Rabbi Ralph Genende: rabbiralph@kesher.net.au
Counselling
Rabbi Ralph has an Honours degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree (with first class honours) in counselling from Auckland University. He is a trained counsellor with decades of experience in a wide range of personal, family and identity issues. He has a particular interest in grief and Jewish family relationships. He is available for one-off counselling sessions, as well as short term therapy.
Mentoring
Over the years in his role as College, Communal and Defence Rabbi, Ralph has guided and mentored countless young people, and more recently has mentored young leaders and rabbis. He believes in the youth of today and their capacity to make meaningful change in our complicated world. He accepts a couple of pro bono mentoring positions every year.
Youth Development
Ralph is a passionate supporter of organisations that seek to empower young adults in the Jewish community. He acts as an advisor and participates in activities and projects of organisations like Stand-Up and Zooz.
He is a proud supporter of Zooz, a spirited young adults Carlebach service that runs every Friday night and on festivals at Manders Villas, the Jewish Care facility on Glen Eira Road in Caulfield.
As Jewish Care Rabbi, he is a strong advocate for its projects to enhance youth capacity in the Melbourne Jewish Community - these include the Yesod Leadership and Young Achiever’s Programme.
Public Speaking
According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy…
Jerry Seinfeld
Seinfeld puts it humorously albeit bluntly but the truth is, for so many people, public speaking is especially scary. I’ve had a career of decades of public speaking and at a rough modest estimate would say I have probably given in excess of 6000 speeches and sermons.
Very few people can stand up and speak spontaneously.Even seasoned speakers can struggle with this. One of the most basic rules of public speaking is preparation and preparation precedes and informs presentation. As in the truism, if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
A good and significant speech demands thinking and a gentle cooking till it’s toasted to perfection. It can involve a jotting down of ideas and research. It can be improved by testing ideas on others but most importantly it’s about discovering and developing your own unique voice. You may not become a Martin Luther King Jr but you can become a captain of your own dreams.
I can help you prepare and produce a speech that reflects your authentic voice!
Education – Shiurim, Guest Speaker and Lecturer
Looking for a compelling speaker, then Rabbi Ralph is your address. He loves teaching the young and engaging with the older demographic. He often presents at schools and shules, conferences and workshops outside of his work at Jewish Care where he is a frequent and popular presenter at its residential homes and for its community projects.
Publications and Articles
Rabbi Ralph has recently published his first book on finding meaning in complex times. It is available at local bookstores or from Barnes and Noble. Click this link to purchase online.