Shtiebel

06/06/2026

After a wonderfully busy Shabbat at Shtiebel, Gersh had the privilege of gathering with Katelyn and Jeremy and their families for Havdallah, followed by the most beautiful chuppah on St Kilda Beach.

It was a ceremony shaped around their story, their families, and the traditions that mattered most to them. That is what makes each wedding so special: not a template, but a moment carefully crafted to reflect the couple at its heart.

Mazal tov Katelyn and Jeremy. May your married life be filled with love, laughter, tenderness and joy.

05/06/2026

As Shabbat arrives earlier and Melbourne evenings become cooler, it feels like the perfect time to bring back one of our favourite Shtiebel winter traditions…

Winter Warmers are back.

Join us this evening from 5:30pm for Un-wined before Kabbalat Shabbat at 6:00pm, as we gather for homemade tomato soup, conversation, community, and a chance to warm up, wind down from the week, and welcome Shabbat together.

Come in from the cold.
Bring in Shabbat.
Find your warmth.

02/06/2026

As a committed Reform rabbi, a graduate of the Reform seminary, and a proud member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Rabbi Gersh Lazarow has been following the conversation emerging from last week’s Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism Conference in New York with great interest.

For some time, critics of liberal Judaism have argued that, in its embrace of universal values, it has sometimes become hesitant to speak with confidence about Jewish particularity, peoplehood, boundaries, and Zionism. For a long time, Gersh rejected that critique outright. More recently, he has found it harder to dismiss.

Gersh did not become a Reform Jew because he wanted less Judaism. He became a Reform Jew because he wanted a Judaism capable of engaging honestly with the modern world while remaining deeply rooted in Jewish tradition.

That is why this conversation matters to Shtiebel, and why this piece in The Jewish Independent is worth reading.

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/zionism-reform-judaism-debate/

24/05/2026

20/05/2026

Shavuot arrives this week, and its invitation feels especially timely.

It calls us to gather, to learn, to receive wisdom, and to remember that Jewish life is sustained when we stand together.

Join us at Shtiebel for two warm, joyful, and accessible Shavuot gatherings.

Eat, Pray, Learn: Shavuot at Shtiebel
Thursday 21 May
6.30pm to 9.00pm

A beautiful Shtiebel evening of wine, cheese, espresso martinis, festival prayer, dairy dinner, song, learning, and community.

We’ll explore the roots of Shavuot, the custom of eating dairy, the story of Ruth, and what it means to receive Torah anew in every generation.

With Tony’s quiche, Sarah’s gnocchi, Judi’s blintzes, Mich’s cheesecake, and the kind of gathering we need right now.

A Shtiebel Family Shavuot Celebration
Friday 22 May
4.00pm to 6.00pm

A joyful, hands-on Shavuot celebration for families, children, grandparents, and anyone who loves learning Jewishly in a warm and accessible way.

We’ll gather around the tastes, stories, and symbols of Shavuot with DIY toasted cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and ice cream in a bag.

We’ll also share a short Torah service, including the reading of the Ten Commandments, as we stand together once again as part of the Jewish story.

Food, creativity, questions, community, and the sweetness of Jewish life.

Come to one. Come to both. Come as you are.

RSVP: www.shtiebel.org.au/shavuot

13/05/2026

From Memorial to Mantle

For many months, the yellow butterflies on our wall held a quiet prayer.

Knitted in solidarity with those taken captive into Gaza on 7 October, each one carried memory, grief, hope, and the refusal to let any name or story be forgotten.

The final butterfly came down when the remains of Ran Gvili were returned to his family.

Now, through the hands and heart of Rhonda Nirens, those butterflies have been transformed into a kli kodesh, a sacred object.

Rhonda Nirens, one of our dedicated volunteers and a wonderfully talented textile artist, has lovingly reworked them into a Torah mantle and a cover for the reader’s desk, to be used each year at Sukkot and Simchat Torah, the Hebrew anniversary of 7 October.

They will become part of how we remember:
all that was lost, all that came home, and the fragile work of stitching light back into a torn world.

Thank you, Rhonda, for turning fibre into memory, craft into prayer, and grief into something sacred.

May we keep knitting together.

12/05/2026

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Shavuot at Shtiebel 📖🧀✨

Friday 22 May | 4:00–6:00pm
Followed by Kabbalat Shabbat Service | 6:00–7:00pm

Join us for a warm, hands-on Shtiebel family celebration of Shavuot, created especially for children, parents, grandparents and anyone who loves learning Jewishly together.

Together, we will eat, pray and learn our way into the holiday:

🥪 Eat DIY toasted cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, and make our own ice cream in a bag

📜 Pray through a family-friendly Torah service, including hearing the Ten Commandments

🎨 Learn about the themes of Shavuot through a variety of creative craft activities

It will be relaxed, joyful, interactive and very Shtiebel. 💛

Please let us know you're joining us - www.shtiebel.org.au/shavuot/

11/05/2026

🌾 Eat. Pray. Learn: Shavuot at Shtiebel 🧀✨

Thursday 21 May | 6:30pm–9:00pm

Join us for a warm Shtiebel evening of tradition, culture, community and really good food.

🍴 Learn from members of our community as they share some of their favourite dairy and harvest-inspired recipes

🥧 Enjoy Tony’s quiche, Sarah’s gnocchi, Judi’s blintzes and Mich’s cheesecake

📖 Explore the roots of Shavuot, the custom of eating dairy, and the Book of Ruth

🎶 Pray and sing together through a Shavuot evening service woven throughout the night

Come celebrate Shavuot in a very Shtiebel way. 💛

Please let us know you're joining us: www.shtiebel.org.au/shavuot/

10/05/2026

On Shabbat morning, we had the joy of welcoming George Basil into the covenant.

Mazel tov to his parents, Josh and Marina, and to proud grandparents Chris, Samantha and Ali.

George carries names of love and memory. His middle name and Hebrew name, Eleazar, honour his great-grandfathers and link this new life to generations past and future.

May he grow surrounded by love, blessing and belonging.

08/05/2026

On a cold, wet week in Melbourne, punctuated by confronting and heartbreaking testimony at the Royal Commission into Antisemitism, we cannot think of a better reason to come together, warm up, and welcome Shabbat in community.

This evening is Shireinu, with Adrian and Sarah helping us lift our voices through song, spirit and beautiful harmonies.

Join us tonight at The Shtiebel.

Un-Wined from 5:30pm
Kabbalat Shabbat begins at 6:00pm

Bring yourself, bring a friend, bring your voice, or simply come as you are.

All are welcome.

Shabbat shalom.