JCLJ marks its first year

The Jewish Centre for Law and Justice (JCLJ) marked its first full year of operations at a recent donor event in Sydney, showcasing a body of work its leaders say strengthens the community’s defences against antisemitism.

JCLJ chair Anthony Halas told guests the organisation had become “a vital piece of our communal infrastructure”, addressing a gap that had left legal action against antisemitism sporadic and poorly coordinated.

“Australia has never had an independent legal centre dedicated to using the law strategically to fight antisemitism,” he said.

“JCLJ fills that gap. We sit alongside our existing communal bodies as a complementary force, not duplicating what others do, but enhancing it.”

CEO Alessandra Steele said the organisation operated on a two-arm model: a community legal service providing pro bono advice as a “front door” for anyone experiencing antisemitism, and a legal strategy arm that selects cases capable of delivering systemic change.

In its first year, JCLJ handled 120 advice matters, ran 32 active complaints and cases, and assisted 130 people with their engagement with the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

Steele said antizionism had emerged as the organisation’s top strategic priority. “Early on, we at JCLJ identified that antizionism is a key legal frontier in the fight against antisemitism, and it was fuelling the growth of antisemitism,” she said.

Among its strategic wins, Steele pointed to the case of Menachem Vorchheimer, who had been self-represented when JCLJ took on a matter concerning a chant of “all Zionists are terrorists” said at a rally.

“We assembled a legal team and crafted the case into something winnable,” she said.

The judge found the natural and ordinary effect of the chant was to incite hatred against Jewish people. “It changes behaviour, changes what people say into microphones, and what institutions tolerate.”

JCLJ also supported an amicus application by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies opposing a protest planned for the Sydney Opera House on the second anniversary of October 7. The court directed the protesters elsewhere.

Steele said the organisation was seeking $10 million over three years to secure its future – $1.3 million per year for operations and $2 million for litigation.

“Without litigation funding, the important cases don’t get run, and strategic change doesn’t happen.”

The event concluded with a live Q&A with Jewish singer Deborah Conway, conducted by social media activist Marnie Perlstein, before Conway and her musician husband Willy Zygier performed an acoustic set.