Passersby may not have noticed the mobile home parked in Berry Street last Thursday but they certainly would have detected the Brooklyn accents of Rabbi Zalmy Goldberg and his wife Chaya.
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The couple were passing through Nowra at the end of four-week outreach expedition on behalf of the Chabad organisation, the aim of which was to bring a sense of community to Jewish people on the South Coast.
While in the Shoalhaven area, where there is no synagogue, they connected with about 30 Jewish people, bringing not only scriptural learning.
“There was a woman in Berry who told us she really craved gefilte fish, which you can’t buy here,” said Chaya.
“We got her some and she was really touched by that. We are bringing the physical as well as the spiritual.”
Chabad is an acronym of chocmah, binah and da’at, Hebrew words for wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Its outreach programs are undertaken in more than 80 countries.
“People really enjoy it when we have a simple chat,” said Zalmy. “It reminds them of their Jewish roots when they were younger.”
The couple, who were married five months ago, will shortly return to New York.
“But we will be doing a drive-by bar-mitzvah in Sydney before we leave,” said Chaya.
