In July, Caulfield Bubs (a playgroup for Jewish bubs (0-3yrs) at Caulfield Shule) hosted a zoom event with Professor Frank Oberklaid, where he provided advice to parents on "explaining the Covid pandemic to young children".

While Melbourne was not completely locked-down during the school holidays in the middle of the year, youth movements were unable to go out of town for their camps. So Habonim Dror organised Machane Kesher: "Although there have been many obstacles during these tough circumstances, we were able to successfully provide an educational and fun holiday program which adequately abided by all government COVID-19 standards. Thank you for all the participants and leaders who so respectfully upheld our social distancing and hygiene practises."

During Melbourne's lockdown, youth movements had to run activities online. Habonim Dror chanichim met online.

During lockdown, youth movements needed to move their programming online. In September the madrichim of Habonim Dror met for a peulah to learn about how to be inclusive of people with different needs: "last wedensday Mikey and Ashira from Friendship Circle of Melbourne ran an engaging and thought provoking peulah for all of the melbourne madrichim! We discussed how we can continue to, and create new ways of being accessible and inclusive in all of our spaces. Looking forward to continue to be partners with Friendship Circle of Melbourne!"

CSG posted on facebook for Shabbat, encouraging people to keep connected at this during this time of lockdown and physical disconnection: "These times of isolation, both physical and social, and uncertainty are when it is most important that we strengthen our sense of community by connecting with and supporting each other. Remind ourselves that we can manage this much better together in solidarity and that COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate – it can affect anyone. This weekend, take time to connect with others. Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom."

CSG shared information on facebook about the need to be careful around cyber security during Covid-19, when more people are online: "The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has published advice on COVID-19 themed malicious cyber activity. This advice includes malicious cyber activity targeting aged care facilities, hospitals, schools, businesses and individuals. The Jewish community worldwide has also experienced countless antisemitic attacks via a range of video-conferencing platforms."

Because Melbourne was locked-down over Yom Kippur, the Community Security Group (CSG) posted on facebook encouraging people to stay home and "Wishing you a meaningful and easy fast. G'mar Chatima Tova."

At the beginning of Melbourne's second lockdown, Pekelach - a Jewish organisation with helps with food insecurity - put out a call for supplies and for people to join their 'CovID-19 Relief Team' in order to provide support for particular needs.

In July, as Melbourne headed into its second lockdown, Souper Kitchen provided information about how they would handle the rules about workplaces and gatherings

Souper Kitchen ran a campaign for Yom Kippur, encouraging people to donate, given the hardships many have faced due to Covid-19.

Around Rosh Hashanah, CCare established a buddy program during Melbourne's lockdown: "Shana Tova! Are you looking for a way to make a positive impact from the comfort and safety of your own home? This Jewish New Year, pledge to spend 30 minutes each week chatting to a new friend! After an incredibly successful pilot, The C Care Buddy Initiative is ready for official launch! We can’t wait to welcome our next group of Buddies into the program. *So, how does it work?* We’ll match each volunteer with a C Care recipient (or more, if you’d like) and take you through a short training session where we'll provide tips and guidance to make you feel comfortable going into your first call. Then, we’ll send both you and your buddy a ‘Buddy Welcome Box’ complete with tea and treats, and you’ll be ready for your weekly shmooze!"

Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM) produced a 'Best of 5780' list: "Without getting too heavy and nostalgic for the year that has passed, 5780 has been uh pretty challenging. But hey, Jews never expect anything to be easy. We want meaning and enrichment more than anything else right? That's why we love our arts! This last six months has really felt like we have a community of people surrounding us and we are feeling good going into 5781. We have created a Best of 5780 (Hebrew calendar year) for you to consume over the high holidays and hopefully you come back rejuvenated and inspired."

Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM)'s theme for 2020 was 'Homeward Bound' and they issued a number of newsletters across the year, collating them on their website.

The Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM) normally puts on live events, but during the Covid lockdown they have organised a series of livestreamed events for the community. Attended by hundreds of people, some of these events - or excerpts from the events - have been shared afterwards on youtube.

J-Wire published an article about the launch of "The Victorian Jewish Community COVID-19 Taskforce"

Given synagogues were closed during lockdown, rabbis had to find new ways to communicate to their congregations. St Kilda Hebrew Congregation's rabbis would each week post a short video on facebook of a sermon. Often they would record these sermons outside, out the front of St KIlda Shule

Due to the halachic restrictions on using technology during Yom Kippur, and that lockdown prevented synagogues from having congregations attend services, St Kilda Hebrew Congregation's Rabbi Yaacov Glasman pre-recorded and shared online a Yom Kippur sermon

Due to the need to follow halachah, St Kilda Hebrew Congregation pre-recorded a pre-Kol Nidre service for their congregants, which they shared on Facebook.

At the end of Yom Kippur, the rabbi at St Kilda Hebrew Congregation blew the shofar, and it was livestreamed on Facebook

St Kilda Shule shared their weekly calendar for the week of Yom Kippur on Facebook, writing: "St Kilda Shule is #stayingintouch bringing you the services, song, prayer and sermons of the Shule to your homes. This week’s calendar includes our YomTov activity. #stkildashule #highholidays "

ABC's Religion and Ethics program created a video series 'Lockdown Stories', inviting people to submit their videos and stories. On 30 September they shared on Facebook 'Tyla's Story': a film made by Tyla about being locked down at home with her family, conducting Pesach via zoom, having family shabbat dinners on zoom and then reuniting with her siblings for shabbat once the lockdown lifted.

Information from MASA and ZFA, in ZFA's weekly newsletter, about a "virtual info Gap Year Fair showcasing all the Israel Gap Year options available in 2021." These sessions were planned for 13 and 14 September.

These emails were sent to members of Kehilat Nitzan who registered to attend High Holyday services through the synagogue, providing information about how to stream the services: where to find the livestream and how to ensure a kosher livestream.

Temple Beth Israel's September newsletter, addressing the High Holy Days, online activities, and ways that the community is making meaning and staying together during Covid-19

Email newsletter from Sassoon Yehuda Separdi Synagogue, telling congregants about plans for Rosh Hashanah and other online events within the synagogue

This Rosh Hashanah e-newsletter provides updates on the synagogue and what they have been doing to prepare themselves and the community for an online Rosh Hashanah. It also provides details of other events that have occurred within the synagogue community.

Kehilat Nitzan held an online 'special Succot singalong', and emailed their members inviting along

Kehilat Kolenu moved their services online. This screenshot of their website on 8 October 2020 provides a sense of what they were doing during Melbourne's lockdown.

In this newsletter from Chabad Kingston & Moorabbin shul, they discuss the upcoming holiday of Yom Kippur and provide details of virtual events which will bring the community together in the lead-up.

Email newsletter from Chabad Kingston & Moorabbin Shul, which discusses upcoming preparations for Rosh Hashanah and how to prepare under lockdown. Also lists upcoming online events

Newsletter from Chabad Kingston & Moorabbin Shul to their community, providing details of synagogue events, during this time of lockdown. It includes information about connecting over the High Holy Days

Letter from the president of Caulfield Shule to the congregation, sent just after Shavuot, discussing the possibilities of opening up and people being able to attend services, but the need for caution in case there is a second wave of infections

St Kilda Hebrew Congregation provides an email update to their congregation, sharing a message from the Rabbi about lockdown, as well as information about observing yahrzeit and saying kaddish while locked down.

St Kilda Hebrew Congregation provided an email newsletter update, discussing Tisha B'Av, as well as other arrangements and events during Covid.

St Kilda Hebrew Congregation, in their newsletter of 2 October, provided congregants with a general update as well as information about arrangements for Sukkot

In this newsletter update, information is provided about online activities within the Congregation's community, including about a special event that took place that discussed mask-wearing for Covid-19, with Dr Norman Swan.

During lockdown Kehilat Nitzan ran synagogue services online, through youtube and zoom. They provided congregants with instructions about how to access these services in a kosher manner.

In August the Rabbinical Council of Victoria wrote to community members about the plans being made for the Yamim Noraim (High Holy Days), explaining the conversations that were happening with government as well as the launch of Project High Holy Days, to accomodate the community's needs.

The Rabbinical Council of Victoria, working with the Melbourne Beth Din, produced guidelines for Pesach during Covid-19. Information is provided on inviting guests, using Zoom for the seder, 'Reaching out to the Vulnerable,' and giving tzedakah

For a brief moment in May, lockdown was lifted across Victoria and synagogues could have small gatherings of people. Kehilat Nitzan released details of their protocols for attending services.

"Rabbinic Administrator of The Kashrut Authority, Rabbi Moshe D. Gutnick, advises the community that due to the urgent situation for so many in relation to the impact of the coronavirus, COVID-19, The Kashrut Authority is issuing a unique set of guidelines to assist with this difficult situation." They provide an outline of the new guidelines and a list of items that are Kosher for Passover, even if they do not have a hechsher, given the limits of the moment. They also provide guidelines for adequate Passover cleaning.

The Rabbinical Council of Victoria's Project High Holy Days organised an online Selichot gathering involving many congregations

For Rosh Hashanah 2020, Project High Holy Days coordinated with DHHS and the Police and organised for people to hear the shofar being blown on their street or outside their home on Second Day Rosh Hashanah. They put out a call for people to sign up to hear the shofar and then coordinated shofar blowers. As they explained: "Volunteer Shofar blowers have been allocated zones which comprise of a few streets (which they will walk up and down). In locations where Jewish population is more sparse and there were fewer volunteers available, the DHHS has created a protocol for creating shofar blowing central points. Like the home reservations, these points require registration and have specific time locations. Times of volunteers arriving in your area will be emailed to you (if you reserved). If you did not book a shofar blowing, please listen out for the shofar and come out to the street as the shofar blower will blow multiple times on each street."

On 19 June 2020 there was a Stand Up zoom event, streamed live to their Facebook page. This screenshot and Facebook link captures part of the day: "With Stand Up's CEO, Manager of Aboriginal Partnerships and a member of the Board, discussing life, social justice and everything in between. PS. Gideon (CEO) has been on zoom for 8 hours non-stop!"

New Israel Fund emailed their email list in order to wish them a shana tova, and to send details of an event for Yom Kippur, as well as general information about what the organisation had been doing

in April 2020, the Australian Jewish News profiled a number of Jewish organisations to show how they were adapting to Covid. Under the headline 'Thriving through the Covid-19 crisis', one of the organisations profiled was the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia (NCJWA)

The National Council of Jewish Women of Australia compiled and shared "24 personal stories from Australian Jewish Women About Covid-19 and High Holidays"

With the pandemic lockdown, Melton School moved to online classes for its adult education program

Stan Marks, who is 91 years old, reflects on living during the pandemic, and also shares a letter he wrote to share with the students in Year 12 at Brighton Grammar, his old school

With the Covid lockdown in Melbourne, the Jewish Museum of Australia had to close its doors to visitors. In response, they moved activities online, organising events to be held virtually. These events were shared with members of the Museum community through their email list.