When I first saw the rolling hills and green pastures of Jamberoo, I felt an instant connection. My wife and I were looking for a venue for a weekend retreat, and we knew Jamberoo was it the minute we arrived. This Shabbos for the third year running we are holding our Shabbaton retreat in Jamberoo.

I decided to do a little bit of research on the history of the area. Something caught my eye in the Wikipedia entry on Jamberoo. It has a list of famous Jamberoo personalities. On the
Solomon Herbet Hyam
list was a certain Solomon Hyam (right). The name piqued my interest, as it had that familiar ring to it. So I looked into who he was. Solomon was a politician in the 1800's, and of course he was Jewish. He was born in Jamberoo. So Jamberoo has a Jewish history!

But there's more.

Solomon's father was Michael Hyam. A bootmaker and horse enthusiast, Michael came to Australia from London in the early 1800's. He was granted land in the Kiama district by the govenor of New South Wales. Michael Hyam the Jew is considered the founder and first settler of Jamberoo. He named it Sara's Valley.
Michael Hyam
On further research I discovered that Sarah was his mother's name. It seems that he named the land in honour of his mother back in England. He opened an inn in Sarah's Valley which he named David's Harp. Of course the biblical King David was known to play the harp, but the name had a more of a personal significance for Michael. His father's name was David.

I was amazed to discover that this beautiful piece of rural Australia that we keep coming back to was first settled by a Jew. Even the Aboriginals did not live here before him. Michael Hyam turned an uninhabitable forest into Sarah's Valley.

But there's more.

I discovered that Michael Hyam was not just incidentally Jewish, but a proud and observant Jew. He was the first mohel to practice in Australia, and traveled near and far to perform this holy duty. Though isolated from community, he lived a religious life. For the High Holidays he would make the long trip into Sydney with his family to pray with the community.
Sarah Hyam
As I got more enthralled by this story, I found another piece of trivia that almost made me fall off my chair. Michael had a daughter, named Sarah. She married a Jewish man by the name of..... Henry Moss!!! 
Henry Moss


I was starting to feel a deep connection to this man, and wanted to take it further. So I checked the burial records and found that Michael Hyam was buried in the Jewish section of Rookwood Cemetery.

 I decided that I wanted to find his grave. I went to Rookwood armed with a map of the exact whereabouts of his grave. It is in a 200 year old section of the cemetery. Most of the tombstones are in the state of sorry disrepair, and many of them are broken, worn and hard to read. It was difficult to actually locate the grave of Michael Hyam. But eventually I spotted it. The tombstone had fallen and broken in two. But it was still legible. I could make out the Hebrew inscription that read:
Michael Hyam's fallen tombstone

Here lies
Michael Ben David
Passed away 4 Ellul 5638  (1878)
Aged 79

I was dumbstruck. The date of his passing corresponded to the exact timing of our annual Shabbaton, the beginning of the month Ellul.

I realised that we were making a pilgrimage to Sarah's Valley, to David's Inn, to the land of Michael Hyam, right around his yorzheit. Who would have thought that 140 years after his passing, a group of Jews would be celebrating Shabbos together on the land where he and his family kept Shabbos all alone?

Michael Hyam was physically isolated from the Jewish community, but spiritually so connected. He maintained his Yiddishkeit with passion and depth. In his honour we can live as he did, proud Jews in the beautiful land Australia.

The name Hyam is an anglicised version of Chaim. That means life. This Shabbos we say Lechaim, in honour of Michael ben David.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss
  
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COHEN CRASH COURSE A SMASHING SUCCESS!

This past Monday we made history, running the world's first ever Cohen blessing crash course! Ten eager priests from around Sydney came to hear Rabbi Chaim Koncepolski explain in clear detail the steps required to give the very holy and ancient Priestly Blessing. We hope this will encourage more Cohanim to step up and make the blessing with confidence. And we plan to do it again...
VIDEO CLASS:  
Where Is Moshiach Now?
Who Is the Mother Bird?
Who Is the Mother Bird?

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This week we have worked very hard to complete the form work, lay the steel mesh and also the post tensioning cables. After the concrete is poured, the post tension cables will be pulled very very tight. This will compress the concrete together and suspend the slab almost like a bridge. This is what allows us to have the nice big open spans downstairs without annoying columns in the way.

To all who are going away for the Shabbaton have a wonderful weekend, and Shabbat Shalom to all.  
Brent
 

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SHABBOS TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO: Ki Seitzei
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Friday, 24 August 2018 | 13 Elul 5778
Candle Lighting................................... 5:13pm
Mincha............................................... 5:25pm
Shabbos Service.................................. 6:00-6:50pm
No Kids Program this week
Followed by Kiddush
 
Shabbos Day, 25 August 2018 | 14 Elul 5778
Shabbos Service ............................ 10:00am-12:20pm
No Kids Kids Program this week 
Followed by Kiddush
 
Mincha and with Pirkei Ovos .............. Chapters 1 & 2
followed by Seudah Shlishis ............... 5:10pm
Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak.... 5:25pm
Shabbos ends................................... 6:10pm
Followed by Havdalah
 
WEEKDAY SERVICES
Mon- Fri.................................. 7:00am
Latest Shema this week............ 9:09am
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Mem Eichenblatt..... 14 Elul/ Saturday 25 August
Kevin Smaller......... 15 Elul/ Sunday 26 August
Claude Sandler....... 15 Elul/ Sunday 26 August
Judi Redelman....... 17 Elul/ Tuesday 28 August
Mendel Sufrin......... 20 Elul/ Friday 30 August
Aron Sufrin............ 20 Elul/ Friday 30 August
Dafna Behrman...... 20 Elul/ Friday 30 August
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Daniel & Stephanie Nadel.... 15 Elul/ Sunday 26 August
Jethro & Melanie Marks....... 19 Elul/ Thursday 30 August
 
LONG LIFE
Mildred and Tanya Stocks for their late husband and father Alfred (Freddy) Stocks
Avrom ben Haim... 14 Elul / Saturday 25 August
 
Fester family for the late Mendel Fester, Mendel ben Michael...16 Elul/ Monday 27 August
 
Nurit Eckowitz for her late mother Hedy Wieder, Chava bat David18 Elul/ Wed 29 August

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