Ryvchin reflects on Bondi and Jewish identity

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin recently delivered a message of Jewish pride and resilience at the annual Henry Shaw Oration, held ahead of a joint musical Selichot service involving St Kilda Shule, Central Shule and Blake Street Shule.

Speaking on the cusp of the High Holy Days, Ryvchin reflected on leadership, the Bondi massacre and the response of ordinary members of the Jewish community in the aftermath of the attack.

Recalling the stillness that descended on Bondi afterwards, he described a community searching for strength and direction. He said people had not primarily looked to politicians, but to those who had suffered most profoundly – bereaved families, communal leaders and survivors who found the strength to continue.

“These seemingly ordinary people showed us the way because they showed us that if they could go on, so could we,” Ryvchin said. “They showed us that we all have the capacity to lead, in our own way, when our moment arrives.”

Ryvchin also spoke about artist Michael Zavros’ portrait of him wearing tefillin, which won the Archibald Prize People’s Choice Award with the highest number of votes since the award began. He said the significance of the portrait extended beyond himself, representing the public depiction of a Jew who lives his life publicly and privately as a Jew and as a Zionist, and offered a message to young Jews that they need never hide their identity.