Barry the Blessed
Chanukah got off to an early start in the NSW Parliament last night when Premier Barry O’Farrell explained how he was blessed.
The event co-hosted by the The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies and the Yeshiva Centre-Chabad NSW Headquarters attracted leaders of the main NSW political parties.
Following a welcome by NSWJBD President Yair Miller and President of the Legislative Council, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Shelley Hancock announced that twelve members of the NSW parliament would be visiting Israel in January next year.
Premier Barry O’Farrell took the podium and told his audience that all Jewish blessings started with the word “Baruch” meaning “blessed”. He said that it was his name in Hebrew and that he “was blessed”.
He added that he was blessed to be Premier “of our great State” and that he was blessed to be standing in front of the Jewish community which “had made a great contribution” to NSW. His comments were backed up by Leader of the Opposition John Robertson.
He explained to parliamentarians present about the eight candles of Chanukah and said they represented “eight measured steps” comparing it to the way his Government operates.
Rabbi Pinchus Feldman lit the eight candles of the Menorah and the Central Synagogue’s Yehuda Niassof sang an emotional version of Maoz Tzur.
For all those present the time had come to come face to face with two of the popular joys of Chanukah….doughnuts and latkes.