The Jenny Goldberg Community Service Grant has been awarded annually since 2004. Jenny Goldberg z"l, who passed away in 2003, was an active volunteer in B'nai B'rith and the wider community.
The grant exists to help improve people's skills as volunteers, which in turn will benefit the community at large.
To be eligible for the $2500 grant, applicants must be Jewish, reside in Melbourne,  be under the age of 35, and have a history of volunteering in the Jewish and/or wider community.

Oren Smith wins B’nai B’rith Grant                                                    October 2018
 
Oren Smith has won the 14th Annual Jenny Goldberg Community Service Grant (JGCSG) which was set up as a memory to Jenny who was passionate volunteer within the Jewish and wider communities.
Oren graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Accounting and Management and he has worked and volunteered in the not for profit community sector using his skills in finance, strategy and operations.
One of the main criteria for the recipient of the JGCSG is that he or she must use the Grant to improve their volunteering capacity, and hence the community at large.  Oren plans to do just that.  He is intending to do a course run by the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
From Oren’s involvement in B’nai Akiva, his Shule, and  the United Jewish Education Board,   Oren has learned that to maximise  an organisation’s effectiveness, it needs a professional who is well trained in governance and strategy.
To quote Oren:  “This course will provide me with the professional   knowledge to create the most profound impact I can.”
 
                                                             
P P  Frieda Shapiro.                                                                                  
Trustee of the JGCSG

The 2017 Jenny Goldberg Community Service Grant was won by Yerachmiel Aron, a passionate advocate for improvement and providing mental health support within the Jewish and general communities. Aron is using the grant to help support his studies and professional development.

The B’nai B’rith Victoria Menorah Awards were established in 1978. They are presented annually to worthy recipients who:

• have worked for the welfare of the community, and
• have not previously been recognised for their efforts.

 
Eligibility:

• Menorah Awards will be presented to individuals who have performed voluntary work of benefit to the community, usually over a long period.
• Recipients will usually be members of the Jewish community. Members of other faiths, who have contributed significantly in relation to the Jewish community, may also be considered.
• Nominations must be made on the Menorah Awards nomination form (see attached), obtainable from the B’nai B’rith Victoria office.
• Nominators will be asked to suggest two referees that the Committee may consult. All nominations will be handled confidentially.
• Nominees are not to be informed that they are being considered for an Award until after the selection process is complete. Only successful nominees will be notified.

Judging Criteria:

All nominations will be considered by the Menorah Awards Committee, usually in October each year. Awards will be offered to individuals who

• have furthered religious, educational and social welfare by their communal work, for which they have not previously been recognised, and
• have performed such work on a voluntary basis, usually over a considerable period of time.

The Committee will assess each nomination in the frame of the above criteria, and it may seek additional information and/or clarification, either from the nominator or other sources, before advising successful candidates of the outcome of its deliberations.

General:

The names of successful candidates for the ensuing year are advised to the B’nai B’rith membership at the December Combined Units Meeting. Prior to this they are asked to nominate a sponsor, who will prepare the citation for presentation at the Awards Ceremony in May.

Applications for the 2019 Menorah Awards should be sent to:

           Chairperson, Menorah Awards,
            B’nai B’rith Victoria Office
           71 Kooyong Road,
           Caulfield North VIC 3161

           or email to:  council@bbvic.org
 
           by the last day of September.
 
               Nominators and successful candidates will be notified in December.
                                Presentations take place in the following May.

Click and Connect (C&C) is a Melbourne-based organisation that got off the ground in 2016. Their project is already under way, helping students in four schools in various parts of Israel. 

• For more information about it, see its website, www.clickandconnect.org.au
• C&C wants to expand its activities, not only in Israel, but here in Australia, by assisting students who need help with English.
• C&C’s leadership approached B'nai B'rith seeking our support.
• At its August executive meeting, BBVic agreed to explore ways in which we could assist them in their work. BBVic President Dr Benny Monheit endorsed the project, stating that “C&C’s vision of supporting community service in Israel and locally is strongly aligned with the aims of B'nai B'rith”.

Dr Paul Gardner AM has agreed to be the initial liaison between BBVic and C&C. Here are his thoughts about how B'nai B'rith might be able to assist:

“I have met with some of their leadership on two occasions and have been impressed by their vision and their competence. For them to grow, they require more resources, especially human resources.  This is a hands-on-the-internet-direct-help project, not a fund-raising exercise.
​
So, here’s how you might become involved:
​
Are you a retired teacher willing to spend an hour every fortnight on the internet with a particular child in Israel?

Or if not a teacher, would you enjoy having a conversation in English about any topics of mutual interest? (The aim is not to cover a curriculum, simply to encourage the kid to talk.)

Or, if direct conversation with kids is not your forte, would you be willing to provide volunteer assistance to C&C to help out with managing their project?

Do you know anyone in your circle of family and friends – they don’t have to be B'nai B'rith members – who might be interested in helping out in some way?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES!  -- and I would love to get some enthusiastic YES! responses – please contact me.”
​
pgardner@bigpond.net.au      9578 4724        0412 275 623

BBANZ is holding a Drought Appeal for farmers who are currently suffering severe hardships.  The Appeal will be through the BB Foundation and is Tax Deductible.  The farmers are having it tough at the moment so all monies collected will be going directly to them.

The B'nai B'rith Jewish Youth Music Eisteddfod is a member of, and has accreditation with,
The Association of Eisteddfod Societies of Australia Inc.

THE  2018  EISTEDDFOD  FINALS  CONCERT

B’nai B’rith Victoria invites the public to an afternoon of musical excellence, showcasing the talents of our young Jewish musicians.

The Eisteddfod competition has been a highlight of the Jewish youth music calendar for many years and is the culmination of many months of hard work by our budding musicians.

Date: Sunday, 2nd September 2018
Time: 2:00 pm
Venue: See Poster
 
Enquiries:
Phone (03) 9576 1116
or email eisteddfod@bbvic.org 

Proudly supported by Glen Eira City Council

Entries are invited for the 23rd Annual B'nai B'rith Jewish Youth Art Competition 2018

The Exhibition will be held at Glen Eira Art Gallery, Caulfield.
From Wednesday August 1st to Sunday August 19th

Official opening and presentations on Sunday August 5th at 2pm
Major Awards:

Morrie Gold Memorial Prize - $500
B'nai B'rith Victoria Inc. Jewish Theme Prize - $250
Entries close on Thursday the 7th June, 2018

Age Groups:
11 - 13yrs; 14 - 15yrs; 16 - 18yrs

Categories Include:
Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Digital and Other Medium

Entry Forms Available From: 
B'nai B'rith Office, 71 Kooyong Road, Caulfield North (Open 10am - 4pm Monday to Thursday)
Jewish Schools' Art Department
The Lamm Jewish Library and the Australian Jewish News

Contact:
Leah Black 9531 8837
https://www.facebook.com/events/1235506156582277/​ ​

Fellowship Group Concert: provides an outing which includes afternoon tea and entertainment once a month to senior citizens who either come from independent living or aged care facilities. Our volunteers offer transport to the event, where possible.

Volunteers prepare and serve afternoon tea.  Many of the entertainers provide their services for free or a reduced rate.

Proceeds go to B’nai B’rith projects.

The Fellowship Group concerts will take place on Mondays: 

2018 Mondays (dd/mm): 5/3 14/5 4/6 2/7 13/8 3/9 8/10 12/11 3/12

All photos on this page, thanks to Judi Schiff Photography (click on photo to see the full picture)

B'NAI B'RITH Fellowship Concert - October 2017

B'NAI B'RITH FELLOWSHIP CONCERT - November 2016

Here are some photos of spontaneous dancing (and one shot of a section of the audience) at the BB Fellowship Group Concert on Monday 7 Nov 2016 at the Glen Eira/McKinnon Bowling Club premises​

B’NAI B’RITH FELLOWSHIP GROUP CONCERT - April 2016

The B’nai B’rith Fellowship Group concert for senior citizens was held on Monday April 11th at the Glen Eira McKinnon Bowling Club.  Husband and wife duo, Ellen and Bill Hundley, known as 2Can Music, had many of the 100 audience members and the volunteers dancing in the aisles to their fabulous music. (The following photos are in gallery format. Click on each photo that you would like to see, alternately Click on the first photo then scroll through the others to see each photo fully)

End of Year / Chanukah Concert - December 2015

B’nai B’rith Fellowship Group held its end of year/Chanukah  concert for senior citizens on December 14th 2015. Wonderfully talented young performers: Mother and daughter flautists, Tonia and Bella Barolosky plus singing and instrumental quartet, Michelle and Sienna Ishakbaev, their cousins Anton and Maxim Pokryshevsky with the girls’ mother Renata, as accompanist, enthralled the full capacity audience of 120

Courage to Care encourages individual acts of courage, social activism, action against apathy, a sense of empathy, a better understanding of history.

Chairman (NSW): ​Juliet Seifert
Chairman (Victoria): Tony Weldon 

Courage to Care is a major outreach program and travelling exhibition, designed to show people of all ages, all races and all persuasions that the individual can make a difference in a society which no longer cares, and that all of us has a personal responsibility to ourselves, our family and our community.

The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) is an Australian Jewish community organisation whose mission is to fight anti-Semitism and all forms of racism, combat the defamation of the Jewish people and Israel, and promote and cultivate respect and understanding between people of all religions and backgrounds.
​
ADC Mission
We are a Jewish communal organisation that works to ensure a safe and fair society for Australians of all faiths and cultures by combating anti-Semitism and racism in all its forms.

Why we do what we do
Jewish communities have deep historical experience of hate and prejudice.  To counter anti-Semitism we need to challenge prejudice whenever it occurs, whether it is directed at Jews or at other minorities.

Since 1979 ADC has worked to prevent, understand and counter anti-Semitism and all forms of racism.  We  build bridges with people outside our community and educate others to respect difference. We work to create a society resistant to hate, both for ourselves and for others.
​
Anti-Semitism is our top priority but we also act on other areas of racism. We aim to educate both the Jewish and general community about the dangers of racism. Victoria is our focus, but we are also appropriately engaged with Australian and international issues in consultation with other organisations.