Dear Community,

Teenagers tend to get a hard time when represented in popular culture. From Chris Lilley’s Ja’mie to Mean Girls’ Regina George, or even Beavis and Butthead, teenagers are often portrayed as self-centred, shallow, poor communicators who do not show empathy for others.

While developmentally, teenagers have been shown to become increasingly oriented towards their social world and are more inclined towards peer influence than the voices of their parents or teachers, this does not mean that they lack the capacity to care about others.

This was particularly evident to the parents and friends of the Year 9 community who came to celebrate our students’ passions in the recent Nitzan Artivism evening. 

The Nitzan program is designed with the teenage brain in mind. It offers the key attributes that we have come to understand can drive adolescent engagement and growth - it focuses on building community, developing real-world skills, providing passion projects and then empowering students to develop independence by being gifted opportunities to demonstrate their emerging sense of responsibility and capability.

Eikev

Candle lighting 5.14pm

Havdalah 6.14pm

Our parasha connects us to God through food and the land on which it is grown. The adage “a human being does not live on bread alone” (Deuteronomy 8:3) teaches us that our connection to tradition, text and heritage - our search for meaning and spiritual success - matters just as much as our material success. Our portion continues with the key verse linked to Birkat Hamazon (Grace after Meals): “When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Eternal, your God, for the good land given to you” (Deuteronomy 8:10), which instructs us to link this spirituality with gratitude and reverence. Our parasha also tells us that we must be humble and modest, enjoining us not to assume to say “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me” (Deuteronomy 8:17). 

On Thursday evening, our VCE Theatre Studies students attended a performance of Mackenzie by Bell Shakespeare at the Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne.

The production provided students with an engaging and thought-provoking live theatre experience, showcasing the creativity, artistry and technical excellence of one of Australia’s leading theatre companies. Through its compelling performances, inventive staging and nuanced storytelling, Mackenzie offered students valuable insights into the many creative decisions that shape a professional theatrical production. In particular, students were able to explore the production’s inventive use of musical theatre conventions and its playful parody of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which added layers of humour, satire and intertextuality to the performance.

Over the coming weeks, students will draw upon their observations from the performance as they analyse and evaluate the production in class. This forms an important part of their VCE studies, developing their ability to critically assess how elements of theatre composition, production roles and acting skills combine to create a meaningful and impactful work.

Celebrating 100 Days of Prep is a meaningful milestone in our school calendar, marking a period of incredible growth, new friendships, and foundational achievements for our Preppies.

Our Prep students spent yesterday engaged in many activities that reflected how far they have come since their very first day.

This special celebration highlights not only their academic progress in literacy and numeracy, but also the confidence and curiosity that will support them throughout their school journey.

Enjoy a collection of photos here

This week, Eran Doron and Hadass Nisan spoke with our Hanhagah leaders about life in Ramat HaNegev (the Negev Highlands) and the lived experience of residents of the region.

This gave participants a deeper understanding of the Israeli south, the environmental challenges the region faces, and what leadership insights might be gained from trying to develop the area.

We are thankful to Doron Lazarus, CEO of JNF Australia, for sponsoring the visit. 

It was all about family this week as our Pre Kinder and Junior Kinder hosted their respective family days.

With a customised photobooth, Hebrew songs with Nissim and a Kabbalat Shabbat celebration with Pre Kinder families today, there was plenty of excitement.

Enjoy a collection of photos from both Family Days here:

Pre Kinder Family Day

Junior Kinder Family Day

During the summer holidays, Sharon Branicki and Sue Rogers participated in a JNF trip to Israel, where they visited the Gevim school in the Negev. Gevim is situated in a low-socio economic community in Beer Sheva and many of its students come from challenging backgrounds.

The community and the students had a significant impact on both Sharon and Sue, that when they returned from their trip, they decided to make an impact and raise funds for the school in order to purchase a new computer. The J-Life Va’ad (Va'adat Yahadut) took on this project and organised a bake sale fundraiser during Tu’B'Av this week.

The King David School sent a large and enthusiastic contingent to the 2026 ABL Jewish Interschools Skiing Competition and the Maccabi Snow Sports Events at Mt Buller on 27 and 28 July.

Our Primary School skiers took to the slopes with real confidence, headlined by Macy V, the only KDS competitor to take on both alpine skiing and snowboarding across the competition. They were joined by a strong Secondary School contingent, who showed outstanding skill, teamwork and determination across the Giant Slalom and Panel Slalom.

We're thrilled to announce that, for the first time ever, King David took out first place overall in the secondary competition, a huge milestone for the team!

In Division 1 Boys Alpine, Charlie L and I went 1-2 in both the Giant Slalom and the Panel Slalom, rounding out more than a decade of racing together since we first competed alongside each other back in 2015.

Thank you to Jasper Harris (KDS alumnus) for his help in the lead-up to the competition and on the day, and to Michelle Lazarow for her support behind the scenes in making our biggest team in years possible.

Congratulations to every KDS student who competed this year, including our youngest skiers from the Junior School, Raphael, Luca and Alon, you represented the school with pride and great sportsmanship. Bring on next year!

For a selection of photos, please view here

The long bus ride toward my very first snow camp was a mix of intense excitement and plenty of eagerness. As someone who had never seen snow before let alone ski, I was terrified of freezing, wiping out on the slopes, or looking completely ridiculous while trying to learn how to ski. My anxiety spiked even higher when we first pulled up to Mount Buller because the lower mountain looked completely bare without a single flake of white in sight. Luckily, as the bus wound its way around to the other side of the mountain, the landscape completely transformed, revealing just enough snow for us beginners to finally start our lessons.

Once we settled into camp, the fun kicked off with a hilarious Jeopardy game run by the Year 10s, followed by hyper-competitive late-night cabin games that kept us up laughing. The next day, my first time on skis, involved plenty of ungraceful falls, but the absolute highlight was skiing over to Koflers Hutte to warm up with some ridiculously overpriced but totally worth-it hot chocolate.

We are thrilled to officially welcome Noam, Alma and Raz, our three Israeli Madrichim! 

Each year, the Jewish Life team at the School facilitate a group of young Israelis to lead Israeli educational programs at the School over several weeks with the aim of offering a culturally immersive experience where students become more connected with Israel and gain multiple perspectives of life in Israel.

Following a special welcome ceremony at the Junior School earlier in the week, they are ready to bring Hebrew and Israel education to life for our students across Prep through Year 12. 

See photos here of our welcome ceremony at the Junior School

Jewish tradition teaches that Affixing a mezuzah on the doorpost of every room is a special mitzvah. Inside each mezuzah is a handwritten parchment scroll, called a klaf, containing the Hebrew words of the Shema prayer. This sacred scroll is carefully written by a specially trained scribe known as a Sofer STaM.

As part of our Mezuzah unit, the Year 1 students had the wonderful opportunity to meet Rabbi Ronnie Figdor, a Sofer STaM.  Rabbi Figdor gave the students an engaging insight into his important work and introduced them to the specialised tools he uses to write mezuzot, tefillin, and Sefer Torah scrolls. He demonstrated how he writes each Hebrew letter with a feather quill, usually made from a turkey or goose feather, using a unique script on parchment prepared from kosher animal skin.  The students listened with great interest and enjoyed having a go using a quill and ink.

See photos here from the incursion

Last Friday, five Year 10 KDS students had the opportunity to hear from a guest speaker, astrophysicist, Dr Karelle Siellez (AIP Marie Curie lecturer for 2026) with her presentation, Painting the Universe: A Visual and Musical Exploration of Space-Time. We particularly enjoyed when Karelle spoke about her research into Gamma-Ray bursts, supernovae and space.

We met other girls our age who were interested in Physics, and we were treated to breakfast as well. We also got to have a photo with Karelle. It was a great opportunity for everyone, and we would love to see it run again in the future.

Our Years 5 and 6 students participated in the annual Hoop Time Tournament recently.

This event gave our students valuable experience competing again students from schools all over Melbourne and strengthened their offensive and defensive skills.

• Boys A performed strongly with 2 wins and 2 losses.


• Boys B team had a great tournament placing 2nd in their pool with 3 wins and 1 loss.


• Girls team battled hard all day improving each game without a win however finished the day knowing they competed hard in a tough competition.

Last week, Middle and Senior School Jewish Studies teachers learned with Nechama Goldman Barash from the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem in a professional development session relating to chavruta (partner learning), connection and vulnerability, studying Jewish texts and discussing text teaching methodology together.

Jewish Children's Aid Society (JCAS) enables Jewish children with extra needs to attend mainstream Jewish schools by supporting the Educational Support program. This provides the children JCAS supports the same opportunities as other children, improving learning outcomes and social inclusion. 

JCAS aims to be a catalyst for change, shaping a future where every Jewish child, regardless of ability, is embraced, valued and empowered.

This year, JCAS will be donating a record 1 million over all Jewish Day Schools.

All families are encouraged to support this vital organisation:

Maccabi Junior Sports Carnival is one huge week of sport, social events and new friendships, bringing together Jewish teens in Years 7–10 from across Australia and Israel for an experience like no other.
Carni welcomes everyone, including neurodivergent young people and young people with disability.
Interested in All Abilities at Carni? Email teamvic@maccabijuniorcarnival.com.au
See attached for more information.

Kedem is having a fund-raising theatre night for Fiddler on the Roof on Wednesday 11 November at 7 pm at Her Majesty's Theatre. Tevye will speak with guests after the show!
Costs: A Reserve - $139,  A Reserve - Concession, Senior’s card or full time student card: $109
https://www.trybooking.com/DOFIA

Renowned for his phenomenal storytelling, Rabbi Daniel Lichman takes the stage in Witness to the Ends - a powerful one-person play you won't want to miss. Join us for a rare, intimate night of theatre, followed by an interactive post-performance discussion.
Please book your seats here.
Capacity is limited as it is being held in the Lawrence Family Theatrette at Rebecca Magid Centre.

We're excited to showcase our first speaker session for the UPJ Biennial (19-22 November 2026)

Meet our first speakers Dr Dan Heller and Dr Farid Zaid

Dr Dan Heller – Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Brave Conversations Project (and KDS parent!), is a historian focused on identity, memory, and how communities engage across difference. His book, No Topic Off Limits: Teaching Polarizing Issues in University Classrooms, is forthcoming with Princeton University Press.
Dr Farid Zaid – Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Brave Conversations Project, is a cognitive scientist and Deputy Director of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology at Monash University, whose work explores reasoning, metacognition, and the role of discomfort in learning.
Book here: https://www.upj.org.au/community/biennial-2026/

ARZA invites the community to a event examining antizionism.
6.30pm, Wednesday 12 August 2026
A  dynamic [panel including Dr Ran Porat, a Historian and expert in ideological conflict, Professor Ghil’ad Zuckermann, a linguist and Melinda Jones, a Human Rights Lawyer.
For more information & to book: events.humanitix.com/arza-mel

Alana Valentine’s Watermark is our inaugural Years 8-10 Play.
It is set in the Northern Territory town of Katherine. The play chronicles the events of January 26, 1998, the day a devastating flood swept through the town. The impact on the community was profound:
The flood left visible and emotional scars; businesses struggled to reopen, homes were destroyed, and the trauma of sudden displacement ran deep. The smell of damp, mud, and mould lingered in people’s memories long after the water receded. The flood wasn’t just a natural disaster; it was a rupture in the life of a community that would take years to heal.
DATE: Sunday 9 August and Monday 10 August 2026

Prepare for the High Holy Days and deepen your understanding of the meaning, liturgy and texts of the Yamim Noraim.
Series of 3 Sessions throughout the month of Elul (at TBI 7.30pm, Thursday evenings):
20 August - Rabbi Allison RH Conyer (Charting the Spiritual Landscape of the Yamim Noraim: From Reflection to Renewal)
27 August - Cantor Michel Laloum (The High Holy Day Machzor: Its Music and Its Liturgy)
3 September - Rabbi Dr Danny Schiff (Texts of Transformation: Torah Insights for the Yamim Noraim)
Register Here: https://tbi.shulcloud.com/event/arch-hhd