Executive Council of Australian Jewry

Jewish organisation in Australia

Executive Council of Australian Jewry

Founded| 1944; 81 years ago (1944)
Headquarters| Sydney, Australia

Region served

| Australia

Co-Chief Executive Officers

| Alex Ryvchin
Peter Wertheim
Website| https://www.ecaj.org.au/

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) is a peak body representing the Australian Jewish community, and the umbrella organisation for over 200 Jewish organisations across Australia. It is the Australian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, the worldwide umbrella organisation of Jewish communities. It is also affiliated with the Commonwealth Jewish Council, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.

## History

[edit]

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) was created in 1944 as the peak body for the various state-based representative bodies of Jews in Australia.[1]

Syd Einfeld was president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry between 1953 and 1954, 1957–58, and 1961–62.[2] Other distinguished Presidents who have served multiple terms have included Maurice Ashkenasy (1948–1950, 1954–1956, 1958–1960, 1962–1964, 1966–1968) and Isi Leibler (1978–1980, 1982–1985, 1987–1989, 1992–1995).[citation needed]

## Description and governance

[edit]

ECAJ is the umbrella organisation for over 200 Jewish organisations across Australia.[3] It is the Australian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, the worldwide umbrella organisation of Jewish communities. It is also affiliated with the Commonwealth Jewish Council, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.[4]

Its councillors are elected via a collegiate electoral system. Of the ECAJ's 33 councillors, 25 are directly elected by the members of its constituent organisations, and eight are appointed by its affiliate organisations.[citation needed]

## Platform and advocacy

[edit]

The ECAJ Policy Platform[5] covers a broad range of issues, including human rights, indigenous issues, multiculturalism, interfaith relations, refugees, education, Holocaust remembrance, racial vilification, antisemitism, religious issues, and Israel and the international community. The ECAJ website includes a pictorial history of Australia and Israel[6] including government-to-government, commercial, cultural and people-to-people relationships between the two countries from the earliest years onward.[citation needed]

There have been criticisms[vague] of the organisation that they are not truly representative and that their elections are too narrow to make a claim to represent all of Australia's Jews.[7]

### Communal submissions

[edit]

One of the roles of ECAJ is to prepare submissions to the government on behalf of the Jewish community. This has been on a broad range of topics such as the statutory definition of charity,[8] human rights,[9] freedom of religion,[10][11] and labelling Kosher foods.[12]

ECAJ has also taken a stand against child sexual abuse, which had a significant presence in the community. ECAJ advocated for the return of Malka Leifer from Israel to face abuse allegations,[13] and issued an apology to abuse advocate Manny Waks, who was abused as a child.[14]

In 2019, ECAJ called on the government to offer more protections to faith-based hospitals, aged care facilities, and housing providers, to allow organisations to continue to preference people of their own faith in service delivery.[15]

### Antisemitism

[edit]

One of the roles of ECAJ is to monitor antisemitic instances in Australia. This includes the unprecedented 60% jump in incidents for 2018 on the back of an increase in 2017. This was seen mostly due to a sharp increase in white supremacist activity.[16][17] Another significant rise was recorded in 2019.[18]

### Israel advocacy

[edit]

According to the preliminary findings of the Gen 17 study of the Australian Jewish community published by Monash University's Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation in 2018, 88% of Australian Jews feel a sense of responsibility to ensure that the State of Israel continues to exist in peace and security.[19] ECAJ considers itself a peak body for Australian Jewry, and also regularly conducts advocacy on behalf of Israel. This is in accordance with the ECAJ's Constitution, whose objects include "To support and strengthen the connection of Australian Jewry with the State of Israel".[citation needed]

One significant area of pro-Israel advocacy is in their opposition to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.[20] ECAJ has rejected the BDS movement as anti-Semitic, although they did not join the legal proceedings against a Sydney professor brought by the group Shurat HaDin.[21]

ECAJ submitted a complaint to Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) over their screening the TV series The Promise in November and December 2011.[22] This complaint pointed to many examples of the negative stereotyping of the Jewish people throughout the series, in particular through the portrayals of the Jewish characters. This was later supported by the chairman of the New South Wales Community Relations Commission, Stepan Kerkyasharian.[23]

In 2019 ECAJ also released a rebuttal against the Israeli journalist and political candidate, Orly Noy, who claimed anti-Sephardi racism and Apartheid was deeply rooted in Israeli society.[24]

In 2024, The Age reported that ECAJ deputy president Robert Goot had coordinated a campaign lobbying the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to sack radio host Antoinette Lattouf, following social media posts by Lattouf relating to allegations of war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza war. Lattouf subsequently sued the ABC for wrongful termination, with her statement of claim alleging that she had been sacked as a result of a campaign from ECAJ rather than in line with any ABC internal policies. In response, ECAJ's co-CEO Alexander Ryvchin stated that the council did not contact the ABC about Lattouf and the campaign was a "grassroots initiative of individuals exercising their right to make their objections known".[25] Lattouf won the case against ABC. [26]

ECAJ continued through the year advocating for Israel, including attacking the ACTU's statement criticising the deaths of Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces through bombings and forced starvation,[27] condemning the International Criminal Court for its issuance of arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for war crimes committed against Palestinians,[28] and writing to Foreign Minister Penny Wong encouraging the denial of Palestinian statehood.[29]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "About". ECAJ. 7 March 2019. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
2. ^ "Sydney David Einfeld, Politician and Community Leader (1907-1985)". ARCHIVE OF AUSTRALIAN JUDAICA. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
3. ^ Betigeri, Aarti (26 November 2017). "As Anti-Semitism Rises, 'I Don't Feel Safe in Australia,' Rabbi Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
4. ^ "Partners". Executive Council of Australian Jews. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
5. ^ "Policy Platform". Executive Council of Australian Jews. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
6. ^ "Australia and Israel: A Pictorial History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
7. ^ Mendes, Philip; Levey, Geoffrey Brahm (2004). Jews and Australian politics. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-903900-72-7.
8. ^ "Proposed introduction of a statutory definition of 'charity'–submission on behalf of the Australian Jewish community" (PDF).
9. ^ "National Human Rights Action Plan" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
10. ^ "Religious Freedom Submission" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
11. ^ Narunsky, Gareth. "New protections against religious discrimination". ajn.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
12. ^ Gottlieb, Rabbi Yaron (27 May 2010). "Copyrighting kosher a sectarian minefield". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
13. ^ "Developments in Malka Leifer case". ECAJ - Executive Council of Australian Jewry. 4 October 2019. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
14. ^ "Executive Council of Australian Jewry apology". Manny Waks. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
15. ^ "Religious freedom and the Jewish community". ABC Religion & Ethics. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
16. ^ Cohen, Hagar; Bouf, Jacqueline (26 November 2018). "Antisemitism report shows marked increase in incidents and neo-Nazi activity". ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
17. ^ Davidson, Helen (27 November 2017). "Antisemitic incidents in Australia up nearly 10% over year, study says". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
18. ^ Benjamin, henry. "Anti-Semitic incidents up 30% in Australia, report says". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
19. ^ Graham, David; Markus, Andrew (2018). Gen 17 Australian Jewish community survey: Preliminary findings (PDF). Monash University. Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation. p. 64\. ISBN 978-0-9945960-6-2.
20. ^ "The Global BDS Campaign Laid Bare" (PDF). Executive Council of Australian Jews. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
21. ^ "BDS Litigation "inappropriate" says ECAJ". J-Wire. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
22. ^ "Formal Complaint: The Promise" (PDF). Executive Council of Australian Jews. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
23. ^ "Letter to Mr Skrzynski" (PDF). Executive Council of Australian Jews. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
24. ^ "ECAJ complaint to ABC: Radio National interview of Orly Noy and Sara Saleh". Jews Down Under. 11 July 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
25. ^ Bachelard, Michael; Jaspan, Calum (16 January 2024). "Secret WhatsApp messages show co-ordinated campaign to oust Antoinette Lattouf from ABC". The Age. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
26. ^ https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2025/2025fca0669
27. ^ "ACTU's 'shockingly misguided' statement on Israel and Gaza". Australian Jewish News. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
28. ^ "Israel and the International Criminal Court". ECAJ. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
29. ^ "Urgent warning ahead of major vote". news. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

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Jews and Judaism in Australia

Topics|

| History|

* History
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VIC|

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WA|

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SA|

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|

Secretaries-General|

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