Eat, Pray, Naches: Jewish Community Stories

Stories connect us to our history, our traditions and who we are. Pictured: Alex Ryvchin and his family.

More than 15% of Waverley’s population identify as Jewish, making the Waverley area home to the second largest Jewish community in Australia.

Many Jewish people came to Australia after World War II, to flee discrimination and persecution. The Waverley area, with its beautiful Bondi Beach and sunny weather was a haven for new migrants.

Eat, Pray, Naches is a Waverley Council Local Studies project that was curated around the central themes of migration, food, tradition and concepts of what makes us joyful; these are integral to Jewish cultural identity.

Many stories have been gathered from the local Jewish community with twenty six feature stories representing a diverse group of people who share their journey to a new life in Waverley.

Every person wants some naches in their lives and we hope you enjoy these nourishing stories!