RARA is on the road

Welcome to the RARA on the road travel blog.

On this page, you can follow Rabbis Levi Engel and Avremi Rapoport as they head travel through the Mid North Coast of NSW and visit people living in the rural and regional parts there.

We hope you will enjoy, and we thank you for partnering with us to bring connection to those that need it most.

To schedule a visit, or to learn more contact

info@chabadofrara.org or call 0413 365 770.

A visit in the Promised Land

7 Septemeber, 5:56pm

Ruth is 98 years old, and has lived near near Bellingen, NSW for over 40 years.

The name of the suburb on which her property is located is called "The Promised Land"!

Always welcoming, her lovely house is adorned with family photos of many generations and plenty of Jewish artwork.

Rabbis Levi and Avremi visited her today and spent some time learning about her life.

Ruth was very eager to hear the Shofar, which Rabbi Levi was too happy to blow.

Although she was born well before the age of mobile phones, Ruth is quiet tech-savvy, and keeps up with the RARA team via text regularly.

Just after the visit, she sent over a text:

"Hi, could you tell the boys who just visited me and blew the Shofar for that I did not get the photo, and could they please send it again. I really loved their visit. Ruth."

Day 1:  The are off!

31 August, 1:07pm

Today, Levi and Avremi headed off.They are flying up to Brisbane, where they will be picking up a Mitzva Mobile (aka an RV) and heading down to NSW.

Here we go!

From here and below is our previous trip, with Zelig and Yisreol in Western Australia.

Day 18:  The home protection in Busselton

22 July 2022, 11:34am

Today, Yisroel and Zelig visited Joanne, a more recent contact of RARA's.

This was Joanne's first RARA visit, and went for quiet a while. The rabbis discussed Joanne's Jewish ancestry, and shared a number of Jewish ideas. It was a meaningful afternoon, and as the rabbis were leaving, they noticed that Joanne did not yet have a Mezuzah on her door.

Well, you know what happened next, up it went! 

A special visit indeed.

Day 17:  A Bar Mitzva in Margaret!

21 July 2022, 12:06am

Is that the big yellow bus from the famous "Outback Rabbis" docco? Asked Ben, as he came over to the RARA Mitzva Mobile, parked on Margaret River's main street."Yes, it sure is!" came the enthusiastic reply from the roving rabbis.

A conversation was quickly struck up, and Ben got talking about his family heritage. Turns out, his mum's parents were both Jewish!

Can you guess what happened next? Yes, right there and then, on the streets of Margaret River, Ben laid the Tefillin for the first time in his life, and celebrated his Bar Mitzva.

A moment of connection took place in the most unlikely of places, right outside a bakery. Just like bread is a staple of the diet, a regular connection with one's soul is a staple for ones spiritual wellbeing.

Mazal Tov!

Day 16: With Dr Gelman

20 July 2022, 12:41pm

Who would have thought we would meet another Chabadnik here in WA?

Well, it turns out that just as we are visiting the area, Dr Matt Gelman from Melbourne is also. He's up in Bunbury for a few weeks doing a locum in his profession - psychiatry, and it was a real treat to be able to catch up with him a few times.

We sand Chassidic songs together, spoke about the current period of the "Three Weeks" that Jewish people are now observing, and shared our on-the-road meals

It's always good to see a friendly face!

Day 15: Bunbury, WA

19 July 2022, 7:49am

Yesterday, the rabbis spent some time in Bunbury, meeting up with some of the locals.

They also went back in time, heading to the Bunbury cemetery, stopping to say some prayers at some of the Jewish graves.

Following the cemetery visit, they also spent some time visiting local businesses in the small nearby of Capel, but did not find any Jewish people there.

Day 14: Freemantle, WA

18 July 2022, 11:06am

There's something special about the Mezuzah. It's the Jewish home protection, and something that Jewish people have been doing for thousands of years.

We visited David today. He had a Mezuzah, but for some reason it wasn't on the door. He's been living here for 10 years, and today was the day that the Mezuzah would finally go up. So up it went, and the Mitzvah was done!

Day 13: Shabbat in Freemantle, WA

17 July 2022, 9:55pm

What a WONDERFUL shabbat we had in Freemantle. Hosted at Chaya's place, we had some lovely guests over for the Friday night meal. We sang traditional Shabbat songs, and had some great discussions. Thank you Chaya for hosting such a great weekend!

Yisroel and Zelig are energized for the coming week as they head further south down the coast.

Day 6-12: Mandurah, WA

17 July 2022, 8:37am

Yisroel and Zelig have had a busy week, visiting families all down the coast.

They started the week off in Mandurah, and made contact with a handful of new people, which was a welcome surprise.

How did they find these people, you may ask. Well, shopping centers are always a good place to start. Roaming the plaza, they made small talk with the locals until eventually they came in contact with another member of the tribe.

They had an interesting encounter with a Jewish woman in Halls Head. Visiting her in her home, the young rabbis were discussing a number of topics, and asked if there was anything specific that Michelle would be interested in. Without missing a beat, Michelle* said, oh, I'd love some kosher sausages.

Well, what do you know, the rabbis had a good stash of sausages from Melbourne aboard the RARA Mobile Library, and a minute later, Michelle was holding her very own kosher sausages!

Stay tuned to hear what the next week will bring, as the Rabbis head further down the coast.

Day 5: Shabbat in Perth

11 July 2022, 9:05pm

Yisroel and Zelig had an inspirational and uplifting time, spending Shabbat with the Perth community. Thank you so much for the warm hospitality!

It was great catching up with Rabbi White, and the hopitatlity provided by the Levy family was something on a whole new level. The young rabbis are sure looking forward to coming back again soon!

Day 4: Erev Shabbat in Perth

10 July 2022, 10:47pm

Getting up early, there was a lot to do on a short Friday!

The home stretch into Perth was completed, and the very first stop the RARA tank made was at a local day camp. Yisroel and Zelig explained to the children what a Mitzva Tank is, and invited them to come inside and take a look.

The kids had a blast, and parents that arrived shortly thereafter also enjoyed seeing the big yellow camoervan after so long.

The day camp visit was followed by a special trip to see Ronald, a Jew living in the the northern suburbs of Perth. Ronald had been "bar-mitzvah'd" by RARA some 15 years earlier, and was thrilled to see the RARA boys again.

He eagerly lay the Tefillin, and also took the opportunity to have the young rabbis assist him in placing a mezuzah on his front door.

The hour was late, so the rabbis headed back to Daniella, where they would be spending Shabbat with the Rabbi White and the Perth Jewish community, hosted by the very kind Levy family.

Day 3: Across the Nullarbor

10 July 2022, 10:02pm

Today, Yisroel and Zelig did just one thing: Drive.Hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of outback Australia rushed past, as they headed all the way into Western Australia, stopping breifly in Norseman, Kalgoorlie, and making it to the outskirts of Perth, late Thursday evening.

The Rabbis have made it to Perth. Updates of their journey there will be posted after Shabbat!

8 July 2022, 4:15pm

Day 2: A visit in Murray Bridge, South Australia

5 July 2022, 9:33pm

Driving, driving and more driving. Well, it's going to be like this for a few days, so we better get comfortable!

We headed out from Horsham, where we had spent the night in a relatively empty caravan park. A few phone calls were made to some local contacts in the area, but for various reasons, none were available to meet.

A few hours into our drive, we made a stop in Murray Bridge, where we visited the Hammer family, long time friends of RARA. It was a pleasure to lay the Tefillin with the boys, and get to hear what it is like, living out of the city.

We even got to experince some of the itnersting wildlife that is out there!

From Murray Bridge, we continued on our way, making it to Port Augusta just before 9:00pm. 

Along the way, we stopped for petrol a few times. At each stop, we enquired if there were any Jewish people living in the area. Although our efforts did not bring to any meetings, we did have a nice chat with a local policeman, who had only kind things to say about the Jewish people!

Day 1: Departing Melbourne

4 July 2022, 4:54pm

It has begun!

Earlier today, Rabbi Zelig and Rabbi Yisroel departed Melbourne. Begining their marathon trip to visit far-flung Margaret River area in Western Australia. They've got 3,500 kilometres to their destination, and will be making stops along the way.

Tonight they are in Horsham, VIC.

If you see them along the way, give a wave and say hello!