Leadership change at Australian Jewish Association
"We played a major role in Australia stopping the cash grants to the Palestinian Authority," says David Adler.
David Adler has announced his departure as President of the right-leaning Australian Jewish Association (AJA) after nearly a decade at the helm.
Adler has told the AJN he is proud of several policy achievements, including the AJA’s role in stopping Australian government money going to the Palestinian Authority under the previous Coalition government.
“We played a major role in Australia stopping the cash grants to the Palestinian Authority, and also in reducing the foreign aid to UNRWA,” he stated, noting that while some policies had been reversed by Labor, “Australia no longer gets cash to the Palestinian Authority.”
Adler also pointed to the organisation’s early warnings about Islamic antisemitism.
“We called out the risks and the growth of Islamic antisemitism before anyone else would do so, and indeed were criticised by some other organisations,” he said.
Addressing relations with other Jewish community organisations, Adler revealed ongoing behind-the-scenes cooperation despite public differences.
“We’ve always been willing to work with the other Jewish organisations,” he explained.
“There is constructive behind the scenes communication and collaboration. We have had people referred to us and issues referred to us from within the other legacy Jewish organisations.”
On the current political landscape after Saturday’s election, Adler expressed concerns about the incoming Labor government, warning of inadequate action against the causes of antisemitism at universities and potential hostility to Israel.
“The predictions we made [prior to the last election] about some of the actions hostile to the Jewish community, the risks of antisemitism, the possible policies hostile to Israel, if anything, we underestimated and it turned out worse,” he said.
“We see a couple of our communal organisations welcoming and congratulating the incoming Labor government, and we’re saying the risks associated with this incoming government are immense.”
He believes the government will give some money to the Jewish community for security, but, “the possibility of the recognition of a state of Palestine by Australia has to be considered as a serious risk now.”
He suggested the AJA’s positions, particularly opposition to a Palestinian state, now align with a larger portion of the Australian Jewish community than previously acknowledged.
comments