NSW Jewish Board of Deputies | Community organisation

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

Phone: +61 2 9360 1600

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Community organisation
• Non-governmental organisation (NGO)

25.01.2022 Calling all Wits University alumni: Our friends at the South African Jewish Board of Deputies have endorsed Lesley-Anne Gatter, and alumni here in Australia have a vote too. We encourage you to support this candidate in the Wits Convocation election currently live. See the below image for details on how to vote.

25.01.2022 Unlike other dwindling Jewish communities around the world, the Jews of Kochi did not leave their country due to persecution or hardship. Rather it was the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 that attracted many from the mostly Orthodox community to emigrate and start a new life in the Jewish homeland.

25.01.2022 On Jan. 20, 1942, 15 high-ranking officials from the Nazi party and the German government got together in a villa at Wannsee, a leafy suburb of Berlin. They were there to discuss the implementation of the Final Solution of the Jewish Question the deportation and eventual extermination of Europe’s 6 million Jews. Seventy-five years later, in 2017, in the town of Oswego, New York, during a college-level English class at the Center for Instruction, Technology and Innovation, a teacher asked his students to imagine being one of these Nazis. In a jaw-dropping fashion, he asked his students to argue for, or against, the Final Solution.

25.01.2022 For most of his life, all the information Igor Kulakov had about his paternal great-grandparents was their picture, their names and the fact that they had been murdered during the Holocaust. But in recent months, Kulakov has been able to fill in many of the blanks thanks to a new research project led by the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center.

24.01.2022 Communal leaders and state and federal MPs have paid tribute to outgoing NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff.

24.01.2022 Commemorated each year on November 30, this year's Recognition of the plight of Jews from Arab Lands & Iran commemoration will include a virtual tour of the Sydney Jewish Museum's 'Jews from Islamic lands' exhibition and a presentation by keynote speaker Hen Mazzig, Israeli writer, international speaker, social media activist and advocate. Register at: https://www.nswjbd.org/nov30_2020/ Executive Council of Australian Jewry - ECAJ The Sephardi Synagogue Sydney Jewish Museum

22.01.2022 "But the truth is, that while I know the history of pain my Ashkenazi friends’ grandparents endured, they don’t know mine. While I know the names of the death camps and the horrific violence that happened to the Jews in Europe, my friends don’t even know what the Farhud was," writes Hen Mazzig, keynote speaker at the November 30 commemoration recognising the plight of Jews from Arab lands and Iran. Register to join the online event: https://www.nswjbd.org/nov30_2020/

21.01.2022 The memorial’s tower is divided into 10 parts, representing the Ten Commandments. At its base, the sentence Thou shalt not kill is written. A large underground space houses a high-tech interactive exhibition area.

21.01.2022 Argentina announced on Saturday that it is going to tighten security at its border with Paraguay after its embassy in Britain received an anonymous tip about a person possibly smuggling bomb-making materials into the country through that border. The tip warned about the transfer of ammonium nitrate for a bomb with a Jewish objective, the Argentinean Security Ministry said in a statement reported by Reuters.

21.01.2022 Under the document, both sides vowed to promote and share the best procedures for tackling antisemitism and anti-Zionism, including efforts to delegitimize Israel.

21.01.2022 Executive Council of Australian Jewry - ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin was interviewed on ABC News last night, discussing the situation in Israel. Tonight at 8pm AEST, the United Israel Appeal Australia together with the Zionist Federation of Australia have arranged an update from the ground as the situation unfolds. Registration for the briefing is essential, at: bit.ly/UIAZFAUpdate

20.01.2022 Wishing Shabbat Shalom to all our friends and followers! Candle-lighting Friday 7:03pm | Shabbat ends Saturday 8:02pm. The parasha (Torah portion) is Lech-Lecha.

20.01.2022 "What is a Jew of Colour" asks Hen Mazzig. Ask Hen about this and more at next week's online event recognising the plight of Jews from Arab lands and Iran. Registrations required: https://www.nswjbd.org/nov30_2020/ Sydney Jewish Museum Executive Council of Australian Jewry - ECAJ The Sephardi Synagogue

20.01.2022 Expanded rules against promoting hateful ideologies at TikTok include barring misinformation and hurtful stereotypes about Jewish, Muslim and other communities, the company said in a blog post. This includes misinformation about notable Jewish individuals and families who are used as proxies to spread anti-Semitism, TikTok said.

19.01.2022 The building is designed to have about 102,000 bricks one bearing the name of each of the Shoah’s identified victims in the Netherlands.

19.01.2022 Nominations for the 2020 NSW Jewish Board of Deputies President's Award close tomorrow (November 3) at 5:00pm. For more details, including the nomination form, visit: https://www.nswjbd.org/2020-presidents-award/

18.01.2022 BREAKING - Reports are emerging of a shooting incident in an Austrian synagogue, apparently resulting in one casualty and several injured.

18.01.2022 Shabbat shalom to all our members and friends. At sunset on Sunday the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, commences. We wish those who are fasting well over the fast. Candle lighting Friday 5:36pm | Shabbat ends Saturday 6:31pm. The parasha (Torah reading) this week is Ha'azinu.... Yom Kippur fast begins Sunday 5:37pm | Fast ends Monday 6:33pm

18.01.2022 To all our Christian friends, wishing you a Merry Christmas.

17.01.2022 Beloved community stalwart Eddie Jaku was 18 when he was severely beaten during Kristallnacht in November 1938. Now 100 years old, his recently-published book The Happiest Man on Earth has become a bestseller in multiple languages, and his experiences will be shared at the upcoming Kristallnacht commemoration. Register for the online 2020 Kristallnacht commemoration here (a link will be sent to all registered guests next week): https://www.nswjbd.org/register-for-the-2020-kristallnacht/ Sydney Jewish Museum JCA Montefiore

16.01.2022 "As we share the candle-lighting with Uyghurs, we are witness that these candles are still a symbol of hope, that they too will one day regain their religious and cultural freedom, with God’s help, that of ourselves and the wider world" writes Dr Sheldon Stone.

16.01.2022 Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff was recognised in Federal Parliament yesterday by Julian Leeser MP as "one of the great men of multiculturalism in Australia and one of our most recognisable and respected community leaders," following the recent announcement he will be stepping down.

16.01.2022 In order to prevent more and more users from becoming radicalized on the web, it is important to identify the real dimensions of antisemitism also taking into account the implicit forms that might become more explicit over time, said Matthias Becker, a linguist and project leader from the Technical University of Berlin.

16.01.2022 Want to become a more confident leader? The Jeremy Spinak Young Leaders program gives you the skills and confidence to become the leader you want to be. To apply visit https://www.jbdyoungleaders.com.au/

15.01.2022 The annual pre-Chanukah event at Parliament of NSW is always a highlight on the calendar. Despite COVID-19 restrictions requiring the event to be smaller in scale, a bi-partisan show of support was on full display as Board of Deputies President Lesli Berger, CEO Vic Alhadeff and consultants Rabbi Ben Elton and Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins were joined by Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Leader of the Opposition Jodi McKay MP, Geoff Lee - MP, Seat of Parramatta, Gabrielle Upton MP and Walt Secord. Thank you Multicultural NSW for organising the celebration.

14.01.2022 Ever struggled to navigate Jewish community? Want to be more involved but didn’t know how? Join the Jeremy Spinak Young Leaders program and plot your path to success! Last chance to apply - applications close today at 5:00pm. More information at https://www.jbdyoungleaders.com.au/

14.01.2022 The vote is an expression by the Albanian Parliament of the world-renowned feelings and attitudes of the Albanian people for the protection of the Jews as well as a contribution to making Albania a regional leader of the united front in the fight against anti-Semitism, a statement on the parliament’s website said.

13.01.2022 Shabbat shalom! Candle-lighting Friday 7:23pm | Shabbat ends Saturday 8:24pm. The parasha (Torah portion) this week is Toldot.

13.01.2022 This year’s communal Kristallnacht commemoration will be held online on Monday, November 9 2020. Join us to hear Dr. Edith Eger in conversation with Joanna Kalowski. Save the date, with more details including registration information, to come.

12.01.2022 The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies acknowledges National NAIDOC Week, when we reflect on our relationship with First Nations people. We note that this year's theme is "Always Was, Always Will be" and we recognise that First Nations people have been custodians of this continent for thousands of years. We acknowledge their rich cultural, agricultural and artistic history and that this land was, and always will be, First Nations land. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies supports the... Uluru Statement from the Heart and the pathway forward which it outlines in order for our nation to achieve reconciliation in the aftermath of colonialism and dispossession. The Indigenous and Jewish communities have worked together to pursue racial justice and a fairer society for all. Our 2010 publication "Hand in Hand" chronicles these shared journeys and experiences and we are currently working to digitize it and create a comprehensive online portal to expand involvement in collaborative work. https://www.nswjbd.org/indigenous-and-jewish-australians-w/

12.01.2022 Interviewed by Oprah as part of her SuperSoul Conversations series, we are privileged to be welcoming Dr. Edith Eger as the guest speaker at this year’s communal Kristallnacht Commemoration. Register to join at: https://www.nswjbd.org/register-for-the-2020-kristallnacht/ Sydney Jewish Museum JCA

11.01.2022 Addressing the October plenum, JewishCare NSW CEO Claire Vernon will share the JewishCare story - from welfare to community business. Register at https://bit.ly/JBDOctober to join via Zoom.

11.01.2022 For years, American-based Holocaust survivor and psychotherapist Dr Edith Eger was encouraged to pen a book. Initially reluctant, she finally agreed when Stanford University’s Professor Philip Zimbardo observed that the famous Holocaust survivors are men, Eger shared at the Board of Deputies Kristallnacht commemoration on Tuesday in conversation with facilitator and mediator Joanna Kalowski.

11.01.2022 The Joint Select Committee on the NSW Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 began its public hearings last week. The Board of Deputies, which provided a written submission to the Committee on the NSW Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 in August, was represented at the hearings by Peter Wertheim, the co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry - ECAJ, and a former President of the Board.

10.01.2022 Thanking McKay, Secord and the Labor MPs for honouring him, Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff acknowledged your friendship to me and to the Jewish community, and your unswerving support. It is the nature of politics that there are challenges along the way, but at the end of the day the ALP and the Jewish community share the identical ideal to do what we can to strengthen this greatest of countries in terms of social cohesion, social inclusion, respect for diversity and the concept that we are all Australians sharing one small planet.

10.01.2022 The warmth in the room was palpable on Sunday evening at the Sydney Jewish Museum as communal leaders, interfaith representatives and politicians gathered to farewell outgoing NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff. In the role he said he had held to the timeless injunction from Pirkei Avot, It’s not up to us to complete the task, but neither are we free to desist from it. This, above all, has driven me. The task of making this a better place to be Jewish. Of doing what we can to promote mutual respect across Australian society. Of making the world a better place.

09.01.2022 This year the Abraham Conference, being held this Sunday, November 15 at 2:00pm, will be highlighting Interfaith on the frontlines. The much talked about 'silver lining' of the pandemic is not 'front of mind' to the people at the front line in the health care industry. That's mostly for people with a lot of time on their hands. Doctors, nurses and social workers are in a daily race to respond to the fear, sickness and loss, as well as the isolation and economic hardship tha...t the pandemic has wrought in the lives of countless Australians. As professionals they require acute sensitivity and well honed expertise in performing their duties, without losing hope that we will beat this virus. For hospitalist, Haroon Kasim, the lesson of empathy and compassion was learned the hard way, but he never forgot its impact, not only on him but on the young patient whose life was slipping away. As a Muslim, who knows that his faith is often viewed harshly, with hijabed women often taking the brunt of bigotry, he learned first hand the power of compassion to heal desperation and despair. For social worker, Renata Ieremias, the often hidden work of Jewish Care's more than 300 workers, is bringing support to many people affected by Covid19 in their homes. Age and various kinds of infirmity have intensified the impact of the virus, and social workers are called upon to provide a quick and discreet reading of their needs and the means to nurture their natural strengths in a range of settings, from complex family situations to profound isolation. For ethicist, Daniel Fleming, who leads ethics formation for staff at St Vincent's Health Australia, the supportive Catholic-Christian environment ensures a profound commitment to providing the most human centred approach to care. Yet, the largest not-for-profit health care system in the country was faced with the ethical challenge, in the early stages of the pandemic, of how to allocate limited resources. Haroon, Renata and Daniel bring a wealth of experience and insight into how the Coronavirus pandemic challenged them, their organisations and most of all the people they served and brought to the fore their foundational values, derived from their faiths. And yes, it seems there is a 'silver lining' to this pandemic, which is in the realisation that whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, as individuals and a society, we have the same fundamental needs of compassion and understanding and oftentimes the comfort of the faith traditions and communities we hold dear. Join them and me for a unique opportunity to hear the best practice from three distinguished professionals who are at the front lines--or just behind them: https://events.humanitix.com/abraham-conference-2020-interf

08.01.2022 While those she liaised closely with including the late humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton rightly received recognition for their efforts, Wijsmuller’s contribution is far from well-known, despite the fact she saved thousands of lives often at great personal risk.

07.01.2022 The US election and its aftermath will be the focus of next week’s plenum, 7:30pm on November 17. Tackling the topic will be Bruce Wolpe, Senior Fellow at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. A hybrid event, with both online and in person attendance available. Registration required: https://www.nswjbd.org//the-us-election-what-now-november-

07.01.2022 The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies stands with Israel and unequivocally condemns the assault on Israeli civilians by Hamas and other terrorist organisations. Over the past few days, over 1,500 rockets have been fired at Israeli towns and cities by militants in Gaza, causing deaths and casualties and forcing millions of Israelis to take refuge in bomb shelters. Hamas and other terrorist groups are not only acting without regard to civilian lives, but are actively seeking to maxi...mise civilian casualties by targeting densely populated Israeli towns and cities. They fire rockets indiscriminately, endangering the lives and property of innocent civilians. This is a war crime which is exacerbated by the fact that Hamas uses its own people as human shields, endangering the lives of innocent Palestinian civilians when Israel seeks to defend itself. Israel, like all nations, not only has a right but a responsibility to protect and defend its citizens. There is no moral equivalence to be drawn between a sovereign state defending itself from an unceasing barrage of rockets and a terrorist organisation which seeks to maximise death and destruction. Hamas bears full and total responsibility for the loss of life on both sides. We mourn for all families which have lost innocent loved ones in this tragedy and pray for the recovery of the injured and a sustainable end to the violence.

06.01.2022 The Jeremy Spinak Young Leaders program brings together a cohort of today’s leaders and equips them to lead for tomorrow. Apply today at https://www.jbdyoungleaders.com.au/

06.01.2022 A Polish diplomat serving in Turkey during World War II helped save hundreds of Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis by issuing them false certificates that identified them as Christians. Wojciech Rychlewicz, then a consul in Istanbul, provided the documents to the European refugees at no pay. They could then obtain visas in countries that had policies in place to prevent Jewish refugees from entering.

06.01.2022 A TREMENDOUS leader, a tireless worker for the Jewish community and one of the most outstanding communal professionals our community has been served by in recent memory. These are just some of the accolades directed at NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD) CEO Vic Alhadeff since he announced last week he will step down, relinquishing his full-time duties in the first half of 2021 once a successor has been found.

06.01.2022 Shabbat shalom and chag sameach (happy holiday) to all our friends and followers! Tonight the Jewish community starts celebrating the festival of Sukkot, the Feast of Booths. We celebrate Sukkot by building a hut-like structure covered with foliage called a sukkah (booth), and by making a blessing while holding the arba minim - four species of vegetation (pictured). Candle lighting Friday 5:41pm | Sukkot ends Sunday 7:37pm

06.01.2022 The Nordic Resistance Movement’s pre-Yom Kippur campaign led the Supreme Court of Finland to issue a cease-and-desist order to the group, the first such order issued since the 1970s, according to the Helsinki Times. The court determined that the objectives of the organization were in violation of the foundations of a democratic society.

04.01.2022 The data on hate crimes comes from a report about 5,954 incidents recorded in Europe, Russia and Central Asia. Of the total incidents, 1,311 were antisemitic, according to the the report titled 2019 Hate Crime Data.

04.01.2022 A 19th-century silver Kiddush cup. Faded Soviet propaganda magazines from the 1920s. Clandestine letters mailed from the front by Jewish soldiers battling Nazis. Medallions from Azerbaijan’s bruising 1992 war against Armenia. These are among hundreds of artifacts on display at Azerbaijan’s new Museum of Mountain Jews in the remote town of Krasnaiya Sloboda, an all-Jewish shtetl of about 3,500 inhabitants and two active synagogues 25 miles south of the Azerbaijani-Russian border.

03.01.2022 On Yom Kippur, the sound of the shofar resonated for the first time after a century in the magnificent Great German Schola in Venice, the first of the five synagogues in the area of one of Europe first Jewish ghettos. Built in 1529, the Schola is an essential stop for tourists exploring the Ghetto, but has not been used for worship since World War I.

03.01.2022 Israel has pre-ordered doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines currently in clinical trials in the United States, pending their approval by both countries’ health regulators.

02.01.2022 Every year on November 30 the Jewish community marks the plight of Jews from Arab lands and Iran. November 30 was chosen as it symbolically follows November 29, the day the United Nations adpoted Resolution 181 - voting to establish a Jewish state. Join us tonight to commemorate this important date, register: https://www.nswjbd.org/nov30_2020/

02.01.2022 Shabbat shalom from all of us at the Board of Deputies, to all our members and friends. This coming Monday, November 30, we commemorate the plight of Jews from Arab lands and Iran. On the Shabbat closest to November 30 - starting tonight - Jewish organisations around the world participate in a mass Kaddish (mourners' prayer) and recite a specially designed memorial prayer for Jews buried in inaccessible Arab countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Find out more ab...out the Kaddish Initiative at the link below. Candle-lighting Friday 7:30pm | Shabbat ends Saturday 8:31pm. The parasha (Torah portion) this week is Vayeitzei.

02.01.2022 "During my five years serving in Washington, I made many new friends and was often asked if I had been to Israel. I always said, Not yet. In my heart, I hoped and prayed for the opportunity, but I was determined to wait for the moment when circumstances would allow such a visit," writes Houda Nonoo, Bahrain's ambassador to the United States from 2008-2013. Join us this Monday, November 30 at 7:30pm to recognise the history of Jews from Arab lands & Iran and how the historic Abraham Accords have made a dream a reality for the Jews still living in this region. Register at: https://www.nswjbd.org/nov30_2020/ Sydney Jewish Museum The Sephardi Synagogue Executive Council of Australian Jewry - ECAJ The Joint Australia JCA

02.01.2022 Mandelbaum House, University of Sydney CEO Shana Kerlander has been awarded the 2020 NSW Jewish Board of Deputies President's Award, this year named in honour of the late past president Professor Graham de Vahl Davis AM.

02.01.2022 By this [initiative], we aim to strengthen the resolve of the Jewish community and support the common international work. Our club states the adoption the definition of antisemitism by IHRA, which states that antisemitism and all forms of racism and xenophobia constitute an attack on democracy and is contrary to our values of human rights, equality, freedom, respect of human dignity, regardless of identity, origin or belief, a statement from the club read.

02.01.2022 Wishing a wonderful weekend and Shabbat Shalom to all our friends and followers. Candle-lighting Friday, 4:51pm Shabbat ends Saturday, 5:47pm The parasha (Torah portion) this week is Behar-Bechukotai