Artwork gets the green light
Woollahra Council is expected to undertake a similar vote in the next few weeks.
Waverly Council is aiming for a joint public art installation with Woollahra Council that memorialises October 7 to be installed by the second anniversary of the attacks this year.
The council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to proceed with the artwork in Christison Park, Vaucluse and on the terms of reference for a committee to manage the project.
Woollahra Council is expected to undertake a similar vote in the next few weeks.
“I am delighted that council unanimously endorsed the creation of a Joint Public Art Institute Committee to memorialise the impact the events of October 7, 2023 has had and continues to have on the Waverley and Woollahra community and in particular the Jewish community,” Waverley mayor Will Nemesh said.
“Public art as a cultural expression plays a pivotal role in capturing emotion and in telling an evocative story – in this case the impact of October 7.
“I look forward to working with Woollahra Council and our community on this important project.”
The cost of the installation will be $250,000, with the councils contributing and funds to be raised from the community. Donations will be through the Woollahra Public Art Gallery, which has deductible gift recipient (DGR) status.
Also on the local government front, Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne moved a mayoral minute on Tuesday night condemning the recent surge in antisemitic attacks and reinforcing “that foreign affairs is not the remit of local government”. While Randwick City councillor Daniel Rosenfeld will present a motion at a council meeting next Tuesday calling for Harmony Week celebrations to include a focus on healing for the Jewish community in response to rising antisemitism.
“As a proud member of the Jewish community, I have experienced firsthand the distress caused by the recent surge in antisemitic attacks. No one should feel unsafe or unwelcome in their own community,” Rosenfeld said.
“Harmony Week is about celebrating our rich cultural diversity, and it is vital that we use this opportunity to build bridges and heal divisions.”
Meanwhile, a City of Sydney motion to boycott products and services from Israeli settlements was watered down on Monday night.
Instead, councillors endorsed by 9-1 a report which found it had no agreements or investments with companies on a list compiled by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that includes Israeli firms that operate in the West Bank.
The motion that passed also condemned antisemitic, Islamophobic and “anti-Palestinian attacks”.
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