JCCV honours community leaders
Community leaders were honoured at the JCCV’s AGM for their service, resilience and impact.
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria honoured outstanding community leaders at its 87th Annual General Meeting on Monday.
JCCV President Philip Zajac said the past twelve months had been among the most difficult the community had faced in recent memory, yet they also revealed remarkable resilience.
“Our community has faced some of the most confronting moments in decades, yet we have also seen extraordinary strength. I am proud of how the JCCV has supported our community during times of crisis, strengthened partnerships between Jewish organisations, and continued to build for a Victorian Jewish future,” he said.
Sidra Moshinsky received the General Sir John Monash Award for her decades of service across multiple organisations including The King David School, Bialik College, Stand Up, JCCV and the Jewish Museum of Australia.
“There are so many people in our community and in our city who are really doing it tough right now, young people in particular, for whom being Jewish has added great complexity and also strain in the most unjust and regressive of ways,” Moshinsky said.
She reflected on her years of service, saying, “My involvement to date has never felt like service, in the sense of doing something selflessly for others, because it’s who I am, and I’ve been so enriched every step of the way.”
Chloe Guss was recognised with the Sylvia Gelman Award for transforming youth engagement through her work with UJEB and BBYO, particularly for students in non-Jewish schools.
She urged the community not to overlook this demographic.
“Don’t forget about those Jewish kids that are at non-Jewish schools. I was once them and I’m so grateful that I got involved in these organisations that sparked that Jewish identity,” Guss said.
Daniel Jenshel received the inaugural Anton Hermann Award for Outstanding Board Leadership after decades of service with UJEB, Caulfield Shule, C Care and the Zionist Federation of Australia.
As co-founder of Men’s Haven, he has created a safe and supportive space for men to discuss mental health.
The JCCV also formally accepted a new organisation as a member, Unchain My Heart, a Melbourne-based volunteer organization which addresses the issue of agunot (chained women) in Jewish life.