Torah Portion:	Behar
Synagogue:	Elwood Shule (traditional, orthodox)
Walking time from home:	30 minutes
Reason for going:	Guest speaker
Kiddush:	Small but plentiful

There are some shules that I have already been to for the purposes of this blog, but circumstances have changed so it was worth a revisit. Elwood shule is one of those. Last time I visited, in February last year, a new rabbi had just begun with lots of fanfare, but due to a range of reasons, his stay at the shule was short. This time, not only is there another new rabbi who seems to be much more suited to this congregation, but there were was also an international guest speaker, so it made sense to return. 

Every time I walk there the gates and doors at Elwood shule, I get a feeling of nostalgia. Afterall, this is where I had my Bar Mitzvah and where my family used to come on the festivals when I was a child. But soon enough that nostalgia dissipates because it is now a very different place. The pews and surroundings look much the same, but the congregation is very different. There are still a few of the old guys (who by this point are genuinely old), but most of the regulars are new in my eyes, and more pressingly, there are much fewer of them. The community is also aging, with the rabbi and a few other guys in their 30s or 40s, but everyone else much older. Because of gentrification and other factors, Elwood is no longer the thriving place it once was, at least for the Jewish community, and thus there is probably only a congregation in Elwood at all because there is an old shule. The new rabbi for instance and many other regular congregants live closer to Caulfield but come to this shule because of obligation or familial ties that still abide.

Despite that, or maybe because of that, there was a very nice vibe. There were probably less than 30 men all up, and maybe ten women upstairs, so it felt quite intimate even in the large space. Apart from myself and the guest speaker, everyone else seemed to know each other by name and they even knew when someone had been away and where they had been. There was a sense of familiarity and friendship that is missing in some other shules, and it also meant that many of the congregants had duties to perform, especially during the Torah reading part of the service.

The portion of the week was partly about the sabbatical year (Shmita), where the land in Israel is supposed to lie fallow for an entire year, and the rabbi spoke about the uniqueness of that concept – that although taking some time off for many people is common, taking an entire year off at the same time for everyone involved in Israeli agriculture is an entirely unlikely idea but one that is mandated by the Torah and shows devotion to the Almighty. That belief is also what keeps the Jewish people alive and will get us through crises, even the ones that we as a people are currently facing.

It was an enthusiastic sermon that tapped into spirituality, but didn’t feel entirely rooted to reality. As such, at the small but very well catered kiddush in the hall, it was very nice to hear the American guest speaker. He is an expert in resilience training who set up his company in light of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He is also a non-practicing rabbi and spoke about the Jewish and general concepts of the need for communities to come together, both before and after a disaster. Community cohesion is the best way to thrive after a crisis, and he is thus currently doing a lot of work in Israel, but is also speaking to Australian communities about fire and flood preparation.

It was lovely to be back in this old shule, and it was particularly lovely to see it doing so well. It might not be biggest or the most active congregation, but it is certainly one with passion, resilience and a lovely sense of community.