Chief Rabbi Mirvis brings message of hope

Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth Sir Ephraim Mirvis brought a message of resilience and unwavering hope to Melbourne’s Jewish community during a breakfast address at the South Caulfield Hebrew Congregation on March 8.

Speaking to a packed shule, Rabbi Mirvis drew on Torah, personal experience and the timeless capacity of the Jewish people to find strength in adversity, as he reflected on the challenges facing Israel and Diaspora communities in the wake of October 7.

“Right now we’re worried. We’re deeply concerned about what’s happening in the State of Israel,” he told the gathering. But rather than dwell on fear, Rabbi Mirvis offered four reasons for genuine optimism.

The first was the power of tikvah (hope) itself – hope as the defining characteristic of Jewish existence.

The second was the support of allies, notably the United States, in confronting the Iranian threat.

Third was the inspiration of Israeli children, whose resilience he witnessed firsthand during last year’s 12-day war against Iran, when he was present in Israel for a grandchild’s wedding.

Listening via Zoom as an Israeli teacher checked in with each of her 30 students – asking about shelters, fathers in the army, anxious grandparents – Rabbi Mirvis said he was moved to tears.

“Their resolve, their sense of hope – what an inspiration.”

His fourth – the deepest source of hope was faith itself. Drawing on the Mosaic encounter with God in that week’s parasha, he offered a striking modern interpretation: Just as soldiers are reassured not by seeing their commander’s face but by following their back into battle, so too the Jewish people find courage by trusting in a God who leads from the front.

Rabbi Mirvis also spoke candidly about antisemitism, urging community members – particularly young people – to stand tall rather than retreat.

“Our response to antisemitism is not going to be to hide away. On the contrary, we’re going to get stronger.”

He acknowledged the threat was real, referencing the recent arrest of four individuals in North London suspected of planning an attack on the Jewish community.

On the question of wearing a kippah in public, he was measured: exercise common sense where genuine danger exists, but never allow fear to become the defining condition of Jewish life.

“We’re proud of what we are and what we are about,” he told the congregation. “And I get so much strength from going around Jewish communities just like this wonderful kehillah.”