Plenum Pack - April 2021 Notice of plenum - NSW Jewish Board of ...
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Plenum Pack – April 2021
Notice of plenum
Date Tuesday 20 April 2021
Time 7.30pm
Please note, the April plenum will be in a hybrid format. You must register
regardless of whether you will be attending in-person or online
To register your attendance, please use this link: https://bit.ly/jbdapril
Venue Education Resource Centre, Sydney Jewish Museum
Zoom To be provided once registered2 Dear Deputy Next week’s NSW Jewish Board of Deputies plenum will discuss why it is important for the nations of the world - including Australia and Israel - to recognise the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides. The speakers will include Dutch-born Holocaust survivor Eddy Boas, Assyrian activist Suzy David and Member for Berowra Julian Leeser MP, who signed the Joint Justice Initiative calling on the Australian Government to recognise the genocides. The plenum will be held both in person and online on Tuesday 20 April at 7:30pm. Registration is required for both options at https://bit.ly/jbdapril We look forward to seeing you there. Kind regards Lesli Berger President
3
NEW SOUTH WALES JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES LTD
PLENUM AGENDA FOR TUESDAY 20 APRIL 2021
Agenda item
1. Acknowledgement of Country and Deputy Prayer Dr George Foster
Discussion: Learning from the Holocaust: why
countries should recognise the Armenian, Assyrian Introduced by Lesli
2.
and Greek genocides Berger
3. Confirmation of March 2021 Plenum Minutes Lesli Berger
Possible election of the Returning Officer and Electoral Committee if positions
4.
are contested
5. Matters arising Lesli Berger
6. President’s Report Lesli Berger
7. CEO’s Report Vic Alhadeff
Committee Reports: Committee Chairs:
Social Justice Liam O'Callaghan
8. Shoah Remembrance Dane Stern
Public Affairs David Ossip
Community Relations Greg Weiss
Education Joshua Moses
9. ECAJ Report Peter Wertheim
10. Question time and general business4
NSW JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES
March 2021 Plenum - minutes of meeting
Date Tuesday 16 March 2021
Time 7.30pm and adjourned at 9:23pm
Place Emanuel Synagogue
Index of decisions and discussions
The below index is merely a guide to assist the reader in being able to identify (quickly),
discussion points and decisions in the minutes.
Location in the
Decision / discussion
minutes
Panel discussion on the LGBT+ experience in the Jewish
Agenda item 3
community
CEO update Agenda item 5
New cemetery space - update Agenda item 5
NSWJBD election review - update Agenda item 5
Anti-Semitism syllabus for Catholic schools Agenda item 7
Prosecutions under section 93z - update Agenda item 75
Agenda Item
1 Welcome by the President, Lesli Berger
Lesli Berger welcomed everyone to the March plenum.
2 Deputies Prayer and Acknowledgement of Country
Heath Sloane recited the Deputies Prayer and Acknowledgement of Country.
3 Panel discussion
Lesli Berger:
Introduced the panel, which will be monitored by Josh Kirsh.
Identified the panellists as: Jonathan David, Danielle Meltzer, Dr Kerryn Phelps AM,
Jackie Stricker-Phelps and Galit Taub.
Introduction
Josh Kirsh asked the panellists to:
introduce themselves and
share some experiences that shaped their journeys about being LGBT+ and being in
the Jewish community.
Jonathan David said:
Finding out about Dayenu after coming out was significant. I learnt that it is okay to be gay and
Jewish at the same time, and previously I didn’t see that in the Jewish community.
Dr Kerryn Phelps AM said:
The question is a simple one and a complicated one.
My journey begins with meeting Jacquie and travelling to New York to be married.
Introduction Coming back to Sydney, I meet with the congregation at Emanuel Synagogue and had
continues a remarkable experience being accepted here. I was welcomed by the Rabbis here,
had our relationship acknowledged and accepted and entered into a long conversation
about marriage equality.
Finally, in 2017, the legislation was passed by the Federal Parliament. We then
reaffirmed our vows. Along that way, it has been important for me to remain
connected with the Progressive Jewish community.
I remember very well the first Dayenu float at the first Mardi Gras, and the support
the Australian Jewish News gave to that. It is an important landmark in Jewish LGBT+
life. It is an important way for the Jewish community to have visibility.6
Jackie Stricker-Phelps said:
I was born into a Jewish family and my father and mother were married in this
synagogue. Our daughter had her bat mitzvah here.
My journey started in my early 20s. I was very lucky with my parents who were
accepting of my sexuality. My dad said that I was better when I was with girls, and I
explored that.
Australia was very much a place where you did not talk about your sexuality. My
grandmother used to play cards with her friends, and apparently some of her older
friends were whispering that I might be ‘one of those people’. My grandmother
threatened to stop playing cards with them. I had a really lucky journey. I feel so sad
for people who don’t. I try to listen to and support young people.
As a little girl growing up, I wanted to get married. When Kerryn told me ‘let’s get
married’, we couldn’t. I eventually found a Rabbi in New York to marry us. I wanted
other young people and older people to get married. Marriage is the gold stamp of a
relationship for me, and I wanted others to have the same right. I want them to have
children if they want to. We forged the way for people to have lives like everyone else.
I would continue to fight for the rights of those who need help or are cut off from their
family.
As Jews, we have something in common with the gay and lesbian community. They
were wearing pink triangles while we were wearing yellow stars.
Galit Taub said:
I’m still on this journey. The first time it occurred to me that I might be a lesbian, it felt
like my world was crashing around me. I spent several years being in denial. I realised
that I had to grapple with being a religious Jew, and my sexual identity.
Finally, I am where I am now. Finding new ways where parts of my identify can co-
exist. These parts are not mutually exclusive. The important thing is that being
religious and being part of the religious community is as much part of me as my
sexuality.
Danielle Meltzer said:
I’ve come out twice. I first came out as a gay man. It’s a long story. That’s who I
thought I was. And then, I came out again as a transgender woman.
I graduated from Moriah in 2009. That time was very different to what we have now.
At that time there was a masculine ideal that we had to strive for. If you’re a man, you
need to be masculine.
I think there is a lack of exposure within our community towards other sorts of lives.
When you are growing up, everyone you hear about is a boy being married to a girl.
That’s the standard and that’s what you expect of yourself. When you realise that’s
not who you are - that is a kind of rejection. I feared that I will be rejected as I didn’t
live up to what was accepted.
At the moment, I am in the wilderness. I want to connect with the religion. I used to
love being Jewish.
Questions from Question: What does our community have to do to give more support to queer identifying
the plenum people?
attendees both in-
person and online, Jackie Stricker-Phelps answered: Mentoring is very important. Kerryn and I both talk about
moderated by Josh mentoring in general. I didn’t see myself represented back in the 1970s. No one knew I was
Kirsh. gay at work until I met Kerryn. If I had mentors at that time that said, "hey look at me", that7 would have been good. If every workplace had at least one person that you could go to, I think that is really helpful. Jewish organisations are welcoming. You have to find groups of people to feel safe with. It’s a big thing. I can remember walking into a bar with my parents in London, and I was thinking that there were women there who didn’t look like women. I didn’t identify with the way they looked. Now you can look any way you like, and you can get married if you want to. To connect with the religion, you need to find groups within the religion that are welcoming. Galit Taub answered: I went to a panel at Yom Limmud, and someone asked one of the panellists "why don’t you go to a reform shule, why do you fight for this?" I think that it’s important that if you have those beliefs, that there is that representation. Giving up on my religious beliefs isn’t an option for me. Josh Kirsh: I think that inclusivity doesn’t do anyone harm. Broadening the language used doesn’t hurt anyone. It does not harm to use the words ‘parents’, instead of mother and father. Danielle Meltzer answered: School is your formative years. This sort of language wasn't used when I was at school. I think that if we were able to include that language, and that education, it would really go a long way in removing the ‘shame’. It’s instilled in you from a young age that if you are not abiding by the norm that there is something wrong with you. I keep hearing about all these stories from the younger generation, and it is so much more diverse now. You really think it’s okay to be this way. Back when I was at school, I didn’t have the words. I didn’t know what I was feeling. It’s important to be educated in these ways. It just helps to have a more diverse and inclusive society. Jonathan David answered: I was just thinking about the schools because I didn’t go to a private Jewish school. But I have spoken to a lot of friends, and the thing that I keep hearing is that they didn’t feel so supported. Immediately, I felt that the teachers didn’t have diversity training in order to support LGBT+ students. I think that simple things like that can be very important in changing the scene. If more organisations could acknowledge the LGBT+ days during the year, like ‘Wear it Purple Day’, this can start up conversations and people can start talking about the uncomfortable things, and hopefully that would support individuals in our community. Dr Kerryn Phelps AM answered: Leadership needs to change things. Rabbi Kamins and Rabbi Ninio showed courage and leadership. Jackie’s grandmother showed leadership for standing up for her. Danielle, your mum is here. That is showing leadership. I’ve spoken to leaders in the Jewish community who are openly hostile towards the LGBT+ community. Leadership is something we appreciate and see. Josh Kirsh: I attended Moriah College and knew that I could be expelled for being openly gay. I knew that there was a lot of support and love in that school community, but to attend school and living your authentic life while knowing that you could be expelled was horrendous. Jackie Stricker-Phelps answered: When I was teaching, the parents were fantastic and the students were fantastic. The problem was a few people wanted me to ‘stop talking about the gay thing’. I had to make a decision to protect young people, or leave the school and leave my teaching career. I decided that the social justice part was more important than teaching. Years later, when Kerryn and I adopted our daughter, we sent her back to that school. The Head had changed, it was a different culture and it was the right school for her. She ended up being Head Girl. The school invited her and I back to talk about marriage equality to the whole school, and the importance of being out in the open. This showed me that the world has moved on. It was no detriment to her that she was a Jewish Head girl and an adopted daughter to same-sex partners. If you have good leadership, you have everything. Parents need to stand up and say "hey, my kid isn’t being treated right". If you see wrongdoing, you
8 need to speak out and make a noise. We made noise. It wasn’t comfortable but eventually bought results. Question: Would you be encouraged to participate more in religious life if synagogues were to openly declare their position on integrating LGBT+ folks into their communities? Galit Taub answered: Great strides have been made in the orthodox community in America and Israel. Sometimes there are conversations around Jewish law and Halacha that are an excuse for the actual problem. Within the religious community, you have a sense of being part of something bigger than you. However, at times, it creates a very specific box that you need to fit inside. We have to be careful… Dani mentioned that she had feelings of shame. I had similar feelings, and nothing was said explicitly to me. I had those feeling towards myself because I knew I didn’t ‘fit’, or belong, or tick that box. It was really difficult. I think if we had people saying that shules are welcoming spaces, and that your sexuality is not a factor in belonging in this community - that could be really powerful for young people. Question: What do we think are the best ways that our communities’ can better advocate for each other? Galit Taub answered: I’m part of Youth Hear, and we are looking at creating conversation with other communities and finding a common ground. That requires us to have conversations. There is an element of training and learning about each other. We have to find what we have in common. Jonathan David answered: We have to organise more social gatherings. There needs to be more interfaith events as well as events with joint organisations from Jewish organisations and queer organisations. We would have more ‘allies’ and having more of these conversations. Dr Kerryn Phelps AM answered: I think that there are two ways that this can be managed. One way is for a person who is LGBT+ to find a comfortable, accepting place within the Jewish community. The second is for the Jewish sub-communities to have conversations about losing valuable individuals from their communities. It is a sad thing for their communities. In terms of creating ‘safe spaces’, as a GP we were taught about having a rainbow flag in your waiting room for inclusivity. Having this event on your agenda gives a strong signal that this community accepts you and wants to listen to your issues and answers. Question: Share something you would have loved said to you, that would have made you feel accepted and loved? Jackie Stricker-Phelps answered: I would have loved hearing while I was growing up that I could marry whoever I liked. Galit Taub answered: I want religious people to know that there is a place for them. They don’t have to ‘pick’. Both groups are valid and can co-exist. Their connection with G-d and religion is special. They should keep loving what they love to be part of. Jonathan David answered: When I came out, I think I would have liked to hear more acceptance, and small things like "look it’s the Mardi Gras on TV, isn’t that nice?". Dr Kerryn Phelps AM answered: I think I would have liked to hear at some point that the way will be hard at times, there will be steep hills to climb and twists and turns and you will be okay, and you will be able to work your way through that. There will be support structures along the way. It’s nice to look retrospectively, but life will have its challenges. Part of building resilience is part of being able to be directed to those support structures. I think that having
9
those emotional resources are important.
Danielle Meltzer answered: I wish I heard it was okay to be different.
Josh Kirsh: I’ll end by sharing my own reflection. The thing that I think I would have
appreciated being said to me is to not be afraid to be first. Do not be afraid to do, to speak and
listen. To not think of things that you do are in spite, but because of who you are.
Josh Kirsh thanked the audience for engaging with the panel, and the NSWJBD for hosting the
Closing and vote of conversation.
thanks
Liam O’Callaghan gave the vote of thanks.
Plenum Minutes - February 2021
4
Kati Haworth said: there is a spelling error with Roger Selby’s name.
The February 2021 plenum minutes be adopted as a true and accurate record of meeting.
Moved by: Natalie Rubinstein Second: Ed Finer
President’s Report
5
Lesli Berger noted the extraordinary contribution of deputy George Foster. George was the
NSWJBD’s representative on the Civil Chaplaincy Advisory committee from September 2010
until very recently. During this time, he served as chair for 18 months, as vice chair for 2-3
years, and chair of Health Services subcommittee for 2 years. George was also involved in a
Memorandum of Understanding working group. He was a member of the NSWJBD Executive
from 2002-2009. He was Vice President of the NSWJBD in 2004, chair of the Shoah committee
Vote of thanks for 3 years, and a deputy since 1995. George is a councillor of the ECAJ. George was the
President of the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants and
remains heavily involved. He served on the board of directors of the Sydney Jewish Museum
and volunteered as a guide. George is currently the President of the Southern Sydney
Synagogue.
Lesli proposed to formally move a vote of thanks to George Foster. The NSWJD thanks
George for his contribution and time for helping our community.
RESOLVED that a formal vote of thanks be given to George Foster for his invaluable service
to the Jewish community.
Moved: Lesli Berger Second: Kati Haworth.
Lesli Berger updated the Plenum on the CEO recruitment process and noted the NSWJBD is at
CEO the very advanced stages of hiring and finalising the candidate. Lesli assured the plenum that
the progress is moving in a timely fashion.
Lesli Berger stated that our community has been fortunate in NSW in that JEMP has no need
to declare an emergency. The JEMP decision-makers group was briefed by Professor Andrew
Lloyd.
JEMP Lesli Berger noted the following key messages from Professor Lloyd:
If you are offered an approved vaccine, take it.
Will all the approved vaccines prevent you from dying? Yes.
Will they prevent serious hospitalisation? Yes.
Are all the approved vaccines safe? Yes. They are extremely safe.10
Will organ failure be prevented from COVID? Yes.
Are there serious long-term side effects? No. There is possible for short term side
effects such as fatigue and pains. People might be allergic to the vaccine, however
they are in the minority.
Vaccinations are not available for children. However, there are clinical studies
regarding children.
The vaccine will limit transmission. If you have concerns, you should consult with your own GP.
JEMP will put together an information pack and distribute that to the community.
Lesli Berger reported that a Victorian cross-party Parliamentary committee has recommended
Victorian
that Victoria make it a criminal offence to display the Nazi Swastika except in limited
Parliamentary
circumstances. The NSWJBD is consulting with the NSW Government.
Committee
Lesli Berger stated that our community needs to encourage women to take a step forward
Diversity
into leadership positions. The best way to do this is to establish a mentoring program and
empower our female leaders.
Lesli Berger reported that the Jewish community has 5 years of burial space left.
Cemeteries Issue The NSW Government is going through a review of cemeteries in NSW. The Jewish community
needs access to new burial sites, and those spaces to be sold at an affordable price. There
needs to be protection in place to ensure the Jewish traditions in regard to burials are met.
Lesli Berger explained:
JBD Election
Review That Roger Selby is working on his discussion paper.
The discussion paper will only be the start of the process. The NSWJBD will be calling
for people to make submissions in response to the discussion paper.
The NSWJBD wants to ensure transparency and accountability.
[In response to the update on burial space], Kati Haworth asked: are any other communities in
a dire state? Lesli Berger responded that there are other communities. The NSWJBD is
meeting and working with groups who have a common interest to reach an agreed position.
Questions
[In response to the update on diversity], Dane Stern made the observation that Lesli's report
refers to gender and political diversity? Lesli Berger responded: it is important for our
community to have a range of community voices and backgrounds representing our
community.
RESOLVED that the President’s reports be adopted.
Moved: Natalie Rubinstein Second: Joshua Kirsh
6
Matters arising
Ed Finer:
Introduction of the
new Honorary
Introduced himself to the plenum.
Treasurer
Noted that he is originally from Israel and is currently married with a baby.
Explained that professionally, he is a chartered accountant. He has 15 years of senior
finance experience. He has worked with Deloitte, Vodafone and is currently with LJ11
Hooker.
Explained that he joined the NSWJBD as a member in 2018. As a financial economist,
he understands the repercussions of the pandemic, and wants to contribute to the
NSWJBD.
CEO Report
7
Antisemitism Vic Alhadeff stated that as part of a national initiative, the ECAJ and the NSW Jewish Board of
syllabus for Deputies are involved in a high-level working party with the Catholic archdiocese and Catholic
Catholic schools educators to devise a syllabus on antisemitism for the Catholic school sector. Over 100
Catholic educators have been briefed about the program. The program will be piloted in New
South Wales.
Vic Alhadeff noted that the first prosecutions under section 93Z of the NSW Crimes Act – the
legislation which the Board of Deputies campaigned for as a key partner of the Keep NSW Safe
coalition – have taken place. There was no connection to antisemitism, and unfortunately,
Prosecutions both convictions were annulled due to an error in the way the NSW Police handled the cases.
under s93Z The cases involved an Indian man on a bus who was abused by a fellow passenger, and a
Chinese woman who was abused by another woman.
The NSWJBD is awaiting the outcome of complaint which it has lodged about another
inflammatory speech by the same extremist leader whose call for violence against Jews
triggered the Keep NSW Safe campaign in 2015.
Vic Alhadeff explained that in September there will be elections for the Lord Mayor of Sydney.
The NSWJBD remains impartial and cannot tell anyone who to vote for. However, Vic Alhadeff
Lord Mayor flagged that any business which is registered in the city of Sydney is entitled to have two votes,
Elections as long as they have registered by June 28. Kati Haworth asked what happens if a person who
owns a business also lives in the same electoral. Does it mean that they get three votes? Vic
stated that he does not know the answer. Lesli Berger confirmed that they do not get three
votes.
RESOLVED that the CEO report be adopted.
Moved: Ed Finer Second: Liam O’Callaghan
8 Committee Reports
Community Report taken as read. No questions asked.
Relations
Report taken as read. No questions asked.
Education
Report taken as read. No questions asked.
Public Affairs
Report taken as read.
Shoah
Dane Stern announced that the Shoah commemoration will take place at Moriah College, and there
Remembrance
will be a ceremony at Rookwood. The Sydney Jewish Film festival is showing a film about our late
president, Jeremy Spinak.
Report taken as read. No questions asked.
Social Justice
9 ECAJ report
Peter Wertheim stated that the ECAJ will be putting together detailed guidelines on grievance
Complaints'
and complaint procedures. These guidelines:
procedure
are recommendations and will be provided to all Jewish organisations across Australia;12
and
will not be limited to gender or to the workplace.
Peter Wertheim explained that there will be three vaccines available in Australia. An
Vaccinations information sheet has been put together and will be circulated across Australia.
Peter Wertheim noted the ECAJ sent letters to publishers in Australia about the number of
Holocaust denial Holocaust denial books that they are listing. The ECAJ requested that they stop selling these
books and remove them from their websites.
Peter Wertheim explained that the ALP Policy Platform is coming before the National Platform
Committee of the ALP. The critical date for finalising the platform is Friday 19 March. There
was an extensive consultation progress by the ALP. That consultation took place with party
members and other representatives of faiths and ethnic communities. There was no
suggestion of recognising Palestine in the documents or consultations.
ALP policy
platform
After the consultations, the ALP National Executive was badgered by Bob Carr to include a
statement on recognising Palestine based on the 2018 resolution that has been passed. On a
mistaken assumption that the resolution was part of the Platform, the committee agreed to
include it. Now that the truth has come out, some members are attempting to restore the
platform to the actual published booklet.
Peter Wertheim stated that the IHRA definition of antisemitism has not been endorsed by
IHRA
Australia yet. Peter Wertheim is hopeful that progresses is being made in that respect.
RESOLVED that the Committee reports and the ECAJ report be adopted.
Moved: Natalie Rubinstein Seconded: Joshua Kirsh
10 General Business
Kati Haworth noted that some years ago there was a motion put to the Plenum in support of
LGBT+ which passed almost unanimously. There was a supportive attitude from the Plenum.
The Social Justice committee put the motion forward.
Ernie Friedlander OAM announced that B’nai B’rith through the Moving Forward Together
Comments and program is producing a manifesto which will launch on May 7.
announcements
Ilona Lee announced that +61J is running a series of courses about the Uluru Statement. The
next one will be held in April and is for people working in Jewish organisations. Registration is
available on the +61J website. The course is run by Thomas Mayor. The courses consist of two
sessions.
Plenum adjourned 9:23pm
Honorary Secretary, Natalie Rubinstein
Minute taker Hila Tsor13
AGENDA ITEM 5
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Process to recruit a new CEO:
- I am pleased to confirm that Darren Bark has been successfully appointed as the new CEO of the
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies;
- Darren is due to start his new role on 19 May.
Thank you to Vic Alhadeff:
- I wish to note that this will be Vic Alhadeff’s last official Plenum as CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of
Deputies
- On behalf of the NSW Jewish community, I wish to again thank Vic Alhadeff for his extraordinary
service and dedication to our community. Vic has been a tireless worker for our community and his
passion, dedication and energy in pursuing the interests of our community and the interests of all
minority communities are second to none;
- Vic has always put the interests of our community first and our community thanks Nadene and the
entire Alhadeff family for enabling and supporting Vic to perform his duties at such a superb level.
- While this is the end of a chapter in Vic’s service to our community, I look forward to Vic continuing
his involvement with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies in his capacity as a consultant.
JEMP update:
- Given the very strong response from the NSW and Federal Governments, the DMG have decided to
meet less regularly unless there is a further significant outbreak in NSW.
Victorian Parliamentary Committee report recommending that the public display of the Nazi Swastika be
banned:
- We have raised this issue with a number of Government ministers and our CEO will correspond
further with the NSW Attorney General regarding this issue.
Diversity:
The Board of Directors is working on a proposal to establish a mentoring program to assist emerging
female leaders within the NSW Jewish community.
Sydney Beth Din:
- I have reached out to arrange a meeting with the Sydney Beth Din after pesach. As at the time of
writing this report the meeting has not yet been scheduled.
Cemeteries Issue:
- This issue is of ongoing and serious concern to our community and the Board of Deputies continue
to raise this issue with senior members of Government.
- The NSW Jewish community will run out of available burial space in 5 to 7 years.14
JBD Election Review
- I am pleased to report our returning officer Roger Selby has prepared a discussion paper requesting
further comment and feedback from the Plenum and interested parties;
- I will provide a verbal update to the Plenum.
Engagement with NSW Greens:
- No update to report to Plenum.15
AGENDA ITEM 6
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S REPORT
Yom Ha’atzmaut
Our annual Yom Ha’atzmaut cocktail event will take place on Monday April 26 in a city hotel, with the
Premier and the (Interim) Israeli Ambassador the guest speakers. Because of COVID, we are limited to 350
guests instead of the usual 600, with specific seating and eating arrangements. The ECAJ, ZFA and Zionist
Council of NSW will co-host the event with the Board of Deputies. If you wish to attend and have not
registered, please do so ASAP at https://events.humanitix.com/israel-s-73rd-independence-day-celebration
However, please note that numbers will be capped when we reach the permitted limit.
Meeting with the Premier
The President and I met with the Premier recently. A number of pressing issues were discussed.
Labor Party conferences
As has been widely reported, the ALP national conference was held recently, with a concerning outcome
regarding the Israel-Palestine issue. The ALP state conference has been scheduled for October 9-10. The
President will discuss this in his report.
Antisemitism syllabus to be trialled
As part of a national initiative, the ECAJ and the Board of Deputies are involved in a high-level working
party with the Catholic archdiocese and Catholic educators to devise a syllabus on antisemitism for the
Catholic school sector. The program has reached an advanced stage and is about to be piloted in New
South Wales at six Catholic schools. The intention is then to roll it out to all 152 Catholic schools in NSW
and ultimately, nationwide.
Anti-racism syllabus in public schools
We are also working with the NSW Department of Education on developing an anti-racism syllabus for
public schools, and the ECAJ is involved as its aim is to achieve a nationwide program. The intention is for
the syllabus to involve religious identity, General Religious Education and religious vilification.
Luncheon Club
The next meeting will feature State Opposition Leader Jodi McKay as guest speaker.
Flood relief appeal
The Board of Deputies has combined with B’nai B’rith to hold a fundraising appeal for victims of the recent
floods.
Assisting the Monte
We arranged a number of meetings with NSW Government ministers to assist the Montefiore Home in
regard to various issues.
Assisting the Hindu community16
I was asked to assist the Hindu community in regard to an issue which arose when a state MP publicly
accused that community’s SRE providers of being members of a proscribed terrorist organisation. The NSW
Police and Department of Education both cleared the providers of any such involvement.
Farewell
The April plenum will be my last as CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. It has been an extraordinary honour
and privilege to have served the Board of Deputies and the NSW Jewish community for 16 years, and I extend my
best wishes and b’hatzlacha to incoming CEO Darren Bark.
Vic Alhadeff
Chief Executive Officer17
AGENDA ITEM 7.1
SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE REPORT
Staff and Committee Membership Changes
Ariel Zohar and Emma Jackson have resigned from the Committee due to new work commitments. I thank them
both for an excellent year of hard work and ideas.
LGBT Plenum Feedback
The feedback I received from the Plenum from the speakers and participants was near universally positive. We
had 287 registrations, 97 in person and another 190 over zoom.
All the speakers were very happy with the questions, the panel composition, and the opportunity to speak.
Dayenu, the representative organisation for LGBT+ Jews is now in the process of formally signing up to be a
constituent member of the Board.
The LGBT+ Working Party also held its first meeting and reflected on the Plenum and identified further ways to
connect with the LGBT+ Jewish community and the wider LGBT+ community.
First Nations / Jewish Speaker Series
Planning continues for the First Nations / Jewish Speaker series and we can confirm that Labor Senator and Shadow
Minister Pat Dodson will be one of the speakers to the session on Justice.
Promotional material is being created for a tentative launch date of late April/early May.
Social Justice Committee Strategy Document
The Social Justice Committee has produced a strategy document for the next 18 months and I would be delighted to
distribute it to interested Deputies and Associates.
Liam O’Callaghan
Chair18
AGENDA ITEM 7.2
SHOAH REMEMBRANCE REPORT
Yom Hashoah: main function
The main communal Yom Hashoah commemoration on April 7th ran smoothly and feedback has been
overwhelmingly positive.
Many people have told me that before the event, they knew little about the theme of “The Holocaust in the Soviet
Union”, and the event taught them a lot about this important aspect of the Shoah. Our speaker, Alex Ryvchin, was
particularly engaging and insightful.
We reached Moriah’s in-person COVID capacity of 360 and had over 500 livestreaming, plus many more watching
the video on delay. For those who missed the event, it’s on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6JR3U4Ak2w
Shoah Remembrance Manager, Suzanne Green, did an excellent job managing the event, despite the challenges of
an in-person & livestreaming hybrid and working alongside a first-time chair. It was a pleasure working alongside
her.
I also thank my committee, each of whom played a role in planning segments, finding speakers, marketing,
compiling the program, volunteering on the night, speaking, providing advice, organising related events & more.
Thanks to each of the speakers & performers at this event and Rookwood.
Yom Hashoah: Rookwood
Our annual commemoration at Rookwood Cemetery took place on Sunday 11th of April with 70-80 attendees. This
was a more intimate commemoration, particularly the Reading of the Names, when attendees read names of
relatives who died in the Holocaust – to remember them as individuals.
Other events
This year, during the week of Yom Hashoah, there were many ways community members could commemorate the
Holocaust. Some other programs were led by members of our committee:
Webinar on “The Holocaust in Lithuania through art” (Rosalie Hirsch & SJM’s Aviva Wolff)
Youth HEAR young adult commemoration (Simone Starikov & her Youth HEAR colleagues)
Zikaron BaSalon (Danny Hochberg)
April plenum discussion
This month’s plenum is focused on Learning from the Holocaust, with the topic “Why countries should recognise the
Armenian, Assyrian & Greek genocides”. It appropriately falls between Yom Hashoah and the Armenian Genocide
commemoration date.
We will hear from local child Holocaust survivor Eddy Boas, who successfully lobbied the Dutch prime minister to
recognise the Netherlands’ role in the Holocaust. We will also hear from an Assyrian activist on why national
recognition of the genocides is pivotal to the three communities, and an overview on their joint lobbying campaign.
Julian Leeser MP has sent a video message, and reps of the Armenian & Greek communities will be available to
answer questions during the Q&A.
Dane Stern
Chair19
AGENDA ITEM 7.3
PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT
1. Cemeteries
The major priority for the Public Affairs Committee remains obtaining additional cemetery space for the community.
This is a critically important issue for the community which is becoming more time sensitive by the day. The
President and the CEO met with the Premier on 1 April and raised this issue. Another meeting is now being arranged
with Melinda Pavey – Minister for Water, Property and Housing – and we are hopeful that a resolution to this issue
will be forthcoming in the near-term.
2. ALP Conference
The ALP held its National Conference at the end of March. The Party’s platform was amended at the Conference to
provide that the Conference:
• supports the recognition and right of Israel and Palestine to exist as two states within secure and recognised
borders;
• calls on the next Labor Government to recognise Palestine as a state; and
• expects that this issue will be an important priority for the next Labor Government.
This amendment incorporates the resolution on recognition of a Palestinian state which was passed at the ALP
National Conference in 2018 into the Party’s official policy platform. The implications of this change and our strategy
for engaging with the ALP will be considered in light of the Conference. I do note that the Conference did pass
resolutions on Iran and Hezbollah following advocacy from allies of our community.
3. Yom Ha’Atzmaut
The Board’s annual Yom Haatzmaut cocktail function will be held on 26 April at the Four Seasons Hotel with the
Premier and Israel’s Chargé d'affaires scheduled to speak on the evening.
4. Recurrent security expenditure
Whilst the community has recently been the beneficiary of grants from both the State and Federal Governments to
assist with funding security infrastructure, it remains the case that the community does not receive any assistance
with recurrent security expenditure. Obtaining assistance is a key strategic priority for the Board. This matter was
raised by the President and CEO at their meeting with the Premier and next steps to advance this objective are
currently being considered.
5. Interaction with the Community Relations Committee (CRC)
Following a meeting in March between Greg Weiss, Lynda Ben-Menashe, Byron Danby and myself, the broad
outlines of a strategy have been formulated to ensure that the PA and CRC committees work more closely together
going forward. As part of this strategy, Byron will be attending CRC meetings and Lynda will be attending PA
meetings. This is critically important to ensuring that our engagement with other community groups is strategically
aligned to our broader political strategy. I’d like to thank Greg for his leadership on this matter.
6. Luncheon Clubs
Jodi McKay, Leader of the Opposition – 21 April
David Ossip
Chair20
AGENDA ITEM 7.4
COMMUNITY RELATIONS REPORT
Details
Projects &
Activities
The WAAS Mentoring program launched on March 22, with 16 mentor-mentee
pairs from various graduation years. Education Chair Joshua Moses and Shoah
Remembrance Chair Dane Stern are both mentors, as well as numerous
constituent organization presidents and board members, JBD Deputies and ECAJ
Major Project: staff. The event was held at the National Maritime Museum Which has been
supporting our work and promoting the inclusion of diverse Jewish stories in their
We Are All immigration collection.
Sydney
The WAAS Alumni committee and CR sub-committee met to begin work
developing the Alumni program which will run 4 events per year to even more
deeply maintain the connection between graduates at the Board.
Recruiting for the next general WAAS course running June-September has begun.
The cross-committee strategy of Relationship Building, Education, Policy and
Collaborations continues as follows:
Meetings with key First Nations leaders continue
Development of the Hand In Hand portal – progressing well
Finalising our Acknowledgement of Country – now in consultation with MLAC
Your Shabbat Your Way dinners for FN guests (a reminder that if you would like to
host one, please apply here: https://www.nswjbd.org/your-shabbat-your-way-
questionnaire-for-hosts/
Major Project:
Presentation of 6-part webinar (hosted by the SJM) highlighting Jewish-First
First Nations Nations history and shared values in June-July. All speakers are locked in and
Engagement they include:
Justice Stephen Rothman AM
Senator Pat Dodson
Dr Avril Alba
Henry Reynolds FAHA, FASSA
Marcus Stewart
Tom Powell
Rowan Foley
Tony McAvoy SC
Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins
Pastor Ray Minniecon
Rabbi Dr Benjamin Elton
A Shared Table ‘Pesach Sheni’ dinner event for mixed-age women of faith from
Activity: various communities will be held on April 29 at The Great Synagogue. The
Women’s Tefillah Group will run the proceedings and Chanel Contos will speak on
Shared Table the theme of ‘freedom from and freedom to’ for women.
Project Another Shared Table event at Coogee Synagogue and beach with refugee
women is planned for this month.21
Activity:
Relationship An Inaugural Friendship dinner with African leaders is scheduled for Thursday 10
building with June.
the African
community
Activity:
Lynda and CRC members Dane Stern and Hayley Coombes were among over 20
Stall at TAI graduates who volunteered to represent the Board and the Jewish community
Harmony Day, at this event, handing out material and making contacts.
Darling
Harbour
Yallah and Moishe Pod Sydney hosted a ‘Mimouna’ - a North African celebration
that takes places after Passover. The purpose of this event was to educate the
young adults in the wider Sydney community about diverse Jewish narratives and
traditions.
Activity:
The Yallah committee attended a Shabbat dinner with the ambassador of the UAE
Yallah and ambassador of Morocco.
Yallah co-hosted YouthHEAR’s Holocaust commemoration this year.
In collaboration with the Sephardi Synagogue, Yallah is commemorating the
Farhud on May 30.
Activity:
Community Relations officer Hila Tsor is representing the Jewish community on
the MYAN NSW Mental Health working group. The group will be planning a
MYAN
youth-led forum on mental health for young people from culturally and linguistically
diverse communities, refugees and migrant backgrounds.
Activity:
Hila Tsor and Director Joshua Moses are the NSWJBD representatives on the
Council of Council of Christians and Jews. The CCJ will be hosting a Shoah commemoration
Christians and event for the Christian community on May 11.
Jews
The Sydney Statement Media Launch took place at Sydney Town Hall on 11
March 2021. The Sydney Statement identifies values, principles and commitments
Activity: for fostering interfaith dialogue and friendship in Sydney and beyond. The content
was generated and authorised by the members of Youth PoWR (Parliament of the
World’s Religions), a coalition of young adults from different religions in Sydney,
Sydney
over two years of consultations and drafting. Community Relations Officer, Hila
Statement
Tsor and Director, Joshua Moses, are both members of the Youth PoWR
committee. The launch was an occasion for young adults, civic and religious
leaders, and educators to celebrate and promote religious harmony in our city.
Joshua Moses represented the NSWJBD at the event and spoke about his
experience in the interfaith space.
Activity:
CR committee member Rod Hyman AM is now working to coopt more Muslim and
Abraham
Christian members to the Steering Committee. The theme for 2021 is likely to be
Conference
womens' issues.22
The Jews from Islamic Lands exhibition has been extended to June. On March 14
Activity: Hila Tsor led the Sephardi Synagogue Board and Sephardi community members
through the exhibition and spoke about her own experiences as a young Mizrahi
adult in our community. Hila, Lynda and directors Dane Stern and Joshua Moses
Jews from
have led various groups through the museum exhibition, including: Egyptian Youth
Islamic Lands
Forum, We Are All Sydney participants from 19 communities, United Nations
Tours
Association of NSW, Assyrian Universal Alliance, Affinity Intercultural Foundation,
NSW Police Hate Crimes Unit, Australian Baha'i Community, Australian Syrian
Relief Organisation Ltd , Department of Home Affairs, Australian National Maritime
Museum Board members and the Ethnic Communities Council Board.
Ongoing
relational
meetings,
representation CRC members engaged with and attended events of the Hindu, Muslim, UN
at other Women, Dept Home Affairs, Anti-Slavery Australia, Columban Mission,
groups’ Multicultural NSW, The Premier’s Harmony Dinner and others this past month.
events, etc
Greg Weiss
Chair23
AGENDA ITEM 7.5
EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT
Education Manager Chair Deputy Chair
Suzanne Green Joshua Moses Benjamin Ezzes
We would like to congratulate Suzanne Green on her work anniversary milestone of (9) years at the NSW Jewish
Board of Deputies!
Functional update:
The Education Committee is in the process of planning the structure and content of the
Plenum. The allocated June plenum may be changed to a later month as a result of our
guest speaker’s request.
A high-profile ‘education’ guest speaker has been invited through the assistance of
Suzanne and Vic and has responded to be happy to attend in a later month.
The plenum will look to showcase and discuss the work of the Education Committee
Education so far. The templated structure of the plenum will include the guest speaker’s
Committee presentation, followed by a small activity to draw the plenum’s attention to
Plenum education within the community and Ben Ezzes to present his Jewish day school
thesis findings. Teachers and education sector stakeholders will be invited.
A set of education policy and Jewish education community questions have been
initially developed for a Kahoot-style activity. This includes three speaker-related
questions, three committee-related questions (RUA, JFIL and outreach), and one
question on Ben’s thesis findings. A short outline will be provided after each
question is answered at the plenum. A QR code will be organised.
The Board’s Respect, Understanding, Acceptance (RUA) Schools Harmony Program has
begun for 2021. There were three programs scheduled for Yr 9 students in March which
involved 15 schools over 3 sessions (some schools who have participated in the past are
still not comfortable sending students on excursions due to Covid-19).
The students come from a different areas of Sydney metro and from faith based
and government schools. Each school presents on the different aspects of cultural
Respect, representation at their schools. A significant component of the day has the
students speaking with each other about racism they have encountered and how
Understanding,
they “as young people can counter racism in their daily lives”.
Acceptance
More and more, schools are sending the leadership teams from their schools for
Schools
these programs which helps to solidify the learnings on their return to their schools.
Harmony Programs for Yr 11 students are planned for May (Term 2). These programs focus
Program on faith and religion.
Praise: At the March program session, several staff from the five participating
schools commented on how impressed they have been with the program and how
valuable it is for their students on so many levels – interacting with other faiths and
cultures, the issue of speaking out, anti-racism, etc. Thank you to the Suzanne
Green, the Board’s Education Manager, for doing a magnificent job bring this
incredible program together again.
The committee has been in conversations with the Heads of Jewish Studies
Departments of the Jewish Day Schools for the past few years, regarding the inclusion of
the history of Jews from Arab Lands and Iran into the Jewish studies curriculum. The
committee has provided educational materials to teachers to assist them in delivering
Jews from these lessons and have conducted a review of the curriculum taught to students within
Arab Lands Israel. Thanks to the work of Lilach Weininger who continues to push all of this work
(JFAL) in forward along with Ben Ezzes, Suzanne Green, Janine Joseph and Hila Tsor.
Jewish School The committee is focused on organising a tour of the SJM’s Jews from Islamic Lands
Curriculum exhibition for Jewish Educators to take place on Sunday April 18. The Jewish
Educations tour will be designed as a networking and forum event, and educators
will be provided a USB of resources outlined below. Suzanne has circulated the
invitation flyer to our existing teacher database and has begun to receive responses
for attendance. We will look to organise a separate tour for other education24
stakeholders later on, such as contacts across the NSW Department of Education,
Association of Independent Schools, Catholic Education Office, NSW Education
Standards Authority and Teacher Associations.
Educational Resource Pack: The committee is planning to provide a detailed and
supportive selection of lesson plans and resources to Primary and High School
Jewish Day School teachers to coincide with the temporary exhibition at the Sydney
Jewish Museum. An extensive pool of resources have been compiled by Janine
Joseph and are in the process of being curated to ensure the layout is easily
accessible by teachers. The layout will include subject areas (history, English, etc) as
well as resource type (worksheet, etc) and learning stage (primary, high school,
etc). The pack will also include a substantive list of guest speakers that schools can
draw on. Resources will also be gathered from Jewish educators for inclusion,
keeping in mind concerns around Intellectual Property.
A productive follow up meeting was had in early March with the Head of Jewish
Studies at Emanuel School. This discussed the available scope to include Mizrachi /
Sephardi content across the existing curriculum as well as the resources required to
more easily deliver this. The content points discussed included history, chaggim /
festivals, customs / minhaggim, music, food, art, culture, philosophy. A list of
potential guest speakers and Hebrew sources will be included in the resource pack.
The Sydney Jewish Museum has notified that the Jews from Islamic Lands exhibition
will be extended until 15 June 2021. There is further discussion taking place to
utilise the collateral developed for the exhibition once it ends mid this year. This
could then be developed in to a ‘travelling exhibition’ or program for presentation
to both Jewish and non-Jewish day schools. Notably, there is appetite for the
exhibition to converted into a permanent exhibition online, and the physical
exhibition will be offered to other suitable museums nation-wide. A tour of this
exhibition has been organised as part of Moriah’s induction for new teachers.
Sephardi Voices Australia are an additional initiative that is being assisted, with a
mission to record and archive testimony of Sephardi elders, such as those that went
through the Farhud (Iraq massacre). These testimonials will consist of audio, video
and written form. The committee will seek to assist the organisation with sourcing
legal advice around Intellectual Property (IP).
Incident: Suzanne received an email from an Eastern Suburbs principal letting her
know of an incident that had occurred between 2 students and a Jewish family over
the Pesach holiday. The principal has proactively spoken with the students, parents,
disciplined the students and planned on bringing them himself to the Sydney Jewish
Museum in Term 2. We are thankful for his proactiveness and communication with
School-based
the JBD.
(Antisemitic)
A broader approach to school incidents for public schools has been discussed to
Incidents more effectively involved the NSW Department of Education, and Anti-Racism
Contact Officers. Vic has separately been invited to speak at a Sydney private school
in response to an incident that occurred at the end of last year.
Further information on previously outlined incidents will be provided where
appropriate and to respect the privacy of individuals involved.
The committee’s established School Incident Policy Taskforce will look to improve the
recording, reporting and handling of NSW school-based incidents across the calendar
year, which has been previously done on an ad hoc basis. The taskforce will draft an
end-to-end policy document that covers our initial responses to incidents and our
avenues for redress for both the school, teachers and students involved. The recently
created ‘Incident Recording’ spreadsheet will be iterated to ensure it effectively records
School Incident each incident by type of incident, date of occurrence, relevant details, Board response,
Policy key actions undertaken and contact details.
Taskforce The Taskforce has identified that the current process contains several critical
deficits in the consistency of recording and responding to incidents. This has raised
initial ideas around developing key response models and an updated CRM database
to record and track incidents, noting data needs to be kept at the Board. The
‘Report an Incident’ function on the Board’s website will also be reviewed to ensure
this also appropriately meets the needs of parents, students, teachers and schools
in reporting school incidents. A communications plan will be developed alongside25
this to raise awareness of how to report school incidents through social media,
email and stakeholders such as BJE.
With the assistance of Lynda and Suzanne, the policy will be drafted using previous
policies documents and consider the current breadth of responses for each incident
scenario, privacy and exclusion criteria for recording, and response breakdown by
school, staff, victim, family and perpetrator. An international better practice scan of
other Jewish community responses is underway to assist with policy drafting, and
has been divvied up by the Taskforce. The sub-committee Taskforce will meet on a
bi-monthly schedule outside of regular Education Committee meetings.
This register and policy document will be developed and tested over the next year
and will enable a more consistent approach to incidents, allowing an incident
report to be compiled each year-end that identifies trends.
The committee, led by Suzanne, will proactively monitor the current NSW curriculum
review and broader education sector landscape. This will include identifying key
submission dates, escalating arising concerns and opportunities, and monitoring
education media and policy changes that are of interest to the Jewish community.
Potential 2022 HSC Exam Clash: Heads of Jewish Day Schools have asked for the
assistance from JBD Education Manager in managing potential clashes with Simchat
Torah and Shemini Atzeret and the 2022 HSC exam schedule. Suzanne Green will be
meeting with NESA Examinations team to start discussing ways to resolve potential
clashes, and clashes going forward.
A proposed change to the examination times for ‘Language’ subjects such as
Hebrew has been proposed by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).
Suzanne will liaise with the Head Teachers for Hebrew at each Jewish Day School
and will coordinate with NESA to determine the potential impact to our students
along with appropriate resolution.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) are
Curriculum looking to conduct consultations as part of their Australian (national) Curriculum
Review and Review. The proposed consultation period will open on 29 April 2021 to review the
Educational Foundation – Year 10 (F-10) Australian Curriculum, including all learning areas,
Landscape general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities. Suzanne and the committee
continue to track this process for key submission dates and consultations being
conducted with community. We will look to engage ECAJ from a national
perspective, who continue to advocate for the inclusion of Holocaust education as
part of the national curriculum.
As we continue to survey the educational landscape, the Jewish News has cited a
Victorian textbook that blames the Jews for the death of Jesus. Head to the article
here: https://ajn.timesofisrael.com/mother-of-all-blood-libels-in-school-textbook/
NESA has removed all existing Professional Development accredited courses
outside of those provided by the NSW Department of Education, Catholic Education
NSW or the Association of Independent Schools. Key changes for Professional
Development are outlined here:
https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/teacher-
accreditation/professional-development/pd-update. All schools/providers are
affected and will be required to re-apply in the new year. We will continue to
monitor this situation and represent organisations where necessary.
The committee continues to update and consolidate the database of the Jewish
Educators Forum (JEF) which currently consists of 200 names. This will enable the
development of a bi-monthly newsletter for our teacher database and the organising of
future events and programs around this network. This will continue to be spearheaded
by Ben Ezzes, Rebecca Dukes and Suzanne Green.
Jewish
Teachers /
The Teachers Network Newsletter will be launched mid-2021. The format,
structure, content and required approvals are being tabled over the course of the
Educators next few months. Romi will be engaged to assist in building out the
Network communications plan as well as the most suitable platform.
Jewish Education Work Experience (JEWE) – This initiative for Jewish students to
engage in teaching work experience will be renewed this year and led by Ben Ezzes.
The goal is to offer students the chance to work in Jewish education and the
potential for networking between those students and the schools themselves.You can also read
