Thank you to friends and allies

Caulfield Shule recently hosted a Shabbat dinner to express appreciation and thanks to non-Jewish friends and colleagues for their support following the surge in antisemitism post October 7 as well as in the aftermath of the Bondi massacre.

Over 220 people attended the dinner with around 180 non-Jewish guests who enjoyed an authentic Shabbat dinner experience. Describing the evening, Caulfield Shule’s Rabbi Daniel Rabin posted, “For many of our guests, it was their first time ever experiencing a Friday night in a synagogue. They joined us for Kabbalat Shabbat, heard the melodies of Jewish prayer, and then sat together for a traditional Shabbat dinner in the shule hall. The messages that followed were deeply moving. Guests spoke about the warmth and love they felt in the room and about the pride and solidarity they witnessed in the Jewish community. One wrote that the evening would remain among the most memorable experiences of their life. Another said it was important for Australians outside the Jewish community to stand side by side with us.

“At a time when tensions are high and the Jewish community feels the weight of events unfolding around the world, evenings like this remind us of something important. The Jewish story is not understood through headlines. It is understood around a Shabbat table … Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is simply open our doors and share who we are.”

Rodney Horin was one of the organisers of the event and in his speech said, “We are a small community – far smaller than most people realise. About 120,000 Jews in Australia … That smallness can feel very large in moments like these. And yet, in that loneliness and fear, something else has stood out powerfully. YOU!

“The phone calls. The messages. The public statements. The quiet check-ins. The matter-of-fact declarations that ‘this is simply the right thing to do.’ One person even told me that if things ever deteriorated, their home would be our safe haven – just as their father had once sheltered others in Europe. Please understand: None of that was small. None of it was ordinary. Every gesture cuts through isolation. Every word of solidarity reminded us that we are not alone. That love is stronger than hatred. That friendship transcends difference. You may feel you were ‘just doing the right thing’, but in those dark moments, your humanity has shone extraordinarily bright.

“From the bottom of our hearts – thank you. Thank you for standing beside us. Thank you for reaching out. Thank you for speaking up. And thank you for reminding us that even in dark times, light endures.”