Published: 3 December 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
STORYTELLING FORMS PART of Jewish DNA. Since time immemorial, Jews have recounted their stories. Now Monash University is taking part in an international project to document 2020, with a focus on the impact on Jewish life, rituals and community in the year of Covid-19.
The Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (ACJC) at Monash has invited Melbourne’s Jewish community to share their experiences and impressions of how the pandemic has affected their lives – requesting text, images, video, tweets, texts, emails, Facebook posts, Instagram or Snapchat memes, to document everything from the mundane to the extraordinary.
The ACJC has joined forces with Arizona State University in America, which initiated the project named A Journal of the Plague Year: An Archive of COVID-19, inspired by the title of Daniel Defoe’s novel, which documented the experience of the bubonic plague in London in 1665.
The co-leader of this project, Rebecca Forgasz, who is ACJC’s Associate Professor (Practice) of Community Engagement & Intercultural Communication, told The Jewish Independent she was struck by “the positivity and creativity” of respondents.
“Obviously it’s been very hard for people, but they’ve just jumped in, embraced it and just gone with it,” she said.
The project curator, Dr Jordana Silverstein, ACJC’s Research Associate, elaborated: “People are really engaged by the project, by the idea of archiving and collecting this moment in our community’s life.
“People are finding ways to stay connected and to keep ritual practices; there’s just a sense that community is really trying to adapt.”
Forgasz added: “Jewish culture is very well adapted to adaptation; that’s how it’s survived. They just get on with it.”
There are already numerous items in the collection which can be accessed immediately for those interested. They include:
RITUALS
Rosh Hashanah
“Our neighbours offered to blow the shofar for the street,” Zoe Arnott reported. “A few Jewish families live on our street in Balaclava. We all gathered in the street, all still and all connected by the mitzvah of hearing the shofar. It was a very special feeling. I felt the need to document this extraordinary event, this moment in history. In this time when so many of us are disconnected this moment of togetherness felt precious.
Yom Kippur in the year of the plague
“For significant events and religious observances, we need to be inventive to stay connected,” Sue Silberberg wrote. “The Reform Jewish movement in Melbourne, has been broadcasting its services throughout the Victorian lockdowns, and this was especially so for the High Holidays, when thousands tuned into live streamed services.” https://covid-19archive.org/s/Australia/item/29775
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Pesach in lockdown
“We had members of the family join Zoom from London, Lund (Sweden), Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne. It was a huge success. Diane Shonberg.
Such ritual gatherings, with family and friends in attendance online from interstate and overseas, may have heralded a new phase in Jewish culture, according to Forgasz. “There’s some things that worked really well for people and I think a lot of these ways of doing things are going to stick around.”
REFLECTIONS
A lot of written and reflective material has been received, Dr Silverstein observed., which will no doubt also prove an invaluable record in years to come:
‘Borders slamming shut – echoes of my parents’ conversations’
An article by Simone Szalmuk-Singer, is particularly poignant. “As borders around the world were slamming shut, I organised for my daughter to return home from Israel very fast, experiencing the anxieties of my childhood overlaid with the stories of my parents.
“They would have known how to keep their family safe in this Covid-19 world; they would have sensed and recognised the vulnerability and danger coming earlier than most.
“In a surreal way, I feel like I am reliving my parents’ experiences – uncertainty one minute, panic shopping then denial “it’s fine, it will be over soon” the next minute. Overwhelming.
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“And finally, my 95-year-old Auntie Pesia who lives in Israel, in just one minute, gave me all the strength I need to navigate what lies ahead. In a recorded message to her grandchildren and great grandchildren, in a calming voice, she spoke simply about the fact that this difficult time will pass and we must and will grow strong from it. During the Holocaust my Auntie Pesia was hidden in the roof of a barn for two years. No Netflix, no books and no fridges packed full of food.”
Writings by child survivors of the Holocaust during Covid times
“We are restricted in our movements, but not confined behind barbed wire. We can go for walks, shop for food without hindrance. We are ordered to wear masks – for our protection, not ordered to wear a Judenstern making us a target for harassment or worse,” writes Garry Fabian.
“A knock on our door will be a delivery or friendly neighbour, not an armed man in uniform to intimidate, arrest us or worse. We cannot see our family and friends, but know they are not being deported and murdered. We have food easily available and are not starving.
“If we get sick, we have a word class health service. On balance, we need to count our blessings.”
“There are also people submitting materials which speak to more painful experiences of this moment,” Dr Silberstein said.
A case is point is Disposable: A Personal Reflection, by Carole Leskin, which relates to her experience as a older person. “Somehow, I am a burden to society. I am a costly, time-consuming old person, of little if any value, who should be allowed, even encouraged, to die in order to make room for younger people.
“2020 will be a historic year. Citizens will address and demand change. Racism. Social Justice. Sexual Harassment. Equal Opportunity For All. And more… Where is our outrage? Our voices? Our activism? When will Ageism be added to the list? Isn't it our time too?
Other correspondents gave practical tips, such as how to more effectively communicate with people who have hearing difficulties when wearing a mask, and extending accessibility and communication online for those with disabilities.
The last word goes to Dr Silberstein: “The seriousness but also the creativity people are bringing to this moment is delightful and exciting to see. What’s important is those little but nevertheless significant items that capture memories.”
For Melbourne Jews interested in contributing to this project, and for anyone who wants to see the archive so far, CLICK HERE
Photo: Yom Kippur during lockdown
