillin and said the Shema. “I am so touched that you guys shlepped all the way here just to get in touch with me!” Dwain related.
And lastly, en-route back to Melbourne, Yaacov and Pinchos spent Shabbos in Mount Gambier, a small town close to the South Australia-Victoria border. They were joined by Geoffrey, a local yid who is so thirsty to learn more. The rabbis were able to answer each and every one of Geoffrey’s questions, much to his great satisfaction.
Chanuka has been a very busy season, and we look forward to what comes next. We take this opportunity to thank all our generous supporters that enable stories like the ones above to take place.
For those that do want to participate in ensuring these stories can continue to take place, in just a few short weeks Chabad of RARA will be having its annual giving day fundraiser, on the 6-7 February 2024. Get in on the action before then by visiting chabadofrara.org/support.