New Year’s revolution at Shtiebel

The Holy Days aren’t the only thing that will be high in Melbourne next month.

The numbers wanting to attend the Shtiebel over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are so high that they’re having to move out of their Booran Road premises and into Stonnington Town Hall.

And that’s not the only first for the city’s newest community which celebrates its third birthday next year.

They’re also launching a brand new machzor created specifically for the Australian Jewish experience as well as an innovative ticketing model with congregants booking for the specific services they want to attend, rather than having to take a seat for the entirety of the yom tov season.

“At Shtiebel, our mission has always been simple: to create a spiritual home for anyone seeking connection — whether they are born Jewish, living Jewish, exploring Judaism, Jew-ish, or simply Jew-curious,” said founder and executive director Rabbi Gersh Lazarow, 

“We believe Jewish life shouldn’t be an all-or-nothing exercise. That’s why this year, people can choose their own path. Some will join us for the full season. Others might only come to Kol Nidrei, Yizkor or a Family Service with their children and grandchildren. That freedom to belong on your own terms is what we mean by ‘Jewish Your Way’.”

The new prayer book, meanwhile, Machzor Lev Shalem, includes full transliteration, accessible explanations and a rich collection of essays and reflections — all designed to meet people where they are, while simultaneously deepening their prayer experience.

Written and edited by Rabbi Lazarow and Shtiebel’s director of education and engagement, Tammy Cohen, it reflects the heart of the community’s mission: reimagining tradition in ways that are meaningful, inclusive, and locally grounded.

Cohen said, “We know that Jewish life takes many shapes. Some people want deep study, some want music and creativity, some want to be together with family. That’s why over yom tov we’re partnering with Bops Music and Pillar & Stone Creative Studio to bring fresh experiences into the holidays. Our hope is that everyone can find a doorway in — and that those doorways lead to belonging.”

Leading services alongside Rabbi Lazarow and Cohen will be husband-and-wife duo Adrian Glaubert and Sarah Cossey Glaubert. \

“Their voices and creativity will add depth, texture, and energy to our offerings,” said Rabbi Lazarow, “making the services as uplifting musically as they are spiritually.”

He added, “At the centre of our ‘New Year’s Revolution’ is a teaching from Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of modern Israel: ‘HaYashan Yitchadesh v’haChadash Yitkadesh” — the old must be made new, and the new must be made holy.”

“This teaching is as urgent today as it was a century ago. Rav Kook was speaking about the rebirth of Jewish life in Israel, but the principle is universal. We honour our inherited traditions by daring to reimagine them for this world, making them relevant, inclusive, and holy.”

 

• For more information, visit https://www.shtiebel.org.au/newyear or contact Rabbi Lazarow on 0402 220 602