Torah Portion:	Pinchas
Synagogue:	Or Chadash, Orthodox, moderate
Walking time from home:	15 minutes (from my accommodation)
Reason for going:	Sydney favourite
Kiddush:	Sponsored kiddush

SYDNEY: If I lived permanently in Sydney, this blog and my constant shule-hopping would not exist. I keep coming back to Or Chadash in Sydney because that is where the friends that I usually stay with go, but more than that, it is intimate, friendly, moderate, makes women feel as comfortable as possible within an orthodox setting, always has a nice kiddush, and though there are sometimes serious talks, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. In other words, a nearly perfect combination of all the things that excite me and entice me about the synagogue experience.

In Melbourne, I haven’t yet found a shule that is quite on par. There are many that have a lot of those features, but because there are so many more options, it is hard to find one with all of them and therefore I love going to a new synagogue each week and getting something positive from each one – even from the ones that aren’t quite my vibe. Sydney not only has a third of the number of shules that Melbourne has, but of the ones that do exist, there are generally fewer similarities between each and thus much more synagogue loyalty. I only come to Sydney and therefore to Or Chadash a few times a year, but this week – as is the case each time – there were only a handful of people I didn’t recognise. And this week there were more visitors than normal, in part because of a special and sponsored kiddush!

Till just a few of weeks ago, Or Chadash had a permanent rabbi. But after 5 years of service, he has moved on and so far each week there has been a guest speaker. Next week after the AGM the shule will decide on its future direction and how it will operate going forward, but in the meantime, this week’s speaker was a young woman of the community who spoke about the tensions in this week’s portion. The main protagonist kills two people with a spear in a public place because in his estimation they are engaged in illicit activities, but he is rewarded for his actions. This portion is my least favourite in the whole of the Torah because of this, but the speaker said that many rabbis have grappled with, and argued about this, for many years. Ultimately Pinchas is rewarded because his intentions were pure and his actions were a catalyst that stopped a plague, yet there is still no way of getting around the fact that he is also a murderer.

The shule experience for everyone is always a subjective thing. Some people love it, others hate it in equal measure no matter the shule, the service, the rabbi or even the kiddush. For me, in a place where there are many, I go to all of them because I can’t find one that satisfies all of my needs. But when there are fewer options, I am prepared to settle and accept all the positives along with the faults. Most commentators on this week’s portion bend over themselves to try explain the difference between good acts of zealotry and bad ones, insisting that Pinchas was zealous to be sure, but was acting in the interests of G-d and the community. For me, that is too long a bow to draw. Some people, some public acts, some shules even may not be to my taste, but if what they are doing speaks to others and doesn’t impact too much on me, who am I to judge or intervene?

In Sydney I have found a very fine shule, and it is also where my friends go. If I lived here, it would be perfectly satisfactory, and though on occasion I would get itchy feet and would need to scratch the itch by going somewhere else, I would likely return. But in Melbourne the itch is greater and the options are more, but I hope the intent is just as pure and the desire to find my place continues.g