No holds barred at ZFA conference
The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) has held its plenary conference at Sydney’s Central Synagogue.
Peter Wertheim (ECAJ), Gillian Segal (ECAJ), Richard Marles (Deputy Prime Minister), Jeremy Leibler (ZFA), Ginette Searle (ZFA), Colin Rubenstein (AIJAC), Paul Rubenstein (AIJAC) Photo: Ilan Harris
Participants commented on the atmosphere of open discussion at the conference.
“Thirty years ago, to openly criticise Israel at a community organisation was unheard of’” one participant stated in a facilitated group discussion. However, at the 2023 conference, participants were encouraged to openly discuss their thoughts and criticisms of Israel’s current and past governments. Groups also discussed the proposed judicial reforms and whether their connection to Israel has changed over the past year. The ZFA appears to have adapted to its changing community, which is more willing to discuss and critique issues within Israel while still holding firm to the principles of Zionism.
Philip Chester, Gillian Segal, Alissa Foster and Allegra Spender Photo: Ilan Harris
The conference held a large cross-section of the Jewish community. From eighteen to eighty, every decade was reflected in attendees. This included leaders in AUJS and in youth movements, along with their ZFA-organised shlichim. Together with this youthful crowd were people who had been attending ZFA meetings and serving the Jewish community for decades. During the discussion, regardless of age, perspective, or involvement in the community, people’s opinions were respected and the ‘discomfort’ of disagreement was encouraged.
Amir Aimon Photo: Ilan Harris
Israeli Ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, was quick to re-affirm in his speech the status of Australia and Israel’s ongoing relationship. While a river ‘delta’ he stated, exists between the language of the current Labor government and the former Liberal government, a ‘delta’ he suggests also existed between the language of that previous Liberal government and the Liberal government before it. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles also gave an address to the crowd, speaking about Australia and the ALP’s longstanding positive history with Israel.
University complaints procedure regarding antisemitism was high on the agenda on the panel featuring Independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, Deputy Chancellor of University of New South Wales, Jillian Segal, and President of AUJS, Alissa Foster. The three participants noted the similarities between universities’ handling of reporting antisemitism and other forms of racism with its handling of sexual assaults on campus, with both having a long history of being under-addressed and often unrecognised by university administrations.
Spender stated ‘The freedom young people should have at universities to express themselves, about their religion, ethnicity, about their sexuality, these are actually fundamental rights at Australian universities, and it is everybody’s business…that everyone feels accepted on campus. I think it is fundamentally… a significant role of the universities to protect students to enable them to have that experience.”
When questioned by the moderator as to whether the government can use a ‘big-stick approach’ to tackle antisemitism by holding universities accountable when it comes to funding, Allegra Spender stated it was ‘unlikely’ and suggests there may be more success to a punitive approach to university funding by tying together university reporting of various issues, including antisemitism, racism and sexual assaults. However, this was still viewed as unlikely by Spender. ‘Right now, I come back to [what] the government is thinking about governance, what does governance mean?… Universities don’t just have an obligation to teach, they have an obligation to keep people safe.’
Allisa Foster, who as president of AUJS, was commended by the ZFA for her work in creating the recent Jewish University Experience Survey, believes when it comes to tackling antisemitism on campus, it is also a matter of educating and empowering Jewish high school students. She suggests more can be done to engage with high school-age students and have conversations, so they know ‘what does Judaism mean to them, what does Zionism mean to them’. Rather than having students from Jewish schools come to university life unprepared for questions of what it means to be Jewish or Zionist in a secular environment where they will likely face antisemitism.
Spender recognised the Jewish people’s history and ongoing connection to Israel, particularly when it comes to anti-Israel rhetoric on university campuses ‘Broadly in the community it is badly understood. There are a lot of people who speak in anti-Israel rhetoric, they don’t understand the indigeneity of the Jewish people to Israel… who don’t actually understand the history of Israel and the connection with the Jewish community for thousands of thousands of years… Because of the connection between the Jewish community and Israel, it’s fundamental to antisemitism. I think education is really going to be the start of it.”
With its open discussion and emphasis on necessary ‘discomfort,’ the 2023 ZFA Plenary Conference may not have been what was expected for the peak Zionism body in Australia. It also showcased the intergenerational strength of the organisation, with young leaders learning from and discussing ideas with Jewish leaders over twice their age. While some older attendees commented on how community organisations like the ZFA are changing. Clearly, the organisation’s strengths are in its people.
Mr Marles said after the conference, “It was a pleasure to join members of the Australian Jewish community at the Zionist Federation of Australia’s Plenary conference. It was an engaging conversation with a range of views shared and I look forward to continuing this positive engagement.”
Australia’s Jewish community itself has a variety of perspectives on Judaism, Jewishness and Israel.
Leibler in my view has single handedly destroyed the ZFA