Rabbi Ralph Genende joining Jewish Care
Rabbi Genende will commence at Jewish Care in November.
JEWISH Care has appointed Rabbi Ralph Genende as its new senior rabbi. He will take up the position when he steps down from the pulpit at Caulfield Hebrew Congregation later this year.
Rabbi Genende, who is also a trained counsellor with a master’s degree from Auckland University, will also serve as the general manager of Jewish Life.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rabbi Genende to lead our Jewish Life team,” said Susie Ivany, Jewish Care president. “With his prominence in the community, respected thought leadership, and depth of expertise, Rabbi Genende will be a welcome addition to our very capable leadership team.”
Rabbi Genende, who was also previously the college rabbi at Mount Scopus Memorial College, and rabbi of Beit Aharon congregation, was awarded an OAM in 2018 for his services to multifaith relations, and to the Jewish community of Victoria.
“I am delighted at this opportunity to join one of the most professional and progressive organisations in Melbourne, if not Australia,” said Rabbi Genende, telling The AJN he was “attracted by the offer to join this body because of its fundamental Jewish ethos of chesed, the attention to those most in need of support, the inclusion of those most in need of recognition and attention; I was drawn to its openness to young and old, its vision for the entire Jewish community; its acute social consciousness.”
He added, “I will continue to be a voice for a balanced, moderate and inclusive Modern Orthodoxy while recognising and honouring the different voices of Judaism across our community.”
In addition to his new role, the rabbi said he has been strongly encouraged by a number of people and groups to establish what will be an independent organisation called Kehillat Kesher – the Connecting Community.
“The purpose of Kehillat Kesher is to provide Jewish life cycle events (bnei mitzvah, weddings and pastoral support) and to reach out to the wider Jewish community giving voice to Judaism’s inclusive moral and ethical teachings,” he said.
Jewish Care CEO Bill Appleby told the community, “Rabbi Ralph’s passion for social justice and creating meaningful bridges between different cultures and faiths strongly aligns with Jewish Care’s values of respect, community, inclusion and social responsibility.”
Rabbi Genende will commence at Jewish Care in November.
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