Rabbi Shua Solomon named new president of Rabbinical Council
Rabbi Shua Solomon has become one of the youngest rabbis to be appointed president of the Rabbinical Council of NSW (RCNSW).
Rabbi Shua Solomon was appointed president of the Rabbinical Council of NSW (RCNSW) last week, making him one of the youngest rabbis to hold the prestigious post.
The rabbi of Bondi Mizrachi Synagogue has served on the RCNSW executive since 2019.
He said his appointment represented a shift towards a younger demographic within the Jewish community.
“It certainly does represent a shift in terms of the council, that the younger generation are taking on positions of leadership,” Rabbi Solomon told The AJN.
“Mixed with the older and more experienced rabbis, I think it’s important to have a balance of both [perspectives].”
Rabbi Solomon paid tribute to former RCNSW president Rabbi Nochum Schapiro of Chabad North Shore in St Ives.
“I have a lot of gratitude to Rabbi Schapiro for bringing younger people on to his executive … That was not taken for granted, but I’ve got big shoes to fill going forward,” he said.
Rabbi Solomon said he hopes to create opportunities for professional development for community rabbis, and to bring communities together by promoting further collaboration.
“Each generation has had its own challenges, and we have a challenge to make sure that Orthodox Judaism, on one hand, remains authentic and true to what it believes in, and on the other hand, is able to engage and appeal to a wide group of people throughout Sydney,” he said.
“I think that the best way to do that is to encourage rabbis and community leaders to work hard, be faithful to their ideals, and set a good example of what it means to be a community and religious leader.”
Rabbi Schapiro, who now sits as immediate past-president of the RCNSW, said, “I am sure [Rabbi Solomon] will do a great job and take the rabbinate forward in a positive way.
“It’s good when you have rabbis who are willing to do more than just take care of their own communities, which is their primary role, but they’re also ready to give their time for the betterment of the broader Jewish community.”
The RCNSW is the representative organisation of members of the Orthodox rabbinate in NSW, and aims to promote the dignity, status and welfare of Orthodox Judaism, Jewish law and members of the Orthodox community.
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