Growing up Jewish in regional Australia

I moved to Scotts Head, a small beach town located on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, from Lane Cove, Sydney when I was eight years old, half my lifetime ago.

Living here has given me many fun experiences and opportunities like swimming at the beach and meeting new people but I feel the absence of being able to connect to Judaism and the wide Jewish community in Sydney.

Living in Scotts Head feels like going on a vacation forever. The town is small, which creates a stronger sense of community. In the town there are a few public areas where most people are found chatting and playing such as: the beaches, the playground, the small supermarket and the local cafe. My parents owned the cafe until recently and I enjoyed helping out. The cafe created a delightful environment for the community to be together and we shared many great experiences over the years. My favourite part of owning the cafe was being able to meet new people and have interesting conversations with them.

Overall, most of the people in my town are lovely. The small population enables special community connections. People stop in the street and have a conversation or pause their cars to chat through the window.

I do, however, miss the cultural diversity of Sydney (especially the various food cuisines available) and the opportunities for Jewish connection as I am so far away from my Jewish family and friends.

Out of the 1000 people that live in our town, my mother has managed to find five other Jewish people. With our family of five, that makes the Jewish population 1% of Scotts Head! We have also connected with Jewish families in Nambucca Heads and Bellingen, celebrating Shabbat and festivals together on occasion.