Community message
- Published
- Community Message
THE PHONE CALL YOU NEVER HEAR ABOUT
The quieter work of supporting Jewish Victorians, updates from the Royal Commission, what we heard from you about crisis preparedness, and a surprising Hakoah connection.
Dear friends,
A Hakoah connection
Two upcoming community events caught my attention this week.
A bright banner for the Jewish Museum of Australia’s upcoming exhibition Zahalkaworld has gone up on their Alma Road building. The exhibition features the work of photo-media artist Anne Zahalka, whose most famous piece, Bondi: Playground of the Pacific, offers a colourful and multicultural depiction of Bondi Beach.
Ahead of this exhibition, Zahalka has revisited her recognisable work, incorporating a small Hakoah badge as a tribute to the Jewish community’s now indelible connection to Bondi. The exhibition opens on June 11 at the Jewish Museum of Australia.
Another event that stood out is South Caulfield Hebrew Congregation’s World Cup Watch Party on June 14. With the FIFA World Cup beginning soon in the US, Canada and Mexico, what better excuse to gather with the community and cheer on our national team over a Sunday sausage sizzle.
For more information and to register, click here.
Did you know that Jack Reilly, Australia’s goalkeeper at the 1974 World Cup – the first World Cup Australia qualified for – played for Hakoah Melbourne? No longer active, Hakoah Melbourne had a predominantly Jewish supporter base, many of them Holocaust survivors who settled in Melbourne.
Royal Commission updates
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has continued its closed hearings this week with police and intelligence officials.
The next round of public hearings will begin on Monday June 29, and it is likely the Commissioner will hear evidence relating to traditional media, social media and sport.
As of this week, the Royal Commission has received more than 14,200 submissions, and this number is still rising. The JCCV met twice with the Royal Commission team this week, and has been assured that every submission will be read.
Many of the JCCV’s member organisations have now finalised their submissions and have either sent them or are preparing to do so. A significant amount of work has gone into these contributions from our lay leaders and community professionals, and I want to thank them all for their care and commitment.
A range of individuals and organisations are also publishing their submissions for the community to read. We have included a selection here:
Community. Resilience. Strength.
At Monday night’s JCCV Plenum, we heard that the Victorian Jewish community has maintained a crisis management framework since the late 1990s, now known as Jewish Community Crisis Management (JCCM). However, preparedness is not simply about having a plan on a shelf. Plans must be regularly reviewed, updated and practised to remain effective. This work is currently underway, led by CSG with support from JCCV.
Rachel Flitman, JCCV and CSG Board Member, moderated a lively discussion on JCCM and crisis planning. The session featured insights from Romy Katz of CSG and Naomi Levin of JCCV, alongside valuable contributions from JCCV member organisations and community members.
What we learned:
- No single organisation can respond to a major crisis alone — coordination and collaboration are essential.
- Effective preparedness depends on relationships, leadership and communication, not just written plans.
- Communities that are connected and aligned are better positioned to respond to challenges.
- Building resilience is a shared responsibility that requires ongoing engagement across the community.
Audience members also highlighted community strengths, identified areas where further planning may be needed, and raised important questions about preparedness that will help inform future work.
You can read more in this article in The Jewish Independent.
We will continue to work with the community to build a strong and robust crisis response framework. We hope we will never need to use it, but if we do, we will be prepared.
Learn more about JCCM by visiting their website.
Built for moments like this. Powered by community.
One of the privileges of serving as JCCV President is seeing the breadth of work undertaken by the JCCV office on behalf of the community.
Many people see the public side of our work: meetings with government, quotes in the media, and participation in communal events. What often goes unseen are the quieter moments.
The phone call from a concerned parent. The conversation with a school principal. The community member seeking advice after experiencing antisemitism. The sporting club or local council looking to better understand the Jewish community.
These interactions rarely make headlines, yet they are among the most important things we do.
These interactions may happen behind closed doors, but their impact is felt across our community. As we approach the end of the financial year, I invite you to support the JCCV’s work so that we can continue to advocate, educate and provide assistance where it is needed most.
