Published: 19 June 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
A declaration of shared values, a research data base and a "diversity minyan" system were among the suggestions made by Australian delegates for a new Global Jewish Council.
The Australian consultation for a global project to improve Israel-Diaspora relations was held in Melbourne on Sunday. Ninety-one delegates from Australian Jewish organisations in four states attended the consultation, which is part of an Israeli presidential initiative to create a Global Jewish Council.
The consultation day was one of 15 such sessions being held globally, as part of Kol Ha’am-Voice of the People, an initiative by President Isaac Herzog to create a "Jewish Davos" – a collaborative forum for Jewish representatives from around the world.
In a recorded message to Kol Ha’am delegates, President Herzog expressed his deep concern about the growing rift between Israel and the Diaspora.
“Not only are we agreeing less and less but we seem to be losing the ability to talk to one another. We need a place where we can come together and listen to one another,” he said.
Delegates identified antisemitism, intermarriage, assimilation, connection/division, continuity and education as the key issues confronting the Jewish people.
But there was also hope. “We have so much to be grateful for and so much to be proud of. We are a thriving and accomplished people, connected by ties – historic ties, religious ties, family ties – that stretch across the globe over millennia,” President Herzog said.
Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler said he was proud of the strength and diversity in the room.
He cited the results of Crossroads23, the survey conducted by The Jewish Independent in the lead-up to the conference as evidence of a sophisticated community that cared about Israel, even as it expressed concerns about Israeli policies.
