Items

• 
  2021-10-11

  HIST30060: A Secondary Teacher's Chronicle

  This is an image of a week from my mother's chronicle. She is a secondary teacher in regional Victoria who primarily teaches Theatre Studies, Drama and English. During the time that the photograph was taken (October 2021), the school she is working at decided to stagger teaching different year levels to reduce the threat of a Covid-19 outbreak in the lead up to VCE exams. As highlighted in the chronicle in different colours, some classes would be taught in-person and others online in one day. As my family does not live in the same town that my mother teaches in, she would often have to stay at school the entire day regardless. Due to the nature of rapid changes in health information and additional directions from the school itself, every week in the chronicle looks very different to the next. The image shows an element of the chaos that is present in the everyday lives of individuals during covid and the ability for plans to rapidly change from day to day.
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  2021-10-01

  HIST30060: White Rose

  I found this sticker while I was walking to pick up a click-and-collect order. I was struck by it because of its reference to 'The White Rose', an anti-Nazi movement begun by Sophie Scholl in 1942 Germany. The insensitivity and total misunderstanding of what constitutes oppression is a touchstone to the anti-lockdown and anti-vaxxer movements. It made me wonder how they could appropriate histories of discrimination - do they simply not understand the Holocaust, or do they genuinely believe that their situation is similar to it?
• 
  2021-10-13

  HIST30060: My first pandemic quilt

  Last year (2020) I was living at home with my parents. My mum noticed how the pandemic was affecting me mentally and suggested that I make a quilt as a therapeutic tool. It was my first ever quilt, and it took several months. I enjoyed making it so much that I've kept on making quilts ever since. This quilt, therefore, reminds me of the pandemic's silver linings; it forced me to take up a hobby, one that slows me down. This photo is of the quilt on my bed now in Melbourne (2021).
• 
  2021-04-13

  HIST30060: Pandemic cookbook

  I bought this cookbook earlier this year from a local Melbourne lady. During the 2020 lockdowns, she decided to write a cookbook celebrating cooking and sharing food with friends during eased restrictions. Whenever I cook from this cookbook, I am reminded of how the pandemic was also an opportunity for many people to pursue new hobbies and interests, often creative ones, that they previously wouldn't have.
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  2021-07-29

  (HIST30060) An Exhibition I Created at University

  After a year as subeditor, I was lucky enough to be appointed the 2021 editor of Chariot, the undergraduate history journal at the University of Melbourne. As an initiative to raise student engagement and make history more interesting, I worked with the university staff and one of our previous contributors of the journal in turning her essay into an exhibition in the university's Arts West building. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown, I was unable to see the exhibition in person myself, but the experience of putting it together from start to finish was a hugely rewarding one.
• 
  2021-09-29

  St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne masked up therapy dog Macca with hospital Volunteer Services Coordinator

  Therapy dog Macca lifts the spirits of all whom he encounters and he has proven to be a greater stress reliever for staff working longer and harder due to the pandemic. The true magic of Macca’s contribution has been visible at the bedside. There have been patients who have spoken their first words after surgery while holding Macca and others who have been unable to use their arms who suddenly move to pat him. In recognition of his work he was crowned "Top dog with a job" from a field of 500 in the inaugural "Oz Top Dog Award" in September 2021. This was welcome good news in a difficult week where there was a surge of cases in Victoria's third wave. Macca's story attracted diverse media coverage including features in "The Herald Sun", ABC Radio 774 Melbourne and Channel 10 News.
• 
  2021-09-17

  The Census in Lockdown

  The Australian Census looked little different this year. Census employees in states and cities in lockdown had to conduct contactless follow up visits and were issued with ABS branded masks for the purpose.
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  2021-09-09

  Lockdown Life with a Whippet

  Here in Victoria Australia, our pandemic experience has been easier than most. We live in a regional area and we have not had the angst of the long ongoing harsh lockdowns experienced by Metropolitan Melbourne . However going in and out of lockdown, hearing about growing exposure sites and increasing Delta virus numbers is disturbing and anxious making. The one constancy in our lockdown lives, is Pip the Whippet. Walking, sleeping, eating and loving is all she does. In lockdown her daily taste was to go into the local cafe and bring cheer to the Barista while my husband waited to pick up our takeaway coffees. Attached is a picture of Pip the Whippet waiting for our take away coffees. She has been a ray of sunshine in our lives at this point in time, and wearing her hound tee has brought a smile to all, as we progress through this, the strangest of times.
• 
  2021-08-01

  Ableism and Vaccination

  This is a complaint that I don't know whether to officially lodge about the treatment my partner and I experienced at the mass vaccination hub in Homebush. It is a complaint regarding ableism, and invisible illness.
• 
  2020

  HIST 30060 University of Melbourne Syllabus

  The syllabus given to students of partner class HIST 30060 of the University of Melbourne by instructor Andrew May, Fall 2020.
• 
  2021-07-07

  Hosts break down after quarantined man’s mother passes away | Today Show Australia

  This is a heartbreaking story from Australia about a man who flew around the world to try to get to his dying mother, only to have the Queensland government block his way. So many people across the globe had to die alone without their loved ones because of this pandemic. Hospitals and governments need to come up with a safe system to allow for visitation of dying relatives during pandemics because, sadly, this will likely happen again in the future.
• 
  2020-03

  Riding the Covid Wave from Quito to Sydney

  The pandemic was declared as I was en route to Ecuador. I was trapped in a strict lockdown isolated from any other travellers. My book describes my reactions and rescue. As a doctor I was not surprised that a pandemic was occurring as I knew that epidemiologists always say it is not an if but rather a when.
• 
  2021-02-02

  Exotic Pets and Reptile Gain Popularity in Australia

  According to the article, Australia is experiencing an increase in exotic pet popularity during the pandemic. With people having more time and resources, the demand for pets, in general, is on the rise. The fear of reptiles exhibited by Generation X is not there in younger generations, so demand for these cool and unusual creatures is on the rise.
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  2021-05-24

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 115

  MISINFORMATION REIGNS
• 
  2020-04-01

  POTUS45 COVID19

  As an Australian who has traveled extensively in the US and who has met many kind and generous people over the years, watching America being ravaged by the virus in those early months was horrifying. Especially my beloved NYC. This was compounded by the incompetence and wilful neglect of the Trump administration. And so, this project - the visual smashing together of two mediated narratives POTUS45 and COVID19 - began out of rage in April of 2020 when the death count had (only) reached 100,000. Pasting up these posters across the streets of Melbourne - in a time of helplessness, of lock-downs, of isolation and of global death counts - felt cathartic. It won't of course bring back the dead or heal the suffering of the long haulers, but it was a physical act of artistic expression and global solidarity. That was a year ago, POTUS45 is gone (for now), but the cost of his administration's negligence is represented in the statistics of April 2021 that were unfathomable a year ago.
• 
  2020-03-06

  Pandemic Street Art: skubzmope says DON'T PANIC

  Graffiti of a toilet paper roll and the text, "DON'T PANIC"... People were panic buying items like toilet paper when the pandemic really started to take off in infection and death rates and quarantine/lockdowns were initiated in the spring of 2020.
• 
  2021-02-25

  Jewish Melbourne

  As a Yiddish teacher the plague year was marked by a shift to online teaching. Of course this involved inconveniences and accomodations but mostly I was so grateful to have a job that meant I got to stay in contact with people throughout 2020. In classes I worked hard to support students in a difficult time, but also found myself energised and reassured by the regular social contact they provided. I've chose two pictures of my classes - one, a kids class featuring members of my family and the other, a screenshot from one of my long running classes at the Kadimah. The kids class was often fairly chaotic on zoom, marked by kids disappearing, scribbling on the screen or more interested in making faces in the camera than anything else. But it still represented a weekly engagement with Yiddishkayt for these kids, who all live in the North of Melbourne and attend state schools. The image I chose of one of my adults class is from a night when there was a blackout in my street - all the lights went off and my connection cut out. I realised though that I could teach using my phone for internet - it just meant sitting in the dark! I remember a strong feeling of "the show must go on" in a time when so much else was uncertain it was important to me that every Monday evening was the same - Yiddish class with my longtime students. Throughout lockdown students have been so patient and understanding of everything that has had to change and even now as I am extremely over teaching online I am honestly so grateful for what they've given me - meaninful, interesting, engaging work and social contact! We should all be so lucky.
• 
  2020-04-20

  Street Art - commentary from the artists

  This article quotes several street artists about how the pandemic has impacted their art and their messages. The direct quotes amplify their messages, although the street art speaks volumes in its public arena.
• 
  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.
• 
  2020-09-16

  Jewish Melbourne

  Reflection and Resilience
• 
  2020-09-08

  Jewish Melbourne

  Rosh Hashana 2020 Style - Achieving Inner Peace, Spirituality & Connection: Discussing Rosh Hashanah in a Covid world, the redefining of Rosh Hashanah 2020 Style! As part of our focus on Spiritual Health, the JCCV welcomed back two professionals who shared their insights on how to make the most of celebrating Rosh Hashanah this year, and offer ideas to achieve meaningful experiences for you and those closest to you.
• 
  2020-10-26

  "Get on the beers" Dan Andrew

  Victorians saw their freedoms and their complacency eroded as the Andrews government introduced a second lockdown. As it continued past the expected four weeks, many found enjoyment in the meme of the Andrews government allowing Victorians to “get on the beers”. The meme started during the first lockdown after Daniel Andrews stated on the 22nd of March that the closure of the pubs was not an excuse to “have all your mates ‘round to home and get on the beers…”. Since then, it has become a joke on the internet about when Daniel Andrews will finally allow Victorians to get back on the beers. Since the easing of restrictions, the joke has morphed from a desire to get out of lockdown and back to pubs, into a celebration of the success of the second lockdown. One musical duo, MASHD N KUTCHER, made a remix of Andrews from different press conferences from the second lockdown to be played at bars and clubs now that Victorians are able to go out. Through the creativity of such people, an admonishment by the premier has evolved to a shared joke, and then into a celebration of the persistence and patience of Victorians to go through a second lockdown successfully. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0NFqOHFJvw
• 
  2020-09-30

  Living through video games

  During the first lockdown, my flatmate introduced me to Sims 4. The Sims is a life simulation game wherein you create a character and live their life, making certain decisions such as where you will live, what career you will have, who you are in relationships with and so on. In the second lockdown, friends introduced me to Stardew Valley. In this game, your character lives on a farm and has to manage the land to make a living. There are also mines to explore and mystery to uncover. I would play this game with my friends online, hanging out virtually when we could not in real life. These games provided a reprieve from everyday life in lockdown where I had little control over my life, allowing me to live vicariously through my characters.
• 
  2020-10-30

  Victorian sporting pride

  I am not a sport person; however, during the second lockdown I became increasingly invested in the success of Victorian sporting teams as their finals started taking place. Victoria saw three major wins in October: victory for the Melbourne Vixens in the Super Netball competition on the 18th; two Victorian teams competed in the AFL Grand Final on the 24th with Richmond ultimately prevailing; the Melbourne Storm defeated the Penrith Panthers on the 25th in the NRL Grand Final. This string of sporting success from Victoria gave a sense of pride to many Victorians, including those of us who do not normally follow sport. This pride came as success from the second lockdown was becoming evident, adding to the sense of achievement for the state. The ability for sport to bring people together ought to not be underestimated as the sense of community and pride for Victorians, after going through a second lockdown, made many of us feel confident again.
• 2020-07-06

  Snow trip before the storm

  HIST30060 This is a photograph I took from the top of Mount Buffalo overlooking the Ovens Valley on the 6th of July, a day before Premier Daniel Andrews announced a second lockdown in Victoria. My extended family decided to take this trip during the first week of winter school holidays to enjoy the snow. We were especially keen to go to support the local economy as it had also been devastated by the bushfires. I recall a shared feeling of elation at being able to go on holidays together once more; however, there was a sense of trepidation at the increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in Melbourne. When the second lockdown was announced, I remember being scared of going back into lockdown, and unsure of whether I should stay in Melbourne or move back in with my parents in Ballarat. Eventually, I decided to cut my holiday short to drive back to Melbourne, pack up my things and move back in with my parents in regional Victoria.
• 
  2020-08

  Walking through lockdown

  Like many, I’ve taken to walking every day to help move my body and feel active during lockdown. I was an avid walker prior to Covid-19, but now walking has become more than just a means of exercising. Walking has become a time to myself, for myself, where I can escape my flat and explore. I moved to South Melbourne at the start of this year and walking during lockdown has allowed me to explore my suburb and become more familiar with where I live. Being comfortable gives me confidence and a sense of accomplishment that I have “conquered” South Melbourne. While Covid-19 has limited me in other ways, the restrictions have allowed me to focus on my sense of place and cementing this area as my new home.
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  2020-11-15

  Jewish Melbourne: Mitzvah Day

  Mitzvah Day in 2020 was on 15 November, and due to lockdown and restrictions on gatherings, special activities were organised through the website.
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  2020-08-17

  Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA (Vic) Covid taskforce response on child safety

  Information provided by NCJWA (Vic) to provide advise to community members on ensuring child safety during pandemic times.
• 
  2020

  Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA Ushpizot project

  For Sukkot, the NCJWA presented digital information about 'ushpizot' - women who could be digitally welcomed into the sukkah as the special guests
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  2020-10-05

  Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA (Vic) Sukkot zoom event for Seniors Festival

  "We are honoured to take part in the upcoming 2020 City of Port Phillip Seniors Festival. As part of this online event, a special Zoom Sukkot celebration is being organised by NCJWA Vic. Rabbi Yoni Reyder will enlighten all the participants about the traditions and significant of Sukkot; and a Concert of traditional Russian and Yiddish songs will be performed by Gregory Cveigoren and Vered Harel. “We will present the different aspects of Sukkot which symbolise we are different but also strong when we are together” said Nellie Khoroshina, Golden Age Clubs Coordinator."
• 
  2020

  Jewish Melbourne: Stand Up's Covid response website

  Stand Up coordinated a community response to Covid in Victoria and NSW, connecting people and working to try to ensure that people had the assistance they needed, and that people were identified who could provide support.
• 
  2020-03-17

  Video - Toilet paper fight erupts at Coles in Melbourne

  HIST30060 I have chosen to upload this article because I distinctly remember when the public fights about toilet paper begun to surface on social media. Initially, I found it hilarious. And then scary. And then kinda sad. And then eventually some combination of all three, alongside a healthy dose of embarassment at the fact Australians would behave in such a way. While I personally never felt the panic that led to hoarding goods, I know many people who did, and I also remember my housemates and I resorting to using paper towels as toilet paper for a short while because it was impossible to find in the shops near our house.
• 
  2020-10-02

  Socially Distanced Formal Event

  HIST30060 This is a photograph of myself and three other final year Undergraduate students at Ormond College, The University of Melbourne, taking a socially distanced group photo before "Club Dinner." During non-COVID times, this is normally a major event for students and is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Given COVID restrictions, the dinner was not able to run as normal, but students still took the opportunity to dress up in formal clothing and share socially distanced dinner and drinks. Personally, this photo is one of my favourite to come from this year featuring my friends and I, because it shows an adaptation to abnormal times. It is, I suppose, an attempt to find normalcy.
• 
  2020-03-18

  "Take My Hand" - A Song Written On March 18th About COVID

  HIST30060 This is a very rough demo of a song I wrote and recorded on the 18th of March 2020, right near the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. Moreso than anything else, this song expresses my emotions about COVID come March 2020, namely the fear, insecurity, and dread. The first verse draws on the imagery of the empty University campus, and of the two-week quarantine period. The second verse includes a reference to an image I remember seeing from Wuhan, where a dying COVID patient was wheeled out of the hospital to view a final sunrise, as well as the videos from Italy of people in quarantine singing together from their balconies. The chorus is about the paradox of wanting physical contact but being afraid of breaching social distancing. The bridge references St Jude, the patron saint of lost causes and hospitals, drawing on those feelings of hopelessness about the rapidly degrading pandemic situation.
• 
  2020-10

  Northcote Public Golf Course #PeoplesPark

  HIST30060: The Northcote Public Golf Course was reclaimed during Melbourne’s second lockdown as the #PeoplesPark. Members of the community had repeatedly broken into the course by cutting through the wire fence and bending it back. When I visited, the hole had been turned into a semi-permanent doorway and was covered in signs and notices such as this. The #PeoplesPark was a vibrant community space, with an abundance of picnicking families, groups of friends, dog walkers, and frisbee throwers. My friend described the space as a ‘slice of heaven’ – it was a blissful and joyous break from the stress of lockdown.
• 
  2020-07-01

  Brunswick West Testing Blitz

  HIST30060: My suburb, Brunswick West, was marked as a ‘COVID-19 hotspot’ in late June. This image shows a line of people waiting to be tested at Dunstan Oval during the subsequent ‘Testing Blitz’. I saw several doorknockers distributing pamphlets and directing residents to the testing site. The Blitz aimed to test the majority of residents, and we had to supply permits at police checkpoints to leave the postcode.
• 
  2020-03-12

  COVID-19 Productivity Plan

  HIST30060: A ‘COVID-19 Productivity Plan’ in the making. In the early days of the pandemic, my girlfriend and I were excited about entering lockdown. An eventual lockdown felt inevitable in mid-March, so we sat down at our local café to plan all the things we hoped to achieve. The plan reflects the sense of novelty and strange excitement many experienced in the beginning.
• 2020-05-01

  COVID influenced street art

  During the first lockdown in Melbourne the community in Southbank bonded through new COVID influenced street art. On the side of my apartment building on City Road, Southbank street artist Peter Seaton also known as CTO Art was commissioned to paint a piece over some recent graffiti. He titled the street art ‘trapped in a third dimension’, he described that COVID19 had caused fear and panic, which are the lowest emotions and he wanted people to experience and remember the feeling of love. This painting reflects intimacy during coronavirus and ideas of not being able to touch one another.
• 
  2020-09-01

  Digital Barkive

  HIST30060 I created an Instagram account during Victoria’s first lock-down to chronicle my experiences with my dog during the pandemic. It’s from Gracie’s perspective and purely for fun, but I think it also represents a rudimentary ‘barkive’ with insight into how ‘stay-at-home’ mandates provided refreshed impetus to interact with our furry friends and rely upon them for comfort and companionship.
• 
  2020-05-12T17:30+10:00

  Finding Light in the Darkness: Sunset from a Melbourne Apartment in Lockdown

  This photograph depicts a sunset from my apartment in Brunswick West, Melbourne on May 12, just before lockdown restrictions begin to ease in Victoria for the first time since March. I had spent that time completely alone in that apartment, as my room mate left for Queensland before lockdown began, my family mainly lived in Queensland, and my friends lived outside my suburb so I could not visit them. This was isolating in multiple ways and led to boredom, sadness, depression, agoraphobia and loneliness. I captured many sunsets like this over the months in my apartment, which brought a small bit of light amidst the dark monotony of lockdown. From this view I could imagine what lied beyond the walls of my small living space, and look forward to a day where I could feel safe moving beyond home and my nearby grocery store. HIST30060.
• 
  2020-08-07

  Everyone Needs a Mask!

  My mum sent me this very adorable photo of my dog wearing a face mask to gently remind me to wear a mask while in public to keep me safe from COVID-19. In Victoria, masks have been mandated in all public areas since July, regardless of social distancing. My mum sent this photo to some of our friends and family too, to cheer them up during the difficult times Victoria was going through at the time with a strong rise in cases. She had also reminded me, like with how our dog Snowy was wearing it in the photo, to make to cover both the mouth and the nose for the mask to function properly. Snowy did not much like wearing the mask, but he certainly looked extremely cute in it! Although at the time when my mum sent me this picture she had meant it as a joke, unfortunately with the new strain of the COVID mutation rumouring to originate from minks in Denmark, the possibility of dogs or cats contracting COVID-19 perhaps isn't so far-fetched. Remember to wear a mask and stay safe!
• 
  2020-11-09

  2020: The Year of The Ring of Steel and Shaggy Dogs

  In the series of images depicted above, I portray the imminent changes to both my life and the lives of those I love. The stage three lockdown which dawned on the 8th of July 2020 somewhat replicated a tale of two cities. A ‘Ring of Steel’ enforced between metro and regional Victoria separated a state in the grip of a deadly second wave. For me personally, 2020 changed my life in two notable ways; my two worlds were separated, and as droll as it sounds, I couldn’t get my dog a haircut. The ring of steel meant that I was separated from both my family property and my boyfriend who lives in Regional Victoria, although we could still visit one another it just didn’t feel the same. Like going through customs at an airport you are grilled on your reasons for travelling into a regional zone, and the answer of visiting a partner seemed to also evoke a multitude of other questions confirming the validity of the aforementioned statement. This however was all very necessary as there are regions of Victoria that haven’t even seen one single case of COVID since it reached Australia in January 2020. My first image was taken one day upon my return to Melbourne from seeing my boyfriend in regional Victoria and epitomises how even back in April, COVID-related precautions were widespread. Whilst my second photograph pinpoints the outage which the Vic Roads change of address function encountered a day prior to the announcement of the ‘Ring of Steel’ on July 9, 2020. The third photo is a government document and summary of those restrictions that were also outlined from this date onwards. Stage 4 restrictions also meant that all non-essential services were shut to combat the unnecessary spread of the virus, and this included dog groomers. Our West Highland White Terrier Angus was certainly thankful for this as sitting still is not his strong point, but it also meant that he could hardly see with his hair growing over his eyes like a veranda. There were calls from the RSPCA to re-open these services to the public earlier as they had treated a number of grisly injuries from owners attempting at home cuts on their pooches. Whilst a number of petitions were also got up by dog groomers who were more concerned about the welfare of the animals rather than the business aspect. With continuous lobbying, the efforts of the animal welfare community paid off and on the 28th of September they were able to resume services, a far cry from October 26th the original date outlined. The fourth and fifth photo depicts Angus before and after his much-needed haircut in early October.
• 
  2020-04

  ANZAC Day 2020

  Like many families we participated in a dawn service unlike any previously held this year. As gatherings and official ceremonies were cancelled people looked for alternate ways to commemorate ANZAC day. Across the country there was a movement to participate in a unified but socially distanced way. Lighting a small candle and observing the minute silence made us all feel a little more connected during the height of the Sydney lockdown.
• 
  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.
• 
  2020-06-27

  We Got Married During a Pandemic

  HIST30060: Making History My husband I planned our wedding for November 2020. My extended family lives in Malaysia, and we had organized for them to fly over to Melbourne for the celebrations, inclusive of classic wedding dancing, food and merriment. It obviously did not happen like that – but, it was better. In March, when the restrictions hit Victoria, we decided to move our wedding to June, not even knowing how many guests we would be able to have at that point. A few of our friends eloped, and some even planned a wedding in one night to accommodate the changing restrictions. In the weeks leading up, we pulled together our 20-person guest list, hired a photographer, and on the 27th June 2020, got married in intimate courtyard of our parents’ church. There was no (intense) dancing or fancy decorations, instead we got to focus on each other, on vows we made to each other under God and before our closest family and friends, and we got to live-stream our ceremony to everyone else (big win to not offending anyone). We are so thankful to God – it is better than we could have imagined or planned for ourselves.
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  2020-04-03

  Jewish Melbourne: Kehilat Kolenu Pesach drash

  Pesach in 2020/5780 came at the beginning of Melbourne's lockdown, and services were held online. Tal Cohen delivered a drash during Kehilat Kolenu's services.
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  2020-09-19

  Jewish Melbourne: Kehilat Kolenu Rosh Hashanah drash

  Kehilat Kolenu had an online service for Rosh Hashanah, due to Melbourne's lockdown, and Leah Justin delivered the drash
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  2020-09-27

  Jewish Melbourne: Kehilat Kolenu Kol Nidre drash

  Kehilat Kolenu ran services online for the High Holy Days, and shared the drash that was delivered by Alice Chipkin for Kol Nidre
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  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
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  2020-09-20

  Jewish Melbourne: Caulfield Shule Rosh Hashanah online

  While synagogues were closed under lockdown for Rosh Hashanah, Caulfield Shule provided a 'Rosh Hashanah highlights' service online before Rosh Hashanah started, as well as a standalone video of the Chazzan singing a "Rosh Hashanah Highlights Medley" with a choir in Israel