Jewish Online News from Australia and New Zealand
The Shalom Institute provides and maintains a high standard residential facility for UNSW students where intellectual, cultural, moral, inter-personal and physical development are valued and fostered. Students of both sexes are welcomed without regard to race or religion.
Dr Josef McDonald, a member of the Awabakal tribe, graduated from the University of NSW as a doctor the 16th December…the 3rd graduate of the Shalom Gamarada Scholarship Program.
Dr Hilton Immerman and Dr Josef McDonald pic: Shirli Kirschner
In January, he commences his internship in Newcastle with the Hunter New England Health Service, which includes service provision to a sizable Aboriginal population.
The program began with one student in 2005. In 2011, there were 22 Indigenous students living in Shalom College on the scholarship. In 2009, Beth Kervin, who works at Liverpool Hospital, became its first graduate. Jenna Owen, from Dubbo, graduated with first class honours as an Optometrist in 2010 and now works in Port Macquarie.
Since McDonald is from the Newcastle area, to be able to study Medicine at UNSW, he needed accommodation in Sydney. As he and his family could not afford this, he was faced with the likelihood of dropping out of university. He was than granted a scholarship to reside at Shalom College.
When in the 4th year of his studies, “Macca,” the recipient of the Sabina Ross Slater Memorial Medical Scholarship, said:
“Receiving the Shalom Gamarada Scholarship was a life-changing experience for me. Apart from the advantages it offers my studies, another great benefit of the program is that it offers a racism-free environment in which Indigenous students can live and discuss Indigenous issues and what it means to be Indigenous. I basically owe everything to the Shalom Gamarada Scholarship. Without it, it would be impossible for me to study medicine as there is no way my family could afford for me to live in Sydney.”
As part of his studies, he completed rural terms working in hospitals in Wilcannia and Broken Hill and an 8 week term in Psychiatry at Sutherland Hospital. He conducted research into Indigenous empowerment which involved men exercising better control over their health.
He served as the Shalom College Medicine Tutor-in Residence in 2010 and 2011.
Shalom College is run by the Shalom Institute. As well us running programs on extra-curriculum studies, this Jewish organisation runs a program which offers residency for Aboriginal students studying medicine at the University of New South Wales.
September 1, 2011 by Community Editor
The ten days between the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are often considered to be a perfect period of reflection; an opportunity to look at where you’re at, where you’ve come from, and where you’re heading. Whether you’re religious or not, introspective or not – even Jewish or not – Sydney’s Shalom Institute invites you to take part in 10Q an online series of 10 questions, one per day for each of the ten days.
10Q
Simply answer each question and email your replies to a secure, online vault just after Yom Kippur; next year, before Rosh Hashanah, they’ll be sent back to you for reflection, and the whole process will begin again. Whether you do it once or become an annual 10Qer, we hope that in pondering and scribbling your answers, 10Q will help connect you to parts of yourself that often get lost in the midst of fast-paced, twenty-first century life.
web site www.doyou10Q.com/sydney
What to Expect
The 10 Questions cover a range of themes, five dealing with the year that was and five dealing with the year to come. Ranging from specific experiences to major milestones, from global issues to personal aspirations, 10Q is bound to generate introspection in a way you have yet to experience.
10Q: Created by Reboot and brought to you by The Shalom Institute
Founded in 2003, REBOOT (www.rebooters.net) is an innovative network of creative, young Jews dedicated to helping a new generation explore and redefine Jewish identity, community, and meaning.
The Shalom Institute is an inclusive and pluralistic organisation which promotes Jewish engagement through cultural, educational, social and leadership development activities. It is home to a hub of innovative, dynamic and pioneering young adult departments which encourage individuals to assume ownership and creativity over their Jewishness.
May 27, 2009 by J-Wire Staff
Sydney’s Shalom Institute is funding Aboriginal medical students through the exhibition and sale of Aboriginal art..with ten indigenous students currently in residence in Shalom College.
The Shalom Institute’s support for the Aboriginal education scholarship program Shalom Gamarada goes from strength to strength in 2009 with the opening of the fifth Shalom Gamarada art exhibition and art sale in Sydney in July.
The 2009 Shalom Gamarada art exhibition will bring together an extensive range of original artwork from emerging and acclaimed Aboriginal artists around Australia. The exhibited artwork is valued at over $1 million and will feature special installations from Gloria Petyarre and Shorty Jangala Robinson as well as works from Jan Billycan, Daniel Walbidi and Weaver Jack. The patron of the 2009 Shalom Gamarada art exhibition is Her Excellency the Governor of NSW Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO.
Members of the Jewish community are encouraged to attend the exhibition and show their support. All artwork on display will be available for purchase and Shalom Gamarada’s share of the proceeds will be used to fund residential scholarships for Aboriginal Medical students at the Shalom College, University of New South Wales.
Shalom Gamarada has been able to assist 15 students study medicine, optometry and medical science covering their lodging expenses so students are able to focus solely on their excelling in their studies. Each scholarship is valued at $15,000 per year and covers full board and lodging at the College on the University’s Kensington campus.
Currently there are ten Indigenous students on scholarships residing at Shalom College – eight medical students, one health sciences student and one optometry student.
With only 120 Indigenous students enrolled in Medicine across Australia, scholarship founder and Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver believes the Shalom Gamarada art exhibition plays an important role in bringing the Jewish and Indigenous communities together.
“The Shalom Institute has supported the Shalom Gamarada aboriginal scholarship program and the Shalom Gamarada art exhibition since its inception in 2005. With both Jewish and Aboriginal communities no stranger to prejudice, this program is an important way of bringing the two cultures together through art,” said Jackson Pulver.
“By attending the exhibition the Jewish community can play a vital role in improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal Australians,” she added.
The Shalom Gamarada scholarship program was set up in 2005 to boost the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students attending the University of New South Wales and runs in partnership with the UNSW’s Shalom College, Nura Gili Indigenous Programs Unit and the Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit.
Shalom Gamarada has been able to assist 15 students study medicine, optometry and medical science covering their lodging expenses so students are able to focus solely on their excelling in their studies. Each scholarship is valued at $15,000 per year and covers full board and lodging at the College on the University’s Kensington campus.
