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Saying Farewell5/25/2023 --by Rabbi Margaret Three months have flown by and I am feeling a mixture of sadness and excitement as I prepare to leave Adelaide. I have had a wonderful three months here, but I am looking forward to travelling in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand with David, and even more to returning home after what will be five months away and seeing our children again. I am glad to be ending my time here with a celebration of Shavuot. Shavuot feels a Cinderella festival, here as in the UK. It does not have powerful symbols like the Seder and the Succah. Even when it is celebrated, it is remembered more for cheesecake than Torah. At Beit Shalom, I am looking forward to the Shavuot Oneg, which will be held on Friday night and which hosts a cheese cake competition. But I am also looking forward to our Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, on the night of Shavuot, when we will engage in the study of Torah. The festival of Shavuot is foundational to Judaism. It marks the Covenant at Sinai, which was the beginning of our history as a people who were not just runaway slaves but had a purpose. It celebrates the giving of the Torah, which is at the heart of Judaism. The study of Torah is a practice which distinguishes our religion. From early in our history, it was universal for men. In our time, not only Progressive but also Orthodox women have been able to participate fully too, and to reclaim our heritage in the Torah. For me, it is a source of joy, excitement and challenge. I have greatly enjoyed teaching ‘Difficult Torah’ whilst I have been in Adelaide. We have looked at some of the more obscure passages in Leviticus and the troubling narratives about Dinah and Tamar and Judah (not to be confused with Tamar, King David’s daughter). Progressive Judaism has sometimes ignored these passages, presenting an uplifting but misleading picture of the Torah. The Torah is certainly a moral guide and there is much we can learn from it about how we live, even in the 21st century. But there is also much that reflects its time, 2-3000 years ago, and it has been stimulating to explore what that meant for us. I have also learnt during my time in Australia that our Jewish history, though long, is very brief in comparison to the history of the indigenous people here. Scientific evidence now suggests that history goes back some 60,000 years, an unimaginable timescale. I have been fascinated to learn about the indigenous peoples whilst I am here but have been left with many questions. This Shabbat, the Breakfast Club will be talking about ‘The Voice’, a move to give the aboriginal people a separate Voice to parliament. It is a debate of enormous significance to the future of the country and I will observe with interest how it progresses from the distance of the United Kingdom.
I have been trying to thinking of parallels in the UK, and although none are exact, the nearest may be that we address our history as an Empire. We enslaved people, plundered their resources and encouraged them to come to Britain only to subject them to racial discrimination and abuse. We have to address the injustices that have been perpetrated. Maybe our communities can learn from each other about how we do this. There has been so much learning for me in the last three months. There has also been much joy. I have loved meeting people and hearing their stories: about their family history in Adelaide, how they came here, their lives and travels and the history of Beit Shalom. I will miss the community and it is strange that I will not be returning as rabbi to Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, which after 28 years will always be ‘my’ community, although I am looking forward to a new phase in my life. As I leave, and say farewell to Beit Shalom with sadness, all my good wishes go to the congregation and to Shoshana as she returns as their rabbi. Thank you, Shoshana and Beit Shalom, for giving me this precious opportunity.
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Leave a Reply.Rabbi Shoshana Kaminsky has been the rabbi of Beit Shalom in Adelaide, South Australia for the last sixteen years. She's very happy to be serving Birmingham Progressive Synagogue for the next three months.
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