Jewish patients and families at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney now have 24-hour access to kosher food and religious items following the opening of a new kosher pantry.
The pantry was established by Jewish House, Abraham’s Tent and St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, with seed funding from the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation’s Endowment Grants Program.
It provides kosher meals, prayer books and other religious items for Jewish patients, relatives and visitors.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park and NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce officially opened the facility on Tuesday, June 30.
St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney chief executive Anna McFadgen said the initiative recognised that hospital care extended beyond medical treatment.
“Exceptional healthcare is about more than clinical excellence. It is about recognising the needs of every individual and ensuring patients and families feel welcomed, respected and supported,” McFadgen said.
“The Kosher Pantry is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when community, faith and healthcare come together in service of others.”
Jewish House CEO Rabbi Mendel Kastel, who has served as a hospital chaplain for more than 35 years, said familiar food and religious items could provide comfort during a hospital stay.
“Something as simple as having access to kosher food or familiar religious items can bring enormous comfort to patients and families and remind them that they are cared for and supported,” Rabbi Kastel said.
Park said the pantry sent a clear message to Jewish patients and their families.
“This is more than just a cupboard: it sends very clearly a message that we support Jewish people as they come into our hospital often on the worst day of their life or their family’s life,” he said.
“The kosher pantry initiative is a wonderful example of inclusive, compassionate healthcare in action.”
Pearce said the St Vincent’s pantry was among the first of three kosher pantries in NSW hospitals, with more planned across the state.
“The important message for patients, families and carers of all backgrounds, faiths and cultures is that no matter who you are or where you are from, you will be treated with kindness, respect and compassion,” she said.
Abraham’s Tent will stock and maintain the pantry.
The organisation was founded in 2017 by Rabbi Aycee Abrahams and his wife, Sorella, to provide kosher meals and support to people in need.
It began with volunteers delivering meals from the couple’s home and now prepares and distributes thousands of meals each year to people facing illness, hardship and crisis.
The Curran Foundation’s Endowment Grants Program has supported staff-led projects at St Vincent’s for more than 40 years.
A similar pantry is already in place at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney.