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ONE COMMUNITY, MANY FRONTS
From arrests and international investigations to new partnerships and united voices — the Jewish community remains strong and connected.
NEWS UPDATES
MEETING OUR STRONGEST ALLIES
Police this week arrested one man suspected of breaking into Adass Israel Synagogue and setting it alight in December last year. We await news from police of further arrests, which they have said are imminent.
An alarming part of the police announcement was the news that police are investigating overseas links to the Adass Israel firebombing attack. AFP Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett said this week: “Our investigation is not limited to Australia. It involves exploring criminals offshore, and we suspect these criminals worked with criminal associates in Victoria to carry out the arson attack.” She said that Australia was working with intelligence partners in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand on the investigation.
JCCV CEO Naomi Levin spoke to ABC News about these developments, you can view here.
We welcome the strong condemnation by Premier Jacinta Allen this week of the racist thugs who attacked the National Gallery of Victoria, because a Jewish family, the Gandels, are a key supporter.
The contribution made by the Gandel Foundation to the state of Victoria cannot be overstated. The JCCV counts the Gandel Foundation as one of its patrons and we stand alongside the Premier to call out the antisemites whose attacks are misguided and hurtful.
ENLISTING SUPPORT
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Ro Allen met JCCV CEO Naomi Levin at Miznon this week for an update on the Jewish community.
Commissioner Allen was pleased to see that Miznon was thriving with plenty of lunchtime customers, after the violent antisemitic attack on the Israeli restaurant last month.
During the meeting, they discussed ways that reports of antisemitism from the Jewish community can be better integrated into the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission’s data set. Reports of antisemitism are underrepresented in the Commission’s tally because the Jewish community reports into the Community Security Group. The JCCV will work to rectify this situation.
Commissioner Allen also reflected that there are similarities between the Jewish community and the experiences of other faith and cultural communities in Victoria, particularly when it comes to declining faith in institutions to be able to keep conversations and debate civilised and to keep us safe.
Naomi spent time with Dr Sonja Hood AM, chief executive of the Scanlon Foundation and president of North Melbourne Football Club, this week. They discussed ways non-Jewish leaders and organisations can support the Jewish community during this challenging time.
NSW COORDINATION
One question we are asked a lot is how closely we work with our counterparts at the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. I am pleased to say that we enjoy a good relationship at a leadership level, but the CEOs of both our organisations have recently committed to working better together.
While the organisations are structured a bit differently and have slightly different mandates, we have so much in common and look forward to working towards stronger cooperation and coordination. We are not a NSW and a Victorian Jewish community, we are one Australian Jewish community.
JCCV ANTISEMITISM SUPPORT SERVICE
JCCV PLENUM: YOU'RE INVITED
