We always receive lots of questions around membership and the Yamim Noraim (High Holidays). Read on to find our answers to some of the most common things we're asked.
Why should I take membership?
Membership is Shira’s key source of income and ensures that the shul has the resources to function for the whole year. Your membership will help Shira thrive.
What is on offer in terms of pastoral care and lifecycle events?
Rabbanit Ellyse Borghi is our pastoral care and lifecycle guide. This appointment makes it possible for Shira to offer our community tailored baby namings, pre-wedding classes, wedding ceremonies, ketubah and pre-nuptial design. Shira's offerings support couples to celebrate marriage as an equal partnership. In addition, we offer support for hard times, illness, grief, loss and mourning, including officiating at funerals at the Chevra Kadisha and leading minyans.
What makes Shira special?
Shira actively engages with tradition and modern life. We offer meaningful and inclusive celebrations for all members of the community including life cycle rituals for birth, Bnei Mitzvah (including Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah), and marriage that involve every member of the family. We also offer support for illness and funerals.
On festivals and Shabbat, our shule services are filled with song, community kiddushim engaging drashot. During the year, we have panels, speakers and bold and challenging learning events, and social gatherings.
What leadership roles are on offer to women at Shira?
At Shira, women have leadership roles in every aspect of the shul including leading parts of the prayer services, leyning (reading/ chanting) the Torah, and giving drashot (sermons).
We are proud to have Shira members who have completed Orthodox rabbinical programs for women, and who provide leadership and guidance in ritual and lifecycle events. We welcome Rabbanit Ellyse Borghi as our pastoral care guide.
Shira is not a big shul. That doesn't stop us from punching above our weight in innovation, in programming, and in leading and hosting important conversations about Jewish life, Israel and contemporary concerns. We think the Melbourne community is enriched and sometimes challenged by Shira, and we are grateful for your support in keeping this special and important community alive and vocal.
How are community members involved?
Shira is proudly a lay-led community where shul is not a spectator activity – every member is invited to participate in shul life by giving a drasha (sermon), reading Torah, Haftorah or megilla, and leading services. Our approach to Torah study combines a commitment to serious learning with critical and creative approaches. We can offer support and learning to anyone who is interested in taking an active role in shul services. For example, this year we held a leyning course for adults who will then be involved in reading Torah for our community.
What else is on offer through the year?
Our weekly Shabbat morning services include engaging and diverse drashot (sermons) from members of the community. Experienced madrichim (leaders) run two separate engaging children’s programs each week for Tots (ages 0-6) and Primary School (ages 6-10) and on all chaggim (on high holidays we also run a program for older kids aged 9-13).
We continue to provide exciting and challenging events and speakers for our members and the broader community, as well as regular learning nights, communal megillah readings, communal dinners, panel discussions and warm celebrations.
We have been delighted to celebrate life events including bar and bat and bnei mitzvahs (including bat/bar mitzvah), baby namings and pre-marriage call ups and many have chosen to mark birthdays, bnei mitzvah anniversaries or other big events in their lives with a call up or kiddush at Shira. People choose to celebrate their life event at Shira because it is welcoming and the whole family can be more involved in a service that still feels heimish, traditional and complete.
We also run a Bnei Mitzvah program which includes components of Jewish history, tradition and practice, leadership and social justice. The program encourages participants to engage with Jewish ideas, ask big questions and develop strong Jewish identities, in a fun and inclusive setting.
