The first baby-naming ceremony in eight years took place in Newcastle Synagogue on the weekend.
Sydney’s Rabbi Mendel Kastel took his Bondi Shul on the road, travelling north to Newcastle to spend Shabbat with the city’s Jewish community.
During the service in the synagogue which was built more than 80 years ago, Rabbi Kastel performed the naming ceremony for two-month-old Zeita Lance.
He told J-Wire: “We had over 30 attend Shul and there are signs that this community is on the rise. Real estate is half the price it is in Sydney and there are opportunites here for young families.”
Recent migrants to Newcastle include a cheder teacher from Birmingham in the UK and there are plans to establish a cheder in Newcastle.