Sorry again
Tomorrow is National Sorry Day and Australians, including The Jewish Religious Action and Advocacy Centre, will come together to remember the injustices suffered by Indigenous Australians and, in particular, to say sorry for the treatment of the Stolen Generation, children who were forcibly removed from their families.
The JRAAC acknowledges that there is still a long way to go to achieve justice and fairness for Aboriginal Australians but believe that National Sorry Day represents an opportunity to apologise and express the hope that we can move forward together. On this day we pay our respect to the ancestors and elders of Indigenous Australians.
The apology that we give today was best expressed by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in his apology to the Stolen Generations in 2008, and reiterated by the Australian Parliament:
“For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.”
JRAAC apologises to Australia’s Indigenous people. May this apology be one small step towards achieving full justice and equality for Aboriginal Australians and JRAAC will continue to work towards this goal.
There have been Jews in Australia since the first European settlers arrived. We say sorry for what we, as non-Indigenous Australians, have done to devalue and destroy Indigenous culture and the lives of Indigenous people.
We call on the Australian Government to collaborate with Aboriginal elders and leaders to find solutions for the challenges that Indigenous Australians face. The Jewish Progressive Community will strive to right the wrongs of the past and to make the future better for all Australians.
The JRAAC is the recently established religious action centre of the Progressive movement.
