For our March formal dinner, we had the honour of meeting and listening to Jude Stern. Jude leads the strategic knowledge agenda for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.  The evening started with an…

As I stepped into our familiar lounge, now beautifully decorated (it went through its Cinderella moment), I found myself on the brink of an adventure- my very first formal dinner. Our guest of honor, Dr. Siupeli…

Mandelbaum House is proud to announce Oliver Ergas as the recipient of the 2023 Eddie Jaku OAM Mensch Award. This prestigious award, presented annually since 2018, is voted for by residents and staff. It honours the…

It’s a new month, and that meant another one of Mandelbaum House’s much-loved formal dinners. This time we were privileged to have the Vice Chancellor Mark Scott AO as our guest speaker. The evening commenced with…

Our September formal dinner began with resident Ian Yap performing Claire De Lune by Debussy on piano. A very pleasant surprise to find out Ian played the piano, as he took Mandelbaum through as he put…

On Wednesday night, 2nd of August 2023, Mandelbaum House hosted Associate Professor Narelle Yeo for an event that I now fondly remember. As I was making my way to the formal dinner, I did not know…

On the 18th of April, Mandelbaum House welcomed Professor Tony Larkum as a guest speaker at Formal Dinner. The topic of the evening was coral bleaching, a phenomenon that has devastated the world’s coral reefs in…

On 21 March, Dr. Lisa Jackson Pulver unveiled a magnificent Indigenous mural on the roof terrace of Mandelbaum House which was gifted to the college by a family of one of the College’s Aboriginal students. Mandelbaum…

Dr. Sue Morris has a passion for enhancing students’ success and wellbeing, with an emphasis on positive psychology and resilience. Over 25 years of undergraduate teaching at UNSW, she has focused on developing innovative and engaging…

Our September Formal Dinner guest speaker was Romy Wolman, a disability advocate and the Founder/Executive Director of One&All, an inclusive, holistic, and creative hub for mixed abilities and mental health. As she spoke, we learned about…

This year Mandelbaum House celebrates its 25th birthday. Hundreds of students from Melbourne to Mozambique have found “a home away from home” at Mandelbaum. As a means to keep alumni connected, Gina Abramowitz (2016 resident, Alumni…

The impact of COVID is harsh and widespread; suddenly millions of people are in lock down and improvising living life in one spot. What does this mean for students in residence? Mandelbaum House strode ahead to…

Shavuot is a significant festival in the Jewish tradition. This year our residents decided to focus on the universal virtues and values that each of the holiday’s customs can teach us. Of course, we didn’t give…

On Tuesday the 11th of May, Mandelbaum residents were honoured with the presence of Professor Dr Stephen Garton, Vice-Chancellor and principal of the University of Sydney. We were also delighted to welcome back our chairman Associate…

Mandelbaum House’s second formal dinner for the year was special this time for two reasons: first the date, and second, the guest speaker. Taking place on the 14th of April, the evening was themed in celebration…

Associate Professor Dr Lilon Bandler, is the Principal Research Fellow for the Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education Network, the chair of the National Patient Blood Management Advisory Committee, a Board member of the Far West Local…

Congratulations to our 2021 Resident Assistants (RAs) Andrea Xia, Kacy Zhou and Thomas Winship for their appointments as the Mandelbaum House RAs in 2021. Each have held leadership roles at Mandelbaum over the past few years,…

Fitting your entire life into just a handful of suitcases is no easy feat: Should I bring my posters? What about a pillow? Can I buy snacks close by? Don’t worry, we’ve collated responses from current…

At our first formal dinner for the year, on the 27th of February, Mandelbaum House warmly welcomed the special guest speaker Michael Stone, CEO of the Holistic Services Group, to share his story that took him…

Living at Mandelbaum House got me closer to all kinds of sports: basketball Oztag, football (soccer), volleyball, badminton and many more. It was a celebration every time we participated—winning or losing didn’t matter as long as…

“How’s Eddie?” is one of the questions I most frequently receive when catching up with Mandelbaum alumni. There is always something interesting to relay about our special friend Eddie, be it the story he shared with…

On 17 October 2019 Mandelbaum House welcomed Dr. Rob Silberstein as a guest lecturer to our monthly formal dinner. Dr. Silberstein has faced many obstacles that the majority of us have not even considered when embarking…

On Wednesday the 4th of September, Deputy-Vice Chancellor Education AO Pip Pattison joined Mandelbaum House as our special guest for formal dinner. Having completed her PhD in Psychology, Pip has used her expertise as a quantitative…

If you don’t ask, you will never find out about the potentially wonderful reward!” was one of the many insightful takeaways from a night of whimsical, comical, and endearing recounts. As we dive into award-winning journalist…

At our mid-semester formal dinner on 1 May 2019, Mandelbaum House hosted my favourite guest: Eddie Jaku, the self-proclaimed ‘World’s happiest man’. Eddie is a Holocaust survivor who lived in Germany throughout World War II. I have…

A month into classes, students at the University of Sydney have adapted to early mornings, all-nighters and caffeine jitters. With deadlines and mid-semester exams looming, Mandelbaum residents took a night off on March 27 to welcome…

Mandelbaum House residents were excited to welcome Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver AM and her husband Mark to the first formal dinner of the new year. A Wiradjuri Jewish woman, she was made a Member of the…

“From macromolecules to the Israeli right wing” was Professor Shindler’s recount of his political endeavours. Following a degree in Chemistry, Professor Shindler pursued his passion in the field of Political Studies, and the rest is history.…

Mark Schneider presented his million dollar budgets, his university life-changing decisions, how his team made a Pygmy Blue-tongue Lizard reserve and how his love for speaking changed his career from an engineering student to a renewables…

Dr. Sue Morris strides across the room, engaging us with her quick wit and lively lecturing style as she regales the tale of Liam. A hypothetical individual who illustrates the concept of suboptimal thinking, Liam has…

‘Location! Location! Location!’ is a mantra repeated so often when finding a new place to live. Mandelbaum House goes above and beyond in meeting these expectations as we are in a prime location of Darlington which…

Two time Archibald Prize Finalist Loribelle Spirovski graces Mandelbaum House with her presence for our second last formal dinner of the semester. Earlier this year, Spirovski displayed a Solo show of her art at Guy Hepner…

On the night of the 11th of April, a very special person joined Mandelbaum House for Formal Dinner. This special person is Eddie Jaku, a man filled with wisdom, with a very important story to tell:…

Last week saw the beginning of classes at the University of Sydney and the return of early mornings and all-nighters for about 60,000 students. In the midst of the whirlwind that is the new semester, residents…

Mandelbaum House had the immense pleasure of hosting world renowned concert pianist Simon Tedeschi and Loribelle Spirovski, Archibald Prize finalist (2017) and fiancé of Tedeschi at our second formal dinner of semester two. Tedeschi took the…

They say home is where the heart is. That special place full of memories, laughs and warmth. Somewhere where we can return and feel comfortable, a place where we belong. I always thought that there can…

The residents of Mandelbaum House had the privilege of listening to a highly motivational, witty yet genuinely modest speech by “character” Thomas Whalan at the first formal dinner of Semester 2, 2017. Thomas Whalan is renowned…

On Wednesday 3rd of May, Mandelbaum House hosted its third formal dinner of Semester One 2017. As  residents slowly ushered into the dining area that evening, a sense of anticipation could be felt in the room…

One of the highlights in the Mandelbaum calendar is the monthly Formal Dinner. We were delighted to welcome back A/Professor Lilon Bandler to be our guest speaker for our first 2017 dinner. The evening began with…

Are you coming to Sydney for one semester on a Study Abroad or Exchange programme? Make the most of your experience and live with Aussies and other Internationals with the convenience of a friendly community, and…

Everyone has their ‘go to’ starting point when searching for travel accommodation. Some keep it simple and shoot an email to their trusted travel agent. Others go on the hunt, which today goes way beyond the…

The second formal dinner of semester two started off with a beautiful rendition by resident Darron Ho of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep on his Chinese Violin, or Erhu. As guest speaker for the night we…

Walking into Mandelbaum House for its latest reunion on Thursday night brought back so many memories for me. I remember arriving as a 19-year-old from California who had never been to Australia, getting out of the…

Semester 2 at Mandelbaum House started in style with a seamless blend of intellectual conversation, music and banter at our welcome dinner. Having been here for only over a week, I’m fascinated by how quickly Mandelbaum…

What’s the difference between a ‘house’ and a ‘home’? A house is a building or structure that someone resides in, whereas a home is a place where a person not only lives but also feels a…