The situation for Jews in Australia this Rosh Hashanah is unfortunately no different than last year, when minyanim were forbidden.
The cities of Melbourne and Sydney are again in lockdown and gatherings are strictly forbidden so minyanim are completely out of the question. But what about tekias shofar?
Askanim worked tirelessly to convince Australian authorities to allow an exemption for tekias shofar and at the last minute, the sought-after exemptions were received, Australian Jewish News (AJN) reported.
In Sydney, shofar blowing will be allowed at designated outdoor locations. In Melbourne, Rabbanim will be allowed to “intermittently blow the shofar while undertaking their permitted daily exercise, which is no more than two hours per day and no further than 5 kilometers from their home.”
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD) CEO Darren Bark said: “We have worked with rabbis, synagogue leadership, the Rabbinical Council of NSW and other faith groups to make this happen and are extremely grateful that our community will be able to participate in this mitzvah during these extremely challenging circumstances.”
Rabbinical Council of NSW (RCNSW) president Rabbi Nochum Schapiro told The AJN, “We’re very excited that the central mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah will be able to be performed by the Jewish community in Sydney.”
Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) vice-president Rabbi Moshe Kahn said: “We are pleased to announce that Project High Holy Days is a full go ahead with the Jewish community being able to hear shofar in a safe and legal manner.”
“Although the High Holy Days will be different this year, we will still be able to celebrate them united as one.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
9 Responses
Let people buy a shofer and blow it for their families or neighbors. It’s not a problem.
Is anyone sickened by this article? “During their daily exercise?” They have windows where they can leave their homes for brief periods of time and need to stay local. Is this normal?? I hear they are forcing vaccinations on children in Australia as well. I’m shocked to hear this is happening in a first world country in 2021. Why is no one speaking up? We are grateful to the government for allowing us? Garbage!
while undertaking their permitted daily exercise, which is no more than two hours per day Would cause way bigger issue reading אסתר which takes minimum 25 minutes, unlike 30 תקיעות which can be accomplished in under 5 minutes.
All for your own good….
I’m old enough to remember Australia a free country… If you think this can’t happen here you’re fast asleep at the wheel
Kol hakovid for instituting these health precautions and rules!
This is what a totalitarian regime looks like. Yidden in Kangaroo Land, get out!
https://torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos-chapter5-11b/
We have pestilence, we’ve seen the sword
and we’ve seen the wild animals rampaging, looting and burning our cities. Now I understand what exile today is. It is not being forcibly moved from our Land. It is being forced out of shuls, yeshivos and other places of mitzvos.
@Stevenn
Get.
A.
Life.
Unfortunately the regime outdid themselves in the misery they caused the chareidi community on RH.
Tens of police units patrolled the streets of the small community block stopping anyone walking on the street who looked chareidi, questioning where they were going, taking names and addresses, requesting to see what they were carrying in bags.
There are dozens of instances of intimidation, for example using sirens and flashing lights to scare a mother and her children standing in their front yard listening to shofer from a passerby and seiging a shul for 14 hours!!! waiting for mispallelim to be forced to come out and be fined over $5000aud each.
Our plea to our overseas brothers is to call out this travesty and make them hang their heads in shame