Stories about the origins of tables arguably aren鈥檛 that common in the average school but not long after we brought you the story of Carmel鈥檚 boardroom table comes the mystery of how a specific table and chairs came to be in our Jewish Studies room.

Ya鈥檃kov Braude of Carmel鈥檚 Maintenance team first shed some light on the back story of the enigmatic table, which bears the inscription 鈥淚n appreciation, Elon, Lael and Danit Zlotnick鈥�, at the end of 2020. He remembers the Zlotnick family donating the table to Carmel before they moved over east some years ago.

Google leads us to Elon, now partner in a firm of lawyers in Melbourne. He confirms he is the Elon noted on the brass plate, that Lael and Danit are his sisters and says he is happy to talk about his 国标麻豆视频APP days and the table donated in his and his sisters鈥� names 14 years ago.

Elon鈥檚 journey with Carmel started as a young four-year-old South African migrant to Perth in 1986 when he found himself enrolled as a Prep student. His sister Lael was only two years old at the time and baby Danit was yet to be born. In the fullness of time, all three Zlotnick children attended all the way through 国标麻豆视频APP, with Elon graduating in 1998, Lael (now a speech therapist) in 2000 and Danit (now a teacher) in 2007.

Communications with Elon鈥檚 parents, Martin and Althea, reveal that Carmel still holds a special place in their hearts. As new migrants with small children back in 1986, Martin says they were welcomed by a 鈥渢ruly loving and caring school and community.鈥� Twenty-one years later in 2007, when the family moved to Melbourne, donating the table and chairs seemed to Martin and Althea to be the least they could do to thank Carmel and its educators for nurturing their family.

鈥淲e firmly believe a Carmel education gave our children solid groundings for each of their university educations and proved pivotal in their careers,鈥� Martin says. Elon鈥檚 sentiments echo those of his dad鈥檚. 鈥淎s a family, we were all that fond of Carmel we wouldn鈥檛 have hesitated in making such a donation鈥�, he confirms.

Now father to three young children spanning creche age to Year 3, for the past few years Elon鈥檚 Carmel education has been top-of-mind as he鈥檚 researched Jewish day schools for his girls. 鈥淐armel gives its students an outstanding Jewish education and offers that to a wide cross-section of the Jewish community. I鈥檓 pretty boastful about Carmel; if we lived in Perth, we鈥檇 send our kids there in a heartbeat鈥�, he declares.

Asked if there was any pivotal Carmel influence that impacted on his studies beyond graduation, Elon says his then Year 8 science teacher, Mr Evan Pritchard, significantly shaped his later academic success.

鈥淚n primary school, I was a classic example of a child who wasn鈥檛 academically focused - some might have described me as the class clown - and I spent some time outside the principal鈥檚 office. I started to knuckle down in Years 8 and 9 and Mr Pritchard was key in that.

鈥淎fter school, I did a Biomedical Science and Molecular Biology degree before going on to do graduate law. I had never been academic in my early school career; it was through Mr Pritchard鈥檚 classes and his interest in me that I realised I could get decent grades. I started working harder and this was a turning point for me.鈥�

Carmel鈥檚 influence on Elon鈥檚 life has extended beyond the academic and Judaism-based areas of his life: he married Aileen (nee Phillips, Dorot Carmel 2002), who worked for some time as a broadcast journalist at SBS and now works for the RSL.

Annually, the Zlotnick family continues to sponsor a Year 10 Speech Night award,听the Zlotnick Prize for Academic Endeavour.

As with the origins of the boardroom table, the wider story surrounding our donated Jewish Studies room table ultimately reveals itself to be about 国标麻豆视频APP鈥檚 significance to those who pass through it and the indelible mark its nurturing and sense of belonging leaves on them.