Lighthouse 2026
Calling in the Shabbat from the vines, holding court for complexity and willing in our collective capacities for the Planet. Also, asking the big 'Lamas'.
A couple weekends ago I attended my second Lighthouse. I was fortunate to attend the inaugural retreat-come-life-altering-immersion in 2025 as a participant, and honoured to be invited back as a presenter and support facilitator this year. Lighthouse is like no other connective space, its mission goes beyond the obvious of getting like-minded people into the same room to work on solutions, and into intuitive cross-pollination of insights, gleaned from the work of fully showing up within purpose-created, creativity-inducing spaces. Located in the stunning Macedon Ranges, under what at times felt like Hashem-directed skyscapes (starting us off with Moses in the mountains type hovering cloud), a three full-day packed program came to life.
Calling in the Shabbat from the vine fields echoing our ancestors, eating the most luscious well-making foods by the wonderful Amichai of Brackish Foods. Stunning early morning brisk country walks, commencing in the dark and dew, and ending in meditation and fresh coffee for the right and necessary start to long submerging days, where candid and truly enlightening conversations took place. A group of invested and knowledgeable participants, each immersed in their own field, bringing along their piece of the puzzle for trying out different, inspired ways of organising together. Young artists, policy advisors, political and climate experts, seasoned researchers, community organisers and philanthropists - together. And almost all of us Jewish. A kind, introspective, caring lot.
The program promised engagement with nation-leading experts, honing our communication and strategy tactics, exploring Jewish community leadership, identifying pathways for high-impact outcomes and skill-honing for meaningful communication. All was delivered and much much more. We also held tenderly the realities of being Jewish in the human-made social climate of the moment (temperatures oft matching our climate change’s worst).
Flood Relief
For my part, I presented about my work in volunteer Flood-Relief. In early 2022 the Northern Rivers (Northern NSW) and South East QLD experienced what later would be recorded as Australia’s worst climate catastrophe. Within a few hours of the initial major flooding on 28th Feb, I commenced working on setting up a community-led response, specifically to support families with children in the first 5 years of life. Recognising the unique needs this cohort have, knowing there will be enormous demand, and very little tailored-support, a decision was made that sustained through the enormity of what was to come.
PBB Media Inc, I co-founded in 2014, along with dear friends and colleagues at The Returning Indigenous Corporation, opened the Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond Flood-Relief Hub. We worked intensively all year, closing our doors on 21st December. The Hub supported hundreds of families, facilitating ready and willing volunteers who were less flood affected, (or more resilient on their volunteer day than others in the community), the remarkable generosity of donors and donations - both individual and from businesses in the Northern Rivers and from across Australia, and a clean, safe, calm space in the centre of Mullumbimby, a rural service town servicing thousands of flood-impacted in the region.
The house we set the Hub up in was given to us by a dear friend, Jewish, a single phone call securing our stay there for as long as we needed. Quickly taking over the space and several storage spaces around the property, we were there for almost ten months and paid nothing in rent or overheads thanks to the generosity of our friend. When I look back at it, we have some incredible stories from that year. Given the profound impact of the floods on our community, when we closed shop, there was still much work to be done and my heart is still broken from some of the personal stories we came across during that time. There is so much to say about our collective and individual experiences with and since the floods, but that’s for another post.
Purpose and meaning
The key question asked at Lighthouse, is how can we, as Jewish community, draw on our innate, vast networking and organisation capabilities, in favour of one of our times greatest human challenges - affecting climate and environmental trajectories - to more sustainable outcomes. It is not an easy or straightforward answer, but what was very clear is that we are well placed to ask it, and indeed tackle it head on.
As a group and individuals coming together, we inevitably tackled the Lama in the room. A big Why for us all being Jewish and working in progressive spaces where hostility, lack of awareness and understanding have become part of our daily negotiation. Why can’t we resume doing the work we have been doing, and feel safe to do so coming as our whole selves?
While the answers for this question are more clear - as Jews, for many of navigating the ‘green spaces’ is painful, often feeling unresolved, sometimes psychically dangerous - the more important question we asked, was what world will we live in when if we don’t pursue what we know is calling us. It is more a question of who can we team up with, and how fast can we get stuck back in. I’ve already made a few commitments and set a few things in motion since getting back, and it could not be more empowering.
We spend our last evening together sitting around the fire, each bringing a thread to weave onto our collective emerging new story. It was truly a privilege, as we trusted the moment and personal story with each other. I had brought a set of Kabbalah Hebrew Letter cards back with me from a recent visit to Israel and at the last minute put them in my travel bag before heading out. We passed around the deck, quietly feeling into what was important to remember from the gift of being together, what was being asked of us in this coming together. The letter Beyt ב was revealed.
We are a Home to each other. Duality is inevitable. Our work is to pursue meaningful and well-making balance. Light is always available. Like last time, I’m left inquiring, and knowing I was at the right place at the right time.
New connections, deepening relationships
It was an honour to meet and connect with Rebecca Huntley, Director of Research at 89DegreesEast, Darren Miller - CEO of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Stephanie McKew of Environmental Leadership Australia & consultant David Imber - forces of political insight! ALL the wonderful participants, many deeply knowledgeable in their field and passionate about the work, among them cross-disciplinary expert Dr Dean Bialik, the wonderful Mara Bún, Ellie and Eli, Abby, Adam, Amira, Asaf, Dave and Daniel, Emily, Josh, Koby, Michael, Nathan, Nick and Nicole, and Rachel from Melbourne’s beloved CERES Community Environment Park, Roger and dear artist Ryan, Tali, Tamar and Yael. And to reconnect with visionary Eytan Lenko, CEO of Boundless, Joel Lazar - phenomenal CEO of the Jewish Climate Network, the powerhouse and former diplomat Margalit Levin, skilled and prolific retreat leader Aaron Densham, our gorgeous camp carer and story collector Basya Vorchheimer, spoiled and so nourished by Amichai of Brackish Foods, and held together by the all-can-do Jarred Abrahams of JCN. To say that you all touched my heart is an understatement.
Thank you to the wonderful team at The Jewish Climate Network who put us and this weekend all together, to those who made it viable and possible, and to all of us - willing co-inquiry-co-creators.
Written by Annalee Atia, President, Community Engagement at Northern Rivers Jewish Community Association.