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PURIM LESSONS IN JOY
There are many lessons we can take from Purim this week, but the one I think we most need right now is the need for joy.
We all need to make sure that we take time for joy, for happiness, for fun. That’s why I hope you will join the JCCV at the In One Voice festival this afternoon (Sunday) to celebrate all Jewish culture and spirit. Congratulations to the hosts Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and SKIF, both JCCV member organisations.
MPs SUPPORT NEEDED
The JCCV has been working closely with the Victorian Government and Victorian Opposition to secure the passage of important and much-needed new anti-hate laws.
These laws, currently before Parliament, deserve the support of all MPs from all parties.
The new laws have been carefully drafted, with extensive input from the JCCV and careful advice from legal experts.
The JCCV supports the Bill currently before Parliament. We believe they will better protect Jewish Victorians against antisemitism by introducing two new criminal offences: one around incitement of hatred against, serious contempt for, revulsion towards or severe ridicule towards a person or group of people; the second around threatening physical harm or property damage on the grounds of a protected attribute, for example, a person’s race or religion. The Bill also provides necessary reforms to civil protections for religious, racial and other groups.
The existing laws are completely inadequate, with no successful prosecutions, in more than 20 years, for antisemitism in Victoria.
MORE NEW LAWS
While the Victorian Parliament continues to debate hate crime laws, new Commonwealth laws have come into effect.
In fact, one of the Sydney nurses filmed spreading anti-Jewish hate online has already been charged with an offence under the new laws.
This factsheet explains the new laws, which include:
- A new criminal offence of advocating or threatening violence against groups.
- New offences for advocating or threatening damage to a place of worship or the property of members of groups.
If you wish to report a potential crime, call 000 for immediate threat or use this link to report a crime to the Australian Federal Police.
OUR SCHOOLS
Naomi Levin, JCCV CEO, had the opportunity to visit Bialik College’s kindergarten last week for a Kabbalat Shabbat with special guest Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn.
It was a joy to spend time welcoming Shabbat with our youngest community members and it was especially positive to hear from principal Jeremy Stowe-Lindner that Bialik student numbers are growing with more Jewish families seeking high quality Jewish education for their children.
The JCCV is proud to count Bialik College, Mount Scopus College, King David School, Leibler Yavneh College and Sholem Aleichem College among our members. We also encourage any families looking to move their children from a non-Jewish school to a Jewish school to contact the Jewish Education Foundation for support.
