The Jewish Council has welcomed three new advisory committee members:

• Dr Rhonda Galbally AC served as Commissioner for the Disability Royal Commission, and has been a CEO, Chair and board member for over thirty years, across business, the public sector and philanthropy.
• Professor Clare Wright OAM is an award-winning historian, author, broadcaster and public commentator who has worked in politics, academia and the media. 

• Associate Professor Matthew Zagor is a human rights advocate, practitioner and scholar who is the Director of Law Reform and Social Justice at the Australian National University.

They join 18 Jewish Australians on the Council’s advisory committee: Louise Adler AM; Professor Andrea Durbach AM; Professor Roy Green AM; Josh Bornstein; Sara Dowse; Antony Loewenstein; Professor Linda Briskman; Aviva Tuffield; Dr Michael Edwards; Dr Na’ama Carlin; Ohad Kozminsky; Dr Na’ama Blackman; Claire Connelly; Yoel Caspi; Dr Leia Greenslade. A full list of the advisory committee members and their bios can be found on our website. 

We have also had over 740 Jewish Australians (and growing) who have signed onto our Core Principles, sending a message that pro-Israel Jewish organisations, who do not recognise the diversity of views in the Jewish community on Israel, do not speak for us. 

While we all have diverse views, the signatories are united in our opposition to Israel’s continued policies aimed at the destruction of Palestinian life, and the prioritisation of Jewish people over the rights of Palestinians. In contrast to messages we hear from some other Jewish organisations, the signatories assert that Jewish safety is not at odds with Palestinian freedom. We support calls for freedom, equality and justice for all Palestinians and Israelis.

The Jewish Council is not a representative organisation. No single person or organisation can speak on behalf of all Jews in Australia. The Jewish community in Australia is not a monolith and it is dangerous to paint it as such. The community is made up of people with diverse histories, cultures and traditions, and, increasingly, diverse views on the military actions of the State of Israel.

Our Core Principles and the full list of signatories is available here.

Dr Rhonda Galbally AC

“The Jewish Council of Australia reflects and draws on all of the values of Judaism that have made me so proud to be Jewish. Humanitarianism and a passionate commitment to human rights for all, equity and inclusion for all, anti racism, anti discrimination - these are all principles that to me are fundamental to being a Jew. These principles provide the lens that the Jewish Council is applying to the unconscionable genocide in Gaza and the treatment of the Palestinians over decades. I value that the Jewish Council has been developed in Australia giving voice to these principles and I am  honoured to join its advisory committee.”

Professor Clare Wright OAM

“I believe in all of the core principles of the Jewish Council of Australia. So why not join? Because fear. Fear of what? Only fear of fear itself. And thus has our silence been historically wrought. Silence is no longer an option. It never is.”

Associate Professor Matthew Zagor

"The Jewish Council of Australia draws upon the Jewish tradition of social justice to stand against all forms of racism, including antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinianism. It offers an alternative voice by championing Palestinian freedom and justice, challenging the uncritical support of Israel's actions."

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