Shofar sounds at Parliament House after rabbis meet PM

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told two rabbis representing the Jewish community that his government would continue to support it, during a day of meetings at Parliament House ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

Rabbi Yanky Super and Rabbi Mendy Berger met the Prime Minister on Tuesday, presenting him with a shofar and a honey cake and briefing him on how the community had fared since their last meeting.

“We will always take care of the Jewish community,” Albanese said. He committed to continuing the work into the coming Jewish year and thanked the pair for representing the community to the government.

Super and Berger also met opposition leader Angus Taylor, with the discussion turning to bipartisanship and both sides of politics working together to strengthen social cohesion. They presented Taylor with a honey cake and sounded the shofar in his honour.

In a meeting with home affairs minister Tony Burke, the government affirmed its continuing support for the community and acknowledged the rabbis’ role as a direct link between government and the community on the ground. The pair also met foreign affairs minister Penny Wong.