‘Shabbat Shalom’ – an iconic AJN highlight

It was Tzom Gedaliah 1997. As part of my historical research activity I was sitting in the AJN Balaclava Road offices reading archived old editions of the paper (that date back to 1933). Then editor Sam Lipski stopped by and asked what I was doing since leaving my previous executive government position. He was seeking to create a section focused on religious matters to give the paper what he saw as a much needed “neshama – soul” that he felt was lacking amidst the welter of information presented there. So, he asked, would I be interested in heading such a section? And thus a few months later began a 28-plus year journey for myself and the community. (Note that in Hebrew 28 is the gematriah of “koach – strength”). 

It was a journey, I would add, without a break. In all that time including whenever I embarked on my frequent visits to Israel or occasional travel elsewhere – there was never a week without my column or “Shabbat Shalom” as a whole. Yes there were challenges – the subject matter to be discussed other than that determined by our calendar or political events was not always obvious but we got there.

The first task as we developed the idea was to give it a name. “Shabbat Shalom” was chosen as we felt that with the inclusion of pieces devoted to Torah and especially the weekly parasha it would provide reading material particularly appropriate for Shabbat and discussion material for the Shabbat table. From anecdotal evidence over the years we succeeded in that regard – in many a household the section and particularly my column did become a Friday night meal staple, though I am a little concerned if it became so at the expense of study of the works of the great sages and commentators.

Sam named my column, whether or not in-depth analysis of issues or effectively a rambling “blog”, as “Sichat Yosef”, literally the speech of Yossi. It was a name about which I was hesitant because in my world a “sicha” was something by a special personality – be it the Rebbe himself or perhaps a “Mashgiach Ruchani – spiritual guide”, such as my teacher Reb Gedaliah Ajzenman, decades-long mashgiach of Kol Torah Yeshivah where I studied. However, Sam insisted on giving it a try and it has stuck, even to the extent of defining my persona. 

And so, in the first “Sichat Yosef” column, I began with reference to Rosh Chodesh Nisan and the Parashat Hachodesh reading of that Shabbat “Hachodesh hazeh lachem Rosh Chodashim – this month (Nisan) shall be for you the head of the months…” (Shemot 12:2). For The AJN, I suggested that Rosh Chodesh, coinciding as it did with Parashat Hachodesh, was indeed to be a beginning. It marked the start of what we hoped would be a significant contribution to the religious life of Australian Jewry. To take the pasuk further: “Rishon hu lachem – it is a first for you (our people)” and in the spirit of Rashi’s comment elsewhere on the related words “Lech lecha”, (Bereshit 12:1) – coincidentally the start of this week’s parasha – it was hoped that for the community it would be “l’hana’atcha ul’tovatcha – for enjoyment and benefit”. 

In that inaugural column I also spelt out our vision that the aims of “Shabbat Shalom” were to provide a forum for ideas and articles with a religious focus of interest to the broader community. With content far beyond parasha pieces, “Shabbat Shalom” was to feature a smorgasbord of material with “Sichat Yosef” as the anchor. Its scope was to encompass topical issues and events in Israel and the global shtetl as well as locally. And of course the topical emphasis was not to preclude the inclusion of items of historical interest, including those dealing with the past of the Australian kehillah – a special interest of mine. I believe these aims were more or less achieved over the decades.

I have worked with a succession of editors with varying world views, as well as colleagues who were specialists in other areas covered by our paper, all of whom respected the topics covered in my columns in particular and these pages in general. I have experienced changes in technology (not all of which I have grasped) that have facilitated transmission to you, the reader, of events worldwide as well as the thoughts of our writers whether ordained rabbis or lay people (and I would add, both men and women from both the Orthodox and Progressive communities). I have appreciated your comments whether as emails or in person – including the critical ones when (as was inevitable) I got something wrong. I could not shop in Carlisle Street or Glen Eira Road on a Friday without someone saying that this week’s column was good (that sometimes led me to ask – what about last week’s?) although I tended to take umbrage at comments particularly endemic to Ripponlea such as “I actually don’t buy the paper but I liked your column.” And I have been particularly touched by the way that when walking along the edge of the surf in Surfers Paradise, or crossing Rechov Yafo in the heart of Yerushalayim, I have been accosted with “Yossi, you are here – so is there no ‘Sichat Yosef’ (or AJN as a whole) this week?” 

Somehow I had become the face of The AJN; in some complimentary though perhaps misguided minds the existence of a paper depended on “Shabbat Shalom” – to many its key section. To which I have answered that in all of my years in the role, wherever I have been in the world, with the assistance of the internet and email, there has been no week when a paper was produced without “Shabbat Shalom”. The community eagerly anticipating “Shabbat Shalom” could never be let down.

And so, what have we shared during these years? First and foremost in my mind is the Millennium edition, when there was so much on which to reflect, and for which all staff agreed that its defining photographic images representing its depths and height, were the tragic photo of the boy with raised hands amidst doomed Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto and the iconic photo of the three paratroopers at the Kotel. Generational change was clearly a topic over the years. Locally we saw the communal outpouring of tributes on the passing of senior rabbis including Rabbi Chaim Gutnick, representing the end of an era and the changing of the guard. In Israel we saw the passing of veterans who shaped our history, including Ariel Sharon and Shimon Peres. The intifada significantly affected my psyche and writing – although when after the seder night Park Hotel massacre in Netanya I ended my column with “bechol dor vador omdim alenu l’chalotenu – in every generation they stand against us to destroy us”. I was rightly castigated by the late Rabbi Groner already by 10am on the Thursday morning that that edition appeared, for not concluding with the last words of that Haggadah extract “vehakadosh Baruch Hu matzilenu miyadam – and God saves us from their hands.” 

At another level I happened to be in Israel just at the time of the passing of legendary songwriter Naomi Shemer – which gave me a theme for a column regarding her works that became legends – in many minds on the level of the payetanim of earlier centuries whose works have entered our liturgy. Of course also in Israel we experienced the withdrawal from Gaza and its aftermath that shattered the hopes of those who believed withdrawal would usher in an era of peace. We experienced the capture and release of Gilad Shalit (which led me to write of the halachic writings regarding ransoming of captives dating back to the time of Rabbi Meir of Rottenburg who refused to be ransomed and died in captivity rather than allowing action that might encourage further hostage taking) and then came Operation Protective Edge, and the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Yerushalayim for which I made a special trip to Israel. Of course more recently came the problems facing local religious practice during COVID-19 and the horrors of October 7 and its aftermath. (Regarding the latter I visited the south and reported on it – the most horrifying experience of my life compounded by the difficulty of representing Australia to survivors and soldiers just a week after Penny Wong on an official visit had refused to see for her own eyes what had transpired.) Finally some attention was paid to the existential issue of religious strife in Israel including the views and actions of Charedim versus the religious Zionist Dati Leumi communities, let alone the secular communities. This would have been a topic of forthcoming columns in coming weeks.

“Shabbat Shalom” was never primarily a “news” section, but with selected featured articles from the Israeli media, as well as columns based on my own personal experiences visiting Israel, it has hopefully provided a perspective on so many developments there that added to what you may have read elsewhere. And I make no apology for emphasising archaeological discoveries that only add to the evidence of our biblical and post-biblical history so ridiculously denied by our enemies and even international bodies with preservation responsibilities.

All that was of course aside from the primary religious content that was Shabbat Shalom’s bread and butter. “Sichat Yosef” aside, weekly parasha pieces featured the thoughts of local Australian rabbis (and even lay people) across the religious spectrum. Judging by your reactions, the “Kosher Corner”, “Ask the Rabbi” or “Point to Ponder” features served the interests of many. On the other hand we have over the years enjoyed insightful reflections by such personalities as Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. (At its outset, Shabbat Shalom – then four pages – regularly featured a sponsored column of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s thoughts.) 

Surely religion must be the backbone of any Jewish paper – it is indeed the fabric of our soul.

Shabbat shalom,

Yossi

Writer and historian Hechaver Yossi Aron OAM is the former longstanding editor of Shabbat Shalom.