Jewish Lives

We have a very special podcast to share with you. Listen in to this conversation between four young Jewish Kiwis, recorded on their iPhones, as they chat about life as young Jews in New Zealand at the moment.  One is from Wellington, one at Dunedin university and two from Auckland. Listen to their experience of living in Israel this year to returning home and facing the antisemitism in New Zealand, which has arisen as a result of the war in Gaza.Jemma, Abbey, Sarah and Maia discuss what Jewishness means to them; the obligation they feel to speak on political issues, even when they’d prefer not to; antisemitic incidents; the different experience of being Jewish in Israel; the self-censorship; the silence of friends; Jewish identity; the social media battle, blocking by “friends”, “doom scrolling” and much more. These young women share their fears and concerns but also demonstrate hope and resilience, nicely summed up in these words:  “If I want to express my Judaism, I will express my damn Judaism”.Habo - short for HabominShnat - Habonim Dror Shnat program is an intensive 9-month educational and leadership program in Israel.

Born in Wellington, of refugee parents, Helene became a prominent local politician in Whanganui-a-tara/Wellington, the Capital of Aotearoa/New Zealand. She was the first Jewish woman elected to Wellington City Council, the first female Labour leader there, and the first female deputy mayor. There, as the longest serving city councillor, she initiated the controversial Declaration of Wellington as a nuclear weapon free zone; developed law to protect forever, the ‘Town Belt’ that vast natural and recreation tract of forest clothing the hills of the city, led the project creating a heart for the Capital - Wellington’s Te Ngakau/civic centre, successfully campaigned for a new library in the fastest growing suburb of the City and fought hard to protect Wellington’s waterfront as public space for the people.  She holds four degrees and two diplomas from Victoria and Massey Universities, and is a qualified registered psychologist, and mediator.  As an invited writer in several books, she focused on women’s rights and feminist issues. She is also the author of two books, one on the nuclear declaration, and another, a personal story, Peter and me. When a Love story becomes a carer’s anguish which tells the story of her relationship with Peter her late husband, their journey with his dementia as a young person, her role as his carer and the shortcomings of the health system.Helene was a city councillor for 30 years, a regional councillor for six and a health board member for 15 years, while practising her profession part and fulltime for most that time. She lives in Wellington, was married to her late husband Peter Ritchie, with whom she has two sons, Timmy and Jonty, and four grandchildren, Ira, Milly, Nuku and Pipiata. 

Claire speaks about her experience as a child of Holocaust survivors who found refuge in New Zealand.  Her parents fled Czechoslovakia and arrived in Auckland on 9th October 1939. They went farming in what is now suburban West Auckland.As well as telling her family’s story, Claire speaks about the Mixed Blessings project and her involvement in the Oral History group. ‘Mixed Blessings: New Zealand children of Holocaust survivors remember’,  is a compilation of stories written by the children brought up in families where one or both parents had settled in New Zealand after escaping Hitler’s Europe. These stories about survival, love, loss, family revolve around memories of family food, cooking and recipes. Claire was involved in the setting up of the Holocaust Oral History Project and in interviewing Holocaust survivors in Auckland and has built up an archive of interviews with members of the Jewish community in Auckland.

Barbara Moses shares heartwarming stories of how her family and Roger’s family were linked together decades before she and Roger met.  She recalls the harrowing tales of grandparents on both sides of her family, who left Csarist Russia to escape the pogroms in the early twentieth century. Barbara’s mother, Eva Stern, was a talented classical pianist who was making great strides in her career in New York. She met Barbara’s father, Joshua Paykel when he was in America, studying at Harvard university. They married in 1931 and after moving to New Zealand, Eva continued to perform giving recitals and performing for live broadcasts.Barbara recalls that Roger’s family had a real public service ethic and were quite prominent in Wellington. Roger’s mother Mother, Dorothy, was the Wellington correspondent for NZ Woman’s Weekly and had the opportunity to meet many celebrities. Roger’s father, Sidney, was a prominent business man. He was the Chair of the Decimal currency board 1967 when New Zealand became decimal currency country. According to Barbara, Roger’s Judaism meant an enormous amount to him and he had a very Jewish heart. He also enjoyed engaging in the wider community. She and Roger were fervent in their beliefs as traditional and cultural Jews and as Zionists.Barbara and Roger have two daughters Rachel and Juliet who have both been very active in leadership roles in the Jewish community. They also have five grandsons. Enjoy this conversation with Barbara Moses, wife of Roger Moses (z’’l), co-founder of Jewish Lives.

Ann Beaglehole is a historian and writer. She has written or contributed to over nine books and numerous articles. In this podcast, Beaglehole discusses issues of identity, New Zealand’s refugee history, what being Jewish means to her and the process of dealing with a traumatic past. 

Rabbi Moshe Rube, Auckland Hebrew Congregation, and David Robinson, Trustee of Jewish Lives, join Dr Sheree Trotter in a discussion about Hanukkah. What is the story behind the 2,000+ year old celebration? Why do Jewish people eat latkes and doughnuts? In what way is the message of Hanukkah relevant in New Zealand? 

Noam and Elisheva Fogel are the Shlichim for the Auckland Hebrew Congregation. In this interview they tell us about their background, how they ended up in New Zealand and what their work involves.Shlichim are messengers sent from Israel to assist small Jewish communities. They help to build the relationship between those communities and the state of Israel.Elisheva and Noam grew up in homes that welcomed new immigrants and were always hospitable. This influenced their decision to become Shlichim. Elisheva’s home was very Zionistic. Her parents made aliyah from America in the 1970s. They left behind an amazing life in New York, gave up great professions and ready access to family and friends, in order to do something they thought was bigger than living a comfortable life. They believed that their place was definitely in Israel.For Elisheva, being a Zionist means having “the will and the capability of saying, I am willing to risk my time, my life, who I am, just for other people, for other Jewish people and for having a land of our own”.Noam spoke of his grandfather, a Holocaust  survivor, who never spoke about his experience in Auschwitz.  Although Noam's grandfather died before Noam was born, the fact that he never spoke about the Holocaust triggered in Noam a desire to find out as much as possible. Noam has undertaken much research over the years of family, history and connections, gathering as many stories as possible about his grandfather, in order to understand his experience.Noam and Elisheva decided as a young married couple that they wanted to have the experience of being Shlichim. While they intended to go somewhere close to family and friends, like the United States, or Europe they ended up at the “ends of the earth” in New Zealand. They knew nothing about New Zealand, but when they heard about the needs of the community, they knew it was the right place for them. While the change of pace took some adjustment, it hasn’t impacted their productivity. They have poured their energy into the community in a range of roles and responsibilities. They work with the Jewish school, Kadimah and pre-school doing the morning prayers. Every Friday they do the Kabbalat and the preparations for Shabbat. Together with the Jewish studies division at Kadimah they organise the High Holidays and the Israeli days; Independence Day, Yom HaZikaron and Holocaust Day. They run events and camps for B’Nei Akiva, the Zionist youth movement. They volunteer at Shalom Court, the Jewish old age home, assist with AHC services and run community events. Their home is a hub of social activities and hospitality for youth, young adults, families from the community as well as travellers. While Noam and Elisheva haven’t experienced much antisemitism in New Zealand, they are aware that this is a problem in schools where Jewish youth are regularly targeted with antisemitic jokes, particularly about the Holocaust. Part of their role is to provide support for the youth, not only through education but also through providing community and a safe place in which to share their experiences. Take a listen to this fascinating interview.