JANUARY 30 • 2020 | 17
Jews in the D
continued on page 18
CPA Levi Serebryanski
settled in Oak Park 18 years
ago and is treasurer at Bais
Chabad of North Oak Park.
He has been following the
news avidly and checking
in frequently with his
mother and siblings, who
still live in his hometown of
Melbourne.
A few weeks ago,
Serebryanski’
s nephew
attended the local Jewish
overnight summer camp
that takes place in a small
town halfway between
Sydney and Melbourne.
The fires were getting
uncomfortably close and
the camp was evacuated as
a precaution.
“They were afraid they’
d
be cut off by the fire. My
nephew said they could
see thick, heavy smoke just
over the mountains on the
bus home,” Serebryanski
said. “All the perishable
camp food was donated to
the locals who lost their
homes and the campers had
a day camp in Melbourne
instead.”
Serebryanski is friends
with David Gutnick,
the Jewish chaplain of
the Australian Reserves,
who has been offering
support and comfort to the
“firies” (what Australians
call firefighters) around
the country. He said
the Melbourne Jewish
community managed to
raise more than $6 million
for the rescue effort.
Though everyone seems
to be rallying together to
help — a contingent of 100
firefighters from the U.S.
also joined the fight — the
devastation is enormous.
“It makes me so sad
that thousands of years of
Australia’
s unique culture
and the unique animals
that aren’
t found anywhere
else on the planet, the
Aboriginal art, history,
human treasures, so much
has been burned. It’
s going
to cause a tremendous
impact on the country
and on the entire world,”
Serebryanski said.
EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT
Another Australian expat
is a Southfield resident of
three years who only wanted
It makes me so sad that
thousands of years of
Australia’s unique culture
and the unique animals that
aren’t found anywhere else on
the planet, the Aboriginal art,
history, human treasures,
so much has been burned.
— LEVI SEREBRYANSKI
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