Other Features this month

An update from Melbourne

Jewish life in Baltimore

What's to do in Pittsburgh

By Shira Bloch

I wasn't originally going to contribute an article to this section, about Jewish life in different parts of the world. There's nothing special about Melbourne - what's so great about it? I used to think that way, but when I read Elka's article in the January 1999 issue about Melbourne, I realised what I appreciate about Melbourne most.

It's funny how people see a community in different ways, especially two people in the same class at school. I disagree with Elka completely about the messed up social politics in Melbourne, because the thing I love most about Melbourne is the way each community relates to one another.

Whether I'm at Mizrachi, Yeshivah (the Lubavitch shul), Bnei Akiva or anywhere else, I know everyone I see and everyone knows me. There is no polarisation between the different shuls here and no congregation believes that they are better Jews than any others. Of course we have our differences of opinion, but that is only about halacha, because of our different hashkafot. In general, everyone is tolerant of everyone else.

You will not find hostility between Chassidim and Misnagdim here, or between religious and secular. The truth is, Melbourne is a relatively small community and it would be impossible for each congregation to survive on their own, without the support of everyone else. How many big cities are there in the world where you can have friends from many different sects of Judaism? How many places are there where the Lubavitch community eats according to the Mizrachi kashrut list, or where people visit many different shuls on Simchat Torah?

My uncle is a rabbi in New York and he always tells us that Melbourne is very special - it is the only place where he is asked to speak at many different shuls. In other places, Mizrachi would never dream of having anything in common with Lubavitch chassidim (for example).

I have an advantage in that my family belongs to Mizrachi shul, but I go to Beth Rivkah, a Lubavitch school. I don't think I am naturally a very tolerant person, but this has helped me to see the good parts of two different communities. There are many other kids like me, whose school is not affiliated with their shul.

In Israel, I have heard, there is extreme polarisation between communities. No one would send their child to a school that they were not affiliated with. This is the problem of many people who have made aliyah from Melbourne - they miss the bigger sense of community. That is the special thing about Melbourne - everyone belongs.