Parshat Naso

It is back to shul as 'normal' this week, now that Shavuot is behind us. We'd like to acknowledge and thank the guest speakers who came to make the night of Tikkun Leil so special, and all those who helped us finish off the cheesecake. (More of that on Shabbat too!)

Kabbalat Shabbat starts at 6pm on Friday, and it is a final Friday for regular chazzanit Deb Neumann who is off to travel the world. We wish you a bon voyage and hope you come back to sing with us again soon!

The shiur on Shabbat morning starts at 9.15am, followed by Tefilla at9.45am. We look forward to some passionate discussion that will arise from the Torah reading - outlining the laws of sotah, a woman who is suspected of adultery, who is made to drink 'bitter waters'. The practice was abolished by Johanan ben Zakai, one reason being the "uncontrollable number of cases of adultery". This complex and disturbing ritual will be discussed by Ittay Flescher in the Drasha.

The Producers: Tickets are still available to see JYM's show starring Joel Lazar and many others talented folks. Details here.

Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Bamidbar + Shavuot

This Friday we will have our regular Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 6pmat Shira, as well as an extra Kabbalat Shabbat for residents of Montefoire Homes 619 St Kilda Road, at 4pm in the foyer. Please come along to either, or both, and bring the family! On Shabbat morning we have a shiur at 9.15am followed by Shacharit at 9.45am. A drasha will be given by Benji Prawer. 

Shavuot Tefilla (prayer) Times: 

Erev Shavuot (Tues eve) 6pm with communal dinner to follow, and tikkun leil

Shavuot Day 1: 9.30am. Drasha by Michael Sifris
Shavuot Day 2: 9.30am. Drasha by Ellyse Borghi. Yizkor is said on second day Yom Tov.

We are delighted to invite you to our Shavuot Dinner and Tikkun Leil night of learning on May 14th.   The dinner will be Ottolenghi themed, and will be truly delicious! It is also convenient to be at shul in time for the speakers, rather than rushing from your dinner at home. Bookings close by Friday. For dinner bookings please click here. All are welcome (no charge) to our night of learning and cheesecake that will follow from 7.30pm with guest speakers:

Dr Michael Steinlauf, visiting American scholar in Yiddish and Jewish Culture and guest of the ACJC at Monash, will be sharing and discussing a Y.L Peretz story that he translated entitled "The Poor Boy". Feel free to read in advance here.

"Your God Is My God - conversion stories" with Evan Thornley, Sue Taylor and Dean Ogden who have chosen Judaism as their religion. Mark Baker will give an opening address.

Professor Andrew Benjamin, Chair of Philosophy and Jewish Thought at the ACJC, Monash University, will speak on 'Justice and Holiness: Notes on Tehillim 89'

It is going to be a really stimulating night of learning and we really look forward to seeing you there! 

Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Behar Bechukotai

We are delighted to invite you to our Shavuot Dinner and Tikkun Leil night of learning on May 14th. The dinner will be Ottolenghi themed, and will be truly delicious! Early bird dinner bookings before Wednesday. Adults $35, Uni/school students $20. For Dinner bookings please click here.

All are welcome (no charge) to our night of learning and cheesecake that will follow from 7.30pm with guest speakers:

Dr Michael Steinlauf, visiting American scholar in Yiddish and Jewish Culture and guest of the ACJC at Monash, will be sharing and discussing a Y.L. Peretz story that he translated entitled "The Poor Boy". Feel free to read in advance here.

"Your God Is My God — Conversion Stories" with Evan Thornley, Sue Taylor and Dean Ogden who have chosen Judaism as their religion. Mark Baker will give an opening address.

Professor Andrew Benjamin, Chair of Philosophy and Jewish Thought at the ACJC, Monash University, will speak on 'Justice and Holiness: Notes on Tehillim 89'

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This Shabbat: Kabbalat Shabbat at the family friendly time of 6pm(yay for all the kids who came last week!) and on Shabbat morning 9.15am for the Shiur and 9.45am for the Tefillah. We have Adele Stowe-Lindner giving our Drasha this week, with a Kiddush to follow.

Montefoire Kab Shab: Next Friday, 10th May at 4pm, Shira and Jewish Care are volunteering to hold a Kabbalat Shabbat service for the residents of Montefoire Homes. We'd love it if you could join us, especially with kids and anyone who loves to sing along to the guitar. Instruments and singers welcome. Meet us in the foyer of 619 St Kilda Road at 4pm. Please reply to this email with an RSVP if you can make it.

Drasha Givers: We always appreciate people who can give their time to prepare and give over a Dvar Torah in shul each week. If you'd like to volunteer, please be in touch.

Salad Spinners: We'd like to acknowledge Mandi Katz who has been making fresh salads each week to complement our Kiddushim. We'd like to set up a roster of people who can volunteer to bring in salad ingredients to shul and prepare the salad in our kitchen on the day. Shira will happily pay for the ingredients, and you can be as creative as you like. Please reply if you are able to help out.

Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Emor

We are having a really special Shabbat this week, beginning tonight at 6pm with Kabbalat Shabbat. At 9.15am we have our regular shiur, followed by the Tefillah at 9.45am. We have the great pleasure of welcoming Yael, daughter of Alex Fein and Yaron Gottlieb, with a Simchat Bat. Yaron will be giving the Dvar Torah. The Fein and Gottlieb families welcome everyone to a Kiddush in Yael's honour. We wish you all much naches!

Shavuot dinner: The Omer is about counting days till Shavuot- and we have just over 2 weeks to go until our wonderful Shavuot Communal Dinner on May 14th, followed by a night of learning. Features of the night include "Your God Is My God" conversion stories, and guest speakers Michael Steinlauf with a discussion on Yiddish literature related to sin, and Andrew Benjamin presenting a philosophical view of justice based on biblical texts. Early bird booking by Wed 8th May, the dinner is $35 for adults and $20 for university/school students. We hope you can join us - bookings here.

Condolence: We wish a long life to Ros Zwier and family on the recent loss of her mother, Sonja Zwier z'l. May you know only simchas from here on. 

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Fundraiser: Benji Prawer is raising money for 'Live below the Line', a project where people live off $2 a day for food for 5 days. The money raised goes to building schools in third world countries in order to break the poverty cycle. Benji is undertaking this challenge and is looking for people to sponsor him by clicking here.

The Producers: The talented Joel Lazar is starring as the charactor of 'Franz Liebkind' in The Producers from May 11th - 25th, put on by JYM, Jewish musical theatre company. For bookings please go to http://www.jymtheatre.com/.

Shabbat Shalom!

Parshat Acharei Mot Kedoshim

The New Zealand Parliament legalized marriage equality yesterday, redefining marriage as between two people rather than man and woman.  Clearly this will raise a great deal of discussion in communities of all faiths. It is fortuitous that on Shabbat we have a guest speaker on the topic:

"Building inclusive Torah communities: Welcoming LGBTI Jews into Halachic Partnership"

We warmly welcome Gávriel Ansara and his husband Dr Sruli Berger to join us for Shabbat. Gávi will be speaking after the Kiddush about challenges faced by the LGBTI community who want to live a halachically observant life, and be part of an Orthodox Community. He will share his thoughts about how to build halachic partnership in a fully inclusive way and welcome people who have experienced exclusion for their sex, sexuality or gender back into our minyanim, our Shabbat tables, our families, and our communities. A full description of Gávi's work and talk topic can be found on the facebook group "shira" - look us up if you haven't already joined. 

Kabalat Shabbat starts tonight at 6.00pm. On Shabbat, our regular Shiur will run at 9.15am and shul starts at 9.45am.

SHAVUOT: On Tues May 14th we are having a dinner and Tikkun Leil, night of learning with a brilliant line up of speakers. Details next week.

FOOD ROSTER: Shira are arranging a food roster for Annette Charak and family. If you would like to be included, please go to this link.

MAZAL TOV: We warmly welcome Yael, daughter of Alex Fein and Yaron Gottlieb, born last Friday. Mazal tov to all the grandparents and extended family as well!

The Producers: The talented Joel Lazar is starring as the charactor of 'Franz Liebkind' in The Producers from May 11th - 25th, put on by JYM, Jewish musical theatre company. For bookings please go to http://www.jymtheatre.com/.

Jewish Care Volunteers:  Jewish Care is in great need of volunteers for a 2 hour shift to help their annual appeal telethon. Contact Helen: hlewitan@jewishcare.org.au or sign up here.

Shabbat Shalom