Torah Portion:	Veyeshev – Chanukah
Synagogue:	Carnegie Chabad House
Walking time from home my sister’s:	Less than 10 minutes
Reason for going:	Close by
Kiddush:	Sit down kiddush with cholent & donuts

For many years, every month or two, various members of our family get together on a Friday night for Shabbat dinner, and we usually do it at the home of my sister and brother-in-law because they have kids and a big house. For a long time they lived in South Caulfield, but a few months ago they moved a little further afield, and this week for the first time since the move, we finally got together again for a Shabbat dinner. The upshot is that I used the opportunity to try out their new guest bed for the first time, and thus on Saturday morning I was just streets away from Carnegie Chabad House, so naturally that is where I went.

Unlike many of the other shules in town, which I have frequented on more than one occasion, in this case I had only ever been to Carnegie Chabad House once before, for a Shiva minyan. I therefore had little idea as to what to expect on a Shabbat morning. On top of that, although I knew approximately where the shule was located, I had forgotten to look up the address. But I needn’t have worried because before you even get there, you can see the large Menorah from the street. The Chabad house is in a corner house on a main road, and the Menorah is permanently in the front yard, not just on Chanukah. On occasion I have even noticed when I have driven past without even looking out for it.

Without really knowing much about the shule, I arrived about 10 minutes after the advertised starting time, but discovered to my surprise that I was just the third person to arrive. The rabbi explained that it is common for people to arrive late, especially on a rainy day, but that no matter what, a Minyan would definitely materialise before the Torah reading. Sure enough, just moments later the next person arrived, and within about half an hour, still more than 20 minutes before the Torah reading, we had a Minyan and then some. Only about 12 or 13 on men’s side at most (with one leaving occasionally for security), but certainly enough for a quorum.

The shule is housed in a former church, but as one congregant derisively told me, ‘we fixed it’. The main sanctuary is in a room slightly larger than a double garage, but with a much higher ceiling. It is set up for about 50 on the men’s side and slightly fewer on the women’s, though it is only ever full on the High Holy days. On a regular Shabbat, 10 – 15 is about average on the men’s side. There were also half a dozen women, but they spent most of their time in a class with the rabbi’s wife in another room. The church was first converted into a shule more than 20 years ago, but has been in this current iteration since 2008. Sometime after that the current rabbi took over, and he undertook some renovations. There was always a house next door which he changed to include a kosher kitchen, and in the gap that separated the sanctuary from the house, he had a room built which now acts as the shule’s hall and the family’s dining room.

The service was exactly as it is in any other similar establishments, with the rabbi conducting most elements, including the reading from the Torah. There was no sermon per se, but the rabbi did talk about an element of the portion of the week – namely Joseph and his brothers – before the reading of the Tora began. The service however was slightly longer than normal because of additions associated with Chanukah, but also because of Chanukah, there were donuts at the kiddush along with cholent and other delicacies, and stories about Chanukah. This shule exists because there are many Jews who live in the area but generally don’t go to shule much. The rabbi and others are trying to change that, and are enticing people with food, events and a welcoming attitude. I didn’t know many people at this shule, but I nonetheless felt the welcoming nature, and being welcoming and inviting is the least that every shule should feel. It is good to know that there is such a shule so close to where my family lives.