As we begin Term 2, College Principal Mira Hasofer, shares reflections from her recent visit to Israel, a journey that provided renewed conviction that this is the year for our IST students to return. In the courage, compassion and resilience of our people, we find inspiration for the future we are shaping together.

A warm welcome to Term 2. I hope the break allowed you time to pause, connect with loved ones and reflect on Passover’s enduring themes of freedom, resilience and faith in a better future – each challenging to achieve and sustain.

Today, freedom feels fragile. Resilience is tested daily. And faith in a better future demands ongoing courage.

We feel this especially now, as we return during one of the most meaningful periods in the Jewish calendar – a powerful sequence of memory, mourning, and celebration: Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Ha’atzmaut.

These days, each closely linked to Israel, anchor our identity. They call on us to remember and to recommit to the values we hold dear and to the nation we are forever connected to.

Since October 7, I have travelled to Israel four times. Each visit was both personal and purposeful. I went to witness and to support. And while on each previous occasion I returned feeling personally and professionally stronger, after this most recent visit, over Pesach, I felt for the first time a conviction that 2025 is the right time to send our Years 10 and 11 Israel Study Tour (IST) students to Israel, G-d willing.

The sorrow in Israel is still palpable and the pain is ongoing, though life is moving forward. The country is alive, and our people are doing their best to live.

I found myself repeatedly inspired by the courage of our people. There is a confident determination to carry on. And it was in that spirit that I found clarity once again: this is the year for our students to be there, to stand with, to learn from, and to be inspired by Israel.

I was also moved by the compassion of our people. In a country reeling from trauma, I saw people quietly looking out for one another. There were soldiers checking on strangers, shopkeepers offering meals to those in need, teachers comforting grieving students. Amidst the pain, there was kindness: an instinct to stay, to help, to carry each other through.

It reminded me of something I read recently from Margaret Mead, the American anthropologist, who taught that the first sign of civilisation was not a tool, but a healed femur – evidence that someone had stopped, cared, and helped another to survive. That is what I saw in Israel: strength coupled with care. And I want our students to witness that too.

On Friday night at the Kotel, families gathered to welcome Shabbat, children weaving between prayer groups, voices rising in song. It was easy to picture our students among them, taking in the atmosphere, the spirit, and the unbroken thread of Jewish life.

In Machane Yehudah, the crowds filled the shuk. Amidst the colour and noise, I imagined how our students will taste the flavours of Israel, feel its vibrancy, and experience its energy with all their senses.

At a Pesach concert, as a chazan led a blessing for the protection of soldiers, followed by Hatikvah, the voices joined in firm unity. It was a moment of deep belonging, one I am looking forward to our students soon having the chance to share.

And in one deeply personal moment, dropping my son to his army base after Pesach, I was reminded again of the strength and purpose that lives in the next generation. His courage gives me courage.

As we prepare to mark Yom Ha’atzmaut and celebrate Israel’s 77th year of independence this week, we are reminded of the extraordinary vision and hope it took to build and sustain a nation. Against all odds, Israel has become a beacon of strength, a centre of Jewish life, and a home for Jews from every corner of the globe.

At Moriah College, our responsibility is to ensure that our students internalise this. As we prepare to send our IST students to Israel this November, G-d willing, we are reaffirming our commitment to deep and thoughtful Israel education. Our students must be intellectually and emotionally equipped to unpack history, grapple with the present and speak with confidence and compassion about the future.

Already, we are seeing this spirit in action.

Over Pesach, 10 of our young entrepreneurs (five current Year 12s and five 2024 graduates) travelled to Israel through the Scholars in Entrepreneurship educational visit. After two years of delays and cancellations, they showed great courage in taking this step, had an exceptionally rewarding experience, and have helped pave the way for our planned study tours later this year.

As we begin Term 2, may we be inspired by the strength and compassion of the people of Israel. And may it renew our resolve to raise young people who are proud, capable and connected. 

As part of our commemoration of Yom Hazikaron, each of our High School students will bring home a candle, a prayer, and the photo of a fallen soldier or victims of terror on Wednesday. We ask that families light the candle and read the Psalm (Tehillim) together in memory of the fallen on Wednesday before sunset. This mirrors what will be happening around Israel, where soldiers and youth groups will hand-deliver memorial candles, prayers and personal letters to the families of fallen soldiers and victims of terror. We invite you to send us a photo of your family’s candle lighting, which will form part of our Wall of Memory at the College. Photos can be shared on instagram and tag Moriah College or email mcollege@moriah.nsw.edu.au

I warmly invite you to join us this Sunday, 7 May for the community Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations, as we honour 77 years of independence. Please click here to book. Now, more than ever, we come together in solidarity and in hope.