The lockdowns of varying degrees currently being experienced in Melbourne and Sydney highlight the deep fissures and inequalities prevalent in large cities. Rather than a tale of two cities, it’s a tale of two halves within each city. While these generalisations are very broad, they are indicative of a number of factors that start with the socioeconomic status (SES) variation across different suburbs within the city. This is not a simple case of rich vs…
After the sudden resignation of the president of Collingwood Football Club, Eddie McGuire, David points out the club’s flaws when it comes to governance and leadership. [Medium].
Why is this state different from all other states? There are no simple answers. We are still in the “fog of war” (albeit slightly less foggy than a few months ago), and we won’t get to the bottom of this for a while yet. We don’t know if the second wave has peaked. We don’t know if there won’t be further waves (here or in other states). The judicial inquiry is barely getting started. We…
David talks about the importance of family advisors being able to say what needs to be said, when it is need to be said in a place where everyone who needs to hear can hear it. [LinkedIn].

With the recent departure of their senior coach, it has been revealed that former Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is a “front and centre” contender for the top role at the Yeshivah Centre. Following years of club turmoil and poor performance, the Yeshivah Centre engaged KPMG to undertake a comprehensive review of operations, and in an unusual move also requested a forensic examination of the club’s game plan over the last forty years. As one director…
After judges from the Sydney Beth Din are found in contempt of court by the NSW Supreme Court, David considers the wider implications of this precedent, and how Beth Dins need to adapt to their role when embedded in secular society [Times of Israel and J-Wire]
The drawn out process of governance reform at Yeshivah over the last few years has not concluded, rather has reached an important step. If it were a construction project, we could say that we’ve done our share of demolition and excavation, and the foundation is largely complete. Now it begins in earnest. With a new organisational structure, broad membership, and boards with elected representatives, we have the basis for a fresh start – a new…

With the passing of a new Jewish year and the fresh spiritual energy this brings to the world, there is a palpable buzz around the Yeshivah as we approach something that has never happened here before: democratic elections. The intersection between democracy and Orthodox Judaism is a complex one that is still developing, and after a baptism of fire over the last few years, our community is likely breaking new ground in its transformation from closed to…
As the restructure process at Yeshivah Centre inches forward, and we draw closer to elections, the big question is: who will nominate to hold board positions on the new legal entities that will operate the school, shule, and other business units of the Centre? Three new legal entities will require over twenty people to put their hands up. There are a few challenges in taking the leap from where we are now to where we need to be. 1. Despite…
A wise friend of mine adapted the Harvard-developed negotiation model (seven elements, getting to yes) to articulate a hierarchy of three ways a dispute can be resolved: power, rights and interests. Power is a very effective way to resolve a dispute. For example, a child says “I want to do X”, and their parent says “no”. The dispute is very quickly resolved through the use of power. It works well because of the power imbalance…