Robert Blackwood Hall was filled with nachat (pride) on Sunday night as Magid Campus students celebrated our school year, Years 6-12 award recipients, and the Class of 2025.

Marc Light's message revolved around the answer, 'Hineni' (Here I Am). He said that he hopes the Class of 2025 "will hold on to the unique characteristics, ideas and values that make you your lovable selves. That you will continue to recognise that a full life is one that involves connecting with and building up others." Marc also said 'Hineni' is an "invitation to live with purpose, conviction and meaning". Please see Insights above for more of Marc Light's message.

School Council President Jeffrey Leigh thanked all staff and our families for everything they do for our School and community. Jeffrey awarded the School Council's 'Bonim' awards, which honour those who have made significant contributions to the founding of The King David School or to its ongoing existence.

Please click here to see photos from the night - please note there are more photos on the myKDS Photo Gallery.

Please find attached a list of the award recipients. 

Mazal tov to all of our awardees!

Candle-lighting 8.12pm | Havdalah 9.18pm

Our parashah sees Ya’akov (Jacob) wrestling with the angel for the entire night before he meets his brother Eisav (Esau). Even though the angel injures Ya’akov’s hip, Ya’akov refuses to release the being until he receives a blessing. The angel then says to him, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:29). We might even translate the end of the blessing as “you can, as in you are allowed to, prevail”. Ya’akov becomes the literal “God-wrestler”, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Avraham who challenges God who plans to destroy S’dom (Sodom), saying impudently, “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25). 

When we invoke the name of Avraham and Ya’akov in our prayers we try to follow their example – to be a nation of “God-wrestlers” who engage, argue, and debate, and are never simply passive, apathetic or indifferent. As a school aligned with Progressive Judaism, we aim “to grow” active, involved students who make informed, educated choices regarding the path that their Jewish journeys will take.

Shabbat shalom,

Ilan Bloch, Director of Jewish Life and Learning

This morning parents, grandparents and special people in our Junior Kinders' lives came together to celebrate Shabbat togther. It was a beautiful morning of singing, dancing, and of course candle lighting and challah eating. Students also showed off their Chanukah learning, holding individual lights, and playing with the sevivon (dreidel). Please click here to see photos. Please note there are many more photos on the myKS Photo Gallery.

Learning Area Leader Jewish Studies K-5, Louise Lowinger, said: "In Banu Choshech l’Garesh, the children sing of light pushing away darkness — reminding us that darkness isn’t a force of its own, but simply the absence of light. Each child is an “or katan,” a small but precious light, defined by their unique strengths and inner flame. When these individual sparks come together, our collective Jewish community shines as a powerful, radiant halo of hope and resilience."

Dear Community,

This week we enjoyed the most wonderful Presentation Evening which proved to be a beautiful celebration of the Magid Campus in 2025. I would like to share an excerpt of the speech I delivered.

Hineni

Here I am. This simple one word Hebrew statement is rich in layered meaning and importance. It is an affirmation, a commitment, a statement of belief and philosophy. 

This sentence is a through point in the Torah. It is expressed by Avraham, Yaakov, Moshe and Shmuel.

It is used in times of challenge, in times of awe and on the rare occasions when God speaks directly to humankind.

When I thought of what message I could offer to our graduating class of 2025 this evening, I thought that this phrase offers a clue to how to achieve your potential by living a meaningful, contented and fulfilling life.

Hineni is an answer to a call to fulfil your promise. Hineni is a statement of presence and purposeful existence. 

I wish to break it down into the three words that comprise the English translation 'Here I am':

Last night, our wonderful Year 6 students brought their Changemakers Living Museum to life. As part of their Human Rights and Activism unit, students dressed as the changemaker they had researched and shared their impressive knowledge with parents and teachers. From Gandhi to Neale Daniher to Helen Keller, each student embodied the values of their chosen figure. They delivered interactive and engaging presentations and embraced the spirit of the evening with thoughtful costumes and confident storytelling. Please click here to view images from the event. 

It was a truly unforgettable celebration of learning, a highlight of the year, and an event that will be remembered by students and parents for a long time to come. Our Year 6 students should be incredibly proud of their efforts.  

Adam Black and Sue Rogers, Year 6 Humanities Teachers

On Thursday, Year 8 Media visited the St Kilda Botanical Gardens together where they applied their photography unit to nature photography. They enjoyed experimenting with aperture, lighting, and framing to capture the beauty of the gardens in bloom.

The Prep to 2 Musical, Mischief to Mensch, written and directed by our own Music Teacher and Head of Productions, Nissim Ben Salamon, lit up the Alexander Theatre at Monash University earlier this week. Please click here to see photos - please note there are more photos on the myKDS Photo Gallery.

Our youngest performers filled the stage with courage, energy and talent — delivering joyful performances that captured every heart in the audience. They brought the script to life and transformed the town of Dillydale into a vibrant world of song and storytelling.

Terms such as profit margins, forecasting, equity, valuation, gamification, and analytics were used with ease by a group of Year Five students. Their confident command of this language showed they already possess the knowledge and understanding of budding entrepreneurs.

After submitting applications, seven students were selected for the Term Four Enrichment Program — an initiative focused on business, finance, and marketing, inspired by the reality TV show Shark Tank. As the young entrepreneurs  developed their initial business concepts, they proved to be imaginative, inquisitive, and inventive. They applied critical thinking to assess whether their products could be actualised in the real world and created plans that balanced their vision with data-driven analysis and risk evaluation.

The program culminated in a pitch to four venture capitalists, or “Sharks,” as students sought investment in their start-ups. To see photos, please visit the myKDS Photo Gallery and see the album under 'Year 5'.

Brandon Efron and Sam Vilshansky: KDS alumni and co-founders of Blitz Bar—Melbourne’s first self-serve açaí bowl experience and a rapidly expanding business.

Patrick Gaskin: Co-founder of Cardly, a technology company that enables customers to design personalised greeting cards online, with printing and global delivery handled seamlessly by the platform.

David Opat: MBF, Head of Junior Campus.

Students made the following comments about their participation in the Program and Pitch:

This week, the Year 4 and Prep students of KDS shared a heartwarming final session, marking the end of another fantastic year for the Prep Buddy program. It was a beautiful celebration of the friendships forged, the laughter shared, and the learning that blossomed between our older and younger students.

The atmosphere was filled with joy and a touch of sadness as the buddies gathered one last time. The session kicked off with a lovely exchange of thoughtful, handmade cards, a lasting memory of their partnership. This was followed by a delicious sweet treat, enjoyed together before the class headed out for some well-deserved fun in the playground.

Our Year 4 leaders, who have shown such care, responsibility, and patience throughout the year, were sad to say goodbye to their Prep partners. For the Preps, the Year 4s have been guides and role models, and they will surely miss their weekly visits. However

Planning for next year's King's Carnival is in full swing!  The planning committee is excited to bring a new fresh look to this much loved event which next year will be a Twilight Fair from 3-7pm on Sunday 22 March 2026. 

With some of the fan favourites still on the list, there will also be some new and exciting stalls.

Currently there are volunteers representing almost every year level at King David on the committee from ELC to VCE.

The committee also held a mammoth working bee this week to help clean out the KDSPA shed and take a stocktake on items that can be used for next year - please see the before and after photos. Thank you to everyone involved in this clean out - what superstars!

Please email kdspa@kds.vic.edu.au if you'd like to be involved in organising or in helping on the day!

Israeli journalist (currently from ILTV Israel News) Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman shared her insights about the complex realities of the current state of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and what this means for Israel, along with an analysis of the lead-up to the next Israeli elections, which need to be held by no later than October 20. Jaffe-Hoffman ran a professional development session for Middle School and Senior School Jewish Studies teachers and Jewish Experiential Educators. During lunchtime, selected Year 8 and 9 students participated in a similar session, focussing mainly on the Gaza Strip, as well as the Israeli elections, in an age-appropriate way. Both sessions deepened participants’ critical thinking and their understanding of contemporary Israel.

As a Zionist school, we are always delighted to educationally enrich both staff members and students, promoting a thoughtful and strong engagement with Israel.

Ilan Bloch, Director of Jewish Life and Learning

In the Year 8 Technology elective our students have been learning about Off-Grid Tiny Houses. In Term 3 our students used CAD software called Planner5D (free to use) to produce a design of their ideal Tiny House considering a Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom and Living spaces with a size no greater than 12m in length, 2.5m wide and 4.3m in height. Following their individual designs students then collaborated in groups to create a Tiny House Prototype which incorporated as many off-grid elements as possible.

Students worked tirelessly to build the frame of a Tiny House complete with a roof. They grew their own plants using a greenhouse method. They then 

During Term 4, Year 5 students participated in a special learning program engaging students in authentic conversations about Israel and the relationships between Israeli Jews and their neighbours. This program was created by our friends in ARZA (the Association of Reform Zionists of America) Canada.  

Just as our own lives involve sharing space with other people and groups (home, KDS, out-of-school activities, being an Australian), so too the Land of Israel -- the home of the Jewish people -- is a shared space, which we as Australian Jews are also part of. 

The Land of Israel is a shared space between people of different faiths and backgrounds, as well as Jews who have brought with them different cultures and traditions from the lands from which their families came. 

A "Mizrach" sign is a decorative Jewish plaque that indicates the direction of Israel for prayer, historically marking the eastern wall of a home or synagogue. Their history dates back to when most Jews lived west of Jerusalem and faced east. 

The concept of “Mizrach” reminds us 

We are delighted that Year 3 student Mira Feldman is playing Tiny Tim for the third time in A Christmas Carol, staged at the Comedy Theatre.

The Old Vic’s joyous production of A Christmas Carol has been conceived and directed by Matthew Warchus (Groundhog Day, Matilda the Musical) and adapted for the stage by playwright Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Netflix’s Enola Holmes). Just as the previous two seasons, Mira is thoroughly enjoying her time on stage and particularly loves the fake snow. Kol HaKavod Mira! 

More than fifteen toddlers came together on Sunday to our tenth session of Storytime with Savta to listen to stories, play games and participate in activities - all in Hebrew!

Thanks to our resident Savta, Hebrew teacher Hani Ron, for facilitating these wonderful sessions.

We welcome all families with toddlers, whether they are Israeli or not, whether they are already or not yet KDS families when Storytime returns next year!

Ilan Bloch, Director of Jewish Life and Learning

The Middle School rock band performed at Junior School assembly last Friday. They played “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls - a wonderful performance enjoyed by all! 

Amy Banner, Instrumental Music Instructor

After a term learning about the Australian Jewish community, this week our Year 6 students enjoyed a special visit from Michael Zylberman OAM, a former parent of the school and a long-time contributor to Melbourne’s Jewish community (and Feygi Phillips' dad). Michael spoke about the many decades he has devoted to communal life, particularly through his work with 3ZZZ’s Jewish and Yiddish programs and a range of Yiddish cultural organisations. Students were fascinated to hear how his passion for preserving language, culture, and community connection shaped his involvement, and they were especially delighted to see and hold his OAM medal, awarded in 2012 for his outstanding service.

Michael’s message to students was simple but powerful: meaningful impact comes from steady commitment and from saying “yes” when 

In Jewish Studies we have studied the life cycle of a Jewish person. From simchat bat and brit milah to death we covered many stages, one of which was a Jewish wedding. For this Jewish wedding topic, there was an option of having it in class. I asked if we could do it and if I could write a script for it. After a long time of researching, writing, gathering props, assigning roles and decorating, the day finally came! What a fun day it was. We had an amazing mock Jewish ceremony with lots of brachot and fun. We then had an awesome celebration meal with chocolate, challah and grape juice. Overall it was a fun and creative learning opportunity that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Abi Terry, 7AZ

It has been a busy few weeks in Classroom Music. There were duets, trios, quartets, and quintets heard throughout the halls as Year 6 students collaborated on an original composition, using elements and compositional devices to create short works for performance on their brass instruments. It was an exciting conclusion with seven world premiere performances written and performed by King David's very own future Mozarts, Mahlers, and McCartneys. Please click here to see photos of the students' learning. 

Classy Brass (the Year 6 Classroom Music Brass Ensemble) ventured to the Dandenong Road Campus, instruments in tow, for their first public performance in front of junior school students and parents. For many, it was an exciting return to their old stomping ground, now able to showcase the exciting opportunities and content they have been learning in Middle School. The audience applauded and cheered while Classy Brass, being the professionals that they are, took all the fandom in their stride.

Year 7s in the Powerful Percussion unit have enjoyed studying, playing and creating film music. We have had Year 8s in our School of Rock unit 

A dozen adults from Kedem and KDS families came together on Sunday morning to learn about the historical and spiritual aspects of Chanukah in an adult Jewish education session with Ilan Bloch. It was excellent to learn togather as a community.

As a school affiliated with Progressive Judaism we are always pleased to collaborate with other member organisations of the movement.

Please join Jewish Museum of Australia for a weaving workshop for Years 7-12 students. Thursday 22 January 2026, 10.30am–12pm. A morning of weaving and wonder awaits young artists these school holidays in Circle of Her. Through guided observation, discussion and hands-on crafting, they’ll discover how weaving and pattern-making can express memory, connection and identity. 
The workshop will cover creating a circular weaving inspired by artist Tammy Kanat’s fibre sculptures.No prior experience is necessary
For more information and to book, please click here.

Celebrate the festival of lights with the whole family! Come along to TBI's Chanukah Funukah event to enjoy hands-on activities - make your own chanukiyah, join in themed fun and take part in a family-friendly service.
Details: Tuesday 16 December, 4.30-6pm
Please click here to register. 
We will also be having a dedicated Chanukah Service - "1001 Chanukiyot" - on the Friday (19 December) from 6pm and hope you can make it to that too.

Please join Jewish Museum of Australia on Friday 19 December 2025 from 11am-12pm for PJ Library Storytime.
Delight in children’s storytime with PJ Library, led by our joyous friend and storyteller Emilie Rosenberg. Designed for young listeners ages 6 and under and their grownups, this engaging session invites families to gather for a lively blend of stories, sharing and imagination. Emilie brings beloved PJ Library books to life and creates a warm and inclusive space where children of all backgrounds can explore Jewish values, traditions, and big ideas through age-appropriate tales. Please click here for more information and to book. 

Please join Kedem for Shabbat services during December. Shacharit Shabbat: Saturday 6 December, 10.00am at The King David School. 
Take this opportunity to welcome Kedem's new Board and to farewell 2025.
Service for the Soul: Saturday 20 December, 10.00am at a home and on Zoom. Service for the Soul will celebrate Chanukah.
Please register with Rosi: rosi.kedem@outlook.com
Please see the attached flyer for more information.