The transmission of an abiding and vital sense of Jewish identity is at the core of our mission. This week, our Year 8 students celebrated their unique family histories and journeys through our Kabbalat Dorot (Generations) project.

With the able support of Jewish studies staff members, Corrine Appelbaum, Andrea Gore, Feygi Phillips and Bradley Smith, and volunteers from the Jewish Genealogical Society, our students thoroughly researched their family story, interviewed family members and presented their findings to delighted parents and grandparents.

The goal of this exercise is that our students should know where they have come from, be able to locate themselves in the chain of their family’s story and take agency as keeper of family lore and tradition. 

Director of Jewish Life and Learning, Ilan Bloch, conveyed this to the students through the words from Kohelet Rabbah: “The words of the wise are … like a kid’s ball … Just as they pass the ball with their hands and it does not fall, so too, Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets transmitted it to the members of the Great Assembly.” 

Ilan challenged our students not to drop the ball of Jewish identity that had been passed along through the generations.

At the event, we were fortunate to hear snippets from a selection of students’ learnings before having an opportunity to explore the individual projects in greater detail.

We heard from Ryder, who described his great-grandfather’s journey as a Dunera Boy, fleeing the Holocaust to the haven of Australia on the ship The Dunera. Following what was characterised as a brutal journey, rather than being welcomed as refugees, the Dunera Boys were imprisoned as enemy aliens. Ryder described his pride in learning of his great-grandfather pushing through adversity in the hope of freedom and going on to become a valuable contributor to Australian society.

Kira described the extraordinary and miraculous survival of her great-grandmother at Auschwitz. She defied the odds by convincing the notoriously cruel Dr Mengele to change his ruling that she would be sent straight to the gas chambers and she was allowed to enter the forced labour detail that ultimately led to her survival.

Benji spoke of his great-grandfather, Moshe, who managed to save his baby children from the Nazi liquidation of the ghetto by giving them drops of wine to stay quiet and wrapping them in newspaper to hide them as bundles of goods in order to transport them to the safety of righteous families who hid them.  He also explained the emotional reunion at the end of the war.

Elijah displayed the Medal of Friendship awarded to his grandfather, John, by the Vietnamese Government for his work in opposing the Vietnam War and seeking peace. 

Gaby told of the ‘magic ring’ that has been passed down through her family’s generations since the early 1800s and has become a vital keepsake which connects family members and is seen as a lucky charm. 

Following the journeys into the past, our students presented collages which demonstrated their own individual characteristics. We heard from Emily, Jasmine and Jake who described their vibrant connections with their Jewish identity, their love of their youth movements, their visits to Israel and their devotion to their friendship groups. 

Jake summed up the enormous power of this learning experience. He said that he now carries his family history within him. From his family story he has internalised the importance of education, community, doing what’s right and remembering the past. He said that he knows the importance of connection and will continue to live with the values of kindness, perseverance and curiosity. He said that he sees himself as a chapter in the story of his family.

I know that our students connected deeply with the Kabbalat Dorot project and believe that this empowered them to take up their place as a link in di goldene keyt (Yiddish for the Golden Chain) – the Jewish life chain that connects past, present and future generations.

Shabbat Shalom,

Marc Light
Principal