Emanuel Synagogue

13/10/2026

This Sunday: A Celebration of Our Animals 🐾
Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins returns to host a special afternoon honouring the souls of our animals and all the ways they enrich our lives.

This year, humans will enjoy a vegan BBQ (kindly sponsored by Vet HQ Double Bay), and our furry friends will have a smorgasbord of treats to choose from. Animal lovers of all ages are welcome, with more surprises to be revealed on the day.

Register to join us at emanuel.org.au or via the link in bio.

11/10/2026

For decades, Dr Rick Hodes has helped children and families in Ethiopia access treatment for serious spinal conditions. As JDC’s Medical Director in Ethiopia, he has worked alongside local and international partners to bring care to people who might otherwise go without it. That work is now entering a new chapter. JDC’s new spine centre in Addis Ababa is treating patients closer to home and training Ethiopian surgeons to care for future generations.

Join Emanuel Synagogue and The Joint Australia (JDC) to hear Dr Hodes’ remarkable story and discover what it takes to turn one doctor’s commitment to tikkun olam into lasting change.

AN EVENING WITH DR. RICK HODES
TUE 13 OCTOBER 2026
6.00 PM - 7.00 PM
REGISTER at emanuel.org.au

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ABOUT DR RICK HODES

For more than three decades, Dr Rick Hodes has helped people in Ethiopia access medical care that might otherwise be out of reach. As JDC’s Medical Director in Ethiopia, he works with children and adults facing serious spinal conditions, heart disease and other complex health challenges. In 2006, Dr Hodes helped establish JDC’s spine program. Since then, he and his colleagues have connected thousands of patients with treatment and helped strengthen specialist care in Ethiopia. His work reflects a simple commitment: every person deserves the chance to be seen, cared for and given hope for the future.

ABOUT THE JOINT AUSTRALIA

Founded during WW1 when US Ambassador to Turkey, Henry Morgenthau Sr. wired New York philanthropist Jacob Schiff to ask for aid to help Jews suffering in Ottomon Palestine, JDC was the first Jewish organisation in the U.S.A to provide large-scale funding for international relief. Today, JDC is the leading humanitarian organisation, working in 70 countries to lift lives and strengthen communities. Here in Australia…The Joint Australia, which launched in September 2012, is the first official branch of the organisation outside Israel and North America. The Joint Australia was formed to promote the work of The Joint and raise funds to support its ongoing mission of rescue, relief and renewal of Jewish life across the globe. Learn more at https://thejoint.org.au/

09/10/2026

RSVP: Next Tuesday evening, 13 October at 6.00 pm, we join The Joint Australia (JDC) in presenting An Evening with Dr Rick Hodes.

As JDC’s Medical Director in Ethiopia, Dr Hodes has devoted his life’s work to providing life-saving spinal care to children and families, and he will share inspiring stories from the clinic and beyond.

Register now to save your spot: https://bit.ly/3VpVOPH

09/10/2026

Celebrating Howard and Jean Gelman, our Chattan Torah and Kallah Torah, with a tribute by Senior Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio:

“Howard and Jean are stalwarts of our congregation and have been active members and participants for over 40 years. Both academics in their professional careers, Howard and Jean bring their love of learning to the synagogue. They have both, over many years, embraced all of our programmes, continuing to enrich their already strong Jewish knowledge and understanding. They are curious and interested in the depths of Judaism and strive always to grapple and engage with the richness of the traditions and texts.

Jean is part of the backbone of our minyannaires, our morning minyan group, who offer prayer every day online and once a week in person. She has learned to lead the services and provides a place for others to connect to daily prayer and recite kaddish for loved ones.

Jean and Howard were instrumental in the formation of the masorti minyan and they are both regularly in attendance, connecting with the prayers and the community. And community is central to Jean and Howard as they are always present and there for everyone. In services, they are gentle guides, helping people to feel comfortable with the prayers, the Hebrew and the community. They notice and step forward to assist in any way they can to ensure others are nurtured and welcomed.

We are taught about Abraham, our ancestor, that he was the exemplar of hospitality: for our Emanuel family, that is Jean and Howard. Their home is open to all people and they are constantly inviting others to join with them for festivals or shabbat. They have walked beside so many on their journeys into Judaism, offering the warmth of their hospitality and the nurturing of their guidance and care. Howard and Jean have created a sanctuary of welcome in their home.

Jean and Howard truly live the values of Judaism: learning, hospitality, welcome and community.

We have been so enriched by their presence in our congregation and all they have contributed over so many years. We are grateful to them both and hope they feel our blessings with them as they receive this honour.”

06/10/2026

Three years on, we remember the devastating events of 7 October 2023.

Senior Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio reflects on the emotions that remain with us, and on the grief being carried by so many in Israel. This year, we also give thanks that all the hostages have returned home - something we prayed for, hoped for, and longed to see.

Rabbi George Mordecai shares Shalom, a prayer for peace, healing and hope.

We remember all those whose lives were lost that day, those who survived, and the families and communities whose lives have been changed forever. We grieve with the people of Israel and hold them all in our hearts. 🕯️

02/10/2026

We take Simchat Torah very seriously around here.

Join us on Saturday evening at 6.15 pm and pack your dancing shoes.

Don’t forget to save your spot - tickets available on emanuel.org.au

02/10/2026

This time last week our sukkah came to life as families from Emanuel Synagogue and Emanuel Woollahra Preschool gathered to decorate it on the eve of Sukkot.

With little hands adding their own special touches, the sukkah was transformed into a colourful and welcoming space for the days ahead. We then gathered inside for songs, stories and a light supper, giving our younger members a chance to celebrate Sukkot together and make the sukkah their own.

There’s more to come this weekend, with Simchat Torah on Saturday 3 October. Join us for an evening of dancing, music and celebration as we mark the end of the festival together. Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/simchat-torah-hhd-2026

30/09/2026

Looking back on Yom Kippur, we revisit Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth’s sermon from this year’s services.

Rabbi Kaiserblueth began with the story of a Szechuan pepper stir-fry that he tried, again and again, to recreate, before reflecting on how becoming caught in what we remember can prevent us from seeing what is in front of us. He then explored teshuvah — the Jewish practice of returning, reflecting on what has been and choosing how we move forward — reminding us that it is not a time machine.

As we continue through the High Holy Days, we look ahead to Simchat Torah on Saturday 3 October, when we will gather for an evening of dancing, music and celebration. Be sure to register at emanuel.org.au

30/09/2026

“Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio of Sydney’s Emanuel Synagogue said the congregation uses the pronouns and gendered language a deceased person used in life. For non-binary congregants, Emanuel has several options; Ninio said mibeit - “from the house of” - is the one most choose. Same-sex partners and chosen family receive the same mourning recognition as heterosexual counterparts, while Emanuel’s yahrzeit and Yizkor records preserve the identity the person chose in life and what had been determined for the funeral.”

Click through to read the full article on The Jewish Independent (Plus61J Media) and the rest of Rabbi Ninio’s words.

Melbourne Chevra Kadisha will release new guidelines to ensure LGBTQ+ and transgender individuals are treated with dignity during funerals.