An ongoing commitment to cultivating and supporting Jewish creatives
The past year was also the year that our community challenged itself to find new ways to support them and their work.
2024 might be remembered as the year that many Jewish creatives were alienated by their industry peers, publishers and festival organisers (‘Silenced: The Battle of Jewish Creatives’ by Jessica Abelsohn, 29 November 2024), but it was also the year that our community challenged itself to find new ways to support them and their work. Many different organisations have risen to the challenge, and many individuals have fought to ensure that creatives — the beating heart of any society — have continued their craft for the betterment of our community.
At Shalom we strive to build a vibrant and engaged Jewish community, and this year we prioritised supporting Jewish creatives by finding innovative approaches to address some of their challenges. But we haven’t done it alone by any means.
One of our most exciting developments was the establishment of the Australian Jewish Book Awards to recognise outstanding contributions to Australian Jewish writing. Funded by generous donors, prizes for Jewish non-fiction, and for young Jewish writers were awarded. Judging is currently underway for a manuscript award by emerging and mid-career authors, and the shortlist reflects Jewish experiences that in recent times may have been sidelined or neglected, including those from Iraq, the Iberian Peninsula, Ukraine, and Russia. Plans are underway to add additional awards in 2025 to recognise fiction writing, and playwrighting/screenwriting.
Shir was able to muster the incredible power of music, bringing together artists from across our community for an unbelievable night of Jewish music on October 6. Ben Adler’s speech from that night was a masterful oration dedicated to the importance of the arts, and the power that gathering in music can bring. Bringing together thousands of people at Sydney’s Town Hall was a master stroke in silent diplomacy, showing the Jewish response to the year’s rise of antisemitism is a stoic resilience, a statement that we are here, proud and unabashed.
The Centre of Jewish Arts, running out of Melbourne, has been a rallying point for Australian Jewish artists and arts workers. It has allowed our creatives to have a collective voice within the industry. A further example of this is Jamie Biakowler’s attempts to formalise a Jewish film industry fund to support filmmakers in getting their works off the ground to allay any concerns around funding biases.
Kadima’s bold decision, alongside external producers and Shalom, to bring their flagship masterpiece Yentl to Sydney’s Opera House, was a defiant moment for a Jewish presence within the creative space. Bringing one of our many languages to the mainstage in a way that showcased authentic Jewish storytelling, despite the zeitgeist, was bold, courageous, and encouraging.
Efforts are also underway to further bolster the creative sector. Shalom launched two grassroots initiatives — micro-grants and artists’ meet-ups — to provide artists with the resources they need to bring their projects to life. These smaller-scale initiatives ensure that support for Jewish creatives is not just limited to the established few but reaches the entire spectrum of the creative community. In addition, a quarterly Arts and Culture Forum for senior arts executives was established to facilitate collaboration amongst Jewish arts organisations across Australia. Finally, a larger substantive funding opportunity is in development with the help of communal organisations and private philanthropy.
These initiatives – and the work hasn’t yet ended — is a powerful reminder that supporting the arts is a cross-communal responsibility that extends beyond our state borders, and one that ultimately enriches our cultural legacy for future generations. As we look ahead, the efforts of 2024 serve as a blueprint for what is possible when we invest in our creatives. From honoring untold stories to bringing our heritage to the mainstage, every initiative we’ve undertaken is a testament to the transformative power of the arts. At Shalom, we remain steadfast in our commitment to building a vibrant, engaged Jewish community where creativity flourishes and cultural legacies endure for generations to come. Together, we can ensure that 2024 is remembered not just for its struggles but as the year we rose to meet them with courage, vision, and unwavering support for the beating heart of our community—our Jewish creatives.
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