Written by Nicky Segerman, Head of Year 7 & Hebrew Teacher

I consider myself to be the luckiest person at Moriah. The first time I uttered these words in public was in New York, in November 2023, after the final Band Tour concert. That night, I was speaking on behalf of the privileged Band Tour parents, some of whom were able to accompany the tour and watch the band perform, who had been part of a year-long process, during which the students prepared to take their music, talent and commitment on tour.

But my self-declared status as luckiest person at Moriah, is three dimensional. The first dimension is the privilege and the pleasure of being a parent, who is also a teacher, and so this allows me to be privy to the life my child leads inside the walls of Moriah, to witness her experience the depth and range of opportunities on offer, the hustle and bustle of everyday life at school, and the concern of her teachers and wellbeing team.

The second dimension of my being the luckiest person at Moriah is the work that I am privileged to do as an Ivrit teacher and as a member of the Wellbeing Team. Through my work, I can access and bring to expression the duty that I feel to expose our children to Ivrit – and the keys that it gives us to connect with every aspect of Jewish life – history, Zionism, ethics, values, prayer, religion and deep hope for our future. My experience has shown, repeatedly, that with guidance and boundaries, teachers and parents can partner to ensure that our children work towards achieving their best. The ultimate expression of nachas is seeing the children that I teach perform in an orchestra, or watching each Year 12 student walking across the stage at their graduation ceremony, knowing what it has taken to get them to that moment. The joy of being a piece of that puzzle is immeasurable.

The third dimension is the privilege that I have to be working with colleagues who give so deeply of themselves to our children, to the College and to our community as a whole. When I spoke at the final band tour concert, in addition to being a deeply appreciative parent, I was in awe of the commitment, organisation, dedication and expertise of my colleagues in the Music Department, who had orchestrated an experience that will be remembered as a life highlight by every participant. I am proud to be in a work environment with people of that calibre, who in every sphere of life at Moriah, give their heart and soul to the academic, sporting, co-curricular, and Jewish life of our students. To work with such people is a gift.

Since October 7, it has been an enormous sense of comfort to be a part of the Moriah community, as we all strive to find the words to decode and express what our families in Israel, and we in the diaspora, are experiencing. Our commitment to guide our students to question and to begin to articulate their thoughts on Israel, Zionism and Jewish identity has been revitalised, at a time when we are all lost for words.

As parents, this is our time to take our contribution to the capital appeal seriously. I am not only talking in the financial sense. I am talking about the impact that our attendance at the Capital Appeal evening next week will have – a message to our children that will resonate in so many ways.

Firstly, this is the time to communicate to our children that we belong to something that is greater than we are. There are times to focus on the individual, but this is the time to focus on the collective. No matter what each child, or family, is going through in an individual capacity, in the history of our College, this is one of our most significant moments. It is incumbent on us as parents to take this to heart and to be there on the night. At our event, parents will experience a glimpse into some of the magic that takes place inside the walls of Moriah. It is important for us to be part of this groundswell of emotion, and for our children to see us participating. Our presence is the message that we value what Moriah is and does, that we know where Moriah has been, and that we recognise that we are part of Moriah’s future, whether our children will have graduated by the time the building is complete, or whether they will have the privilege of moving into the new building. We learn in the Talmud that although a person may plant a tree, they may not derive direct benefit. Their children and successors will enjoy the product of their efforts. This is a message that our children need to understand. The new high school building is a structure that will house our current junior High School and Primary School children, and our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We are ensuring that Moriah will continue to educate children and families midor ledor – from generation to generation. Our attendance at the Capital Appeal evening communicates to our children that we understand that a vibrant Sydney Jewish community is predicated upon a strong, deeply rooted Moriah College, that casts its gaze on its proud history, as it fixes its gaze on the demands of the present and our future as proud Australian Jews and Zionists. It is time for us as parents to RISE UP to be the bearers of this awesome message. It is most authentically and strongly communicated through our attendance and our presence on the night.

As the luckiest person at Moriah, I am looking so forward to sharing this momentous experience with my daughter, my students, my colleagues and my fellow parents.