Diaspora ‘has a voice’ in Israel
'The Jewish people have a voice in what's happening in Israel,' said Yaron Shavit.
Yaron Shavit, deputy chair of the Jewish Agency, is set to visit Australia “to meet and listen to the Australian Jewish community”.
Speaking to The AJN ahead of his trip, Shavit said he wants to hear firsthand about the explosion of antisemitism in Australia. “I want to hug you for the challenges that you’re facing there. And I want to listen.”
He will talk about J-Ready, the Jewish Agency’s support program for Diaspora Jewish communities, which has trained some 5000 Jewish professionals in more than 50 countries. Its educational programs can equip Jewish Australians to combat the six-fold rise in antisemitism in this country since October 7, 2023.
A member of the World Zionist Organisation’s board of governors since 2006, Shavit’s schedule will include meeting leaders of the Union for Progressive Judaism, the Australian Reform Zionist Association and Progressive Judaism Victoria to encourage constituents to vote in the World Zionist Congress (WZC) elections, to be conducted between July 1 and July 27.
“The Jewish people have a voice in what’s happening in Israel,” said Shavit, “and like it or not, whatever happens in Israel reflects on them. So I’m calling upon them to be more active, to be more involved.”
The aim is to head off a challenge by ultra-Orthodox factions seeking to exclude Reform and Masorti Jewish organisations from having a voice in the WZC, he said, noting Charedi MKs have blocked funding for non-Orthodox communities.
While Sephardi Charedim and more recently Ashkenazi Charedim have been welcomed into the WZC, they need to adhere to the Jerusalem Program, which includes “the understanding and the acceptance of the fact that there is a multifaceted Judaism”.
Shavit said that with the war, many of the activists against the government’s moves to limit the power of Israeli courts has morphed into the hostage movement. He and his family frequently take part in protests against the Netanyahu government for the return of the hostages, including weekly vigils on motza’ei Shabbat.
Shavit recounted the Jewish Agency’s rehabilitation programs, particularly the Victims of Terror fund, offering long-term support to stricken communities in the south and north.
Initially a practising lawyer, Shavit reflected, “I needed to simply provide for my family and stand up for my clients. Now my clients are world Jewry at large, and especially democratic, liberal Jewry. And it’s fantastic to be able to wake up every morning and to think, ‘what can I do more, and what can I do better?'”
To register and vote in the WZC elections, to be held July 1-27, visit https://arza.org.au/wzc-elections/