The positive message I receive as a Jewish teacher in a non-Jewish school

At a time when social cohesion is being widely debated in Australia and headlines often focus on division and polarisation, schools have a critical role to play in modelling what respectful communities look like. 

My experience as a Jewish educator in a non-Jewish school has shown me that social cohesion is possible through relationships, thoughtful leadership and everyday acts that signal “you belong here”. 

I have taught at Caulfield Grammar School, an Anglican independent school in Melbourne, for many years. It’s something my dad has often questioned. He believes Jewish educators and their families should naturally gravitate towards Jewish schools, places of cultural familiarity and shared understanding.  

I understand that instinct. There is comfort in shared experience, especially when the world feels uncertain. Jewish schools play an essential role in nurturing and strengthening Jewish identity and providing community. 

Recently many Jewish Australians have asked themselves, “Where am I safe?” “Where am I understood?” Some of my friends have retreated inward, drawing the circle tighter, choosing to stay only where they feel unquestionably understood. 

Working at Caulfield Grammar School has shown me another option: a non-Jewish environment that doesn’t merely tolerate or accept difference but that actively embraces it.