Torah Portion:	Devarim
Synagogue:	St Kilda Shule, traditional orthodox
Walking time from home:	A little over 20 mins
Reason for going:	Multicultural Shabbat
Kiddush:	Very large, catered

For the next two weeks I will be revisiting shules that I have already been to, but for good reason. This week one of the previously visited ones was St Kilda shule for their annual Multicultural Shabbat, which has now become a tradition. Even in tough times like the ones we are currently living through, it attracted a large crowd of non-Jews, along with many Jews who don’t usually come.

The guest speaker this year was the Anglican Archbishop, and like most of the non-Jews, he arrived on time or even a little early. Learning from last year, I also arrived on time, about the same time as him, and as the service was beginning, the president of the shule and I showed him and his delegation not only the shule, but also took them to the boardroom where there are pictures of prominent members like Sir John Monash, as well as pictures of the former rabbis and presidents of the shule. The Archbishop, as is his custom when attending formal events, wore a clerical collar and was very impressed to see that the rabbis of the shule from the late 1800s and early 1900s were photographed wearing almost identical collars. He was also fascinated to see that some of the assistant rabbis of the same era used the title ‘Reverend’ to denote a junior level of rabbi. Whilst Jews tend to no longer use such a title or wear such a collar, just seeing those on the wall instantly made the Archbishop and the other two members of his delegation feel very comfortable.

We then moved into the sanctuary and as is my way in such circumstances, I sat wit the Archbishop’s delegation and became their chief explainer. Afterall, although the Archbishop had been to this synagogue and numerous others over his 18 year tenure, one of the other people with him had never been inside any synagogue before, and even the Archbishop had never sat through a full Shabbat service.

St Kilda shule is one of the grandest in town, with a large domed cupola, wonderful acoustics and a general sense of majesty, especially if you are a first time visitor. It also has a choir with a young choir master and a world-class cantor (Chazan), who certainly played up to the crowd on such an important day. In fact, at one point he used a tune from Phantom of the Opera, and both the Archbishop and his cronies were stunned that they had recognised a Broadway tune in the middle of a religious service. I explained to them that the words are important, but that the tunes can change and that over the years there have been many composers of tunes and equally many opportunities for a Chazan to use whatever tune they like, even tunes from Broadway musicals. That is certainly not the Anglican tradition, but later at the kiddush, another Anglican told me how moved she was by the mellifluous tunes and was almost brought to tears by them. Overall, I think all the guests appreciated the range of the Chazan and choir, and enjoyed the experience.

During the service, in the usual place, the rabbi gave a sermon about the beauty and necessity of multiculturalism in Australia today, as manifested by this special annual Shabbat, but also by the schoolkids from non-Jewish schools who visit this synagogue on a regular basis and often ask very insightful questions. Later at the kiddush, the Archbishop spoke about the global rise of secularism and to a largely faith-based audience, urged the crowd to at least believe in something, as that is one thing especially during difficult times, that gives us all hope. It was a great day to mingle with friends and supporters, to enjoy the lovely catering, to sit with non-Jews as they experienced a Jewish service, and to appreciate the multiculturalism that we are blessed to live with.