ZFA Plenary Conference – top speakers, top topics
The Zionist Federation of Australia 2013 Plenary Conference, is to be held in Sydney.
Ruth Calderon
Rabbi Neuwirth
The ZFA Plenary is held biennially and is an opportunity to bring together affiliates, Zionist and Jewish community leaders, professional staff, tertiary students and Zionist youth movement representatives from all over Australia.
The conference will take place on Sunday August 11 at NCJWA House, 111-113 Queen St, Woollahra.
The event serves as a forum for the discussion and exploration of key concerns, developments and strategies for the entire Australian Zionist movement. The discussions held at the Plenary will shape the direction of the organisation and movement for the coming years.
ZFA President Philip Chester said: “This year, we are thrilled to welcome two extremely dynamic and thought-provoking international speakers at our conference: Dr Ruth Calderon MK and Rav Ronen Neuwirth.”
“The Plenary Conference promises to be an important convergence of key leaders, decision makers and community members.”
Dr Calderon, a secular Talmudic scholar and member of Knesset, will give the keynote address: “Jewish and Democratic – Contemporary Questions of Identity in the State of Israel”.
His Excellency Ambassador Yuval Rotem will be addressing the attendees formally for the last time before he completes his outstanding term as Israel’s Ambassador to Australia.
Dr Calderon and Rav Neuwirth will participate in a panel session on “Religion and State – the role of Judaism in the Jewish State?”
Rabbi Ronen Neuwirth serves as the Rabbi of Ohel Ari (Minyan Chadash) Congregation in Ra’annana. Recently he founded together with a few colleagues the new movement of “Beit Hillel – Tolerant Spiritual Leadership“.
President of UIA, Harold Finger will present “The ZFA and its affiliates – synergies, relationships and challenges” followed by a panel discussion with Gilla Liberman, President, WIZO Australia; Steve Denenberg, Executive Director, Union of Progressive Judaism; Sam Tatarka, President, Zionist Council of Victoria.
