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We have attempted this year to revitalize the event by rebranding Eisteddfod as Showcase: fostering Jewish Musical Talent. It was felt by the community that the word Eisteddfod was anachronistic and irrelevant. The new tagline better describes what we actually do, in simple, accessible language. It challenges and provides opportunities for competitors to perform in a supportive and nurturing environment. It offers valuable opportunities to perform in public and be adjudicated by a panel of expert musicians and “best practice” teachers. Our adjudicators in 2019 have been John Quaine (Classical Strings), Thomas Lorenzo (Guitar), Doug Heywood OAM (Classical Vocal), Galit Klas (Contemporary Vocal and Yiddish/Hebrew Vocal), Amy Howden (Contemporary Piano), Justin Jacobs (Classical Piano) and Anne Gilby (Woodwind). We are so fortunate to have had the services of such experienced and skilled professionals. I would like to thank our official accompanist: Karen Neumann for her dedication and support. This year we once again have a record number of vocal and instrumental ensembles and some outstanding solo performers as you will soon attest. I look forward to the final ensemble performance, which will feature representatives from four of the main Jewish day schools. The Showcase Finals Concert will be held on Sunday 15th September @ 2:00pm. See flyer below for all booking information. Andrew Kolb 
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 Jarryd Shaw and Dr Paul Gardner AM B'nai B'rith’s Bernard J. Lustig Memorial Scholarship has expanded its scholarship scheme and for the first time, it will be awarding more than one scholarship per year.
“In the past,” chairman of trustees Dr Paul Gardner AM explained, “we offered the scholarship in two categories, as a travel grant to outstanding university student leaders, or as a post-graduate research grant. However, our available funds allowed us to make only one major award each year. “This year, B'nai B'rith’s Unit Akiba decided to make a substantial grant to the Lustig scholarship, derived from the Peter Krafel Bequest, a BB Akiba member who passed away in 2016 and left a legacy to support various B'nai B'rith educational programs. This will allow us to offer more than one scholarship each year. We are naturally very grateful to Unit Akiba for their support. It is an on-going annual commitment.” The first student to benefit from this expansion is Monash student Jarryd Shaw, who was presented with his travel grant at the beginning of a Unit Akiba meeting in July. In announcing the award and introducing the winner to the audience, Dr Gardner encapsulated Jarryd’s life as a Mt Scopus graduate and beyond: “Brilliant academically, high level sporting achievements, engaged in interfaith relations, involved in the Jewish community, Friday night services, Jewish Holocaust Centre, projects in Israel. The list goes on and on.” At Monash, he is taking a combined Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce program. His academic record to date shows High Distinctions in thirteen subjects. High academic achievement, while a necessary criterion for winning a Lustig Travel Grant, is not sufficient. “He won the award,” Gardner explained, “as a result of his work within the law faculty as a student leader. He tutors first-year students. He is the deputy co-ordinator of the Monash Law Students Society Peer Mentoring Program. He has been appointed as a research assistant to the Dean of the Law faculty, working on a proposal to establish the Anti-Death Penalty Institute, which aims to abolish the death penalty across Asia.” Jarryd is leaving Melbourne in early August and is heading for Pennsylvania State University, a highly rated Ivy League institution. He has been accepted as a student in the university’s business school, where he will study game theory and international economics. In his application for the scholarship, Jarryd stated that he intended to “serve my community as an advocate, both in a professional and charitable capacity.” He noted that he had already been accepted as a member of a program known as the Global Engagement Community at Pennsylvania. He explained that this is “a leadership program designed to combine international exchange students with domestic students to develop an understanding of cultural differences. As a person who fundamentally identifies as a global citizen, learning more about various cultures and backgrounds will assist my development as a leader and allow me to be more engaged with the broader community and a better leader of the Jewish community.” The scholarship is B'nai B'rith Victoria’s oldest on-going project. It was established in 1955 following the death of Bernard Lustig in January of that year in a car accident. A brilliant young barrister, he was at the time the president of B'nai B'rith Youth Melbourne. In his acceptance of the award, Jarryd noted the tragic parallel with the recent death of another outstanding lawyer and community leader, Anton Hermann, who had been a personal mentor. Presentations in the Post-graduate Research awards category will be made in September. For further information, contact Dr Paul Gardner 9578 4724, 0412 275 623, pgardner@bigpond.net.au If you wish to interview Jarryd Shaw, his contact details are 0449 199 995; jarrydshaw09@gmail.com Click & Connect's Aviva Sztrajt, Liora Vitos Koren & Claire Morton were interviewed for J-AIR's Shabbat Shalom Drive on July 19th. Click HERE to listen to their interview.  A wonderful article in The Australian Jewish News about the Click and Connect launch. If you'd like to know more about C&C, please visit www.clickandconnect.org.au  Hear Co-Presidents of our newly combined Gesher-Rabin Unit, Karin Zafir & Leon Nissen, discuss their recent merger when interviewed by Gary Mallin on J-AIR. They also shared some fantastic insights into BBVic's value to Melbourne Jewry. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN   The grant, now is in its 15th year, is to honour the memory of the late Jenny Goldberg and to acknowledge her untiring volunteering skills, which she gave to B’nai B’rith and the community, both Jewish and non-Jewish.
To be eligible, applicants must be Jewish, reside in Melbourne, be under the age of thirty-five years and have a history of volunteering in the Jewish or wider community. The grant of $2,500 exists to help the successful applicant’s skills as a volunteer which in turn will benefit the community at large. Last year’s winner of the grant was Oren Smith. From his involvement in volunteering for Bnei Akiva, his shule, and the United Jewish Education Board (UJEB), Oren has learnt that to maximise an organisation’s effectiveness, it needs a professional who is well trained in governance and strategy. Oren used the $2,500 to do just that. By doing several courses with the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Oren feels he can make the most profound impact in the organisations in which he is involved. The advertisement for the Jenny Goldberg Community Service Grant will appear in the Australian Jewish News on Thursday 4th July. Further information: B’nai B’rith: 03 9523 0888, council@bbvic.org Charles New: 0407 889 744, charlesnew@bigpond.com |
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