VIRTUES Jewish community opens doors to College
The Canterbury Hebrew Centre threw open its doors to 15 boys from the Round Square Committee in May, giving them a glimpse into the life of the Jewish community in Christchurch and some of the core aspects of Judaism.
Head of International/Round Square Claude Tellick organised the visit, which was led by tour guide and Old Boy Asher Etherington, whom Claude described as “incredibly informative”. “He was able to teach us lots of new things using his personal experiences growing up Jewish in Christchurch – and it was all delivered with a dash of humour. As an Old Boy, he was able to talk
to us about his time at College and we were all able to relate to him because of this.” None of the boys had visited a synagogue before. “I think this demonstrates the unique opportunity we had, and everyone I’ve spoken to since going has really valued the experience. It helped give us a good idea of what it actually means to be Jewish in New Zealand today.
“We were able to learn first- hand from a leader of the Jewish community about the Jewish belief in the afterlife, and the relationships Judaism has with Christianity and Islam, with many shared beliefs and a common origin story.” Claude had no idea how services worked at synagogues before the visit, or even what a synagogue looked like.
Christ’s College Canterbury
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