Published: 8 February 2022
NOMI KALTMANN meets three Melbourne synagogue caretakers, aka ‘Shabbos goys’, who share the pleasure in their jobs, and some strange discoveries too
A SHABBOS GOY is the colloquial Yiddish term that refers to a non-Jewish person who is employed to perform work that is forbidden to Jewish people on Shabbat.
Most synagogues employ non-Jews to perform this specific work on Shabbat. It can be hard to-find the right person to fill these roles, which requires a comprehensive understanding of Jewish culture and practices. But in Melbourne, there is a small group of employees who have stayed in their roles for decades.
Eva Sarkissian has been working for the Mizrachi organisation in Melbourne for more than 20 years. Eva has been officially contracted to work as a cleaner and maintenance officer at the synagogue and associated school, Leibler Yavneh College, since 1998. However, her day job is immaterial to her legion of young fans.
On any given Saturday morning, Eva is known as a distributor of treats and lollies. She doesn’t mind performing Shabbat duties for the synagogue where she has been working for decades.
“I don’t know how to explain it. I like Jewish people, of course, and I always do my job properly, but I especially like every Saturday, when I get to be like a grandmother to little children,” she says.
Born in Greece, Eva moved to Australia in 1974 when she was 25 years old. “After all this time, it’s like family for me, you know!” she says with a smile.” Sometimes people say to me: Eva you are Jewish, but I say ‘no, I’m not Jewish, I just feel like you’.”
Eva is not the only non-Jewish employee at the synagogue. Jim Moustos is another employee who has been a longtime presence at Mizrachi Melbourne, working as a caretaker since 2009. He had a previous stint working at Leibler Yavneh College as a “maintenance guy” from 1999-2004.
Despite growing up in Albert Park, just a few kilometres from the heart of Melbourne’s Jewish community in Caulfield, Jim says he had never knowingly met a Jewish person before he started working at Yavneh and Mizrachi.
“My parents came to Australia from Greece in 1962,” he says. “My mum came here to find work and my dad came here to marry my mum.”
He remembers meeting Sammy, the former non-Jewish caretaker at Mizrachi who had worked at Mizrachi for decades before Jim arrived.
“After Sammy suffered a stroke, his son didn’t want to take over the business or contract at Mizrachi, and that’s when Eva came and told me to come and help at Mizrachi,” he recalls.
After starting on a two-week short-term contract, Jim decided to stay for good, and 2022 marks his 13th year at the synagogue and almost 20 years of service, when including his time at the school.
He knows about the concept of a “Shabbos Goy” and says it doesn’t bother him at all. “I doubt they had air conditioning in the desert when they were following Moses, but I am always happy to help!” he quips.
Working around Jewish people for so long has some added benefits, including the basic command of Hebrew words and what Jim deems “luck” from his close association with rabbis, including his favourite, former Mizrachi rabbi, Ya’akov Sprung.
“Every Friday I would go and shake his hand for luck and believe me, it works” Jim says. “On Friday night I would go motorbike riding and shoot competitions and I would have the biggest stack and I would come back alive on Monday. The rabbi told me he would pray for me. And also, after shaking his hand, I often won money at events.”
Rabbi Sprung’s fondness for Jim endures to this day. “Jim was and no doubt continues to be a truly exceptional person, a gentleman of character, respect, work ethic and loyalty,” Rabbi Sprung says.
“I genuinely enjoyed talking to him and often told my wife that if I was to be dropped in the jungle with one person of my choice, I would choose Jim for his brilliant ingenuity and friendship.”
Under normal circumstances, 20 years of working in the same job would be considered a monumental service record, but a mere 450 metres up the road from Mizrachi, works Danny Radojcin, the longtime caretaker of Caulfield Shule.
A familiar face since 1970, 88-year-old Danny is believed to be the longest serving synagogue caretaker in Australia, this year celebrating his 52nd year of service.
“At the end of 1970 I had a stomach operation and was looking for something easier than looking after boilers at a bank. I saw the ad in the paper to work at the Synagogue, I applied and got the job, and never left,” he recalls.
For Danny, his connection with the synagogue goes beyond that of just a job, “I enjoy being here: the culture and the people,” he says. “I like Jews. I learnt about the concept of a Shabbos Goy years ago and it didn’t bother me.”
Danny says the most enjoyable part of his job has been the intergenerational connections he has made with so many families.
“Over the years I saw many kids grow up. I have prepared many weddings and funerals. I have never experienced disrespect or unhappiness. It’s been lovely with the kids. Also, I know every inch of the building,” he says.
During Danny’s more than 50 years of service, there have been some strange occurrences with other, more temporary caretakers.
In the 1990s, Danny remembers climbing up to dust behind the synagogue’s Ark where the Torah scrolls are kept and was startled to find a concealed idol of a Polish saint.
“We had a guy who had come to Australia from Poland who was very religious, and his role as a caretaker at Caulfield Shule hadn’t worked out too well. He must have put it there. By the time we found the statue, he had already left,” he muses.
Danny recalls another incident in the early 2000s.
“We had a caretaker who was a devout Buddhist. One day, we couldn’t find one of the Shule’s chuppah (wedding canopy) and after searching everywhere, we went up to the apartment he was living in at the back of the Shule to search for it. The chuppah was set up over a large statue of Buddah that was being used for Buddhist prayer services.”
It is little surprise that this particular caretaker decided to leave soon after the incident. “He realised he couldn’t have a Buddhist temple in a synagogue. It doesn’t work like that,” Danny says.
The importance of having a caretaker who is loyal and hardworking is not lost on Rabbi Daniel Rabin, the newly appointed rabbi at Caulfield Shule.
“In just a few short months [since] becoming Senior Rabbi, there has been one overarching theme that has stuck out for me and that is…how beloved and valued our dear caretaker Danny is!
He knows the Shule and its workings like the back of his hand, greets everyone with a warm and welcoming smile and is always asking how he can be of assistance. Danny is a great human being and honestly, he could probably pass a smicha (rabbinical qualification exam) test if he took one!”
Asked if he is considering retiring anytime soon, Danny responds, “this job is for life, I am never going to give the job up,” adding with a twinkle in his eye: “Like the Jews say in Yiddish, “Bist Hundert Tzwantzig Yor [until I reach 120 years]!”