B’nai B’rith is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Bernard J. Lustig Scholarship:

Sammy Brygel, Isabel Gelb and Alon Meltzer

Now in its 67th year, the B’nai B’rith Bernard J. Lustig Scholarship seeks to support outstanding tertiary students in the achievement of their potential as scholars and as leaders in our community.

Mt Scopus Jewish Studies teacher Rabbi Sammy Brygel has been awarded a travel grant to enable him to attend Yeshiva Shapell's – Darche Noam for a year. The immersive Yeshiva experience will provide Sammy with professional development as a Jewish Studies teacher. Additionally, Sammy and his wife Esther will be joining the World Mizrachi Shalhevet program - a program designed to train young educator and rabbinical couples as they lead communities in the diaspora.

Isabel Gelb, a student of Monash University, holds Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce degrees and will be using the Scholarship travel grant to further her studies abroad at King’s College London. She is looking forward to availing herself of the many leadership and volunteering opportunities available in London.

Rabbi Alon Meltzer, Rabbi of Or Chadash Synagogue and the Director of Programs at Shalom, is currently studying a PhD at LaTrobe University's Law School. He has been awarded a research grant to enable him to write his thesis on “Digital Fidelity: how social media has impacted on Modern Orthodox Jews and their relationship with Jewish law and the rabbinic establishment”. This fascinating research will not only inform current research on the trends and impacts of social media across society, but will also delve into its effect on Jewish legal texts and processes.

We wish all our scholarship recipients the best of luck with their travels and their studies.
 

 B'nai B'rith Parents Home is a group of 16 one bedroom self contained apartments for the independent elderly. Situated at 696 Inkerman Road, North Caulfield just a couple of doors from Hawthorn Road and nearby Caulfield Park and local cafes and shops.
 
Each apartment is approximately 5.5 squares and comprises a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom built around a central courtyard where residents can sit and enjoy the sunshine.
The home also has two apartments at next door 698 Inkerman Road, both two bedrooms.
 
There is a resident caretaker who is on call to attend to the wellbeing of the property and residents. The caretaker checks on each resident every morning to see that they are well. Residents are aged between mid 60s to 90s.
 
There is a lovely spirit of camaraderie amongst residents in a safe environment.
 
A new resident pays an ingoing fee as determined by the Committee of Management which comprises of members of various B'nai B'rith Units, as well as a monthly contribution towards management and outgoings, including maintenance.
 
Vacancies become available from time to time and preference for residency is given to B'nai B'rith members and an assessment of need.
 
A list of potential residents is maintained and each is contacted when a vacancy arises.
 
Interested residents can contact the BB Parents Home at BBPHchair@gmail.com.

CLICK HERE FOR THE 2023 NOMINATION FORM.
Applications close 15 August 2023.

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 received a National or State Government recognition Award.

 
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 (CLICK HERE), 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. 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:
Nominators of successful candidates will be asked to  prepare the citation and a brief talk about the candidate for presentation at the Awards Ceremony in November. Prior to this they are asked to nominate a sponsor, who will prepare the citation for presentation at the Awards Ceremony in November.
​

CLICK HERE FOR THE APPLICATION FORM.
Applications close 25 August 2022.

B’nai B’rith is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Bernard J. Lustig Scholarship:
Rabbi Sammy Brygel (full scholarship), Isabel Gelb (full scholarship) and Rabbi Alon Meltzer (partial scholarship).

Rebecca Forgasz, Chair of Trustees, expressed the trustees’ delight with the standard of all of the applications received, both the level of academic achievement of the applicants and their involvement in Jewish and communal life. “We were also particularly pleased to have received such a good number of submissions and to have been able to make an award, after not having done so last year due to COVID19. We wish all our scholarship recipients the best of luck with their travels and their studies."
​
Sports enthusiast and Mt Scopus Jewish Studies teacher Rabbi Sammy Brygel has been awarded a travel grant to enable him to attend Yeshiva Shapell's – Darche Noam for a year. The immersive Yeshiva experience will provide Sammy with professional development as a Jewish Studies teacher, focusing on core Jewish literacy skills. Additionally, Sammy and his wife Esther will be joining the World Mizrachi Shalhevet program - a program designed to train young educator and rabbinical couples as they lead communities in the diaspora. Forgasz noted that the Trustees “are confident that Sammy and his wife Esther will return to Melbourne with even greater passion and experience to continue to serve the Jewish community.”
 
Isabel Gelb, a student of Monash University, holds Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce degrees and will be using the Scholarship travel grant to further her studies abroad at King’s College London. Isabel is passionate about engaging herself and her peers in Jewish focused events and as such, has held many leadership positions, one of which was President of the Monash Jewish Students’ Society (MonJSS). During her presidency, Isabel coordinated many programs and initiatives to engage the thousands of Jewish university students at Monash. She is also a student leader on the Monash Student Association Student Affairs Committee where she acts as a representative of the interests of the entire Monash University student body, particularly of the interests of Jewish students.
Isabel is looking forward to participating in the many leadership opportunities available at King’s College as well as the legal volunteering services in London.
 
Rabbi Alon Meltzer is the Rabbi of Or Chadash Synagogue and the Director of Programs at Shalom. He serves as a board member for the Relationships Australia NSW Research Ethics Committee, and on the board of the international organisation, Grow Torah. Rabbi Meltzer’s work focuses on the development of community at large, and how best to intersect secular lived experience with relevant Jewish wisdom.
Rabbi Meltzer is currently studying a PhD at LaTrobe University's Law School
and has been awarded a research grant to enable him to write his thesis on “Digital Fidelity: how social media has impacted on Modern Orthodox Jews and their relationship with Jewish law and the rabbinic establishment”. This fascinating research will not only inform current research on the trends and impacts of social media across different areas of society, but will also serve to educate the institutions, communities, Rabbis and laity of the trends and impacts of collaborative social media on Jewish legal texts and processes.
​

SIXTY YEARS ON, A LIVING MEMORIAL REMAINS
It happened in 1955. Summer holiday period.  Hume Highway. Car, driver, two passengers.  The car swerved off the road and hit a tree.  A common event, a tragedy, more frequent then than today. Two young men died. The woman passenger survived. The accident ended the life of Bernard Lustig, a brilliant young barrister, winner of the University of Melbourne’s Supreme Court Prize. He was the older son of Adolf and Kate Lustig, German refugees from Nazism who fled to Australia before the war. As the war ended Adolf helped found the first B'nai B'rith lodge in Melbourne. ​

Making a Difference – a Project of Lodge Melbourne Mitzvah
​Making a Difference has been in operation since 1996. Our purpose is to support financially disadvantaged Jewish students in our community, whether they attend a State school or a Jewish school. We support students going into year 11 and year 12, as it was felt that it is these two years which are critical for students to achieve success.

​Money is raised through the support of our members, their families and friends. We receive donations when a variety of events are celebrated and we are grateful for each donation. Since 1996 we have donated over $220,000 to some 280 students. We welcome donations from all.

Our banking details are:
Melbourne Mitzvah Lodge ( MAD) - BSB 013-017, Account No 9001 28923

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