Alhadeff resigns from CRC
CEO of The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies Vic Alhadeff has resigned from his position as Chair of the NSW Community Relations Commission.
In a statement issued to media this afternoon, Alhadeff says:
Vic Alhadeff Photo: Henry Benjamin
“It is with considerable regret that I have decided to resign from my position as Chair of the NSW Community Relations Commission.
I have chosen to do so in the interests of the CRC and its important work in fostering social harmony within our society. It is clear that a briefing paper issued under my name inadvertently caused offence to some, and this is greatly regretted. While this was unintended, and despite the backing of numerous community leaders who acknowledged my record of goodwill, the reaction from some has become a distraction to the work of the CRC and the role of the chair.
Throughout my tenure at the CRC and for decades prior, I have committed myself to building bridges and to intercultural harmony, and I intend to continue this work as a representative of the Jewish community.
I thank the Government, Premier and Minister Victor Dominello for their unwavering support throughout my role as chair. It is a position I valued highly and I also thank the leaders of the many communities with whom I have engaged, as well as the commissioners, CEO and staff.
We share a common interest in working towards an enriched and tolerant society and I commend them for their commitment to this goal.”
Vic Alhadeff was appointed to the Chair of the CRC in December 2013 and started his term of duty on mid January, 2014.
Victor Moniello, Minister for Citizenship and communities added: “It is with great regret that I accept the resignation of Vic Alhadeff as Chair of the Community Relations Commission (CRC). Mr Alhadeff has committed his working life to the promotion of intercultural harmony, however I understand and respect the decision he has made.
During his time as Chair of the CRC he has brought multicultural communities together on many occasions to restore trust and resolve tensions.
Mr Alhadeff was appointed to the role because of his passion for and commitment to a harmonious and multicultural NSW. I have no doubt he will continue to be an agent for harmony and tolerance in our community. I sincerely thank him for his service.”
The statement which led to Vic Alhadeff’s resignation:
Dear Community members
Over the past three weeks, the Hamas terror organisation has escalated its attack on Israeli civilians, launching more than 200 rockets at towns on Israel’s southern border, putting millions of lives at risk. Families have been forced into shelters, children kept from summer camp and schools closed. Normal daily activities have been impacted.
Israel called on Hamas repeatedly to stop its tactics and it responded with more rocket attacks. Yesterday, terrorists in Gaza launched 146 rockets at Israel. Israel launched an operation of self defence in response. The sole objective is to defend Israel’s citizens and neutralize the threat. Israel has made it clear that it is not interested in further escalation, but will do whatever is needed to defend its citizens. All options are on the table.
Hamas is a terror organisation motivated by an extreme ideology, including a charter that calls for the murder of all Jews. Hamas leadership celebrated the recent kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers and called for more kidnappings. Hamas is responsible for 80 suicide bombers that have killed nearly 1,000 Israeli civilians. It is regarded as a terrorist organisation by the United States, European Union, Canada, Britain, Australia, Japan and Egypt.
In Gaza, Hamas is violating international law and engaging in war crimes as its militants launch rockets indiscriminately at civilians from civilian areas, and hide
within civilian infrastructures including mosques, schools and hospitals. It
within civilian infrastructures including mosques, schools and hospitals. It intentionally puts innocent Palestinians at risk to protect its operatives.
Israel is operating with care to avoid civilian casualties. It is focused on targeting Hamas and other terror organisations, their operatives and infrastructure. Israel gives repeated warnings to civilians to vacate areas it is about to target, and uses pinpoint technologies to hit the targeted infrastructure.
The Iron Dome missile defence system is deployed in the south and has stopped most of the rockets fired at Israel’s populated areas.
As Operation Protective Edge progresses, we will continue to keep you informed and encourage you to follow our social media outlets for up-to-the-minute information.
Yours sincerely
Vic Alhadeff Chief Executive Officer
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
Good on you, Paul Winter.
I fully support you. Our current Jewish leaders might be intelligent but weak to the point of embarrassment. This encourages our enemies. Instead of apologising for what he said, Vic should have said “The Israeli Defence Forces should be awarded the Noble Peace Prize for the way they conduct their campaign against this evil terror organisation, called Hamas.
Why be part of an organisation that purportedly seeks good relations such as NSW Community Relations Commission, when it so obviously is conditional on particular attitudes and thoughts? On the one hand Vic Alhadeff is better off out of it, on the other hand he should not allow himself to be bullied. There’s a certain amount of firmness required, chairing such an organisation, not just accommodation and well-meaning intention.
I heard Vic interviewed on ABC radio this morning, under considerable pressure from the interviewer, and was disappointed he didn’t more forcefully stand by his Statement issued to the Jewish community. She concentrated on possible regrets he might have had on issuing such a statement due to his apology for anybody he might have offended. While not owning up to regret, he did focus on not wishing to offend anybody. Big mistake. He has nothing to apologise for and should know that criticism of Hamas will be offensive to those who laud them – why weaken his position, and his Statement to the Jewish community, by concern for people such as these? Please, let us stand firm and proud for what we believe in, and for what we know.
Vic should have resigned when Baird showed his lack of principles and his hunger to get a bite of the mohammedan vote.
Any leader interested in democracy and Western values would have told the mohammedan champions of the terrorist group Hamas to shut up and fit in or to flit out (or better still to f*** off).
I am please that Vic was pushed off the CRC because it underscores my oft stated contention that our leadership are a pack of failures. I am please that it confirms that security for Jews in Australia is now severely lessened and that we must take steps to remedy that situation or make plans for alternate plans for our future.
The action of the mohammedan mob proves that however good relations with individual Muslims might be, our relations with the mohammedan leadership will never be anything other than hostile. When to mohammedans protest that someone dares to tell the truth about then and gets backing, it tells us that the community building, that multiculturalism has failed with the mohammedan cohort.
Multiculturalism has always been a two way street. Come the mohammedans and the leadership turns it into a one way street, with them on the footpath and the rest of us in the gutter. And if we don’t yield they bawl “racist” and “islamophobe”.
The only good thing about this matter, if I permit myself schadenfreud, is that Australian leaders like Baird, Fraser and Carr who stab us in the back are, in the long term, stabbing our fellow Australians in the back and in the long term, if people wake up before it is too late, they will gain prominent places in the halls of infamy.
I am really sorry that the bullies succeeded in pushing Vic out of a job he is so well qualified for. If some groups in Australia cannot tolerate a Jew expressing his views, it does not speak well for our multiculturalism.
I know Vic.
My observations are that he is professional, measured and if anything mild.
Personally I have thought he errs on the side of political correctness so as not to offend, rather than being at all aggressive in advocacy.
His email is factual and if you read the actual Hamas charter as I have, the comments from Vic are accurate if not understated.
The lesson from this episode is clear: The only type of interfaith to be tolerated by the Muslim representatives is dhimmitude. (This is the second class status of non-Muslims under sharia)
Vic’s resignation is a tragedy. I pray for Israel and it’s total restoration . It is a sham for Arab folk to hold the state to ransom because Hamas creates unmitigated terror and they back it. Or does Hamas has wider influence here than is recognised.
Bless your heritage and your people,
Ps Peter Pritchard.