Beth Dins behaving badly

Local Rabbis are again in the news for all the wrong reasons…writes David Werdiger. Read more

The Orthodox Jewish Guide to Following Australian Rules Football

Congregant: Rabbi, I have a big problem. It’s Kol Nidrei and the <insert-team-name>  game is on. What should I do?
Rabbi: Haven’t you ever heard of a video recorder?
Congregant: Wow! I can tape Kol Nidrei? Read more

Fairfax Media – spiralling into the blame game

I’m not sure what the editors at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald were thinking. Perhaps in response to the criticism of their coverage of the recent violence in Israel, they decided to publish an opinion piece written by an Israeli, and in their wisdom, they chose writer Assaf Gavron. Read more

Who hates us more?…asks David Werdiger

Surely the most useless debate ever would be the following topic: “Who hated the Jews more: Adolf Hitler or Haj Amin al-Husseini?” Read more

5775 – Annus Horribilis

To say it’s been a difficult year for our community would be a gross understatement…writes David Werdiger. Read more

Holocaust Survivors Ageing Faster Than Expected

As we mark the seventieth year since the end of World War II and the liberation of concentration camps, the families of some Holocaust survivors, who are in the twilight of their lives, are experiencing an interesting phenomenon…writes David Werdiger. Read more

The letter I want from our leadership…writes David Werdiger

Following the drama played out at The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse  in Melbourne over the last two weeks, David Werdiger has penned the letter he would like to receive from Melbourne’s Jewish leadership…. Read more

Mesirah and the AFP’s War on Drugs

The Jewish law of ‘mesirah’ – the prohibition against handing a fellow Jew over to secular authorities – has been under the spotlight in the current Royal Commission hearing, with Rabbis being probed as to their own interpretations and practices. Read more

Terrorism 2.0 vs Western Activism

As I write this, a well-known café in the heart of Sydney is under siege from a “gunman” holding hostages. Read more

Of Dead Cricketers and Dead Shul-goers…writes David Werdiger

The national outpouring of grief following the tragic death of cricketer Phil Hughes after being struck by a cricket ball on the field has been quite overwhelming. Read more

Where is the Muslim Outrage at IS?…asks David Werdiger

Imagine this scenario: the emergence of a militant Jewish group. The New Sadducee State (NSS) rejects the Torah’s Oral Tradition, and want to return the entire world to their rule under their literal and strict interpretation of the Written Law. Read more

Yeshiva-Beth Rivkah helps with the school fees

Melbourne’s Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah Colleges have launched YBRCAPS, an innovative revamp to their fee structure that makes school fees both more affordable and more accessible. Read more

Do the Orthodox protect child abusers?…asks David Werdiger

The ongoing revelations of child sex abuse cases in Orthodox communities continue to send out shock waves, especially through the online world, challenge our attitudes and self-perception, and test our resolve. Read more

Yom HaShoah – First Cousins and Fifth Cousins…writes David Werdiger

Imagine a huge tree, with a trunk so wide you cannot reach around it, an extensive root system, and a magnificent and full canopy. It sits majestically in the middle of a huge park, where despite the vagaries of the seasons, it has stood firm and grown for hundreds of years. Read more

Orthodoxy and child sexual abuse

Orthodox communities all over the world continue to struggle with the wave of child sexual abuse accusations coming forth. Read more

The Kaddish Club…writes David Werdiger

They gather together in the middle of the work day, converging on venues around the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD) for about ten minutes, then returning to their busy work schedules. They are the men of the ‘Kaddish Club’. Read more

Police booked for lunch

JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD – have started 2013 with a function featuring Chief Police Commissioner Ken Lay APM and Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant. Read more

The Chanukah Tree

The Menorah is one of the most enduring Jewish symbols we have – instantly recognizable, and adopted as part of the emblem of the state of Israel..writes David Werdiger. Read more