The story behind this Jewish icon which shaped the lives of so many
This will be the subject of the Yom Hashoah presentation I am making at the Maurice Zeffert Home, Perth on Monday 28 April at 10am.
I hope to see you there.
This will be the subject of the Yom Hashoah presentation I am making at the Maurice Zeffert Home, Perth on Monday 28 April at 10am.
I hope to see you there.
Finish of the Two Oceans Marathon at the University of Cape Town
The Two Oceans Marathon is a 56 km / 35 mile ultramarathon and 21km half-marathon held annually in Cape Town, South Africa on the Saturday of the Easter weekend. Self-proclaimed as “the world’s most beautiful marathon”,[1] the race is run against a backdrop of spectacular scenery through the Cape Peninsula.
The race starts in Newlands, and follows a more or less circular route through Muizenberg, Fish Hoek, over Chapman’s Peak andConstantia Nek, and eventually finishes at the University of Cape Town campus.
Since its inaugural edition in 1970, the event has grown into a mid-size competition, with nearly 8,000 runners entering the 2007 ultra-marathon event. The half marathon (21 km) (13.1 mi) is also held on the same day as the ultramarathon. In 2007 the half marathon attracted nearly 11,000 entries, making it the biggest half marathon in South Africa. Approximately 6,000 runners also took part in various fun runs the day before the race. In 2012 these numbers grew to over 9200 for the ultra-marathon and over 16000 for the half marathon (where more than half the field were woman).
My brief carrier ended with these characters in Perth, Australia
Many have written off Poland as dead and buried.
However, there is a Jewish revival which will come as a surprise. Take time to watch these two videos as well as the others on this excellent website.
Check out these two videos by clicking on the images:
Also, have a look at the Cape Town video:
Here is a review in the latest Australian Jewish News about heritage tours to Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Spain.
This is a great time to discover your heritage and to be part of this new revival.
Click here for the pdf. AJN Travel April 11
For more info go to FBI Travel.
Inside the Great Synagogue, Gardens, Cape Town
Last December Jill and I visited our alma mater, the University of Cape Town.
We spent time around Jamison Avenue and did some research in the Jagger Library.
The campus as a movie set!
Jameson Avenue
Jammie Hall
Mandela
Our graduations in 1974 and 1975
The Jagger Library
Documents found in the Library: The Jewish Sick Relief Society.
My grandfather Rev N M Rabinowitz was the secretary for 44 years!
A selection of photos found in the library
A movie set on campus
Here is a preview of the website.
Monica Gluckman Harris’s parents’ wedding in Kimberley in 1914
See the video of Monica talking about the people in the photo.
Click on her photo below.
Many thanks to David Jawno for his lovely photos of Kimberley. Many more on the website.
Click on the image below to go to the kehilalink. Please send me your stories and photos of Jewish Kimberley.
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley
Sunday night, 6 April 2014
CHABAD WA, Noranda
Eli Rabinowitz, Alain Musikanth, Judd Milner, Martin Levit, Evelyn Sacks Goott, Asher Shapiro & Gail Shandler Gradwell
6 Muizenbergers and 1 Sea Pointer (me)
The Exhibition
Martin Levit points at his barmitzvah photo and certificate
The speakers
A visitor to Perth, Evelyn Sacks Goott introduces herself. In the background: Derek Cohen
A short video of Asher – click on image or link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrioKkTzW84
Meir Rubenstein, our bochur at CHABAD WA, is on his way back to London from Perth.
Although it is in the opposite direction, Meir is spending a few days in Sydney.
We walked from Bondi to Tamarama on the Bondi to Bronte Walk.
Here are the photos of Meir at Australia’s most famous beach:
Bondi Beach Sydney, |
|||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Bondi Beach
|
|||||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°53′28″S 151°16′40″ECoordinates: 33°53′28″S 151°16′40″E | ||||||||||||
Population | 10,748 (2011)[1] | ||||||||||||
Established | 1851 | ||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2026 | ||||||||||||
Location | 7 km (4 mi) east of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Waverley Council | ||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Vaucluse | ||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Wentworth | ||||||||||||
|
Bondi Beach or Bondi Bay (/ˈbɒndaɪ/ bon-dye) is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located 7 km (4 mi) east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area ofWaverley Council, in the Eastern Suburbs. Bondi, North Bondi and Bondi Junction are neighbouring suburbs.
“Bondi” or “Boondi” is an Aboriginal word meaning water breaking over rocks or noise of water breaking over rocks.[2][3] The Australian Museum records that Bondi means place where a flight of nullas took place.
In 1809, the road builder William Roberts received a grant of land in the area.[4] In 1851, Edward Smith Hall and Francis O’Brien purchased 200 acres (0.81 km2) of the Bondi area that included most of the beach frontage, which was named the “The Bondi Estate.” Hall was O’Brien’s father-in-law. Between 1855 and 1877 O’Brien purchased his father-in-law’s share of the land, renamed the land the “O’Brien Estate,” and made the beach and the surrounding land available to the public as a picnic ground and amusement resort. As the beach became increasingly popular, O’Brien threatened to stop public beach access. However, the Municipal Council believed that the Government needed to intervene to make the beach a public reserve. On 9 June 1882, the Bondi Beach became a public beach.[citation needed]
‘Bondi Bay’ – a photo from circa 1900 from The Powerhouse Museum
On 6 February 1938, five people drowned and over 250 people were rescued or resuscitated after a series of large waves struck the beach and pulled people back into the sea, a day that became known as “Black Sunday”.[5]
Bondi Beach was a working class suburb throughout most of the twentieth century with migrant people from New Zealand comprising the majority of the local population. Following World War II, Bondi Beach and the Eastern Suburbs became home for Jewish migrants from Poland, Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany. A stream of Jewish immigration continued into the 21st century and the area has a number of synagogues and a kosher butcher. The area today is very multicultural with a lot of new wealthy Asian families and Samoans. The multicultural migration funded and drove the growth of the suburb throughout the 90’s into the turn of the century,[6] moving it steadily from its working class roots towards upper/middle class enclave[7] similar to its neighbors of Rose Bay and Bellevue Hill which was listed as the most expensive postcode in the country in 2003, 2004, 2005.[8][9]
Bondi Beach was long a centre for efforts to fight indecency in beach attire. The beach was a focal point of the 1907 Sydney bathing costume protests, organized to oppose proposed dress standards for beachgoers. The Local Government Act, Ordinance No. 52 (1935)[10] governed the decency of swimming costumes and was in force between 1935 and 1961, and resulted in public controversy as the two-piece “bikini” became popular after World War II.Waverley Council‘s beach inspectors, including the legendary Aub Laidlaw, were responsible for enforcing the law and were required to measure the dimensions of swimwear and order offenders against public decency off the beach. While vacationing in Australia during 1951, American movie actress Jean Parker made international headlines when she was escorted off the beach after Laidlaw determined her bikini was too skimpy.[11] The rule became increasingly anachronistic during the 1950s and was replaced in 1961 with one requiring bathers be “clad in a proper and adequate bathing costume”, allowing for more subjective judgement of decency. By the 1980s topless bathing had become common at Bondi Beach, especially at the southern end.[12]
Sydney’s Water Board maintained an untreated sewage outlet not far from the north end of the beach which was closed in the mid-1990s when a deep water ocean outfall was completed.
Bondi Beach is about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) long and receives many visitors throughout the year. Surf Life Saving Australia has given different hazard ratings to Bondi Beach in 2004. While the northern end has been rated a gentle 4 (with 10 as the most hazardous), the southern side is rated as a 7 due to a famous rip current known as the “Backpackers’ Express” because of its proximity to the bus stop, and the unwillingness of tourists to walk the length of the beach to safer swimming. The south end of the beach is generally reserved for surfboard riding. Yellow and red flags define safe swimming areas, and visitors are advised to swim between them.[13]
There is an underwater shark net shared, during the summer months, with other beaches along the southern part of the coast. Pods of whales and dolphins have been sighted in the bay during the months of migration. Fairy penguins, while uncommon, are sometimes also seen swimming close to shore or amongst surfers in southern line-up.
In 2007, the Guinness World Record for the largest swimsuit photo shoot was set at Bondi Beach, with 1,010 women wearing bikinis taking part.[14]
Bondi Beach was added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2008.[15]
Bondi Beach is the end point of the City to Surf Fun Run which is held each year in August. The race attracts over 63,000 entrants who complete the 14 km run from the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Beach. Other annual activities at Bondi Beach include Flickerfest, Australia’s premier international short film festival in January, World Environment Day [16] in June, and Sculpture by the Sea in November. In addition to many activities, the Bondi Beach Markets is open every Sunday. Many Irish and British tourists spend Christmas Day at the beach.
An Oceanway connects Bondi to South Head to the north and other beaches to the south up to Coogee.
Bondi Beach hosted the beach volleyball competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics.[17] A temporary 10,000-seat stadium, a much smaller stadium, 2 warm-up courts, and 3 training courts were set up to host the tournament.
Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club claims to be the world’s first surf lifesaving club,[18] and North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club is a federation club. Both clubs were founded in 1907. Bondi members invented the surf reel and many other icons of lifesaving. Surf lifesavers from both clubs were involved in the largest rescue ever on a single day, known as ‘Black Sunday’. Bondi holds the most Australian Surf Lifesaving Championship gold medals in R&R (rescue & resuscitation) and North Bondi holds the most gold medals in March Past.[citation needed]
The Swimming Club’s origin dates back to 1929 and owes its origins to the desire of a band of dedicated local lifesavers who wished to maintain their fitness during the winter months. They formed the Bondi Icebergs Winter Swimming Club and drew up a constitution and elected office bearers. Included in the constitution was a rule that to maintain membership it was mandatory that swimmers compete on three Sundays out of four for a period of five years.
Bondi Beach has a commercial area along Campbell Parade and adjacent side streets, featuring many popular cafes, restaurants, and hotels, with views of the beach.[19][20]
The Hotel Bondi is a landmark on Campbell Parade. It was built from 1915-1920s and was designed by E.Lindsay Thompson. It combines Italianate, Federation and Free Classical elements and has been described as an “important landmark building in the Bondi Beach townscape.” It has a state heritage listing.[21]
The nearby Swiss Grand Hotel is also a landmark development on Campbell Parade, opposite the beach. It was built on the site of an old service station that had been derelict for many years.
Bondi Pavilion is a community cultural centre, located right on Bondi Beach, which features a theatre, gallery, rehearsal, meeting and function rooms, art workshop, studios. Bondi Pavilion is the centre for major festivals performances throughout the year. It has a state heritage listing.[21]
Numerous festivals and events such as the annual Miss Bondi beauty pageant have made Bondi Beach a popular destination among travellers. The beach has long captured the attention of poets including Joanne Burns, Les Murray and Brook Emery. The Vans Bowl-A-Rama skateboarding competition is held at the skate bowl in February every year.[22]
Bondi Beach has been used as a location for various films, television series, music videos, and a video game:
An article in the Sydney Morning Herald, 6 December 1997 noted the increasing gentrification of the area. Nonetheless it remains a diverse community.
According to the 2011 census of Population, there were 10,748 residents in Bondi Beach. In Bondi Beach, 47.3% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 9.0%, New Zealand 4.3%, Ireland 2.5%, South Africa 2.2% and United States of America 1.5%. 68.7% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Russian 2.2%, Spanish 2.0%, French 1.8%, German 1.5% and Italian 1.4%. The most common responses for religion in Bondi Beach were No Religion 31.1%, Catholic 22.0%, Anglican 11.0%, Judaism 8.0% and Eastern Orthodox 2.4%. [1]