Now more than ever, community counts
'The funds we raise directly sustain the programs, services and infrastructure that underpin Jewish life here in NSW and the ACT'
There is no denying that we are living through challenging times. In Sydney, our community has felt the tremors of a global rise in antisemitism reverberate in the most personal of ways – on our streets, in our schools and even in the way we think about walking through our own neighbourhoods. For many, what once felt safe and familiar has shifted.
This is not just a story of physical safety. It’s a story of emotional resilience, of communal strength and of an urgent need to look after one another – because if we can’t rely on each other, who can we rely on?
At JCA, we’ve always believed that charity begins at home. For over half a century, we’ve served as the central communal organisation supporting the breadth of Jewish life in NSW and the ACT. Our role has never felt more essential than it does right now.
In the face of rising antisemitism, organisations like the Community Security Group (CSG) and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) have become frontline protectors of both our physical safety and our democratic voice. CSG has been working tirelessly to provide security at schools, synagogues, events and institutions across Sydney, ensuring that our community can live and express our Judaism openly and safely. This is not a theoretical concept – it’s the reason families feel secure sending their children to school each day.
Likewise, JBD is our political and civil advocate, engaging with government, law enforcement, media and other faith communities to ensure that our concerns are heard and our rights protected. In a time when misinformation and hate can spread at lightning speed, JBD has been a powerful voice of truth, education and calm.
But safety isn’t only physical – it’s emotional. The rise in community anxiety is real. People are worried. There is a heaviness in our conversations, a sadness in our communal spaces and for many, a deep uncertainty about the future.
JewishCare, one of JCA’s core funded partners, has seen an increase in mental health referrals since October 7, 2023. Their dedicated professionals are working with children, parents, survivors, carers and individuals of all ages to provide the counselling, support and connection people need to manage in these uncertain times.
We cannot underestimate the importance of this work. The trauma of feeling unsafe in your own suburb – of hearing hate shouted from a car window or reading antisemitic graffiti in your local park – does not disappear on its own. It requires care. It requires expertise. And it requires community-funded resources.
As we approach the official launch of JCA’s 2025 Campaign on Sunday, May 11, I want to underscore just how vital communal support is this year. The funds we raise directly sustain the programs, services and infrastructure that underpin Jewish life here in NSW and the ACT. From security to education, welfare to advocacy, culture to leadership – this ecosystem cannot survive without your support.
Yes, keeping our community safe is essential. But it’s equally important to nurture what makes us proud to be Jewish. We must keep our institutions strong, our youth programs vibrant, our schools world-class and our communal voice united. We must ensure our elderly are supported, our vulnerable are looked after and our identity remains something we celebrate – not something we fear expressing.
This is not just a call for donations. It’s a call for connection. For showing up. For caring deeply. For choosing community when it might be easier to turn inward. Because our strength has always come from each other. And when we stand together, we are capable of extraordinary things.
For our 2025 campaign, I ask you to support the organisations that protect us, heal us, educate us and connect us. To remember that in a world that often feels divided, our unity is our power.
Let’s show the world – and ourselves – that no matter the challenge, we rise together. Because community isn’t just something we have. It’s something we build – day by day, act by act, gift by gift. Am Yisrael chai.
Ian Sandler is the president of JCA.
UN Watch executive director and renowned human rights advocate Hillel Neuer is headlining JCA’s 2025 Campaign Dinner on Sunday, May 25. To book: jca.org.au
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