Aussie in line for world Progressive helm
She co-chaired the WUPJ's international biennial conventions in San Francisco in 2010 and Rio de Janeiro in 2015. In 2004-08, she was president of the Union for Progressive Judaism
A MELBOURNE woman has been nominated as the first-ever Australian chair of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), one of six members of Progressive Judaism Victoria (PJV) – all women – nominated to the world body’s leadership committee.
If elected, Phyllis Dorey (pictured), a Temple Beth Israel (TBI) congregant and a long-time leader within Australian Progressive Judaism, who spends part of her year in Israel, would become the first Australian to hold the role.
Dorey has been a WUPJ co-chair and a member of its management committee since 2015, has chaired its education committee and has been an executive board member since 2010.
She co-chaired the WUPJ’s international biennial conventions in San Francisco in 2010 and Rio de Janeiro in 2015. In 2004-08, she was president of the Union for Progressive Judaism (UPJ), which spans congregations in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand.
Dorey was president of TBI from 1999 to 2001, has been a member of The King David School council and has chaired its education committee.
In 2018, Dorey was recognised with an Order of Australia Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to the Jewish community.
Meanwhile, Sharene Hambur, former president of Zionism Victoria and the first woman in that role, will become WUPJ’s honorary secretary, and ARZA president Helen Shardey, PJV vice-president Maureen Barten, UPJ executive committee member Dr Suzanne Silberberg and former Jewish Museum of Australia chair and president Sandy Benjamin have been nominated to the WUPJ committee.
PJV president Philip Bliss stated, “Progressive Judaism Victoria is extremely proud to announce that six of our members, all women, have been nominated to the new leadership committee of the World Union of Progressive Judaism. It gives me great delight to announce that Phyllis has been nominated as the new incoming chair.”
The new board will be elected at Connections 2023, the 40th WUPJ conference, to be held at the Progressive Beit Shmuel Centre in Jerusalem from May 3-6.
comments