On Friday 5 December Carmel School was honoured to host Chief Rabbi Sir Mirvis and Lady Mirvis, who visited our campuses and spent time with students and faculty. They joined tefillah and a Shabbat party at the Holly Rofe Early Learning Campus, toured the Carmel Elementary campus and joined a Shabbat assembly, and finally visited the Elsa High School campus. At the High School, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and Lady Mirvis chatted with a range of students and with faculty, and Chief Rabbi spoke inspiringly at our High School assembly.
Elsa High School Section Report
Noah, Grade 11 On Friday 5 December, Carmel School’s Elsa High School section was delighted to welcome a very special guest to our campus: Chief Rabbi Sir Mirvis and his wife Lady Mirvis were visiting Hong Kong and came to our Elsa campus, meet students and address us in assembly.
I was given the opportunity to join the lunch meeting with Sir Mirvis, along with others from different form groups, to discuss different topics. Conversation covered accounts of what the school is like and the recent DP journey to Poland, as well as more global subjects such as antisemitism and where Jews can find themselves in much larger communities as such a minority group. Ms. Friedmann headed the meeting, asking key questions to both students and the guests. This short but sweet lunch meeting gave the students who were lucky to be chosen to attend a chance to connect with one of the most current and important figures in our community, and to take away some wisdom to incorporate into our own lives.
Yair, Grade 11 Last Friday, we had the honour to hear Chief Rabbi Sir Mirvis speak to us during assembly. In his speech, he talked about the upcoming Jewish holiday of Chanukah and the Parasha of that week, Vayeitzei. He taught us four lessons that we can take into our current, daily lives, to help us succeed now and in the future.
The first lesson he taught us was about the miracle of the oil and how, although it looked as if it would only last a day, it was able to last 8 days. He said we should compare ourselves to the oil, as we have incredible talent and potential. Even though we have not reached the best versions of ourselves yet, we should not give up, as we may be able to do amazing things in the future.
The second lesson he shared was to remember how the Jewish People have suffered, yet have grown and prevailed over sorrow. No matter how dark or hard times may be, the light will always pass through the clouds and display a rainbow, just like it did to Noah after the flood.
The third lesson was about the birth of Yehuda and the meaning of his name. Leah named him Yehuda as she was thanking and expressing gratitude to G-d for giving her sons. Rabbi Mirvis said that we must express our gratitude to everyone, as we can continue to be blessed if we do so.
Lastly, the Chief Rabbi taught us that we must recognise G-d and his miracles in the world around us. He derives this lesson from the Maccabees, which means our faith in G-d. No matter what we achieve, we must always stay thankful to G-d for helping us through everything.
Overall, these lessons from Chief Rabbi Sir Mirvis were truly inspirational and can quickly alter and shape all of our lives for the better.