Join us on The Night Shift, a Shavuot night specifically for young Jews under 30, proudly presented by Emanuel Synagogue in collaboration with Kol Nefesh, The Jewish Independent, Netzer Sydney, Ayelet Hashachar and Habo.
The evening will kick off with a musical service and an engrossing panel discussion, in which our rabbis will share personal reflections on moments when they got things wrong and how those experiences shaped them.
This will be followed by a speaker series featuring engaging top-quality workshops from leading young Jewish changemakers, plus a special cheese-making session with Adamama.
Choose from a range of thought-provoking sessions, unafraid to get into spicy topics and explore big questions from different perspectives.
Expect a lovely vegetarian dinner and lots of cheesecake breaks, all lovingly prepared by Nora's Kitchen, but bring your own funky cheesecake (extra points if it's vegan) to show off. Stick around after midnight for a deeper dive into our sacred texts and continue your learning into the wee hours of the night.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
5.30 pm – Arrival, soup and shmooze
6.15 pm – Service
7.00 pm – Rabbis’ Panel: “I Was Wrong” — personal reflections and Q&A
“I was wrong about being a female rabbi” – Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio OAM
“I was wrong about who holds authority in Judaism” – Rabbi Sam Zwarenstein
“I was wrong about same sex marriage” – Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth
“I was wrong about God” – Rabbi George Mordecai
“I was wrong about being Chosen” – Rabbi Jeffrey B. Kamins OAM
8.00 pm – Dinner
8.30 pm
Option 1 – RetroSmith — “Leaving a Better World: A Masterclass in Upcycling”
Option 2 – Chloe Green (StandUp) — “Freedom Rides of 2025”
Option 3 – Sharon Berger (The Jewish Independent) & Dr Shahar Burla (Hebrew University / The Jewish Independent) — “I Was Wrong to Think The Community Was Open to New Ideas”
Option 4 – Daniel King (Camp Sababa) — “The Work Behind the Work: Challenging Misconceptions in Disability and Youth Engagement”
9.15 pm – Cheesecake Break
9.30 pm
Option 1 – Sandra Hochberg & Brandon Sdrot — “Psychologists' Assessment of the Australian Jewish Community Post-Bondi”
Option 2 – Elik Rotenberg (Adamama) — “Adamama’s Dairy Workshop”
Option 3 – Symeon Ziegler (Jewish Climate Network) — “I Was Wrong… Small Changes Can Lead to Big Results”
Option 4 – Josh Kirsh (Or) — TBA
10.15 pm – Cheesecake Break
10.30 pm
Option 1 – Danny Hochberg (UPJ / ARZA) — “Building a Different Future: Progressive Judaism and Social Impact in Israel”
Option 2 – Elisheva Madar (New Israel Fund) — “Big Peace, Little Peace – The Many Layers of Peacebuilding Work”
Option 3 – Rabbi George Mordecai — “Kabbalah Workshop”
Option 4 – Jarrah Schlesinger, Eden Grynberg & Noam Olovitz (Netzer) — TBA
11.15 pm – Cheesecake Break
11.30 pm
Option 1 – Adam Cavenor — “Is Genuine Dialogue Truly Possible? – A Case Study Into Putting Yourself Out There”
Option 2 – Adam Rothchild (Habonim Dror) — “Exploring Klemer Music”
12.15 am – Cheesecake Break
12.30 am – Extra Session
1.30 am – Chevruta Study
2.30 am – Shacharit
If you will be joining us, please register so we can plan and prepare the catering.
ABOUT CHLOE GREEN
Chloe Green is the Programs Coordinator at Stand Up, a Jewish social justice organisation that empowers young people to engage in allyship, reconciliation and social change through immersive educational programs. Chloe has facilitated Stand Up initiatives such as Derech Eretz, the Freedom Rides, bringing young Jewish and First Nations people together through shared learning, connection and relationship-building. With a background as a high school science teacher, she is passionate about experiential education and empowering people to act with compassion and meaningful solidarity.
ABOUT SHARON BERGER
Sharon Berger is the Events & Partnerships Manager at The Jewish Independent. For many years, Sharon has been building Jewish community through her work at the New Israel Fund Australia, the Jewish Agency and Shalom, running events including Limmud Oz, the Sydney Jewish Festival and the Jewish Food Festival. She enjoys bringing new ideas and thought-provoking speakers, panels and films to Australian audiences. Sharon has been a columnist for TJI since its early days. She has previously worked as a journalist at The Jerusalem Post, The Economist Intelligence Unit and Reuters, and was Marketing Manager at the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce NSW.
ABOUT DR SHAHAR BURLA
Dr Shahar Burla is a researcher, lecturer, philanthropy expert, and Contributing Editor at TJI. He holds a Master's degree in political science from Hebrew University and a PhD in political science from Bar-Ilan University. Dr Burla is the author of Political Imagination in the Diaspora: The Construction of a Pro-Israeli Narrative and co-editor of Australia and Israel: A Diasporic, Cultural and Political Relationship. In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr Burla is passionate about films and teaches courses on films and the Middle East. He also serves as a board member of the Antenna Documentary Film Festival.
ABOUT ELIK ROTENBERG
Elik is the director of Adamama, Australia’s first educational urban farm, inspired by Jewish values of Tikun Olam and nurturing community. Elik grew up in Israel and was the coordinator of Hatzofim, the Israeli Scouts in Sydney. He is passionate about teaching outdoors and believes that hands-on learning in nature can be a transformative experience for people of all ages — and a whole lot of fun!
ABOUT SYMEON ZIEGLER
Symeon from the Jewish Climate Network. The JCN is motivated by Jewish tradition and values to harness the capabilities and creativity of the Australian Jewish community to accelerate the transition to a zero-emissions world.
ABOUT ELISHEVA MADAR
Elisheva Madar is the New Israel Fund Australia’s Policy and Impact Manager. She has a varied background across policy, law, and the commercial sector. Elisheva studied international law in Jerusalem, volunteered with IRAC (the Jewish Reform movement’s legal advocacy arm), and has completed both the AUS Susan Wakil and NIF Naomi Chazan Fellowships. She holds a double degree in Law and Political Science from ANU, where she was the President of Faith & Religion Societies and ACT President on the AUJS National Executive. Elisheva has previously worked in the federal public service in wartime crisis management, commercial and criminal law, corporate consulting and community organising. In her role now, she manages policy advocacy, communal engagement and grantee relations for the New Israel Fund Australia — the largest progressive funder of Israeli civil society and human rights organisations. She is passionate about educating the Jewish and broader Australian communities, engaging in interfaith and intracommunity dialogue, and building effective coalitions for social cohesion and policy change.
ABOUT RABBI GEORGE MORDECAI
After serving as the cantor at congregations throughout the USA, Rabbi Mordecai returned to Emanuel Synagogue. George weaves his rich cultural heritage into his work as both a cantor and performer plus has over 20 years’ experience in building community. He is well known to many in our community, having grown up in Sydney. In addition to his musical and liturgical expertise, he is an engaging educator. George infuses his teaching with a deep sense of spirituality and historical perspective, always mindful of the needs and aspirations of his students.
ABOUT ADAM CAVENOR
Adam Cavenor is a former Sydney Mazkir and Head of Education at Netzer Sydney, with experience leading youth education programs and community engagement initiatives. He specialises in developing creative approaches to wicked problems, experiential learning and youth leadership. Adam is a graduate of the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII), combining interdisciplinary thinking with a background in digital storytelling, media production, and communications. He currently works as a freelance videographer, specialising in sport, and works part-time at a podcast studio.
ABOUT ADAM ROTHSCHILD
Adam is a madrich at Habonim Dror and currently studies music composition at Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music. Come join him through an exploration of the intersections of music and Judaism.
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Speakers
CHLOE GREEN
SHARON BERGER
