Who Are We?

WE ARE INTERGENERATIONAL

Our expression of Judaism is a tapestry woven from many strands that make up the continuum of Jewish life.  Among those who call NSTE “home” are: young families and tots who attend our “Growing Souls” Shabbat activities, pizza dinners, and Courtyard Family BBQs; young children who attend the on-site Apples & Honey Pre-School; our Year 1-6 Meah Hebrew & Religion School students and Year 7 B’mitzvah students; Netzer youth movement chanichimot (participants); members of our “Teen Torah Tag Team” and young adult programs; Interfaith couples and families; our “Gen X Tribe” and our “Single & Social Tribe” for all ages;  and our thriving “Boomers & Beyond” groups.

WE ARE A TEMPLE FAMILY

At NSTE, we want every member to know they matter, and we want to be a community that matters - to our members and the world at large. Since 2016, one of our most important initiatives has been our Community Wellbeing program, which takes a proactive approach to looking after and staying connected with one another, not only in times of need but throughout the year. With a “Care Team” of almost 20 volunteers, the clergy truly have amazing partners in making NSTE a “second home” for so many who seek it.

WE ARE PEOPLE WITH A PURPOSE

We are blessed with a large volunteer force at NSTE, who sing in our Choir, facilitate our Shabbat services and dinners, assist with gardening, cooking, and baking, make “care calls” and deliver shiva plates, run our Temple Tribes and Boomers programs, and more.

We are especially proud of our award winning JSA (Jews for Social Action) group, now in its third decade of pursuing social justice through hands on activities, such as support for Aboriginal communities and asylum seekers, involvement in CreekCare, year round collections of items for people in need, and regular “I Speak My Mind” webinars.

WE ARE PEOPLE WHO ENJOY BEING TOGETHER

The bonds between us are nurtured constantly, as our Temple bustles with activity throughout the week, including NSTE Choir rehearsals, Shabbat dinners prepared by our Kitchen Krew, Israeli dancing, B’mitzvah tutoring, and learning opportunities for children and adults, gardening, Boomers films and book club gatherings, our “Crafts Tribe” and “Rummy-O Tribe” gatherings, and off-site activities like Boomers walks and “Water Tribe” excursions.

WE ARE FROM EVERYWHERE

Come to one of our popular Shabbat dinners, and you’ll find many around the table who have immigrated from another country.  This is part of what makes NSTE the warm and caring “Temple family” that it is, as all our members seek a sense of belonging. Many have relatives who perished in the Holocaust, making the Jewish community, continuity, and Israel especially important to their hearts and souls.  

We live everywhere from the immediate neighbourhood, the Northern Beaches up to the Central Coast, down to Wollongong and the Southern Highlands, out to the Blue Mountains, over the Harbour Bridge in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the Inner West, in the Hills district, and even as far as Scotts Head and Nambucca.  

WE ARE PART OF A WORLDWIDE MOVEMENT

NSTE is proudly affiliated with the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), making us part of a movement consisting of almost 2 million people in 1250 Progressive Jewish congregations spanning 50 countries.  NSTE is among the three largest congregations in the Union for Progressive Judaism (UPJ), the roof body for Progressive communities in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.