The Australian Census was conducted when many people and cities were in Lockdown. This changed the nature of Census work. No longer door knocking, workers were required to drop of census materials and reminders in keeping with 2021 contactless procedures. I wasn't allowed to doorknock but had to use intercoms for large apartment buildings. We were given masks and bright yellow satchels to carry materials.

This photograph was taken in August 2020, the time when daily and active cases in Victoria's second wave were at their peak with hospitals adapting services and protocols in response. The photograph shows a nurse handover in the hospital's Emergency Department. The red line on the floor marks the boundary of the "hot zone" area dedicated to the care of patients regarded as infectious. Staff wear prescribed Level 4 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) of gowns, face protection and N95 masks.

The stories illustrate both swift adaptation of clinical practice (e.g. in the shift to telehealth consultations), the enormous efforts put in, and the outpouring of community support which helped sustain patients and staff in the difficult conditions of lockdown.

This is a heartbreaking story from Australia about a man who flew around the world to try to get to his dying mother, only to have the Queensland government block his way. So many people across the globe had to die alone without their loved ones because of this pandemic. Hospitals and governments need to come up with a safe system to allow for visitation of dying relatives during pandemics because, sadly, this will likely happen again in the future.

According to the article, Australia is experiencing an increase in exotic pet popularity during the pandemic. With people having more time and resources, the demand for pets, in general, is on the rise. The fear of reptiles exhibited by Generation X is not there in younger generations, so demand for these cool and unusual creatures is on the rise.

As a Yiddish teacher the plague year was marked by a shift to online teaching. Of course this involved inconveniences and accomodations but mostly I was so grateful to have a job that meant I got to stay in contact with people throughout 2020. In classes I worked hard to support students in a difficult time, but also found myself energised and reassured by the regular social contact they provided. I've chose two pictures of my classes - one, a kids class featuring members of my family and the other, a screenshot from one of my long running classes at the Kadimah. The kids class was often fairly chaotic on zoom, marked by kids disappearing, scribbling on the screen or more interested in making faces in the camera than anything else. But it still represented a weekly engagement with Yiddishkayt for these kids, who all live in the North of Melbourne and attend state schools. The image I chose of one of my adults class is from a night when there was a blackout in my street - all the lights went off and my connection cut out. I realised though that I could teach using my phone for internet - it just meant sitting in the dark! I remember a strong feeling of "the show must go on" in a time when so much else was uncertain it was important to me that every Monday evening was the same - Yiddish class with my longtime students. Throughout lockdown students have been so patient and understanding of everything that has had to change and even now as I am extremely over teaching online I am honestly so grateful for what they've given me - meaninful, interesting, engaging work and social contact! We should all be so lucky.

When we went into lockdown in Naarm (Melbourne), many Jewish people realised this meant doing their seders solo or over zoom. Restrictions on number of guests meant that a seder with the family wasn't possible. Whilst at most seders you would usually have multiple people who had divided the seder night responsibilities (someone on charoset, matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, kosher wine, boiled eggs and each item for the seder plate), this night was different from all other nights. Our seders suddenly felt bare with the looming responsibility to create an entire seder's worth of food, for one. For those of us who lived away from our families and the bagel belt, there were additional challenges. For the queer jews who left their south-eastern homes for the cramped share houses of the inner north, finding Kosher and seder specific ingredients was near impossible at our local Piedemontes. I called my closest Woolworths and asked if they had ingredients for passover, "You could try the international food aisle?" they suggested, I knew that wouldn't suffice. I was grieving the loss of my most important cultural holiday of the year and the foods that came with it, when I decided I would drive to Southside, and collect ingredients from there. Knowing it would be useless to cook for one (and that I still haven't learnt the skills to do so) I decided to buy enough that I could make up care packages for other Jewish people doing their seders alone. The buba of the northside, giving just enough of everything for a table of one. 3 matzah balls, a jar of broth, enough matzah to break, hide and dip in charoset, etc. Other Jewish people contributed ingredients or made gefilte fish to distribute too. I managed to distribute over 25 packages to people joining their seders via zoom. For me, it was such an important way for me to feel connected to community despite distance, and honour pesach at a challenging time.

Reflection and Resilience

Rosh Hashana 2020 Style - Achieving Inner Peace, Spirituality & Connection: Discussing Rosh Hashanah in a Covid world, the redefining of Rosh Hashanah 2020 Style! As part of our focus on Spiritual Health, the JCCV welcomed back two professionals who shared their insights on how to make the most of celebrating Rosh Hashanah this year, and offer ideas to achieve meaningful experiences for you and those closest to you.

There's a bit of a feeling, from a nursing perspective, that we're just numbers. You know that we're not. We're not. Quote from Female aged 42, Intensive Care Nurse. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

We're quickly trying to push patients out that could go to the ward so that we can get more patients in. This is hard work for us. Quote from Female aged 42, Intensive Care Nurse. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

They have no one else with them. They're scared, they're frightened and it's very difficult. Quote from Female aged 52, Specialist Care Doctor. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

Many of us feel too tired, but we know that we still have several weeks of this to go. Quote from Female aged 52, Specialist Care Doctor. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

The ones who seem to have suffered most have been patients with other medical issues who've avoided coming to hospital. Quote from Female aged 54, Intensive Care Nurse. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

We limited visiting completely, not just to patients with COVID 19, even the nicest families became really aggressive. Quote from Female aged 54, Intensive Care Nurse. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

We had to make decisions on how to change systems quickly and implement them. Very optimistic that big changes could happen so quickly. Quote from Male aged 45, Rural Doctor. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

It will have a devastating impact, health workers that work out here that are already struggling constantly burnout. Quote from Male aged 45, Rural Doctor. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

The elevation of non-managers into the position of management caused quite a lot of concern.

Most of our GPS have taken up tele-health options, and now there is a demand for GPs for face to face. Quote from Female aged 54, Rural Nurse. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

It's good now that the conversation has changed and they're treating health workers as heroes. Quote from Female aged 54, Rural Nurses. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

Giving someone a hug when they're feeling upset, that's my go to and now we're not allowed to do that. It breaks my heart. Quote from Female aged 30, Aged Care Nurse. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

It's really tough for families that need to see their loved one in their last few days and they just can't be there. I think that's really rough. Quote from Female aged 45, Intensive Care Nurse. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

The health service is unravelling. People are getting tired. Healthcare workers are getting tired and it's horrible. Quote from Female aged 58, Community Health Worker. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

We're trying to maintain that positive energy for the benefit to the community and the benefit to our colleagues working in health and to really promote the great work that they're doing. Quote from Female aged 43, Other Health Services. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

COVID is significantly affecting us in our personal lives as well. So it's not just something that we're managing at work. Quote from Female aged 43, Other Health Services. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

It's the work and the home situation that is having to be balanced for everyone. And everyone has a unique set of challenges. Quote from Female aged 43, Other Health Services. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

Victorians saw their freedoms and their complacency eroded as the Andrews government introduced a second lockdown. As it continued past the expected four weeks, many found enjoyment in the meme of the Andrews government allowing Victorians to “get on the beers”. The meme started during the first lockdown after Daniel Andrews stated on the 22nd of March that the closure of the pubs was not an excuse to “have all your mates ‘round to home and get on the beers…”. Since then, it has become a joke on the internet about when Daniel Andrews will finally allow Victorians to get back on the beers. Since the easing of restrictions, the joke has morphed from a desire to get out of lockdown and back to pubs, into a celebration of the success of the second lockdown. One musical duo, MASHD N KUTCHER, made a remix of Andrews from different press conferences from the second lockdown to be played at bars and clubs now that Victorians are able to go out. Through the creativity of such people, an admonishment by the premier has evolved to a shared joke, and then into a celebration of the persistence and patience of Victorians to go through a second lockdown successfully. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0NFqOHFJvw

During the first lockdown, my flatmate introduced me to Sims 4. The Sims is a life simulation game wherein you create a character and live their life, making certain decisions such as where you will live, what career you will have, who you are in relationships with and so on. In the second lockdown, friends introduced me to Stardew Valley. In this game, your character lives on a farm and has to manage the land to make a living. There are also mines to explore and mystery to uncover. I would play this game with my friends online, hanging out virtually when we could not in real life. These games provided a reprieve from everyday life in lockdown where I had little control over my life, allowing me to live vicariously through my characters.

I am not a sport person; however, during the second lockdown I became increasingly invested in the success of Victorian sporting teams as their finals started taking place. Victoria saw three major wins in October: victory for the Melbourne Vixens in the Super Netball competition on the 18th; two Victorian teams competed in the AFL Grand Final on the 24th with Richmond ultimately prevailing; the Melbourne Storm defeated the Penrith Panthers on the 25th in the NRL Grand Final. This string of sporting success from Victoria gave a sense of pride to many Victorians, including those of us who do not normally follow sport. This pride came as success from the second lockdown was becoming evident, adding to the sense of achievement for the state. The ability for sport to bring people together ought to not be underestimated as the sense of community and pride for Victorians, after going through a second lockdown, made many of us feel confident again.

HIST30060 This is a photograph I took from the top of Mount Buffalo overlooking the Ovens Valley on the 6th of July, a day before Premier Daniel Andrews announced a second lockdown in Victoria. My extended family decided to take this trip during the first week of winter school holidays to enjoy the snow. We were especially keen to go to support the local economy as it had also been devastated by the bushfires. I recall a shared feeling of elation at being able to go on holidays together once more; however, there was a sense of trepidation at the increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in Melbourne. When the second lockdown was announced, I remember being scared of going back into lockdown, and unsure of whether I should stay in Melbourne or move back in with my parents in Ballarat. Eventually, I decided to cut my holiday short to drive back to Melbourne, pack up my things and move back in with my parents in regional Victoria.

Like many, I’ve taken to walking every day to help move my body and feel active during lockdown. I was an avid walker prior to Covid-19, but now walking has become more than just a means of exercising. Walking has become a time to myself, for myself, where I can escape my flat and explore. I moved to South Melbourne at the start of this year and walking during lockdown has allowed me to explore my suburb and become more familiar with where I live. Being comfortable gives me confidence and a sense of accomplishment that I have “conquered” South Melbourne. While Covid-19 has limited me in other ways, the restrictions have allowed me to focus on my sense of place and cementing this area as my new home.

Atida Lipshatz wrote a piece for Jewish Women of Words reflecting on food during the pandemic

This is an article by Lisa Farber, talking about her child finishing school in 2020, during the pandemic

A drash written by Lara Lubitz for Neilah 2020, published on Jewish Women of Words

Blog post by Ronit Joel – Psychologist, for Jewish Care, about understanding and managing covid anxiety

Blog post for Jewish Care by Laura Marchese, who discusses how to stay connected and volunteering and contributing during the pandemic

Blog post for Jewish Care by Cassandra Barrett – Program Manager, Healthy Communities, writing about how to support students during online learning

Blog post for Jewish Care by Marilyn Kraner, Manager - Individual & Family Services, discussing child protection during the pandemic

An article by Simon Jedwab, Program Manager - Employment Centre, providing advice and support for people who are unemployed during the pandemic

Jewish Care runs an aged care home, and so during the Covid-19 crisis they provided regular updates to their community. This was particularly the case when residents and staff tested positive.

This is a blog post by Cassandra Barrett, the Program Manager, Healthy Communities, about getting through the High Holy Days while separated from family.

"Not even COVID-19 restrictions can stop our volunteers from brightening the days of our Elders at Gary Smorgon House! Long-time volunteer Errol Rink has adapted his weekly ‘news and views session’ on Zoom, complete with trivia quizzes and lots of jokes. “The reaction from the smiling and laughing elders makes it all worthwhile,” says Errol. Elder Celsia Goldberg is especially thankful for the volunteers “constantly giving their time, showing love, respect and compassion” and for coming up with entertaining arts and crafts, Yiddish sing-a-longs, music and guest speakers for them to enjoy. “They have made the restriction period so much more bearable, even enjoyable, and for that I am so grateful.” We are so lucky to have such a strong network of kind and selfless volunteers helping across all aspects of our work."

"WIZO + EVENT ✨ Last month WIZO Victoria held a Challah Bake Masterclass that was such a success, we've decided to do it again! This Round Challah + Honey Cake Baking Masterclass gives us the opportunity to learn from the best! Yaniv Rosen, chef and owner of Danish Nosh will be teaching us all the tricks of the trade so we can make them at home for our loved ones. Bake a few & share with your neighbour! Date: 14 Sep @7:30PM Book here: https://sforce.co/3591S2H"

"Learn how to provide CPR safely in a COVID world. Join Hatzolah and Ambulance Victoria at 8pm on Thursday 15th October 2020 for a LIVE CPR demonstration as part of AV’s Shocktober. Make a difference when “every second counts”. To join: hatzolah.org.au/shocktober or join us on Facebook"

With the lockdown, programming needed to move online. WIZO Matan presented 'How to be an Upstander', a webinar.

"This year our UJEB students at Glenallen School Katandra Special School and Ashwood Special School had a great time beaming virtually into our Project Kulanu Sukkah to shake the Lulav. From all of us at Project Kulanu and especially from Tal Spinrad, Project Kulanu Manager, and his son Reuvi (pictured), wishing everyone a chag sameach and a very sweet new year! 🌿⛺️🍎🍏🍯 #ujebinclusion #projectkulanu #Sukkot #sukkot2020 #lulav"

Mitzvah Day in 2020 was on 15 November, and due to lockdown and restrictions on gatherings, special activities were organised through the website.

"Our Hebrew Immersion Program (HIP) is up and running online for term 4 at 5 primary schools. We had some great feedback from parents at the end of last term: “I’ve actually been amazed how engaging each lesson has been. Our daughter loves learning Hebrew with you. Thank you for making it fun. She is learning so much!” (Andrew P, parent of 2020 grade 1 HIP student at Caulfield South Primary). Pictured is a Caulfield South HIP student receiving an award for "wonderful ongoing participation in Hebrew class" at their Rosh Hashana Zoom assembly from Coordinator Shira Golombick and teacher Sigal. To find out more or sign up for one of our HIP programs visit www.ujeb.org.au"

"Jewish Care is here to assist and support the education of our children in any way we can during the COVID-19 crisis by providing remote academic assistance for students or assistance for families. We have a team of committed volunteers who have a range of skills they are offering, including: - Primary and secondary subject tutorial - Listening to children’s readers via a remote visual platform - Musical instrument practice - Assistance for parents in supporting their child’s learning Financial assistance for families may also be available. To find out how we may be able to help you during this difficult time, please contact the Jewish Care COVID-19 Helpline on 8517 5555, which is operating Monday–Friday from 9:00am – 5:00pm. Jewish Care is here for you. You are not alone."

The Jewish Community Covid-19 Taskforce provided a special bulletin on family and domestic violence, providing advice, helplines, ways of getting support, and the like, during lockdown.