Community cut off by floods
"Jews in Lismore not contactable" as the deluge of rain continues.
FLOODS ravaging New South Wales and Queensland have taken their toll on members of the Jewish communities in both states.
In the NSW Northern Rivers region, Rabbi Tomer Ben Harosh of Chabad of Byron Shire was cut off for two days when rain flooded a bridge near his Mullumbimby home.
“Cars were trying to pass through, they were stuck there. People just didn’t know what to do. Some people parked their cars and decided to walk to work,” he said. “Sunday it started, the rain became very heavy … we didn’t see it coming.”
Marianne McCormack, a member of the local Jewish community, said Mullumbimby “has been devastated”.
“None of us have seen flooding like this before,” she told The AJN. “Local Aboriginal people say in their historical memory, they have no knowledge of anything this severe.
“Almost every home and business was impacted. A lot of people in Mullumbimby and Ocean Shores – mainly in the Jewish community as well as others – were evacuated from their homes.”
Many have taken refuge in the pub, community centres and evacuation centres, she said, while some have been staying in each other’s homes. She said the community has came together to help each other “so beautifully”.
Nearby Lismore, with a Jewish population of around 40, was hit even harder, McCormack said.
“Lismore has had absolute devastation like never before. The Jewish community in Lismore, they’re literally not contactable at all.”
Meanwhile, Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg found himself battling rising floodwaters in his own home in Gordon Park in Brisbane, after flooding from nearby Kedron Brook.
“We had about a metre of water in our front yard, which engulfed one of the cars, and deposited mud everywhere throughout our front and back yard, and underneath our house. Thankfully, it didn’t make the first floor of our house, so we were protected from that – but it was touch and go,” he said.
Steinberg reported that Brisbane’s Jewish community buildings have so far not been impacted. “The Brisbane River is still rising, so there’s still potential for impact, so there’s a watching brief on that.”
He said the only Brisbane shule that could potentially be affected by flooding from the Brisbane River is Brisbane Synagogue on Margaret Street in the CBD.
One Jewish-owned institution that was affected was Redcliffe Israeli restaurant Pilpel, run by well-known community member Adiel Ben-Karmona, which was forced to close due to flooding.
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