Academic Pesach
Eighty academics, including deans, professors and senior lecturers, from all five Sydney universities will join twenty leaders of the Jewish community next week at a unique Passover Seder for academia.
Lynda Ben-Menashe
The event will be the sixth in the series of Passover dinners which the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies holds for key sectors of the wider community.
Previous events have been held with the union, interfaith, local government, education and non-government organisation sectors.
The keynote address at next week’s event will be delivered by Professor Peter Shergold AC, Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney.
The high-profile guest-list includes senior academics from the University of NSW, University of Sydney, University of Western Sydney, University of Technology, Sydney, and Macquarie University.
The proceedings will be led by Board Non-Government Relations manager Lynda Ben-Menashe, with music by singer and arranger Judy Campbell, accompanied by eight singers and instrumentalists.
The event has been organised by the Board Public Affairs Committee, chaired by Board vice-president Yaron Finkelstein.
Board of Deputies chief executive officer Vic Alhadeff: “Our Passover dinners are a great way for the Jewish community to share key aspects of our culture and history with the broader community. The focus is on the significance of the Passover story and its universal themes of freedom, democracy and ethical behaviour, which underpin western values today.”
The event will be held on April 2 in a hall at UNSW and is generously supported by the JCA LotBen Fund in loving memory of Lotka and Bernard Ferster.
Prof.Peter Shergold was the Head of the Office for Multicultural Affairs in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of Australia which Mr.John Howard closed in the first week of his Prime Ministership in 1996.I always considered my appointment and service in the wide network of so called “Bilingual Consultants” of this Office as my particular privilege. It is heart warming to see how Australia is considered now a model of multiculturalism. I know that there are still things which needs to be improved, however the appointment of the Minister for Multicultural Affairs couple weeks ago is definitely a step in the right direction. Hag Sameah, happy Pesach to everybody at this seder and at all the other seders around the country.
Haven’t the NSW JBD read or understood Shemos (Exodus) 12:43-50? Non-Jews cannot participate in the actual Pesach, but Orthodox and Conservative rabbinical opinion is that non-Jews can observe as a part of teaching goyim. The article seemed to imply that the goyim ‘visitors’ were to fully participate in the NSW JBD Seder. Please clarify.
I know how not to support “World Vision” but how do I make sure I don’t support AusAID?