Words cannot describe the energy that was felt in the Shule over Rosh Hashana, I was delighted to see so many people filling every part of the Shule and to enjoy a most beautiful davening together with you. A huge thanks to everyone who assisted in the planning, preparations and conducting of the services and thank you to everyone who attended!
I did, however, want to address something important. I am always grateful when I receive constructive feedback and whilst Rosh Hashana was amazing, there is one area that has been brought to my attention. To be honest it is a problem I want us to have!
I am referring to the noise levels of the children inside the Shule – primarily heard in the hall section and by the downstairs permanent women’s section. As I said, I love the fact that we have noise made by the children and that we have so many children running around the Shule. I also respect that people want to be able to concentrate during the prayers and it does make it more difficult with the noise. Just to be clear I am not referring to the noise made by adults talking to each other, this is something we can all work on!
We are currently discussing ways in which to minimize this from happening on Yom Kippur but I ask that you have patience and allow us time to plan better for next year as we might not solve this perfectly before this Yom Kippur. We most certainly want you to come on Yom Kippur and have a meaningful experience. Our Shule is uniquely designed where the sanctuary is almost at the heart of everything and therefore becomes a thoroughfare of sorts. We will need some bigger changes to accommodate both the spaces needed for the various children’s programs and to minimize the noise but I am confident that together we can make this happen. There are already ideas being suggested and some changes which will happen that will help us resolve this challenge. It is so exciting that our growth is bringing us these really amazing challenges ( and as said above, challenges we want!) and I look forward to making things even better!
Finally I just want to stress how grateful I am for every single member that has chosen to be part of South Caulfield Hebrew Congregation. Rebbetzin Sarah and I don’t take any one you for granted and really appreciate you being part of our extended family! Looking forward to seeing you on Yom Kippur and may our collective prayers penetrate the heavens and ensure that we are all blessed with a healthy, happy and inspirational year ahead!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Daniel Rabin
