‘Felt a deeper connection to the land’
Parents and students recently returned from a powerful Jewish-Indigenous retreat, which was a collaboration between parents from the Emanuel School, Stand Up and Wangat Lodge.
Parents and students from the Emanuel School recently returned from a powerful retreat, where they experienced meaningful parent-child connections and gained a deeper understanding of First Nations history and culture.
The three-night Tikkun Wakulda retreat was hosted at Wangat Lodge, situated at the foothills of the Barrington Tops, and was a collaboration between parents from the Emanuel School, Stand Up and Wangat Lodge.
“We were generously gifted the word ‘Wakulda’ for our retreat by Justin Ridgeway from the Woromi Aboriginal Land Council, which means ‘together’, and when combined with the word ‘Tikkun’, our retreat literally meant ‘to heal together’,” Emanuel parent Michael Pollak told The AJN.
“The name reflected a key objective of our retreat, which was to contemplate the meaning of reconciliation, and forge an enduring bond based on our cultures. It was a true honour and privilege to come together, to listen, learn, connect and share with one another.”
Pollak is the founder of the Tikkun Giving Circle. When he returned from Emanuel’s Jilkminggan program in 2021, he realised his own deeper connection to land and saw that much was to be gained from nature-based parent-child connection and learning about our First Nations.
That’s how the seed was planted for this retreat and Pollak said it was a dream of his to bring it to life. “It was really about these Jewish families creating stronger bonds between parent and child, and as a community, while genuinely opening their hearts and their minds to learn and to connect with Australia’s First Nations people, wisdom and culture. And being on country, immersed in nature, enabled this to happen.”
Fifteen year 7 Emanuel School students, each with a parent, spent four days immersed in a thought-provoking program. There was hiking, waterfall jumping, plenty of listening and learning, and a meaningful Kabbalat Shabbat.
Student participant Mahli Olian said the most meaningful part was meeting with the Indigenous leaders and educators.
“They came and greeted us with a smoking ceremony and then spoke about their history on the land,” Olian said.
“We then went on a special bushwalk and as we walked, the two Indigenous leaders pointed out special plants that were used when their ancestors walked the land. They showed us Lomadra Longfolia, which was used for weaving, making flour and as a water source.
“I felt a deeper connection to the land and, after hearing the story of what had happened to the Indigenous Australians who had walked the same land many thousands of years ago, I felt so lucky to be walking and learning about their culture,” Olian said.
Parent Rochelle Oshlack said, “My son stands a little taller and our connection is a little more solid from walking the same track with our community with this intent of healing our world for a remarkable four days.”
Stand Up CEO Courtney Winter-Peters said Tikkun Wakulda was “truth-telling in action” as the participants embarked on an educational journey into the First Nations voices and stories.
“The Jewish lens through which it was facilitated encouraged participants to understand how our own values and experiences bind us to the fight for First Nations justice,” she told The AJN.
“Programs like Tikkun Wakulda are the pinnacle of why Stand Up does what we do … There was a clear alignment of values between Tikkun and Stand Up in that we are both aiming to empower the younger generation of Jewish change-makers and build a better and more equitable world through tikkun olam.”
The participants were welcomed by Indigenous leaders and educators at Wangat Lodge. Photo: Supplied.
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