The Syna-blogue

  Torah Portion: Pinchas Synagogue: Hashkama @ Mizrachi Walking time from home: Almost 20 minutes Reason for going: I woke up early Kiddush: Small but hearty This week I had lunch plans quite some distance from home and was intending on going to a shule in that vicinity. But on Friday night, sleep was hard to come by and I finally woke up before 6am and was still wide awake at 7am. So rather than wallow in bed, I decided to go to shule. In Melbourne there are a few early services on a Shabbat morning. I’ve never quite understood their appeal, though the best explanation I’ve heard is that they are for people who wake up early anyway and want to get their praying out of the way. On top of that, there is usually a well-prepared class that follows with some good food, so it has come to be a bit of a tradition, especially at Mizrachi. Many of the people who attend, then

  Torah Portion: Balak Synagogue: Adass Israel (ultra-orthodox) Walking time from home: Just over 25 minutes Reason for going: Something very different Kiddush: Large sit down kiddush For the purposes of the blog, this week was special. I started this blog in part because I had been to most shules in Melbourne but wanted the opportunity to visit some others. Adass was always at the top of that list. It was one shule I had never been to for a service and in fact knew almost nothing about Melbourne’s most insular Jewish community. Some months ago, when I talked to people about this blog, one of my friends said that he sometimes goes to Adass and next time he goes, I can come with him. This felt like a small mercy because by reputation alone, I had always been intimidated to enter Adass on my own. This week, when our schedules finally aligned, we managed to make it in

  Torah Portion: Chukat Synagogue: Gesher at Temple Beth Israel Walking time from home: Just over 15 minutes Reason for going: Something different Kiddush: Small, homely kiddush The majority of services on a Shabbat morning, here and across the world, are very traditional.   Different shules and different sects within Judaism interpret some elements differently, but if you are familiar with the proceedings and walk into almost any shule in the world, you will recognise the tunes and the way the service runs. But then there are others that are demonstrably different – they take the mould of a traditional shule and turn it on its head. One such very different service is called ‘Gesher Lit’fillah – a bridge to prayer’ at TBI. According to the TBI website, it is an ‘alternate’ service, ‘led by the participants themselves, with more communal discussion and singing.’ It on

  Torah Portion: Korach / Rosh Chodesh Synagogue: One that I have been to before Walking time from home: More than half an hour Reason for going: Bar Mitzvah Kiddush: Large catered kiddush This week I went to a shule that I have been to several times before, so rather than write about the shule, I will write about the reason for going there: a Bar Mitzvah. Like any coming of age ceremony, it was a joyous occasion, but for this family it was potentially even more special than normal. As we heard during the kiddush, the birthday of the boy was almost a month ago, but the Bar Mitzvah was delayed so that it could take place during the school holidays, which also coincided with an opportune time for family members to travel from overseas. The father of the boy has been living in Australia for nearly 20 years, but this is the first time that his parents and some of his s