Community message
- Published
A VISIT OF CONNECTION, STRENGTH AND SHARED PURPOSE
President Isaac Herzog’s visit affirmed the resilience of our community and the enduring bond between Australian Jewry, Israel and our national leaders.
Dear friends,
WELCOMING PRESIDENT HERZOG
It was an honour to have Israel’s President Isaac Herzog visit our Jewish community this week.
For those who were not able to attend his community address on Thursday, he spoke of witnessing “first hand, the beauty and resilience of this community and its significance in the eyes of all Australians”.
He continued: “We saw this as we grieved with Chabad of Bondi, as we met hundreds of beautiful children of different ages and Jewish campuses. We saw this as we spoke with first responders who ran courageously towards the fire on December 14, and we rediscovered the famous spirit of Australian Jews, which is simply unbreakable.”
President Herzog’s message to the community was: “Do not hide your Australian Yiddishkeit or your enthusiastic communal engagement.
He reflected that we are in a “struggle for Jewish identity, as much as it is a struggle for the identity of Australia and the free world.
“The resolve, and solidarity, of this community is the key to the future we all share, in Melbourne and in Jerusalem.”
Both Premier Jacinta Allen and Opposition Leader Jess Wilson attended the community event with President Herzog, and earlier met him at a reception hosted by the Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Margaret Gardner. It was certainly pleasing to have the support of our state’s leaders for the visit.
The Premier addressed the audience and said: “I recognise that Jews in Israel have a deep sense of responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of Jews here in Victoria, and I recognise that Jews in Victoria feel the same responsibility for Jews in Israel. Your bond is one that distance does not diminish and that time cannot erode.”
The Opposition Leader noted that for our Jewish community “Israel is not simply a nation overseas. It is where your family lives, where your faith lives and where your history lives. I share the disappointment you must feel that your [President Herzog] visit has been met by protest and violence. But I want to focus on the fact that we are here today to remember and reflect and to do what the Jewish community does best, to be together in unity despite unimaginable horror.”
To watch our nation’s leaders welcome the Israeli Head of State, to see the Israeli flag fly alongside the Australian flag in Canberra, and to feel the wraparound protection of Victoria Police and CSG who kept everyone safe for the entirety of the visit, was truly inspiring. Am Yisrael Chai.
