Nova Peris standing up against antisemitism
Peris reflected that it opened her eyes to an often very negative attitude towards Jewish people.
Indigenous leader Nova Peris spoke at Courage to Care Victoria’s event at the Gandel Gallery on March 31 to a crowd of around 200, discussing her commitment to speaking out against antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas attacks.
The former Parliamentarian and Olympian said she decided to speak out when she could see her Jewish friends were hurting, friends like Josh Frydenberg, Julian Leeser and Mark Leibler who had strongly supported the Indigenous Voice referendum. She said her Jewish friends were asking, “Where are our friends?”
“I had friends who were really hurting, and I was going to go and educate myself. As my grandfather said, if you are going to stand for something you speak for it too,” Peris said.
She reflected that it opened her eyes to an often very negative attitude towards Jewish people.
“I have never seen that ever … I know there are still injustices here, but the Jewish people have fought in lock step for our recognition, [against] terra nullius, land rights, philanthropy, you have always been generous supporters and givers of our people, and I think it’s off the back of what William Cooper did … So I saw all that and the more I was educated, I went to Israel … the more I see it, I was like this is the right side of history.”
When Peris travelled to Israel she visited the site of the massacres at Kibbutz Be’eri and the Nova festival and watched footage of the Hamas attacks.
Courage to Care thanked Peris for being an upstander and also highlighted how its programs on anti-racism in schools are encouraging upstanders and said it was looking for more volunteers as demand has surged.
“It was a privilege to hear from Nova, whom we regard as an inspiring example of Upstander Action, using her voice to stand up against all forms of discrimination,” Courage to Care’s volunteer relationships manager Lisa Lewis told The AJN.
“Brighton Secondary College principal Peter and student Grace shared with us the direct impact of our volunteer-led Upstander Programs at their school and left the room in no doubt that through education change is possible.”
To support Courage to Care visit couragetocare.org.au
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