The first Orthodox Jewish rabbi to be appointed to an Australian supreme court recited a Jewish prayer at the end of his swearing-in ceremony this week.
Rabbi Marcus Solomon, an experienced commercial litigator and arbitrator, was sworn in on Wednesday to the Supreme Court of Western Australia. The Perth resident, who also serves as leader of the Dianella synagogue, said at the end of the swearing-in that he wanted to conclude the ceremony “with an old Jewish custom” — saying the Shehechyanu Jewish prayer, which is typically recited to celebrate new experiences.
Before saying the Hebrew prayer, he added that “if the chief justice can use Hebrew,” referring to an earlier speech, “then I am not going to be outdone.”
He has served as vice president of the Carmel High School in Perth since 1997, and was previously a teacher of Jewish studies at the school and director of Carmel’s Jewish studies department.