Avril Alba

Purposes
Sydney, Australia

Avril Alba

Having returned to her native Australia from managing the Harvard University Hillel Netivot program for the last two years, Avril heard about the wonderful, pluralistic approach to Jewish learning of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. The descriptions she heard from leading Jewish educators were about a new and authentic approach to studying Jewish text, emphasizing meaningful access for all people.

That was now six months ago and Avril, having investigated this new Sydney phenomenon and successfully completed the rigorous faculty selection process, is happily ensconced as the newest teacher to join the faculty at the Sydney Florence Melton Program.

Avril began her own journey like many of us by default. She was a classic product of the Australian Zionist Youth Movements, passionate about Middle Eastern politics, and even majored in Middle Eastern Politics graduating with first class honours from Adelaide University. The slight turn in career-focus came once having commenced her honours research in Middle Eastern Politics in Israel when fellow scholars suggested to her that it was religious studies that fascinated her and was her overriding passion and interest.

This spiraled a change that led to a Masters in Theological Studies and Comparative Religions at Harvard University. Following graduation Avril was appointed Director of the Harvard University Hillel graduate program, and was later appointed Manager of the Harvard Hillel Netivot Fellowship program. Here she was able to utilize her skills in addressing the needs of assimilated yet highly educated people in their search to gain meaning from Judaism. She worked in conjunction with other Jewish Educators to design and implement programs that allowed people to realize that Judaism could enrich all aspects of both their personal and professional lives.

Currently she is the Education Director for the Sydney Jewish Museum and sees this as a logical extension for widening the scope of her previous studies and professional positions and wonderful opportunity to bring Jewish history and culture to both Jews and non-Jews, “bringing Judaism to life and having all engage in it, is what makes Judaism so vital for me” commented Avril. “Showing Jewish culture and diversity in all its complexities, ensures its access and relevance for all Jews”.

Teaching for the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School has allowed Avril to merge her own ideas beliefs and skills into an incredibly stimulating program. “So much of what people know of Judaism focuses on do’s and don’ts whereas what can be really meaningful is the ‘why’ of Judaism, asking yourself what meaning the tradition holds for you. The Purposes Program deals with exactly this - it exposes people to the polarities of Jewish thought in the belief that the tradition is strong enough to hold variant opinions and contradictions”. It is within these dialectics that the complexity and insightfulness of Jewish text and the Jewish tradition is found. “The Melton program embraces these dialectics” claims Avril.

Students have already commented on Avril’s incredible breadth of knowledge and her enthusiasm in conveying this to them. We are all honored and proud to have her on board at the Sydney Florence Melton Adult Mini-School.

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