The Syna-blogue

  Torah Portion: Miketz Synagogue: Kehilat Nitzan, Conservative Walking time from home: 25 minutes Reason for going: Chanukah and speaker Kiddush: Small but hearty, and with 2 cakes In Melbourne at this time of year, it usually feels like the whole city is on holiday. Some businesses have already closed or are operating with fewer staff, and many people are already away or are at least waiting until they go away. The same is true for synagogues. There is probably not a single shule in town that is operating at full capacity. However, it is still Chanukah, so as minor as the festival may actually be in reality, it is one that is widely celebrated and thus the festival alone ensured that most synagogues still operated, even with some people away. Next week though, on the eve of the new year, might be a different story.  Either way, this week not only did I go ...

  Torah Portion: Vayeshev Synagogue: Or Chadash, Orthodox, moderate (& others) Walking time from home: 15 minutes (from my accommodation) Reason for going: Sydney favourite Kiddush: N/A SYDNEY: This week for Shabbat I was back in Sydney, and therefore back at Or Chadash, since that is where I usually go with my friends that I stay with. However, I did not spend the whole time at Or Chadash, partly because the rabbi was away so there was no sermon, and partly because I had lunch plans elsewhere. Though I stayed with one set of friends, I ate lunch with others who go to a different shule, so as soon as the service was over at Or Chadash, I left and walked 15 or so minutes in a different direction to meet my friends at the temporary location of JLC – a shule that hasn’t had a permanent location for a while. I arrived just as the service was finishing, and though...

  Torah Portion: Vayishlach Synagogue: Daminyan, Chabad lite Walking time from home: 10 mins Reason for going: Close to home, special kiddush Kiddush: Sit down and a little chaotic This week, by the time Saturday morning came along, I was quite tired. I was at a late dinner on Friday night, didn’t get home till quite late and even though I slept well, I was still somewhat fatigued when I woke up. So before Shabbat even started, knowing that I would be home late, I decided to go to a Chabad shule, largely because most of them start at 10am – 30 or 45 minutes later than most others. Chabad is mainstream in Melbourne. Even a number of synagogues that aren’t nominally Chabad and don’t have a lot of Chabad congregants, still have Chabad rabbis. On top of that, there are a number of different kinds of Chabad shules. Daminyan is one of my favourites of the Chabad shul...

  Torah Portion: Vayeitzei Synagogue: Caulfield Shule, traditional orthodox Walking time from home: 10 mins Reason for going: Baby naming Kiddush: Sponsored, plentiful Caulfield shule is one of the most traditional and prominent shules in all of Melbourne. It is in fact the largest orthodox congregation too, and largely because of its standing, almost every week on Shabbat morning there is a celebration of some kind, or a speaker of international repute.  This week was no different, with two celebrations in the morning and further celebratory call up later in the day during Mincha. One of the morning celebrations was for a baby naming of girl born during the week to friends of mine, thus I came to celebrate with the family. It was a somewhat muted affair with just a few family members and even fewer friends in the audience, partly because this is their third c...