With the new year approaching, I thought I would take a step back, and look at Shalom’s mission. What we set out to do, and what we’ve achieved so far.

At Shalom, our goal has always been to increase the engagement and vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. We do this by fostering Jewish life and learning in an inclusive and pioneering way. Over the past year we’ve celebrated Jewish ideas and clever thinkers at Limmud Oz, heard incredible stories being told at The Sydney Jewish Writers Festival and laughed, cried and gave standing ovations to our theatre production, The God of Isaac. We also demonstrated our fight for social justice at the inaugural Social Justice Summit, and experienced great musical and comedic talent at Cover Nagilla, Live at the Lounge and the Sydney Jewish Comedy Festival. Coming up next month, we look forward to hosting Succah by the Sea, Australia’s largest Jewish-inspired art exhibition at Sculpture by the Sea on Bondi Beach. All of this has contributed to or will contribute to building a strong community and connections inspired by our unique culture and heritage. 

Looking outside of Shalom, I’ve been so proud to see our Jewish community campaign for social causes to help make a difference to the world we know. From their presence at the global climate strike last week, to their involvement in the election earlier this year. 

Rosh Hashanah encourages us to think about how we, as humans, can be change-makers in the face of a new year. This coming year I look forward to joining with you to enrich our lives, culture, education and professional endeavours through Jewish community, to make a difference in our lives and in our world. 

Have a safe, happy and sweet new year everyone! 

Warm Regards,

Tamara