New faces on ECAJ board

6 December 2009, 8:57 am

Mount Scopus College principal Rabbi James Kennard. Photo: AJN file

NAOMI LEVIN

FOUR new Victorian councillors have been elected to the board of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).

Elections took place at the Jewish Community Council of Victoria’s (JCCV) annual general meeting late last month.

The new councillors are University of Melbourne academic Dr Dvir Abramovich, Mount Scopus Memorial College principal Rabbi James Kennard, Monash University academic Dr Philip Mendes and lawyer Alon Cassuto.

They join existing Victorian councillors Anton Block, Ron Finkel, Dr Danny Lamm, Ian Samuel, John Searle and Sharene Hambur.

At the meeting, JCCV president Searle said he regretted the gender imbalance among the councillors, with Hambur the only female out of 10 representatives.

But he added that a number of Victorian women are involved in the ECAJ in various other capacities, including education and social welfare.

These women include former ECAJ president Nina Bassat, National Council of Jewish Women of Australia federal president Rysia Rozen and B’nai B’rith president Adrienne Perch.

Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Brian Tee also addressed the AGM.

Tee said he expected the amendments to the Sentencing Act to pass the Upper House. This would mean judges would have to consider whether there was any prejudiced motive by the offender when sentencing.

“[This amendment] makes it crystal clear that hate crimes have no place in Victoria,” the Upper House member for the Eastern Metropolitan region said.

He also spoke about changes planned for the Equal Opportunity Act, which will alter the way religious organisations can discriminate against prospective employees.

“The Government has a clear view, and that is eroding religious freedom does not make us more tolerant,” he said.

According to the proposed changes, religious organisations, including schools and community groups, will be allowed to deny employment on the basis of sex, sexuality and parental status, but will not be allowed to continue discriminating on the grounds of race, age or political beliefs.