Items
Mediator is exactly
Foodways
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2019-04-05
Pesach mutual aid, care packages for solitary seders!
When we went into lockdown in Naarm (Melbourne), many Jewish people realised this meant doing their seders solo or over zoom. Restrictions on number of guests meant that a seder with the family wasn't possible. Whilst at most seders you would usually have multiple people who had divided the seder night responsibilities (someone on charoset, matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, kosher wine, boiled eggs and each item for the seder plate), this night was different from all other nights. Our seders suddenly felt bare with the looming responsibility to create an entire seder's worth of food, for one. For those of us who lived away from our families and the bagel belt, there were additional challenges. For the queer jews who left their south-eastern homes for the cramped share houses of the inner north, finding Kosher and seder specific ingredients was near impossible at our local Piedemontes. I called my closest Woolworths and asked if they had ingredients for passover, "You could try the international food aisle?" they suggested, I knew that wouldn't suffice. I was grieving the loss of my most important cultural holiday of the year and the foods that came with it, when I decided I would drive to Southside, and collect ingredients from there. Knowing it would be useless to cook for one (and that I still haven't learnt the skills to do so) I decided to buy enough that I could make up care packages for other Jewish people doing their seders alone. The buba of the northside, giving just enough of everything for a table of one. 3 matzah balls, a jar of broth, enough matzah to break, hide and dip in charoset, etc. Other Jewish people contributed ingredients or made gefilte fish to distribute too. I managed to distribute over 25 packages to people joining their seders via zoom. For me, it was such an important way for me to feel connected to community despite distance, and honour pesach at a challenging time. -
2020-09-12
Jewish Melbourne: WIZO Victoria round challah baking webinar masterclass
"WIZO + EVENT ✨ Last month WIZO Victoria held a Challah Bake Masterclass that was such a success, we've decided to do it again! This Round Challah + Honey Cake Baking Masterclass gives us the opportunity to learn from the best! Yaniv Rosen, chef and owner of Danish Nosh will be teaching us all the tricks of the trade so we can make them at home for our loved ones. Bake a few & share with your neighbour! Date: 14 Sep @7:30PM Book here: https://sforce.co/3591S2H" -
2020-06-17
Jewish Melbourne: Stand Up Covid buddy program
"In March, Stand Up founded the Jewish response | Coronavirus (VIC) group, a place to connect people who needed help because of COVID-19 to those who could offer it. After just a few days, hundreds of incredible volunteers sprung into action, helping coordinate food deliveries, delivering care packages, assisting other charities and so much more. One highlight was the creation of an informal 'buddy' system, pairing up people who were feeling isolated because of COVID-19 with volunteers who they could just have a chat and shoot the breeze with." This facebook post provides feedback from the program from people who participated in it. -
2020-09-14
Jewish Melbourne: Sholem Aleichem Grade 6s ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’ - with Bronia Koperszmidt making the traditional Sholem Aleichem College honey cake recipe in Yiddish
"Last Friday, the Grade 6s welcomed Bronia Koperszmidt as their latest ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’. Bronia, who is a former Sholem Aleichem College parent and current SACCEC student, taught the children how to make the traditional Sholem Aleichem College honey cake recipe in Yiddish. This recipe, which Bronia has been using since her children attending the school, is the recipe of Mira Zylberman (the former directress of the Sholem Aleichem Preschool and bobe of Lererin Reyzl Zylberman and Lererin Dvora Zylberman). The students were also taken on a photographic trip down memory lane to see how Bronia’s family connections to the College related back to the students themselves and their own journeys. We hope this will instill in them the understanding that our Sholem Aleichem College families remain a part of our community well-after leaving our college." -
2020-09-10
Jewish Melbourne: Sholem Aleichem ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’ - cooking from Fania Lewando's cookbook
"Last Friday, the Grade 6s welcomed vegan chef Michal Dawid Lachur all the way from Warsaw, Poland as their latest ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’. Michal taught the Grade 6s about vegetarian chef, Fania Lewando (1887-1941). Lewando ran a vegetarian restaurant in pre-WWII Vilna. The restaurant attracted figures such as Marc Chagall and Itzik Manger. She also had a cookery school, where she taught about vegetarian nutrition. Fania Lewando published the Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook (Vegetarish-Dietisher Kokhbukh) in 1938 in Yiddish. Many years later, it was translated into English and is available online. Michal led our students in a cooking workshop, where they learned to make a rice kugl and a prune tsimes. The students had a great time cooking with Michal and enjoyed learning to make Lewando’s take on these traditional dishes. A sheynem dank to Michal for joining us in the early hours of the morning to work with our students." -
2020-09-17
Jewish Melbourne: Sholem Aleichem students baking for Rosh Hashone
"This week our students have been busy preparing for Rosh Hashone! Our Grade 4 students enjoyed learning how to braid a khale through an amazing baking session, while our Grade 1 students loved baking delicious honey oat slice!" -
2020-09-03
Jewish Melbourne: Project High Holydays round challah braiding video
"Introducing Rivkah Yurkowicz from Chabad Malvern presenting a simple step by step guide to braiding your holiday challah" -
2020
The Warning Signs
While COVID-19 restrictions became part of the everyday, it was at times difficult to keep track of their constant changes and revisions. Businesses started to put up signs outlining their policies for staff and clients to keep everyone safe. The first image is from a cafe in Potts Point, one of many local businesses put under strain by the pandemic. The second is from an aged-care facility in Woollahra in response to the beginning of the second-wave outbreak in Melbourne. -
2020-03-17
Empty Pasta Shelves
When Australia first got hit with news of how devastating Covid-19, many people went onto a panic-buying frenzy, stockpiling non-perishable essential items. This is a photo taken at my local Woolworths with the pasta shelves completely gutted. Toilet paper, rice, hand sanitizer, yeast and hand soap were equally cleared out. Some stores went as far as to post signs out the front of their stores stating "NO TOILET PAPER AVAILABLE". As a young person who lives away from home, my regular diet consists of a lot of pasta (also because pasta is delicious). During this time I ended up eating a lot more vegetable soups, because ironically fresh fruit and vegetables supplies weren't particularly affected by the virus or panic buying as they wouldn't last in an impending apocalypse. It took about a month for grocery stores to re-configure their supplies, and the for the panic to die down slightly. When this first happened, the essential items were piled high front and centre at the entrance of the store: I walked in to this same Woolworths one day with a tower of 24-pack toilet pack stacked as tall as I was. This object shows how crowds can react in unexpected and instinctually self-defensive ways when threatened with a large and sweeping danger. HIST30060. -
2020-09-18
Jewish Melbourne: Rabbi Ralph Genende for Rosh Hashanah
For Rosh Hashanah, Caulfield Shule's Rabbi Ralph Genende pre-recorded a sermon and a short video celebrating apples and honey -
2020-10-07
Jewish Melbourne: Caulfield Shule Chol Hamoed lolly bags
Melbourne was still in lockdown during Chol Hamoed Sukkot, so Caulfield Shule organised treats for their congregation, encouraging people to come down and pick them up. -
2020-08
Isolation bakes - HIST30060
During isolation, myself and many others turned to baking as a way to pass time and enjoy a treat that didn't require anyone to leave the house. Perhaps more than this though, I felt that whatever I was baking was something that I had complete control over, so long as I followed the recipe, and in 'these unprecedented times' as the tag-line goes, this little bit of certainty was precious. -
2020-08-07
Jewish Melbourne: Continental Kosher Butcher responds to Stage 4 lockdown
Continental Kosher Butcher shared information on their facebook page after the Victorian Government announced Stage 4 of lockdown, which involved restrictions on the meat industry, explaining some of the short-term impacts, but reassuring customers not to panic about supply. -
2020-09-08
Jewish Melbourne: Caulfield Bubs online cooking
In the lead-up to Rosh Hashanah, Caulfield Bubs (a children's program run by Caulfield Shule) organised an online cooking class: "Don’t forget to book in for this free cooking zoom session with the incredible Mia Stub!!!! Perfect way to get kids involved and these cupcakes will make the perfect rosh hashana gifts for family and friends!!!" -
2020-08-17
Jewish Melbourne: online cooking
A photo taken by Peter Haskin and shared on the Australian Jewish News's facebook page: "As part of The AJN’s “Our resilient community during COVID” series, we feature Melbourne’s Racheli Naparstek who shares with us a dish she just made in her private online cooking lesson with Nitza Marom, Access Inc.'s hospitality program manager. Cooking classes are one of a suite of online programs developed by Access in response to COVID-19. For many members of our community who have disabilities, the challenges of the current situation are magnified. Access Online was developed to support participants in keeping their independence, employment and personal development goals front of mind despite the pandemic, and despite the reintroduced restrictions." -
2020-07-27
Jewish Melbourne: Pekelach call for supplies and support
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. -
2020-07-08
Jewish Melbourne: Souper Kitchen's lockdown rules
In July, as Melbourne headed into its second lockdown, Souper Kitchen provided information about how they would handle the rules about workplaces and gatherings -
2020-09-24
Jewish Melbourne: Souper Kitchen's Yom Kippur campaign
Souper Kitchen ran a campaign for Yom Kippur, encouraging people to donate, given the hardships many have faced due to Covid-19. -
2020-07-10
Decorating Ubereats bags
HIST30060 Restrictions meant many food shops in the city, like the one I worked at, received barely any customers during the harshest periods of quarantine. The 5km rule meant not many people had access to our location, whilst most of our customers who usually worked in office jobs in the city were also tasked with working from home. Our main source of income became the multiple delivery platforms my boss installed in our store. To both fill the quieter periods in the store, and to show the customers who ordered via these delivery platforms how much their business meant, my boss tasked everyone with decorating Uber bags and writing nice messages to customers. In this photo, you can see a design my colleague drew on an Uber bag, which was later used to carry Gilbert’s food. This small act connected both customer and business and showed our appreciation for the customers support of our small business. -
2020-09-12
Schofferhofer
These two photos are of a glass beer bottle from a Belgian Beer Cafe. One of my Dad's mates knows the guy who owns it and although the cafe is in Malvern and the CBD, my Dad's mate has been helping him deliver them around Carlton/Fitzroy. Dad was getting them every week and he bought me one the other week so I could see what it tasted like. It was beautiful, rich and hoppy. We changed to Peronis after and it just wasn't the same. Dad kept bugging me about how much it cost and I told him I'd send him money but he didn't want a bar of me. When I spoke to Mum she said she told him that he wasn't buying me any food any more since I moved out, we aren't catching up for meals or coffee or anything, the least he can do is buy me beer. Dad likes to have everyone in the same place and I think he was flat I eventually moved out, especially when it's so hard to catch up at the moment, but being able to to share this together, even if we are apart, was comforting. -
2018
Jewish Melbourne - Applesauce In The Meatloaf
An unveiling of a dear friend , an unexpected lesson learned, and the value of every day. -
04/28/2020
Google Searches for Banana Bread - on the news
This is a screenshot of the Alan Kohler's finance report on the 7 o'clock news in Tasmania, Australia. Kohler ended a characteristically dire covid19 financial report with this graph showing a spike in Google searches for banana bread in Australia. Firstly, this gives an insight into everyday life for Australians cooped up at home and trying to stay entertained and feel productive. Since making banana bread is usually a way to use up overripe spotty brown bananas, it also speaks to the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables in households at the moment with everyone minimising their grocery trips. Secondly, it's a nice visual of the phenomenon of "lockdown trends" - like zoom parties, sourdough and seedlings, the more that people posted their freshly baked banana bread on social media, the more others felt inspired to do the same. I also think this item reflects the urge of media producers to find light in the darkness and remind viewers of the novelties of lockdown life. Finally, I think this screenshot shows the surrealism of life in Covid19, a time when Google searches for banana bread are discussed alongside plummeting stocks in a finance report on the evening news and with our newly developed Covid19 intuition this strangeness has become a normality. #HUM403 -
13/05/2020
Masterchef Australia's Perfect Storm
HUM402 In April 2020, Masterchef Australia premiered its 12th season, and received the best ratings in years. As well as featuring old 'Fan Favourite' contestants, for a stressed out nation in lockdown the nostalgia, comfort, and domesticity of Masterchef, and the lack of other places to be of an evening, definitely contributed to the shows success. I know my family is hooked for the first time in eight years, and Masterchef has become something we look forward to doing together every evening. -
2020-04
Feeding the Locals
At night when I look outside my loungeroom window I can see lights dancing in the shadows. It gives the comfort of life going on, a party, a celebration. But of course that's not what is happening. It's just a guy trying to save his business by reinventing it for Isolife XOXO -
2020-04-12
Sharing herbs with neighbours
In Young Street Annerley we started a Facebook group 'They Young Ones’ and shared garden edibles, books and art materials. -
2020-04-08
Local Italian cafe restyled as grocer
Local cafes can only serve takeaway so our local Italian cafe Tre Fontane is reinventing itself as an Italian grocer to stay in business -
2020-04-21
Notice on the front of the Savoy Cafe, Ballarat, Australia, during lockdown.
An image of a closed business in my home town during the lockdown. -
2020-04-06
Free delivery
Suburban restaurant Vasko (111-113 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe) offering free delivery -
2020-04-01
Take-away only
Cafes and restaurants like Cafe Georgia in Ivanhoe now take-away only -
2020-03-31
Rosemary for remembrance (and roast lamb)
Neighbourhood in virtual lockdown but some people leaving out excess for others, corner of 14 Waterdale Road and Latham Street. -
2020-03-27
Free Home Delivery Service
Supplier to hospitality industry turns to home delivery to save fresh produce small business -
2020-03-26
Keep calm and drink (take away) coffee
These posters went up around our neighbourhood within a day of the government order that limited all restaurants and cafes to take away service only. The same message was also printed as a paper slip and placed under car windscreen wipers. The business behind the signs is Lux Foundry cafe, located on my street in Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia. The sign pleads with people in the neighbourhood to keep patronising the cafe, so the cafe can continue employing its staff: "We will never abandon our team. We will never abandon you. Please don't abandon us". This poster is a poignant illustration of the economic crisis that was unleashed immediately by the COVID control interventions. -
2020-03-25
Hand written sign on window of a small shopping arcade
The sign announces restrictions about service of food to minimize the spread of the virus -
2020-03-25
Fish Shop hand written window sign
Cafes and restaurants were restricted by law to serve meals except as a take away -
2020-03-28
Morning flight: Surreal times
Walking by oneself in the dawn light I cannot but wish we too could fly away from the surreal nature of this virus. A tiny speck of life, unable to be seen, has felled the economies of the world and the hubris of mankind in the space of 3 short months. My life continues pretty much as usual except only at home whilst food lasts. All my family continue to be employed - we are one of the lucky ones. I wonder if and when guilt will set in? -
2020-03-21
Diary LM
CV diary Saturday 19 March 2020 I went to the walk today. Have missed the last two and the world has changed so much that I wasn't sure anyone was coming. But there were 5 of us, all keeping our distance. Three did not come because they are self isolating or fearful of having coffee with us ?? A lot of the discussion as we walked about the past two weeks - the virus , restrictions, shopping, toilet rolls, family situations, what is going to happen... G has just come out of two weeks isolation after her holiday in Egypt. D is under pressure from her daughter to change her life - e.g. Not to walk this morning. But she came. We all need the exercise and I/we need to see my friends. When we got to the coffee shop we were able to snag two tables outside. But that wasn't enough for M who moved her seat even further away. Each to their own. But hard not to feel the inherent rejection. G shared her hand sanitizer. During the walk I got a phone call from a friend, cancelling our plans for a film tomorrow. She was amazed that I was outside walking with friends and had stopped for a coffee. Said she and her husband have been in isolation since last Sunday. Cautioned me to do the same. When I got home I thought about my plans. I will go to church tomorrow (it was confirmed late today that the Diocese has belatedly decided to ban all services from Monday). Should I go to the gym on Monday? They seemed well organised last week. Should I cancel my lunch with Susan on Tuesday? Have not seen her since her mother died, I could not go to the funeral or the wake. And she seems quite distressed and needs support. On Wednesday I am expected to present at an important Board presentation to Club members. It is being taped and uploaded to our website for those who cannot get to the meeting. Should I cancel everything after that? LM