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Rabbi Mendel, Chaya and Zwi Slavin

RABBI

Welcome to the page of Rabbi Mendel, where you can learn more about him, his wife Chaya and their wonderful family. You can also read all of his weekly messages.

About Our Rabbi
Weekly Message
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About our Rabbi

Cremorne Synagogue Welcomes Rabbi Mendel and Chaya Slavin as
New Communal Leaders
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Cremorne Synagogue is delighted to announce the appointment of Rabbi Mendel and Chaya Slavin as its new communal leaders, commencing 9 March 2025.

Rabbi Slavin and his family join the community following the dedicated leadership of Rabbi Chaim and Rebbetzin Dina Koncepolski, who have made a profound impact over the past decade. Under their guidance, the synagogue has grown in engagement and spirit, and the community expresses its deep gratitude for their service.

Rabbi Mendel Slavin, raised in Sydney, brings extensive experience as an educator, mentor, and Assistant Rabbi at The Harry Triguboff Centre. He grew up in a home devoted to communal service, with his family founding Our Big Kitchen (OBK), renowned for its food drives and charity initiatives. His passion for outreach, teaching, and guiding individuals has shaped his career, from mentoring youth in the USA to supporting congregants in Sydney.

Chaya Slavin is an experienced educator and musician, currently teaching at Kesser Torah. She has served as a school educator and camp mentor, bringing warmth, energy, and a deep love for education and community engagement.

Together, Rabbi Mendel and Chaya are committed to building a welcoming, dynamic, and spiritually enriching environment for all. Their official first event at the Shul will be Purim in 2025.

Outgoing Rabbi Chaim Koncepolski expressed his confidence in the new leadership, stating:
“We are extremely confident in the leadership of the Slavin family to bring further success and vibrancy to the Shul in their own personal way.”

Cremorne Synagogue President, Jonathan Hamberger, also welcomed the appointment, saying:
“We are excited to welcome Rabbi Mendel and Chaya to our community. Their passion for education, community work, and tikkun olam makes them the perfect couple to lead us into the next chapter of our synagogue’s journey.”

The appointment of the new rabbi comes at a pivotal moment for Cremorne Synagogue, which is currently undertaking the most significant renovations in its 70+ year history. With the benefit of a substantial grant from the former Strathfield Synagogue, Cremorne Synagogue is running a capital appeal to complete these renovations, ensuring that there is a welcoming and beautiful sanctuary for Jewish families and visitors on Sydney’s Lower North Shore.

Further information on the renovations is available on the Cremorne Synagogue website.

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Weekly Message

  • 5 November 2022

    When you get used to a situation you take it for granted and you lose your sense of wonder.

    Flying comfortably in the air, smart phones, and modern technology are a given in our lives despite them being  wondrous things.

    If you learn about the incredible complexity of the human eye or how a pregnancy occurs, it blows your mind and you wonder what is behind it that makes it do what it does. But our sense of wonder is still limited because we grow into this reality gradually and it feels somewhat natural.

    The Midrash says that Abraham lived in a cave for the first few years of his life so when he came out at the age of three and suddenly saw the world all at once, it was a great wonder to him and he felt that there must be a creator, and went on to search relentlessly.

    We can’t afford to get used to things or people and take them for granted. We need to ‘zoom out’ and observe everything in our life from afar so we appreciate its true value.

    Shabbat Shalom!

  • 12 November 2022

    We’re looking forward to the special Shabbat project lunch this Shabbat.

    —–

    Avraham and Sarah were effectively the first Rabbi and Rebbetzin in history.

    No one appointed them, it was organic. They just wanted to share their kindness and their beliefs with others, and they accumulated thousands of followers.

    They didn’t sit in a central location and wait for people to show up. They set themselves up in the middle of the desert highway and invited people in for food and drink and then connected with them over a discussion about faith and purpose. Many of their guests had opinions on God that were totally contrary to their own. It didn’t offend them or scare them, on the contrary, they saw it as an opportunity for a real discussion.

    Avraham and Sarah were free of ego so they had clear thinking and good judgement, so they could do things like tell God to wait and put him ‘on hold’ while they went to greet their guests. They knew it was the right decision at that moment.

    When our motives are pure and free of ego we have great clarity on how to behave, what decisions to make and where to invest our energy.

    Shabbat Shalom!

  • 10 September 2022

    Here are ten basic facts about the High Holidays:

    1. The Holidays that make up the ‘High Holidays’ are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. By extension it applies to the days in-between as well.
    2. In Hebrew these two Chagim are called Yamim Nora’im – The days of Awe.
    3. The days in-between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur together with RH and YK are called ‘Aseret Yemei Teshuva’ – the Ten Days of Repentance.
    4. The High Holidays are observed in the Hebrew Month of Tishrei. The word Tishrei came from Babylon and it means ‘Beginning’, or immersion in water – ‘purification’.
    5. The first day of Rosh Hashana can only fall on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Shabbat.
    6. The first day of Rosh Hashana is the day the first human being, Adam, was created. This is why it is the day Hashem judges us, to assess whether we are fulfilling our life’s purpose.
    7. The central observance of Rosh Hashana is hearing the Shofar, and the central observance of Yom Kippur is afflicting yourself, which includes fasting, no bathing, no anointing with oil or creams, no leather shoes and no physical intimacy.
    8. The prayer of Yizkor – remembering close relatives is said on Yom Kippur and on Shmini Atzeret – the eighth day of Sukkot during the service.
    9. The white robe worn on Yom Kippur is called ‘Kittel’. The white represents purity and the cleansing of our sins. It also represents that we are like angels on this day, abstaining from eating and focusing on the spiritual experience of Yom Kippur.
    10. Rosh Hashana is the only festival of the year that is observed for two days world wide, including in Israel.

    Shana Tova and Shabbat Shalom!

    Chaim and Dina

  • We had a Q&A session recently with Bat Mitzvah girls and their parents. One of the girls asked a question that I thought would be hard to answer without being controversial or making people uncomfortable, but I decided that the truth is the best way forward, so I answered, albeit with sensitivity.

    To my surprise there were no issues. I made it clear that understanding something doesn’t mean agreeing to it or instantly adjusting your behaviour.

    It is common for people to shy away from sharing or thinking about uncomfortable truths. But if we don’t do it, we don’t learn and we don’t grow.

    This Sunday we begin blowing the Shofar daily. It is a beautiful time of the year that leads into Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

    Every person wants to be stronger, wiser, and deeper. We want to feel like we are achieving and making the most of our life.

    It all begins with the question; what can I do differently to what I’m doing right now?

    Am I open to growing? Am I open to change? I want to keep the good, and strengthen it, but also to add more good.

    Let us allow this special time to lift us up to greater heights.

    Ketivah Vachatima Tova!

    Shabbat Shalom

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