An immersive Jewish experience
Koma explained that visiting the Jewish community was "the most interesting part of the day", because he was exposed to and learnt about the Jewish way of life from Jewish leaders and from Rabbi Kaltmann.
The ARK Centre recently hosted this year’s cohort of Australia-ASEAN Muslim Exchange Program participants for a tour of the synagogue and a crash course on all things Judaism.
“It is a pleasure to extend a warm welcome to the new cohort of AAMEP 2023 and host them at ARK Centre,” Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann, rabbi at the ARK Centre told The AJN.
“I had the opportunity to guide them on a tour of our synagogue and community centre, engaging in deep discussions on Judaism, Torah and Jewish law,” he said.
The AAMEP provides community focused dialogue and intellectual and cultural exchange for emerging Muslim leaders in Australia and from ASEAN countries.
Delegates of the program experience firsthand Australia’s and Muslim communities in Southeast Asia’s multiculturalism.
Emerging community leaders such as individuals involved in non-government organisations, charities, mosques, Islamic schools, universities, as well as authors, artists, and academics make up this year’s cohort.
As part of the program Australian delegates visit Brunei Darussalam, and Southeast Asian delegates visit Australia.
Anwar Koma, a program participant from Pattani, Thailand, shared his thoughts on his experiences.
“We visited three important places in Melbourne, the synagogue, the first Mosque established by the Albanian community and the last place we visited on that day was the Christian, Muslim and Jewish Association.”
Koma explained that visiting the Jewish community was “the most interesting part of the day”, because he was exposed to and learnt about the Jewish way of life from Jewish leaders and from Rabbi Kaltmann.
He said it was amazing to visit the synagogue as he had never been to one before.
“It seems like we also face similar things, as a minority,” Koma said, adding, “In a Muslim minority society they face racist discrimination,” comparing this to the need for security at the ARK centre’s neighbouring school Bialik College.
“That shows that the Jewish community here are threatened as well.”
However Koma noted, “This is not the whole story,” as he observed that in Melbourne “there is a good platform for multiculturalism, it means that there is a setup for religious communities to participate in policy making, there is a public space for them, an open space, to express whatever they like according to their religions”.
“Overall I see that religious minorities [in Melbourne] have been doing quite well with the majority,” he concluded.
Koma is one of eight delegates from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei who have spent 10 days in Australia meeting with Muslim community members, interfaith groups, government, schools, the media and others to engage in dialogue and deepen their understanding of Australian society.
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