Australian Jewish Umbrella Organization Condemns Groups Who Back Israel Boycott
Melbourne Jewry’s umbrella organization voted to condemn a Jewish group that supports the boycott of goods from the West Bank.
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria in a 29-4 vote on Monday passed a motion condemning “in the strongest possible terms” the Australian Jewish Democratic Society. The debate on the motion, which was brought by Zionist Council of Victoria President Sam Tatarka, turned heated at times.
The motion said the society’s boycott, which was launched in March, is “repugnant to the basic policies and principles of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.” It also said the community council is “fundamentally opposed to any idea, organization or movement which recommends or supports boycotting, divesting from or sanctions against Israel.”
Larry Stillman, an executive member of the Australian Jewish Democratic Society, told JTA that the council had been “hijacked by local representatives of the settler movement,” adding that it was his own opinion. He also said the motion has created a “huge division between the official Jewish community locally and progressive organizations internationally.”
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria comprises more than 50 Jewish organizations.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
