Senior Rabbi Awarded Australia’s Prestigious Honor

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick, a senior Chabad Rov and Shliach in Melbourne, Australia has been honored by the Australian Government with the prestigious award of a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of decades of work for the Australian Jewish community in a range of roles.

Rabbi Gutnick, who was born in Australia, was sent there with his wife Rebbetzin Sara Gutnick (nee Kramer) in 1974 by the Rebbe and they have together undertaken numerous roles in the advancement of Torah and Yiddishkeit in the Australia Jewish Community.

Rabbi Gutnick was honored by the Australian Government in recognition of his ongoing work as a senior rabbi, in such roles as president of the Rabbinical Organisation of Australia and New Zealand the president of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria, past Dayan in the Sydney Beth Din and his general role as a communal rabbi to a number of Jewish congregations in both Sydney and Melbourne.

His role as Jewish Chaplain to the Australia Defence Forces – assuming the rank of Captain upon his appointment – is also acknowledged in his award achievements.

He is currently the Av (Senior Dayan) of the Melbourne Beth Din, Patron of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria, Rav HaMachshir and Rabbinic Administrator of Kosher Australia – Australia’s largest Kashrus agency. He remains a well-respected counselor, speaker and lecturer both in Australia and internationally.

In a number of media interviews to mark the award Rabbi Gutnick paid particular tribute to his mentor the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his upbringing in the Chabad-Lubavitch Community and educational facilities for the motivation and drive in the rabbinic and communal areas of endeavor that they imbued within him.

He stated that the Chabad outreach philosophy and action, as practiced by Chabad Shluchim generally, has always inspired him to try to spread Jewish observance in the Jewish community and acts of goodness and kindness within the general community. He also acknowledged the influence of his late father Rabbi Chaim Gutnick OBM who himself was an inspiration to so many in Australia and beyond as a de facto Chief Rabbi in Melbourne Australia.

Rabbi Gutnick made a particular point of acknowledging the support of his wife Rebbetzin Sara and his family – who are also active in communal work themselves. He expressed confidence that with the help of G-d his grandchildren and great-grandchildren would also follow in their footsteps in working for the community in the future.

He said that he was humbled by the honor given to him by the Australian Government and acknowledged the Government’s ongoing support and respect for the Jewish community generally that such an award reflected.