The Levy family
is once again in transition! We will
leave Australia by the end of June. I
won’t give you some sugarcoated nonsense by saying it’s been wonderful. It’s been a very meaningful time of learning
and growth. Whether we’re happy we came
here or not, misses the point. We can instead
contextualise our sojourn here, and be happy for the opportunities it presented
to do good things for people, to grow as individuals and as a couple, and to
step back and see what works and what does not.
We’re going to
return to the USA, to Colorado Springs for a while to tie up loose ends. Then we’re off to Israel where, of course,
our son Eyal already is – serving in the IDF Tank Corps. I cannot say when we’ll complete the
transition, but it will be sometime after the [northern hemisphere]
summer. Clara may go sooner, to attend
to family matters there. I, on the other
hand, have family matters to attend to in the USA.
I’m going to
use this new blog as I have my previous blogs (rabbidonlevy.blogspot.com and rabbidoninoz.blogspot.com)
to post regular thoughts on the Torah and other Jewish issues. I’ll also probably have more to say than in
the past, about politics and public policy, especially as the USA swings
towards what promises to be a VERY turbulent national election. In the past, I have been ACCUSED of
interjecting politics into my sermons…well now, I’m actually going to DO so!
I’ll also
continue to write occasionally about values and society, Israel, and what I’m
doing Judaism-wise. I’m retiring for now,
from the conventional rabbinate and from the kinds of religious leadership I’ve
been engaged in. For the near term, I’ll
be doing more ‘out-of-the-box’ stuff, with emphasis on teaching and technology. We are in the throes of an incredible
paradigm shift regarding how we deliver and organise Jewish life; with no
institutional ties for now I have the freedom to study and contemplate what’s
going on, and to tailor my own involvement towards what I’d like to
accomplish. So, watch this space for my
thoughts on this and reports of what I’m doing about it.
As always, I
welcome your feedback! Feel free to
react, and if you are not responding using a pseudonym, and if you’re feedback
passes my ‘civility test,’ I will be happy to post it here.
I am so blessed to have had your Rabbinic leadership for the past four years, and even though you endured many disappointments in Australia, you always kept nurturing our small group and showed how to be better Jews by your exemplary life and Emuna. I hope that the work that you started will flourish and that we could turn to you when we need assistance and guidance.
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