Shabbat on the Central Coast
NSW Labor MP and NSW Parliamentary Friends of Labor deputy chairman, Walt Secord and Federal Labor MP for Robertson, Deborah O’Neill have addressed a Shabbat service of the Central Coast Jewish community at the Green Point Community Centre.
Allan Kelly, Walt Secord and Deborah O'Neill
Kadimah Jewish Congregation, Central Coast chairman Allan Kelly led a full service for about 35 members of the community.
“It was a beautiful and moving service,” Mr Secord said.
“There is such a strong community spirit there and so many hard working volunteers wanting to preserve Jewish culture,” Mr Secord said.
Mr Secord spoke about his personal connection with the Jewish community; his time as a journalist with the Australian Jewish News and his recent visit to Auschwitz-Birkeneau in Poland and Israel, including Yad Vashem, Gadot, Sderot and Gush Etzion as well as the Palestinian Territories and Iraqi Kurdistan.
“It was also nice to catch-up with families that I had only spoken to on the telephone when I worked at the Australian Jewish News in the late-1980s.”
Mr Secord said it was also fortuitous that he decided to take two challot for the dinner as he discovered upon arrival that the congregation had not been able to make their purchase in Sydney for the service.
Federal MP for Robertson, Mrs Deborah O’Neill, who is the local parliamentarian spoke about her recent visit to Israel and her moving visit to Yad Vashem.
Kadimah Jewish Congregation, Central Coast usually holds services about twice a month.
Walt Secord was appointed to the NSW Legislative Council in May 2011 and worked as a journalist at the Australian Jewish News from 1988 to 1991.
