Torah Portion:	Yitro
Synagogue:	Or Chadash at Caulfield Shule (orthodox)
Walking time from home:	10 mins
Reason for going:	Just to check it out / a celebration
Kiddush:	Large, sit down kiddush

Some shules in Melbourne are not part of the count of 61 total shules. Or Chadash is one of those because it is hidden and entirely absorbed within Caulfield shule. Starting out as a post Bar Mitzvah minyan close to 60 years ago, it then became the Young Marrieds minyan at Caulfield shule, and then soon after developed an identity of its own. These days it is housed in the little shule upstairs that is used for daily prayers during the week, and many of those who started out as young marrieds are still there, though now they are in their 60s and 70s. In fact, when I walked in at around starting time, the half a dozen men who were already there were having a chat, and it almost felt like I was interrupting something private. It was clear that they have a friendship and a banter of many decades, and that they enjoy their weekly get togethers at shule. The atmosphere though was very friendly. They welcomed me openly, and joked about which one of their mates would be the minyan man. Once the service began, the atmosphere became slightly more serious, though there were some muted conversations.

Overall, the room holds about 100 people, and on a regular Shabbat there are probably less than 40 in this space, which includes the men and the women. The shule has such an identity of its own now that for some of them, their only connection to Caulfield shule and to shule in general, is that they come to Or Chadash every Shabbat, and have done for years. This week however was not an ordinary Shabbat. On this very day, two of the long-standing members turned 70, and one was celebrating a Bar Mitzvah anniversary. On top of that, next week, the rabbi marks 40 years at this shule, though to mark the occasion, next week there will be no separate Or Chadash service because this shule will join with the main Caulfield shule where the rabbi will be honoured. In fact, he is currently the longest serving rabbi in Melbourne, though some people often forget that because he is just a weekend rabbi of a small shule within another shule. But for many who come here regularly, they come because of the intimacy and the lack of pomp. There is no choir or cantor or singing here; just the core elements of the service conducted for the most part by members of the congregation.

As a result of this weeks’ celebrations, before the Torah reading began, the shule felt close to full. Not only were there friends of the honourees in attendance, including quite a few from the main shule, but many of their family members came too, including kids and grandkids, and thus the average age of the congregants came down significantly. The service proceeded as expected, with all of the honourees and many of their relatives called to the Torah, and one of the members of one of the families even led the Musaf service. However, one of the people sitting near me whispered that it didn’t quite feel like the Or Chadash he is fond of. Festivities and celebrations are great, but it is the intimacy of this shule that he craves, and on this occasion it was slightly lost.

The portion of this week contains the iconic Ten Commandments. The rabbi began by saying that he couldn’t find a direct link between the number 70 and those commandments, but that 70 is a common age for many of the congregants at this shule, and that 70 has a greater vibrancy to it these days than it used to have. He then went on to talk about leadership and the fact that it was Yitro – the father-in-law of Moses – who initiated the process that led to the giving of the Ten Commandments, and after whom this portion is named, thus highlighting both respect for elders and the importance of listening to those with greater experience. Most weeks there is no separate kiddush for Or Chadash, and it is at the main kiddush where the members of the two shules mingle. But this week there was a large sit down kiddush just for this congregation, though there were a lot more people at the kiddush than in shule, and it felt like a genuine birthday lunch, with speeches and singing. A very festive experience.