Jews in grassroots politics

CHANTAL ABITBOL

JEWISH people are currently well represented in local politics in NSW, but more work needs to be done to recruit young Jews into politics, said rising Liberal Party star Anthony Boskovitz at a Limmud-Oz session.¬†Law student Boskovitz, 25, has been a councillor on Woollahra council since he was 20. He said it was important to have Jewish people at the frontline as a “symbol”, especially in higher levels of government.

“We’re doing quite well on a local level. But in other areas, there are no Jewish people elected as Liberals in the state and federal level in NSW,” he said.¬†”The political parties and the Jewish community should be working together to try to get more Jewish representation at a local level, and that will lend itself to gain more representation in the state and federal level.”

Waverley Councillor Yvonne Coburn, who co-chaired the session on Jews in grassroots politics, said she was encouraged to see in recent years the appointment of Jim Spigelman as NSW chief justice and Eric Roozendaal as treasurer.¬†”This provides a momentum that I believe is not only positive, but which is something on which we can really build,” she said.¬†

She stressed, however, the role of a Jewish politician was to look after the interests of the community as a whole, “not just your own subgroup”.¬†”It’s a complicated formula,” she said. “By your presence, you are helping the Jewish community. But at the same time, you become a symbol of the engagement of the Jewish community with the wider community … in relation to matters that are not partisan or tied to the special concerns of the Jews.”