Rabbis go ‘RARA’: Jewish re-connect heritage

Two young rabbis, Yosef Muchnik from New York and Eli Gescheit from Sydney, will be in Goulburn this week to make contact with Jewish men women and children living in the district.

The two rabbis volunteered for the five-week tour of inland and coastal NSW to make contact and share their faith during a break in their studies.

The outreach program has come from a tour more than 30 years ago when three young rabbis drove around Australia in a ‘Mitzvah Tank’- caravan, finding Jewish people and reconnecting them with their heritage.

This trip laid the foundation and in July 2000, Chabad of RARA – (Rural and Regional Australia), was established as a non-profit organisation to care for the spiritual and general needs of Jewish men, women, and children outside the main cities.

“One of the cardinal tenants of Judaism is that all Jews are united, regardless of physical distance,” Rabbi Yosef Muchnik said.

All Jews, irrespective of their background, standard of observance or location, have the right to know more about their unique heritage.

“It is our purpose to bring knowledge of that heritage within reach and help Jews to reclaim their birthright by providing information and services,” he said.

They visit Jews living in rural and regional Australia, including prison inmates and soldiers in the Australian Army

They provide Jewish books, tapes, software programs, Mezuzahs, Teffillin, Shabbos candles and other Jewish items.

Other services that can be arranged include seminars and lecture series in regional locations, communication via internet, phone and letters, circumcisions, Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, and funerals.

They can also provide information on the mobile lending library, educational resources- for children and adults, information and arrangements for Kosher food, summer and winter camps for youth, counseling and family services.